Affordable Rods and support

For 15MM Mini spacing, the Zacuto is first rate. I'm not yet sure if it's my final answer, because I'm keen to use my Cooke 18-100, a beautiful, but very heavy beast. My lens support for it is 15MM, but full, not Mini spacing.

I have to say that the Hot Rod looks very nice, so I'll check that out as well. I wish Hot Rod had much better pictures & drawings of their gear; it's difficult to figure out as it is.

I'm tempted to use my Element Technica plate, but I'll have to have a riser block of some sort to bring up the lens center.

As light as the AF100 is, you could probably work fine with the inexpensive rigs seen on eBay.

Good shooting and best regards,

Leo
 
I don't know anything about rod supports, so that's why I'm asking. How do I know which ones will work best with the AF100. Will any rod support work? Sorry for the seemingly dumb question to some of you.
 
I'm currently researching this myself. I previously bought indiRAILSpro from IndiSystem for my GH1. I thought I was happy with it, so I ordered another for the AF100. The day before the new one arrives the old one breaks. I sort of fixed it, so figured I'd still be happy with the new one. I got the new one yesterday and assembled the system with my Redrock Micro follow focus and IndiSystem matte box (which I also just got yesterday and is defective). I don't know how they could design their stuff this way, but there's no way to adjust the rails or the matte box forward or backward without an allen wrench. When you're going to be using more things in the rig like a follow focus and matte box (not to mention anything else you want to add) it's important to have flexibility that's easy and quick to change. So I've been looking at what I need for that flexibility and I'm finding only the expensive stuff offers what I need. Long story short, I'm looking at Zacuto or Cinevate. Those are the only two that will work for me. It's more money than I was planning on spending, but I guess you get what you pay for. I've wasted money on trying to make the cheap/affordable stuff work and would have been much better off with the more expensive/better stuff from beginning.

My suggestion is to look at a lot of rigs and rig options. See how you want your rig configured now or eventually and make sure every component you get will eventually be able to be used in that rig. You might end up spending a little more now, but in the long wrong you'll actually save some money.

Of course, this is all just my opinion, but I hope it helps you out. Good luck in your search.
 
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Yup Mike is right... Rod and support do go for a long run. If you want to get something affordable and still last long, maybe ebay or forum market place to find used Zacuto parts.
I was in the same position as you Swanny, not long ago. So I went to dig around online. Learned alot.
Zacuto put together rod supports system for Af-100
http://www.zacuto.com/the-panasonic-camera-cinemized-by-zacuto
By studying those pictures, you could imagine what you need.
Yeah, their price is kind of deep. But try to buy a used Zacuto baseplate at least and then get other parts from other companies.
shoot35/SgPro, their stuffs are pretty fair price for me. (got my FF there, and maybe MatteBox soon)

Everyone have different budget range, but that is what suit me the best. Don't forget there are always new options on eBay or DIY youtube.
 
Tvdie23 said:
Yup Mike is right... Rod and support do go for a long run. If you want to get something affordable and still last long, maybe ebay or forum market place to find used Zacuto parts.
I was in the same position as you Swanny, not long ago. So I went to dig around online. Learned alot.
Zacuto put together rod supports system for Af-100
http://www.zacuto.com/the-panasonic-camera-cinemized-by-zacuto
By studying those pictures, you could imagine what you need.
Yeah, their price is kind of deep. But try to buy a used Zacuto baseplate at least and then get other parts from other companies.
shoot35/SgPro, their stuffs are pretty fair price for me. (got my FF there, and maybe MatteBox soon)

Everyone have different budget range, but that is what suit me the best. Don't forget there are always new options on eBay or DIY youtube.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm coming from my HDV cams, so I had no use for rods, ff, etc so this is all new to me. I guess mostly I need it for my heavier lenses with adding a FF soon. Where did you find to have the best info to learn from, if there is a specific site you can think of? Thanks for answering these without making me feel like these are dumb questions.
 
I learned by using cameras and seeing cameras used that had rod systems. Coupled with my experience of the cheap/affordable stuff I see the tremendous value in the more expensive stuff. I wish it was cheaper, but unfortunately not. The problem with being in a niche market.

To find the best info I'd say just look at all the different rigs out there. You can also try Cinevate's video university. You can see videos of how you can assemble their rigs with different options, and some of it can be applied to other manufacturers. Dennis Wood (I think he owns Cinevate or is the CEO or something) is on here frequently too.
 
Mike@AF said:
I learned by using cameras and seeing cameras used that had rod systems. Coupled with my experience of the cheap/affordable stuff I see the tremendous value in the more expensive stuff. I wish it was cheaper, but unfortunately not. The problem with being in a niche market.

To find the best info I'd say just look at all the different rigs out there. You can also try Cinevate's video university. You can see videos of how you can assemble their rigs with different options, and some of it can be applied to other manufacturers. Dennis Wood (I think he owns Cinevate or is the CEO or something) is on here frequently too.
Click to expand...

Awesome, I'll check the site out, and poke around.
 
Yes Dennis is the president and founder of Cinevate. I own a lot of Cinevate gear and it's top notch with awesome customer service. Highly recommended.

Mike@AF said:
I learned by using cameras and seeing cameras used that had rod systems. Coupled with my experience of the cheap/affordable stuff I see the tremendous value in the more expensive stuff. I wish it was cheaper, but unfortunately not. The problem with being in a niche market.

To find the best info I'd say just look at all the different rigs out there. You can also try Cinevate's video university. You can see videos of how you can assemble their rigs with different options, and some of it can be applied to other manufacturers. Dennis Wood (I think he owns Cinevate or is the CEO or something) is on here frequently too.
Click to expand...
 
Yes, buying quality the first time is definitely wise but some items it doesnt matter as much IMO. You could use Zacuto's mini base plate which is cheaper then there full size and would work fine for the AF (I use it on my EX1) and is very adjustable and high quality. On the less expensive parts, you could go with Jag35's shoulder pad and counterweights which are way cheaper then Zacuto or Redrock and would work just fine.
 
That's pretty much what I'm looking for as well - lens support - follow focus - matte box.

How does the new Shoot35 compare with Zucato and Cinevate?
 
FYI we are using both redrock and zacuto rails on "a verse before dying." timur is using the zacuto and mikko is using my redrock. I like the redrock setup; haven't used the zacuto.
 
What lens support could anyone recommend? I see them for using 35mm adapters on other cameras, but not for the lens directly.
 
I'm going to have several different full kits at our AF100 show in Chicago next week. We'll be showing Arri, Chrosziel, Zacuto, Vocas, Oconner, Genus, and hopefully HotRod. All of which have their strengths and various different price points. In terms of baseplates, the Zacuto universal baseplate is probably the most versatile for height adjustment and positioning ( http://www.abelcine.com/store/Zacuto-Universal-Baseplate-Version-3/ ) while the Arri and Chrosziel are smaller and lighter weight. Vocas has really impressed me lately and their new 15mm Pro Support is very well done. Genus has made leaps forward in quality lately in my opinion, and has a very attractive price point. The HotRod and OConner adapters are new to me, so the jury is still out. No doubt that they will both be very high quality.

For lens support you might just want to get something that will work with anything like the Zacuto Lens Support (http://www.abelcine.com/store/Zacuto-Lightweight-Locking-Lens-Support/) or the MTF SLR lens support could work if you are using a long DSLR style zoom (http://www.mtfservices.com/home.htm...ypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=88&category_id=2 we sell this too just not on our site right now). Arri and Chrosziel make lens supports for various cinema style lenses.

We are going to make a video of the various setup we have in Chicago and post it on the web. So look for that in the future.

Andy
 
I am developing a rod and shoulder support system system specifically for the AF100, it will be very adjustable. And the price will be very affordable, made here in NH. I will also be selling just the rods and shoulder support separately.

Stay tuned I will post my progress here. I should have the first production units ready in January.

Anyone interested in helping me beta test pre production units can contact me. I am looking for input.
 
olof said:
I am developing a rod and shoulder support system system specifically for the AF100, it will be very adjustable. And the price will be very affordable, made here in NH. I will also be selling just the rods and shoulder support separately.

Stay tuned I will post my progress here. I should have the first production units ready in January.

Anyone interested in helping me beta test pre production units can contact me. I am looking for input.
Click to expand...

I'm in the process of making something as well. I start Machining what I can this week and will finish up once I get the AF100 in hand. My set up will be a very small light weight set up that bolts to where the handle removes on the AF100. It will require a Zacuto Z-Finder EVF or a similar product since the AF100 itself will be mounted on your shoulder. I'm modeling the size and ergonomics of how an Arri SRIII or similar 16mm camera mounts on the shoulder. I was planning to make one for sure for myself and if people like it I could do custom orders.
 
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