Here is my DIY figrig solution...it rocks

TeamJoeDawn, I liked your example, I made one very similar. Just finished painting today.

MyFig.jpg


Its very comfortable to handle I used pipe insulation foam cusion and bicycle handlebar tape. I'm looking forward to using this.
 
Hey everyone! Thanks for sharing all of these tips.

I am making, uh, something, that, uh... looks like a, uh, fig rig, but isn't. (just protecting my butt)

My question is, I bought a peice of L-shaped aluminum and mounted to my circle but the aluminum flex's! The weight of the camera rocks back and forth! Obviously, not a desirable effect. I did go buy a length of aluminum square-tube, but before I cut it I was wondering if anyone here has that problem.

(If you built your camera-mounting crossbar out of PVC, this would not apply to you.)

Looking at the one that Oregon Dank built, he used L-shaped aluminum. Has anyone else? Any success?

Thanks! Ted
 
Kdawg said:
TeamJoeDawn, I liked your example, I made one very similar. Just finished painting today.

MyFig.jpg


Its very comfortable to handle I used pipe insulation foam cusion and bicycle handlebar tape. I'm looking forward to using this.
Click to expand...

Looks great!

I do have a suggestion.. with the handgrip wrapped all the way around the top, doesn't it limit your ability to clamp accessories to the top? (light, mike)..

Other than that, .. rock on with your bad self! I love mine.

J
 
hmm didnt think of that :) I ordered a varizoom remote, it is supposed to get here today. I will have to fix it up so I can mount that. But I have no idea how, till I see it. No mic yet either, but I just wanted to build one whilst I had the wild hair.
 
My version of the figrig

My version of the figrig

So i go to home depot to find abs (flexible type) tubing/piping... no luck.

But i do find 3/4 inch PEX piping, which is about the same thinkness of the fig rig, but more rigid.

To join/fuse the circle of PEX is use a solderless 3/4" copper joiner (the one with the bump on each side)

The support across is a 3/4" aluminum L piece, attached with conduit/pipe bracket/clip.

The foam grips are bicycle grips from Canadian Tire.

The Quick release head is from a low quality tripod I got with the camera.

Spay pianted black with fusion Krylon (sp?) formulated for plastic.

Here's a pic (links???I hope...)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/80719271@N00/259482241/



259482241
 
MattinSTL said:
Obviously this is a great looking rig... I don't know if I told you that yet or not, but in case I didn't tell you privately I'll tell you publicly... it looks GREAT. I also wonder about the flexibility of it and how the footage comes out.

I experiment ALL the time on DIY stuff... I mean on everything... rigs, sound, lighting, etc. I can honestly say that 95% of the time what I end up liking is a fair bit away from my first effort... sometimes what I like the look of best, doesn't always work the best... so I am curious about the kind of footage you're getting. I always thought that kind of tubing would be too flexible for something like this... especially if it gets warm out in the sun.

I'm not bashing on your beautiful creativity... I mean c'mon... the thing looks great! I just want to know what's happening on tape.

I blabbed on about a wooden deal a while back... I'm still playing with those and I'm pretty happy with them... eventually I'll offer some up to the forum, but there's NOTHING holding people back from making their own! I've read a few comments about people who try to make money on the forum members and I hope nobody sees me that way just because I have to charge something for the crap I make... and like I said... you can just LOOK at it and see how to make it... now rather then post a pic of the rig I'm taking to Haiti (two of them... one for DVX and one for PD-150)... I'll start a new thread.

You're rig rocks! All anybody needs to know about these things is that they are for distibuting the center of gravity apart and down... so any comfortable frame that does that will work.

The FigRig is reported by two sources to weigh 2lbs... I will get an EXACT weight on it either tomorrow or after I get back. I want to know what it really weighs... when I played with one I thought it was heavier then 2lbs... but it had a couple clamps on it so that may have added to it. The dimensions are something between 3/4 and 7/8" diameter tube... and 19" overall diameter... that I know for sure.

For any DIY guys wanting to make a rig with a Manfrotto QR plate on it I have some advice... The 3273 is the least expensive way to add a SLIDING QR plate to anything. They're $42 and here it is:

file0011684.gif


The benefit of the 3273 is a full 3+ INCHES of sliding travel which will allow you to balance any rediculous load that you want... really that's too much travel and the plate is unnecessarily long (meaning HEAVY)... the plate for the 3273 is 4 oz and the whole assembly with the QR and plate is just about 10.6 oz... so that adds some unwanted weight to your rig, but it IS solid.

Next we have the Manfrotto 577 plate which is smaller overall with less travel... which is probably better because it's also less weight and why on earth do you ever need nearly 3.5" of travel? The 577 is oddly enough, $10 MORE... for no reason that I can see, but I bought the 3273s and I WISH I'd have bought the 577 plates... These are what I'll be using on all my rigs in the future... the 3273 is for people with the GIANT manfrotto heads... the 577 is for anybody with a 501-503... Then you can pop your cam off your rig and right onto your tripod... same plate:

file0009773.gif


The most intriguing option for me right now is 3299 which is only $28, but you get NO slide... the thing is... do you need it? I would like to have a little balance adjustment... but maybe it's not needed... the one nice thing is that this QR plate is SMALL overall... and the little plate fits the 701RC2 head (and perhaps a couple others) so you can pop your cam off the rig and back onto the pod... this is the 3299:

file0007747.gif


I have not been able to weigh one of these yet, but I WILL for sure order a few to try out on my woody rigs. The thing about ALL the Manfrotto gear that uses the TAB as you see on the left... any plates that lock in with that tab do not hold as securely as the plates that use the locking lever nut that you see on the other two QR plates... I canniballized my 3229 head, which looks like the 3299 on top... to test it out on a woody rig (this one will go to Haiti for the PD-150)... and it works okay, but if you rock the rig back and forth you can feel a slight bit of play in that plate... the QR is solid, the cam isn't going to drop, but it's got just a smidge of slop that isn't in the other rigs. Is that a big deal? I don't think so... you gotta' be smooth with the rig... if you don't try to shoot smooth anyway then a rig is pointless... but the other plates, while a little too heavy... are definitely more secure.

Everybody needs to know these weights though... if you're hell-bent on doing a super-light rig... and it already weighs well over a pound... by the time you put a 3273 set on it you won't have saved any weight. I'd pay the extra $10 to get the 577 and shave a couple ounces.
Click to expand...
OK. I'm not sure about something her. (as A newbie) I made a FigRig based on several ideas here. I'm now ready to mount my cam. I have the 503 head on manfrotto sticks. If I want to easily move my cam from set up to set up w/o messing with plates, and the 3299 RC32 with 3157N plate is a package, how does that help?

Are the plates the same and can remain on the cam? So I'd have an "extra" plate? Can just the QR release be purchased to work with the 503 plate?

Thank you.
 
I manufacture a small line of miniDV stabilizer equipment geared towards FigRig users. For you to correctly balance a standard DVX100 camera on the "FigRig " you need the 503 Plong plate. The standard plate that comes with the figRig makes the standard DVX100 from heavy. However using the longer plate allows you to center balance the camera so that it has less stress on your shooting.

Feel free and check out my designs at http://www.sinivision.com/

For those of you that have a Fig Rig you may find that the Quick-Base will greatly improve the quality of you shooting experience.

QuickBasewebpage.jpg
 
does anyone know the dimensions (e.g. the diameter across the circle) of the real fig rig? if making one, it might be nice to have the same dimensions, in case one wants to use accessories like sinivision, or whatever... i've heard 19 inches in diameter, but that strikes me as small - is that correct? also, how wide does the L-shaped aluminum cross bar need to be - not the width across the circle, but the width of the "platform" that will be used to mount the camera or quick-release camera mount. I've found a 1.5" wide aluminum L-shaped piece at the local hardware store - will that suffice (I think it will)?

thx, steve
 
I recommend a steering wheel from either a 1958 Cadillac or a 1977 Ford F-250 that way you get those nice little grippy indents to hold onto. lol
 
I opened another thread over this matter. Sorry. So I will continue my quiz here.

In my case I will use pvc tubing. What are you putting inside to dampen it?

Someone suggested styrofoam spray, which I am not sure I will find here. Whatever the material it would have to be applied as you glue things, or it may end up sliding inside as you move it.

I was thinking of using those styrofoam pellets that are used for pillows or "shapeable seats".

I did build (with a help from my wife) a shooting pillow with that stuff, and it works great, but is noisy when you handle it. Perhaps inside a rigid tube it will be silent and help damping.

Has anyone tried it?
 
Carlos,

I have yet to try the Styrofoam spray, but I did go this weekend and purchased it at Home Depot. As was previously suggested, I went with the Doors & Windows stuff because of the expanding issue. I ran this theory by the guy who worked at HD and he seemed to agree.

In addition, I picked up some conduit (Liquid-Tuff Flexible Metallic Conduit, to be exact). Of everything I looked at, including PVC, this seemed to have the most inherent rigidity. I have yet to put everything together, so only time will tell if it works or not. Also, it may be too heavy. Once again, I won't know until I get it put together and weigh it.

I'll keep you all updated as I progress.

E
 
As I said, I don't think spray styrofoam is available in my country. So I will try styro pellets. I will have to press them together somehow, so I will probably have to work in stages as I glue the tubes.
 
With all due respect to DYI I did it myself... now I manufacture it for others to use. Now you can use it on a fluid head as well. We all like what works for us. I make a support for a support, how wierd is that.
 
sorry if I offended you in any way, didn't mean any thing about your work, It is about people trying to built a fig rig wheel when all you need is 2 handles.

and if the guys from dvtec are offering a full solution for a resonable price, why not go for it.

apologies again and best of luck with your stand.
 
Personally Joe, I don't take any offense, but I think you said it yourself - "$245".

Definitely a professional-looking rig, and it works well from what I understand, but personally I was going more for $24.50. ;)

Carlos, sorry, didn't read that you were in another country. Just fly out here and pick some up. :)

E
 
$245 vs $24.50 It's all said.

For me that would be even more money to bring here.

Besides that I will try to think of something different, an integrated job with a suspended system, like the Turtle X style. Now that's an overpriced rig!!!

IMHO all these things are totally overpriced, if you consider the material they are made of. The Multi-Rig, the Fig-Rig, the Turtle X. Practically all matte-boxes in the same group. So it's refreshing when something like the Spiderbrace comes along. Or when Redrock releases a 35mm adapter that is affordable.

The Fig-rig is not much more complicated to make than a monopod, and look at their prices.
 
No offense to you Joe, but the fig rig is more versatile. The one I made can stand on the ground. I can get shots from ground level to shoulder level all with smooth fluid motion. And without stooping or squatting. Not to mention the over $200 savings.

I'm sure that rig has its place, but not in my house.
 
i posted this before but didn't get any replies - maybe it got lost in the shuffle, or maybe noone knows... does anyone know the actual dimensions (specifically, say, the circle's diameter) of the manfrotto rig?
 
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