C300: Baseplate for C300

Eric Coughlin

Eric Coughlin

Veteran
I'm looking for a small and light weight baseplate for the C300 that has rods that can go out the front and back of it. Primarily for Steadicam use.

Right now I own the Zacuto Gorilla Baseplate which the rods only go out the front. Small, lightweight, and works well, when you don't need rods out the back.

And, I have a Zacuto Z-UB3 Universal Baseplate Version 3. Rods out the front and back. Works pretty well, but I'm trying to find something smaller, lighter, and with a lower profile.

I just bought a Zacuto Studio Baseplate on Ebay, but I can't get the rods to tighten down. I think I'll see about returning it as it may be defective. However, having looked at the design of the piece in general, it doesn't seem like the sturdiest method of securing the rods even if I got a new one.

So, what other options are there?
 
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i used to own the zacuto studio baseplate too and the rods don't tighten down either, the best workaround is just a little gaffer tape on the rods itself and then the knobs will tighten down, the idea is to make the rods a little thicker in diameter.

there are plenty of options for baseplate depending on your budget, wooden camera may be a little pricey, the cheapest i have found and own myself is shape http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1032951-REG/shape_pac300_paparazzi_handle_canon_c300.html B&H currently sells it for 270 something and ship time is quite long; since the canadian dollar is weak right now if you order direct from shape i believe the shipping will be faster too! just google shapewlb and you will find it, its a decent piece of gear and has never failed me, its light too. another option is 'movcam', this is the link to B&H- http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1087349-REG/movcam_mov_303_1230_k1_universal_lws_kit_for.html

i have also used this before, the difference is that the movcam comes with arri rosettes on the baseplate itself whereas the shape one does not have any rosettes, price wise movcam is $580 something, both are well made, so it depends on your set-up and budget!
 
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I use both the Shape baseplate for the Cinema line, and the Sachtler Ace base. Both are pretty tiny and allow rods to slide all the way through.

The Sachtler is convenient for me because all my tripods and monopods use the Manfrotto/Sachtler long plate, and the Ace Baseplate has a quick release for those plates built-in.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1045167-REG/sachtler_s2154_0001_ace_base_plate.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/997265-REG/shape_b15c300_c300_baseplate_for_canon.html
 
Can the rosettes be removed from the Movecam unit? What is the bottom of it like? Does it have 1/4" and 3/8" screws for mounting a tripod plate to it? From what I gather the bottom only mounts to a large dovetail plate, which is a pain and wouldn't work for me.

The Sachtler looks pretty nice, and it's nice that it can be used on different cameras, but it's payload limit is listed as 13.2 lbs (I need at least a 24 lb capacity), and the knobs are plastic and non-ratcheting.

As for the Shape, a couple reviews on B&H make it sound like it's just as bad as the Zacuto Studio baseplate in terms of tightening the rails...

"But after using this unit severals time with only one screw to tighten both rails (using the Shape supplied rails). far rail never firmly tightens, despite repeated tightening. This is unacceptable. I couldn't get my superior carbon fiber rails to ever fit, despite both are 15mm, even removing the tightening screw. I have returned the unit." - B&H Review

"The single screw used to tighten everything down is EXTREMELY difficult to turn and the rods have to be forced into the plate. I tried loosening the screw to remove it completely to see if the tension was just stuck, which it was, now the rods slide like butter. but the screw got stripped COMING OUT of the plate!?! Perhaps I got a wonky one...Never had any problems like this with my red rock gear. Needless to say, its going back." - B&H Review
 
yes arri rosettes is removable! the bottom does have 3/8 and 1/4, dunno why you think it only mounts to a dovetail? sure its compatible with arri style baseplates too, but you can also mount any tripod plate at the bottom of the unit.

hey noel, i remembered you mentioned you had a varicam LT on preorder, i assume its already arrived? care to do a review on it? like how does the slow mo on the varicam compare to the C300 ii, even tho they are both cropped. color grading/auto focus/avc intra workflow...etc. low light varicam vs C300 ii...etc
 
As an update, I got the Wooden Camera Unified Baseplate. So far, I love it. Small, light, rock solid, and versatile with its top and bottom mounts.



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Eric Coughlin said:
As an update, I got the Wooden Camera Unified Baseplate. So far, I love it. Small, light, rock solid, and versatile with its top and bottom mounts.
Click to expand...

This is good to know. Was planning on going with this baseplate as well. Seems a very effective way to shift quickly between a number of set ups. The design/engineering/machining on the other WC stuff I own is just really elegant. Worth the money IMHO. Thank you for sharing.
 
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