David Doherty

I've bought a whole bunch of V-lock and gold mount plates from China on ebay over the years, and for the most part they have been great. The only issue I do remember was that on one particular type of v-lock plate the IDX batts we had wouldn't lock onto it properly - they were getting caught on something at the bottom of the plate. Some were fine though. As Michael said the gold mounts are usually a more robust design. Also the D-tap connectors on most of the plates don't have the little tab on them that prevents you from jamming it the wrong way, so you just have to be careful when plugging in that the polarity is right. They are not regulated, but if that's a concern 12V regulators are very cheap and pretty easy to solder in (though you woudln't want to do this with a 24V supply). I've rigged them up all kinds of ways, usually with a D-tap splitter box (again, sourced from ebay) to power multiple devices - tv logics, teradek receivers, colr boxes, etc. Been using them for years on long and grueling jobs and never had any damage caused to any device. Just be careful you're plugging in your D-taps the right way round.

I can't offer any insight on small HD monitors, but the TV logic 058 is streets ahead of the 5.6". The screen is a little smaller but its ridiculously sharp, and if you like to use focus assist it gives a great response in most situations. Its also a little heavier and definitely gets a lot hotter compared to the 5.6" if any of that is a concern.

If this thing does all it says it does for $6,200 then I think that's pretty incredible... Apparently Ikan are looking after distribution but they're not available on their website despite Tilta saying these would be out in May 2015. All I can gather from what I've found online is that the reason behind the delays is continued beta testing. Anyone know anything more? http://tilta.com/shop/wireless-lens-control-system-wlc-t02/

I actually ended up getting a cheap knock off of a Blackrapid double strap. Its a little more awkward to take the strap on and off, but at least the preston is attached to the strap with a carabiner so it can be whipped off quickly. Its much more comfortable to carry the weight, and the lock offs work great for keeping it out of the way changing lenses etc.

Hey. I've been looking to into getting some kind of camera harness / strap system for carrying a remote focus unit, I've been using a Preston (usually with a small monitor attached to it) with a simple neck strap...its an uncomfortable weight after more than a few hours and I'm worried the strain on my neck/wrists will lead to lasting problems. There are lots of strap systems out there for carrying stills cameras but I was wondering if anyone found one that worked particularly well for ACs for this kind of stuff? Thanks :)