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    Handheld work on AF100?

    It seems many of the lenses people use for AF100 are photographic lenses, many of which lack OIS. How does the AF100 fare for shoulder mounted/handheld work with these lenses w/out OIS? I have a pretty steady hand but this concerns me a bit - feedback?

    Thanks!


    #2
    For handheld with the AF100, I use a Zacuto Universal baseplate, with redrock handlebar and grips, and 18" rods. i rest the baseplate on my shoulder, and you have extra rod length in the back to add weights if you like.

    This way, its the same as any other camera on your shoulder. Keep in mind, standard ENG shoulder-mounted cameras do NOT have image stabilization anyway. Its only the still camera and consumer video products that have IS. Professional products don't have IS as a built-in option.

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      #3
      the af100 behaves like any large sensor camera. for best handheld results you need some sort of rig like george mentioned.

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        #4
        Got it. I have been previously using the HVX200 handheld or with DV MultiRig Pro, but that has OIS.

        How should the AF100 w/DVMultiRig Pro fare? I'd love a Zacuto shoulder mount setup with weights, etc. but I just don't have it in the budget right now. It's crazy, because I feel like looking at the Zacuto setup everything (rails, baseplate, follow focus, weights, rods, etc.) should be about $300... if only. It's just so expensive.

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          #5
          Here is something I worked on with another member of DVXuser - we both have handheld / shoulder 'FrankenRigs' Mine is a mix of Zacuto and O'Connor, Bob's is a mix of Cinevate parts.



          We both used RED 18-50 zooms, and I think at some point Bob switched lenses- again to something fully manual.
          heavyG
          Wishing I was drinking Chai at Jalandhar Junction.

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            #6
            I use the red rock shoulder mount , with my chroziel base plate (any rail baseplate that works with standard 15mm rods will work fine) and it works fine.

            I think the main thing to keep in mind is that motion is magnified with longer lenses. So if you are used to IS on the HPX170, for example, and using the longer range of the zoom, you 'll have to work around it. With a 50mm (from my Contax Zeiss set, giving you a field of view of about a 100mm on the AF100) it is a little tricky to keep it super steady, and I am usually pretty steady doing HH work. BUT it is also a question of taste and tolerance, and what kind of subject you are shooting... I know between 14mm and 30mm ish, HH work without an IS is not a problem at all.
            AF100 - Contax Zeiss - Sachtler FSB8 T

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              #7
              I got AF last January, whenI look back over the past almost year of shooting I definitely have developed a sharper awareness of what types of shooting with what focal length non IS lenses is possible with the AF and what is not.

              Prior to shooting a lot of documentary with the HVX's OIS covering my butt I shot for years with betacam Sony 400, 600, 700 style shoulder mount cameras, so I came up in the non stabilized shooting world, so its not like I 'm a stranger to non IS shooting.


              I do a fair amount of hand held shooting with my 2 af's and in some documentary situations and recently shot a commercial for a national brand with the af's hand held. I do consider my self a pretty smooth operator and I don't use shoulder rigs. That said, I did have to "transition" back to shooting non IS after having ,shot for years with DVX HVX HPX and Sony cameras that were all IS cameras.

              I am clearly more mindful of the camera shakes pitfalls of shooting with non IS lenses on the AF. There were one or to shoots I did around last May where I was definitely bitten by the " this is far too shaky for comfort" result when shooting HH with the AF. Is it just me or is there something about the AF hand held footage that seems more jittery than non IS HVX footage?
              I digress, Sorry.

              The tool that I have adopted is a monopod with a ball head mount which I can tailor for the amount of drag. The ball head also has a quick release so I can drop the monopod if the situation calls for it, or sometime I collapse the mono to minimum height and heave it dangle from below the camera with the ball head really loose and use the added weight of the stick as added mass for stabilization.

              I shoot mostly with the Olympus 14-35 lens for fast moving hand held or my zeiss classic primes which are very small, with a matte box and rails if the shooting scenario is a little more controlled. I also have one of Olof's hand grips which can mount either to the side of the camera or the rails, which I feel is a real plus in many situations. I feel like this is a system that is working for me at this point, and was a way for me to avoid the shoulder rig route which I see as adding unnecessary complexity to the camera configuration. That said I've concluded that for most situations 50mm is about as far as I will go out focal length wise for shooting hand held with my configuration. Just so you know when I say 50 mm, I'm saying 50 mm zeiss distagon cine lens which doesn't need much interpretation in terms of "crop factor" because it was designed to cover 35 mm motion picture, 4 perf film frame and not the 8 perf still film frame .

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                #8
                Anything to get it up on your shoulder is a big help... I use a fairly chincy eBay "DSLR Rig," and even that works well enough. So, find something that somewhat fits, and use that. Otherwise, just do the ol' shoulder tuck.
                Pudgy bearded camera guy
                http://mcbob.tv

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                  #9
                  How heavy are vintage lenses (older Nikkor, Rokkor) glass if I am using that? I don't have a rail support system, but I do have a DV MultiRig Pro. But that doesn't support the lens. Will I need a lens support for say a 70-210mm vintage Minolta lens from the 70s? I guess I am asking on that not even for HH, just tripod mount. Not sure how much weight the lens mounts can take before it's best to have rail support system.

                  Also, anyway to rig a cheap lens support sytem onto a DV MulitiRig? I don't have the cash for a full on Zacuto setup yet, probably in a few months.

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by Mark Smith View Post
                    I got AF last January, whenI look back over the past almost year of shooting I definitely have developed a sharper awareness of what types of shooting with what focal length non IS lenses is possible with the AF and what is not.
                    I feel confident shooting handheld without shoulder mount, or IS, only at focal lengths under 50mm. Like Mark I also have Olof's handgrip, which adds significant stability, as does an external EVF mounted near the focal plane.

                    I also have Olof's "AF100 Nano Mounting Kit with Shoulder Brace". Even without the shoulder brace attached there's a tab that extends a bit from the camera back. This helps protect attached cables, & provides a bit more length so I'm able to swing the AF100 up on my shoulder without a rig.

                    In this configuration the form factor remains small, & able to go from tripod-to-shoulder-to-hip-to-SteadyBag very quickly.

                    But if you start adding mattebox/rails/follow focus/heavy lenses, you'll be better served with a properly counterweighted rig.
                    Last edited by Bern Caughey; 12-12-2011, 09:43 AM.

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