FS7: Another Baseplate/Shoulder pad/Rig thread for FS7 thread

Holy cow, that bundle price is pretty insane. Baseplate, front plate, top plate, matte box, follow focus (with speed crank, whip, and gears) and a V-mount plate for $1200?

I already have the Berkey top plate and the XDCA unit, as well as Oconnor matte box and follow focus, so I'm definitely not in the market for the kit. But if I didn't already have all of that, I'd be damn tempted.

The price seems great for the baseplate. Anyone know if they'll sell it without the VCT-U14? I'd rather order the beefier plate that Sony offers.
 
After dinking with the handle for a while I decided it is just wrong.

Anyway I ripped it apart (fatally) and made myself a focus check button for my left thumb! (or movable to pan bar, top handle etc)

button.jpg

S
 
For each his own.

I love expanded focus on my right hand, while focusing with my left one.
That's what I've done with the FS700 handgrip on my FS100 for the last
2 years and it served me well. This kind of focusing technique is kind of essential
for me now.

What I don't like on the FS7 is the missing ability to put the handgrip close to the body
as the FS100/700 did. I need to learn for the new position of the handgrip all the way
back or build something different without needing a full rig.
I love the FS7 as it is. I won't use any sort of rig for my doco work as long as possible.
 
I have been working on a super comfortable configuration for my FS7 when used on the shoulder. I'm keeping it for myself for a while until I get a few new parts to put it all together. It made all the difference when I figured out what is wrong with the stock configuration. It's not expensive either.
 
Ben Scott said:
Bloody hell... Surely there is a less destructive way of making a custom button!
Click to expand...

Well not that I could find. Basically I studied the Lanc protocol, spoke to a few sony heads, and custom wiring nerds and wasn't getting anywhere so took the plunge.

I now know a bit about the handle and how it works or rather worked!

I hope a third party does it properly soon. I cant see that it is easy without nicking the chip out of the handle. so a donor handle will probably be needed.. my chip is fully intact ready to drop into a more elegant future solution which I might 3d print or suchlike.

S
 
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Josh,

Thanks for posting the response. I have gone a different route and hopefully it works for me. Since I use the Kessler Kwik tripod plate (http://www.kesslercrane.com/product-p/kwik_system.htm) and have loads of Really Right Stuff Dovetails I went with Zacuto QR shoulder pad (http://store.zacuto.com/qr-shoulder-pad/). I shoot 95% handheld and this will be very nice addition. I have the battery extenion plate with PagLink batteries and the balance is excellent. And I hang my Lectro SR off the back fastener on the top handle on a 90 degree bracket putting it down the right side. This is powered off the extension unit.

The shoulder pad comes Monday and I know it will improve my comfort on some of my very long days, and give me a bit more adjustment. If I am in a hurry on and off the tripod I do not have to use the QR shoulder pad and just use the stock pad. But it will only add 10-15 sec each way and that is worth the comfort.

And for the viewfinder I have a Z-mount 2 coming (http://store.zacuto.com/z-mount-2/). I would like to get the Z-finder for BMM (http://store.zacuto.com/gh-z-finder-pro/) as long as I know the diopter will work for me. I have excellent vision so it should not be a problem.

Has any one tried the Z-finder for BMM or their Junior, or the Z-Finder Pro? I really want to shorten the viewfinder since it is in the way with my Bright Tangerine Matte Box which I use often.
 
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Have to say the combination of Zacuto QR shoulder pad with rail adapter plus Wooden Camera fixed baseplate has been great for me. Perfectly balanced with the back extension and completely usable for extended periods without as well. And it goes from tripod to on the shoulder in like 10 seconds
 
morgan_moore said:
All eng cams the right hand is on the lens - to me that just works.
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Click to expand...

That's right, but the left hand is still free for focusing - right hand for balancing, moving and zooming
via servo zoom.

But I tried it out and it seems to me that it is easier to have it the other way round.

Left hand for holding and balancing, right hand for focus...
Nice if you can do that, I don't think I'm capable of switching over.
 
Ben Scott said:
Fair enough. Only time I don't use one is with my push pull zoom.
Click to expand...

If I had cinema lenses with all rings lined up and did a lot of rack focus I would keep it on but I'm using a mix bag of lenses depending on the subject matter and find a FF can just add to more rig play for simple focusing duties. I do enjoy it over using my hand but not at the cost of fiddling.
 
Erik Wittbusch said:
Left hand for holding and balancing, right hand for focus...
Nice if you can do that, I don't think I'm capable of switching over.
Click to expand...

Personally I 'learned' to focus right hand - in reality I use both because..
-Left hand I have a more 'action pose' that suits whippy operating of short shots.
-Varying pose through the day saves the body
-Right hand is more for an interview or other long take where one needs to limit the demands on the body and there wont be huge focus pulls.

A big deal is finding a pose/grip where one can disconnect the mass the focussing hand (whichever it is) might be supporting and the finger(s) that are doing the subtle focussing stuff.

Here you can see my right hand has the thumb looped under the rods that portion of my hand is carrying mass - while my forefinger can tickle the focus. My left hand is free to take selfies.. or more usually control the horizon, pan etc and tickle the new focus check button!

Careful observers may also note the position of my cheekbone and how far back I get the cam.

I have considered 'a something' under the lens for my hand to cradle but unless one sticks with a specific zoom the design and setup becomes complex.

right_hand.jpg


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Ben Scott said:
Does nobody except me use a follow focus these days?
Click to expand...
I pretty much always have my O'Connor o-focus mini on my rig. I have it on often enough that I sort of stumble around when it's not on, wondering how the heck I'm supposed to focus!

Even though I've adapted to "backwards" focusing (Nikon user here...) I like the follow focus because even in solo-operator mode it makes sense to have the wheel "roll" forward/back relative to my focus plane moving forward and back. It beats twisting a lens (left/right) to move the focal plane (forward/back). On top of that, even if my lenses change in size and length, have the follow focus is a bit of an equalizer. The wheel is always the same size and roughly the same location, it just works well regardless of what lens it is attached to.

There is a group buy on REDuser for the new Bright Tangerine follow focus, which has a switch for "Nikon" mode... I'm a bit tempted by that.
 
My shoot35 R3 FF can reverse direction too and I imagine is a fair bit cheaper. 35% off in the sales at the moment.
 
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