Baseplate options

C

CaptainSKA

Active member
I am dissatisfied with my current VCT-based baseplate solution (from MovCam I believe). I was wondering if you guys could give some advice.

The problem I am running in to is both lens height above the rail and also the fact that the narrow VCT based plate makes for a very unstable camera if I have to set it down without having the sticks nearby. The camera likes to tilt and/or fall over. I do have the riser plate, if it's needed to address height issues. Since no one is currently making F35 rigs, no one seems to know if they're compatible or not.

I want something that either has a built in shoulder pad or can easily slide one one (like an arri dovetail situation) and also comes on and off the sticks fairly easily. I'd prefer rosettes to attach handles - unless there's a better solution with the removable shoulder pad.

Thanks in advance!
 
Arri BP-3 was the plate this camera was made with in mind. Shape and Vocas both make a universal camera plate that can get rails at the right height with the option for a shoulder pad. the smaller 15mm config rods are harder to find plates for because the camera has such a big base. I think the custom 15mm plates made specifically for the F35 are the only good option.
 
I assumed that's what the riser was for, but since I've never used an Arri dovetail system I wasn't sure. Seems like Wooden Camera has some decently priced bridge plates and dovetails that should work. Anyone have any experience with their stuff?

Ill check out Vocas. I've had a couple of random pieces of Shape stuff and haven't been impressed. They mostly worked, but they just felt cheap, especially for the price.

The BP-3 is 15mm studio rods, right? Was there a 19mm version?
 
To make sure the center axis of the bridge plate lines up with the optical axis of the camera, your best bet is to pick an Arri bridge plate, or the Peter Gosen like Viddo mentioned earlier (I have that too). It has the 3/8" holes in the correct position (offset to the left, or right depending on where you look, not on the central axis of the bridge plate itself).
 
That's a good point. The Peter Gosen one seems like a pretty good deal. Now, what's a good shoulder pad to mount to a dovetail to work with that?
 
I'm thinking about selling mine, perfect fit for the F35, but not super-cheap.


plate.JPG
 
Yes, the magic of the modified plates is that you can use it with the 19mm baseplate and have both options.
 
Not really the original plate, but the one that Bandpro use to sell for like $1500. I can't remember the brand but it's been discussed here a lot. It's really useful, that' s why I'm a bit hesitant to sell it. If you are in LA, $499.
 
Well, Here's where I landed:

MacGregor's BandPro plate for my 15mm LW mattebox, Gosen's bridgeplate and 19mm rods for my handles (which came with a hybrid 15mm/19mm connector anyway) and my audio wireless mic receiver on a cheeseplate in the back. Two 12" dovetails - one for the tripod head and one for the Element Technica Mantis shoulder pad. Should be a better, more stable base than what I've been using.
 
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