I recently had the privilege of spending some time with Dvtec’s MultiRigPro and I must say it just became a very important part of my toolset. Rugged, well built, versatile and compact the MultiRigPro is exactly what the name suggests.

Need a quality shoulder mount rig? How about a strictly handheld rig that reduces fatigue and increases stability over going fully handheld? Or, wait, how about the ability to have one compact rig small enough to fit in the palm of, well maybe Jarred’s hand; that is not only good at what it does, but also allows you to mount various accessories? Anything from microphones to lights, your Firestore, and much more. Let me guess, you want it for the price of one rig too, right? Well, here you go.

What’s Included
First, let’s talk about what is included in the box. You (of course) have the MultiRigPro itself, which in its most compact state is about the size of a standard DVD case and about 3-4 inches tall. Because of the size, I found the rig to be great for run-and-gun situations where portability is a must, but when you still need to have fairly stable shots. Just mount the rig under your camera fold it up and go. When you want to shoot something it only takes seconds to unfold the rig into one of its many positions.

The rig is a quality built item all the way around. It has three arms, with padded handles, that swivel out and can be folded and locked into various angles. At the end of each handle is a ¼” threaded hole that can be used for mounting various accessories; additionally, the top of two handles also have ¼” threads. The main “body” of the rig has two 3/8” and one ¼” threaded holes.

Included in the DV MultiRigPro package is an additional handle (known as the Back Bar), which can be attached to one of the handle’s ¼” screw holes, for shoulder mounting. There is also an accessory plate, useful for mounting things like the Firestore or wireless microphone receivers. Additionally, there is a hot shoe adapter, a 3/8” mic adapter, and a cam plate bracket that allows for easy insertion and removal of the rig to and from your tripod head.

But, I’m still not done. Also included is an ingenious little device known as the “Support Pod w/ Flexi Tip” and a holster. The Support Pod is spring loaded allowing for shock absorption. When you are using it the first time, be careful while loosening the knobs (unless you really want to put your eye out ).

At the end of the support pod is the “Flexi Tip”, which is the end that mounts to the MultiRig. It is a heavy-duty (but flexible) tip capable of supporting a good amount of weight yet still flexible enough to flex in any direction. The other end slides into the handy-dandy holster attached to your belt.

The Support Pod can be used for extra stability in shoulder mount mode or when using the rig as a ‘steadicam’ type device. The beauty of the Flexi Tip isn’t just added stability and shock absorption of the Support Pod itself, but also the added ability to tilt the camera forward, back and side-to-side (basically the range of motion available with an analog joystick). More on this later.

Rig in Action
As I mentioned earlier the DV MultiRigPro is a great device for those who do a lot of run-and-gun. It is portable, versatile and can play more than one role in the field. If you need to get in, get the shot and get out, then this is the tool for you.

About a month ago I walked four hours through tornado destruction with an HVX mounted on the rig. Due to limited access it was necessary to be mobile and (depending on where I was) inconspicuous. I attached the HVX to the MultiRig and tucked the rig neatly underneath the camera. This allowed me to walk around and if I saw an opportunity for a shot I could quickly unfold the rig, use it as a stabilizer (or quasi shoulder mount rig), then re-tuck the rig back under the camera and move on.

Once I got past the police and National Guardsmen and entered the media area where I was able to relax, I pulled the ‘Back Bar’ out of my back pocket, screwed it to the rig and went full shoulder mount (minus the ‘Support Pod’). All the big media folks (e.g. CNN, etc) with their shoulder mount cameras and vans with satellite dishes were asking what I was using. Because of the compactness of this setup I was able to go places they couldn’t.

The DV MultiRigPro isn’t just for run-and-gun. Coupled with the Support Rod w/ Flexi Tip, and the various mounting accessories and options, it is also an excellent tool for more controlled shooting environments. The ability to mount microphones, lights, wireless receivers, DTE devices, etc and being able to have them all mounted at once is something that really ads the ‘Pro’ in MultiRigPro. When using the Support Rod in Shoulder Mount mode, you will find that you can maintain rock solid shots with ease, and without fatigue. I can balance the entire rig with just the tips of my index fingers under the two side handles. You will also find that you can easily hold the rig in this mode with one hand. Which is great, because you now have your other hand free to use the zoom and focus rings, etc. The support rod makes this possible.

Another great use of the Support Rod w/ Flexi Tip is when using the rig as a ‘Steadicam’ type device, as mentioned earlier. This is known as Stabilizer Plus mode. I haven’t had much time to give this mode a full work-through. Something Mikko (our Stedi-Guru) is probably more qualified to do, anyways. I can say, for what it is, it is a very effective mode, and brings higher quality into a lower price point. Using two of the arms and the support rod attached to your waist (via the holster), you will find that you can manipulate the rig with great ease, even while moving. Once you get things balanced out (which, again is not a terribly difficult task, due to the lack of counterweights with this rig), you will find you have a full range of motion. You can go up and down with the rig, pan left and right, tilt in all directions, and even face the rig off to your side as you move. As with any stabilization device, handheld or otherwise, practice makes perfect. But, you should find that you can take the rig out of the box, set it up, and begin getting pretty decent results almost from the get-go. Even when using the Stabilizer Plus mode. I was able to get pretty decent moving shots the very first time I tried this mode. For someone who doesn't have "steadicam" experience, I found that to be encouraging.

This unit is definitely a “one size fits all” rig. The arm, which the Back Bar mounts to, is adjustable and can be sized to fit the shooter. I used the rig very comfortably in the shoulder mount position, and I have little doubt that Davids or Goliaths would have any difficulty doing the same. Regardless of your height the MultiRig’s adjustability should allow you to get a comfortable and natural fit.

Once you have played with this device and found proper balance (which isn’t difficult) you should find it a valuable tool useful in multiple settings, environments and situations. The unit is a quality built product so there is no worry of it breaking, and its compactness prevents it from taking up too much space.

Dislikes
I only have a few minor gripes with the unit as currently shipped. First, it would have been nice if a soft case were included to hold the rig and its accessories. However, you can certainly find suitable bags to serve this purpose and ultimately the lack of it may help to keep the overall cost of the rig down.

Second, I would like to see more thorough documentation included regarding setup and use of the MultiRigPro. (I’m going to eat my words a bit here, in a minute) The device is not that difficult to set up and start using. But, at first glance one might wonder what the heck it is.

Also, a nice future improvement to the rig might be to isolate the holster from the body just a bit. because it rests right against you, sometimes faster movements can transfer from it and up the support rod. Dvtec does have a belt that you can buy as an accessory, but I did not have that available to me at the time of this review.

Final Thoughts
The DvMultiRigPro, as reviewed here, is the fully featured version of the Multi Rig line. To find out more information or to make a purchase, please visit http://www.dvmultirig.com. You will also find a great 5-minute video on the main page that will show you some of the different modes of the rig, and demonstrate the ease of switching from one to another. You will learn more in that 5 minutes than I can describe to you in text. Just see it in action. Then try it for yourself.

If you want a reliable, multi-purpose, effective and affordable stabilizer system, then take a further look at the DvMultiRigPro. Once you spend some time with this rig you will quickly begin to feel comfortable with it and find yourself using it in your own ‘custom’ configurations to suit your own particular needs and shooting style.

So, how do you MultiRig?

Visit the MultiRig Website