In the Box (and in the Bag:)

    Once you open the rather large shipping box, the first thing you notice is the attractive padded carrying case that the rig and parts come in. (the bag is an optional purchase) This is great, as it allows you to have the entire system packed away and everything will be ready when you need it. The case has a dual zipper top and a side accessory pouch where you can hold the smaller parts and/or manual. The Rig comes completely assembled (thank god).

The Belt system consists of a Sturdy Belt and padded Nylon junction plate. The suspension Rod rests in the open pouch.

     The two attachment point are the belt, and the QR plate. The belt is 2" nylon and adjustable with a sturdy buckle. On the front is a oval nylon junction plate that has a little pouch that accepts the spring loaded suspension rod. This system was more comfortable than I imagined it would be, the belt never "dug in" or pinched the waist at all. The shoulder pad is made of beautiful suede and is amply padded.

Wireless Transmitter mount (Left) and Light stand support socket (right)

     Two great optional accessories are the Wireless Transmitter/Reciever mount and the Light stand support socket. The Transmitter mount lets you attach your transmitter to the rig so it is out of the way, and the Light stand socket lets you rest the rig ready to go on any light stand.

The Bogen QR mount (left), And DVX100 mounted (right)

     To Mount the DVX100 you attach a standard Bogen QR plate (included) to the camera and slide it in to the QR mount. It slides in and a safety lock clicks in, you then tighten the wing bolt to lock down the camera. If you use a compatible Bogen head and already have the plate on your camera, this makes a very quick change between your Tripod and the DVRigPro shoulder mount.

To balance the camera, you can adjust one or more of the 5 knobs until you can remove your hands from the rig and it balances by itself

     Next is to balance the camera, to do so you first adjust the large knobs on the extension arm till its where you want it then you adjust the smaller knobs to slide the weight, camera plate, and suspension rod adapter till you can take your hands off the camera. At this point you realize just how great this device is, as your body supports the weight of the entire rig and camera your arms and wrists no longer experience the fatigue of normal handheld shots.

Adjustable Weight (left) Camera balanced and ready to go (right)

      If you have an onboard light or other device that is powered by large brick batteries, you can replace the included weight with the battery.

      Alternatively, you can use the Low Level accessory kit to use the rig as a low viewpoint, either holding it at your waist or slinging it to the deck. This takes allot of balancing of the camera position and rig, as you are mounting nylon rope to 3 points on the rig so an unbalanced setup will result in crooked shots.

     You can also use the shoulder mount without the suspension rod, this results in a more traditional shoulder support but the large handles allow you to move your hands away from the camera so shakes are more leveraged and less noticeable. After trying them both though, I wouldn't use it without the suspension rod as it makes things so much easier and comfortable.

In Use:     

The large foam handle grips are very comfortable and allow you to have a ton of leverage to make smooth Dutch moves and keep a steady shot

     The DVrigPro is a very ideal shoulder support system. The feeling when you are holding the camera is somewhere in between wearing a normal Shoulder mount and a full Stedicam rig. The unit is very well made with no cheap parts, and should stand up to years of abuse. The added weight of the entire unit makes stationary shots extremely steady, and with the suspension system the weight is taken off the hands and distributed over the body.

We took it out to a cycling race that was 4 hours long and had no fatigue and felt like we could go all day. It was fantastic to be able to take the hands off the shoulder mount to adjust a setting without having to take the rig off. A zoom controller helps alot, but I got pretty comfortable using one hand on the Focus and Zoom rings and the other on the hand grips. There is a learning curve, as for the first hour I spent getting used to the motion of the rig and the abnormal (in a good way) freedom of movement the DVrigPro provides.

It was nice to be able to canter the unit to follow the action, and the counter weight that most shoulder mounts dont have helped keep the shots from dipping.

     Because the unit is still solidly attached to the body, Running shots or stairs are not going to be as smooth as a Glidecam or Stedicam, unless you can do the Stedicam Shuffle (tread lightly) like a pro. For handheld dramatic work and shoots where you remain rather stationary, your shots can be very steady and, very comfortable. This is, by far, the best shoulder mount I have used, To the point where it is almost in it's own new category, just like the DVX. :)

Special thanks to DVTEC for providing us with the DVrigPro.

Retail price is $579 and is available from EVSonline.com now for $579.95 to DVXuser.com Members.
(call Cody or Rush for the discount)