Unsomnambulist
Active member
A few months ago I bought a DVX, and because of the rebate spent some extra money on the Fig Rig.
It seemed cool enough, but never worth the harrassment I'd get from people thinking I was carrying around a steering wheel. Worst of all, except for being able to get some lower and higher than usual handheld shots, I didn't fully understand its benefit... and my shots were always shaky.
Anyway, after a little coaching and some practice, my shots have become much smoother, and I've been able to use it for some interesting angles and situations where going handheld, or with a monopod or tripod wouldn't allow.
My glowing endorsement comes from this weekend's shoot, where I feel the Fig Rig more than paid for itself. I had to shoot virtually non stop for eight hours, one to three minute clips of kids trying to show off their best soccer tricks, for posting online. A grueling, fun gig, that left more a bit sore. But the fig rig allowed me to quickly dodge around, sometimes over, and get close to my subject with tremendous fluidity and ease. I could quickly drop to a low angle and then slowly "track" up if the kid was in the midst of a long juggle. If they were clumsily running around retrieving the ball, I could pan with ease and follow them. A fixed tripod wouldn't have worked unless I wanted dull static images from a distance -- and I'd likely be shooting from behind half the time (the fig rig allowed me the ease constantly move to ensure I was in front of them at all times).
My only regret was my lack of a remote for the Rig to allow me to focus, zoom, and record from my thumbs.
I'm sure a DIY version could work as well, but I'm glad Figgis and Manfrotto are making some money from suckers like me for endorsing the concept.
It seemed cool enough, but never worth the harrassment I'd get from people thinking I was carrying around a steering wheel. Worst of all, except for being able to get some lower and higher than usual handheld shots, I didn't fully understand its benefit... and my shots were always shaky.
Anyway, after a little coaching and some practice, my shots have become much smoother, and I've been able to use it for some interesting angles and situations where going handheld, or with a monopod or tripod wouldn't allow.
My glowing endorsement comes from this weekend's shoot, where I feel the Fig Rig more than paid for itself. I had to shoot virtually non stop for eight hours, one to three minute clips of kids trying to show off their best soccer tricks, for posting online. A grueling, fun gig, that left more a bit sore. But the fig rig allowed me to quickly dodge around, sometimes over, and get close to my subject with tremendous fluidity and ease. I could quickly drop to a low angle and then slowly "track" up if the kid was in the midst of a long juggle. If they were clumsily running around retrieving the ball, I could pan with ease and follow them. A fixed tripod wouldn't have worked unless I wanted dull static images from a distance -- and I'd likely be shooting from behind half the time (the fig rig allowed me the ease constantly move to ensure I was in front of them at all times).
My only regret was my lack of a remote for the Rig to allow me to focus, zoom, and record from my thumbs.
I'm sure a DIY version could work as well, but I'm glad Figgis and Manfrotto are making some money from suckers like me for endorsing the concept.
