Advice for a first time Rigger

OK I've emailed him... how does the microarm attach to the rig??

If I get the microshouldermount deluxe package I'd have to scrap the 4" rod and replace it with an 8 then?

I like the fact that the grip rod you've used puts the handle slightly below the FF. Do you find that helps?
 
I prefer to use a 1 hand grip rig balanced so I can use a whip with my follow focus... it keeps your hand off the wheel and eliminates any direct "image jiggle" caused by your hand being on the focus wheel. If you are shooting narrative stuff, you will probably want to get yourself a whip anyways... I find them a lot of easier and more flexible than having to keep your hand on the wheel. Just my opinion though...
 
You never did say what camera you will be using... The output on the 5D when recording is only 480p which makes it rediculously hard to pull focus using an external monitor, where as the 7D outputs 1080i when recording if I'm not mistaken. Most people using the 5D will opt for a rig that is offset and use a loupe because it makes it much easier to pull focus.

With the micro shoulder mount rig you have a lot of flexibility as to where you can place your grip(s) to tailor it to your shooting style. You could remove the handle bar clamp and rods and place one grip directly on the main set of rails. If for some reason your monitor makes your rig more heavy on the left side, you could put the handle bar clamp back on with one handle bar rod and slide a grip along that rod until you find good balance. There is no way I can tell you how to get your rig balanced exactly, but with the redrock shouldermount you have a lot of flexibility as to how you can remove or add parts to fit your shooting style/needs. You would always keep both grips on, but move them around so you can do a combination of one or two grip shooting.

For mounting the monitor, you could get a micromount and an articulating arm and have the flexibility of mounting it anywhere... the micromount has a male 1/4" thread on a spud for mounting a monitor directly to the micromount, but the spud also has a female 1/4" insert on the other side to mount an articulating arm in. You could mount the articulating arm to the micromount then put the micromount on any rod on the shoulder mount. You could also mount it directly to the second shoulder rod clamp if you are using the longer articulating arm... it won't give you as much flexibility though.

I hope this helps you out... I don't mind sharing and helping others.
 
That's incredibly helpful Natxbrotha... Thank you so much. I finally understand how to add the articulating arm to the rig! And you've helped me make my decision - when my paycheck comes in I'll be placing an order for the deluxe microshouldermount, micromount and articulating arm... Will either velcro my battery pack onto the shoulderpad or buy a counterweight. Not for sure on the follow focus yet - I know I can't afford the Redrock - thinking Dfocus, Proview or Indisystems... By the way, I'm using a 7D and the monitor is full HD so shouldn't have a problem there.

One last question - how do I mount the microshouldermount onto a manfrotto 701hdv head? Does it attach straight on via the shoulderpad, or do I have to attach the appropriate manfrotto plate? Will that not make it incredibly front heavy - and if so, is there a way to mount it in the middle of the rails? Also, is there a way to 'tap' the shoulderpad to accept 1/4" screws? That way I could attach my Zoom H4N (using an external mike) as well as the battery pack for the LCD.
 
You have to use your tripod plate and screw it to the bottom of the shoulder pad piece to use with your 701. It will probably be front heavy depending on how you have the camera mounted. You could always loosen the thumb screws on the shoulder mount rod clamp and slide the rods back to re-distribute the weight some. Counter weights are really the best solution though for the DSLR shoulder rigs.

The shouldermount rod clamp has a 1/4" threaded hole in the middle.
 
dominichicks said:
I like the fact that the grip rod you've used puts the handle slightly below the FF. Do you find that helps?
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Yes, very much. As I said weight is in the palm of the hand so I just have fingers on the focus wheel so there's no jiggle there. A whip is a handy thing to have though.

As you can see in this thread, Shoot35 has just released their DSLR rod clamp.

popup01.jpg


It has four advantages over the Redrock DSLR baseplate:

1. It's a full rod clamp that holds the rods in place by itself. (The 'claw' mechanism on the Redrock isn't meant to do that at all)

2. It has a tripod attachment where you can directly screw in a quick release plate. This means that the weight of your rig gets reasonably centered and balanced on top of the tripod head, not offset way back as with the Redrock shouldermount.

3. The quick release - which means you'll get the camera on and off in a second when needed. Like when swapping battery.

4. It has some vertical and horizontal adjustment which comes in handy the day you add a matte box to the rig.

So one option now is to start off with the Shoot35 DSRLmount plus their 10" rods (those are threaded so can be extended), also consider their CINEfocus, then get two 8" Redrock grip rods, Redrock handles, 3 micro mounts (there's a package) and a arm for the monitor. For shoulder mount work get the Redrock shoulder pad and the Microlink 4 riser and since there you won't slide things around you can just buy a 15mm steel tube in any hardware store to attach those latter together. (Or a extra set of 6" rods from Shoot35 if you are not comfortable around a hack saw.)

This way you can keep the rid when on tripod just as big as it needs to be and when you go handheld you just attach the Microlink to the back end of the camera rods. Plus you can configure the handles just where they work best for you unlike the handle bar with sets both rods sticking at a 90° fixed angle and at same line.

Just some food for thoughts.
 
OK I'm going to take the Shoot 35 baseplate... (will let me use follow focus whilst being sturdily fixed to the tripod, which is a big plus for me since I stick to tripod work mainly.)

Thinking about your suggestions for a rig surrounding the new baseplate... Sounds good except for a few things - I don't think I need an offset for my shouldermount, since I'm using the LCD screen for monitoring purposes, so is the microlink really necessary? The shoulderpad will have my battery pack mounted, so will probably need to stay on the rig at all times. Couldn't I just get longer rails to start with? If I got the 10" rods I'm assuming they wouldn't be long enough on their own to use the rig with a shoulderpad - maybe just screw another pair of 6" shoot35 rails in?

Secondly, do I need 3 micromounts? I know there's a package but I'm trying to save wherever I can!

Lastly, will I really need two grip rods - will they both fit comfortably or will they get in the way of each other? Could I use a system like you have - with 1 8" grip rod for the follow focus handle and another handle mounted straight on the rod? Would there be space for an LCD mount in that sort of set up?

Thanks so much for your advice and support man... you're the bees knees. I'm getting there I think!
 
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dominichicks said:
Thinking about your suggestions for a rig surrounding the new baseplate... Sounds good except for a few things - I don't think I need an offset for my shouldermount, since I'm using the LCD screen for monitoring purposes, so is the microlink really necessary? The shoulderpad will have my battery pack mounted, so will probably need to stay on the rig at all times. Couldn't I just get longer rails to start with? If I got the 10" rods I'm assuming they wouldn't be long enough on their own to use the rig with a shoulderpad - maybe just screw another pair of 6" shoot35 rails in?
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Missed the part about the battery pack - then it might be better with a long rod set up. Two observations, first: you say you'll mainly be on the tripod. If so you'll probably be pretty annoyed and hindered by a shoulder mount sticking out. Secondly, the non-centered load of traditional shoulder placed camera has been the bane of back, neck and shoulder for many camera operators. Getting most of the weight centered in front of you with both arms mainly forward is much better ergonomically. However if you go for the Shoot35 rods you can always unscrew the extra length for shoots that are tripod only. Another note, 16" is pretty long, have you consider what kind of bag you'll pack that in? Or do you plan to assemble the rig on location or in studio?

Secondly, do I need 3 micromounts? I know there's a package but I'm trying to save wherever I can!
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I mixed up here, thought you needed a sound device on the rig as well, must have been another thread. Those micromounts are really handy to have around for attaching extra stuff like a light but if you are sure it's only the monitor that will go on the rig then one is enough.

Lastly, will I really need two grip rods - will they both fit comfortably or will they get in the way of each other? Could I use a system like you have - with 1 8" grip rod for the follow focus handle and another handle mounted straight on the rod? Would there be space for an LCD mount in that sort of set up?
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I have two grip rods - a 8" going to the left hand follow focus handle and a 4" for the right hand handle. Look at the second picture in the link in my second post, the grip handle is not attached straight to the main rod.

dominichicks said:
Also, besides perhaps build quality, is there much reason not to go for this and get a set of 18" long rails for free?

PROAIM-15mm-rod-support-rail-system-for-Sony-Canon-DSLR
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First of all weight, then size - that thing is pretty big. And it's not really suited for a DSLR - that's a knock-off copy of Redrock's baseplate for their 35mm adapter.

http://www.redrockmicro.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=49
 
Martti Ekstrand said:
So one option now is to start off with the Shoot35 DSRLmount plus their 10" rods (those are threaded so can be extended), also consider their CINEfocus, then get two 8" Redrock grip rods, Redrock handles, 3 micro mounts (there's a package) and a arm for the monitor. For shoulder mount work get the Redrock shoulder pad and the Microlink 4 riser and since there you won't slide things around you can just buy a 15mm steel tube in any hardware store to attach those latter together. (Or a extra set of 6" rods from Shoot35 if you are not comfortable around a hack saw.)
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Is there a reason you recommended two 8" grip rods for this particular set up, if you use a 4" and 8" for your set up?
 
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