F5: Best shoulder rig for F5/55

M

mmm

Veteran
Which shoulder mount do people recommend for the F5/55? I'm just putting a kit together with my dealer.

There is obviously the Sony rig, Arri make one which I'm sure is excellent but what are the other options? Cost is a consideration but I primarily want quality and don't like to buy twice. I want to switch between tripod and handheld instantly and keep the rig compact and balanced on the shoulder.

Thanks

Mike
 
Thanks guys!

Nate, the Element Technica looks great, very compact. Have you had a chance to compare it to any others? The Arri maybe?

The Tilta looks to add extra height above the shoulder which I don't like, although price is excellent.
 
I agree, the Elements system is a great combo with this camera. Small, lightweight, and puts everything where it should be. And that is coming from a "competitor". I have demoed most other manufacturers for shoulder kits and been totally disappointed. It seems silly to save a few dollars when you just spent $30k on the camera body. Get the good stuff.


Bulking up an F55 unnecessarily seems like a crime.

2013-02-27 17.08.36.jpg
 
mmm said:
Thanks guys!

Nate, the Element Technica looks great, very compact. Have you had a chance to compare it to any others? The Arri maybe?

The Tilta looks to add extra height above the shoulder which I don't like, although price is excellent.
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The Arri was the only other one in the running for me. In the end I decided the lighter weight and the flexibility was what I wanted over "standardness", but it was a really tough call.

I got to put the other main feature of the Micron system to the test the other day, being able to be small and balance larger lenses. I never expected this to be really usable as I put it together, but it worked for two shots pretty dang well!

(btw, I would never advise using a full size studio lens on LW15 rods. Happened to be in a tough spot where the lens came with studio 19 support and had no 19 baseplate for my camera to go under the Micron BP. But there was a redrock LW15 lens support hanging out, so we put it to work)

IMG_0378.jpg
 
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I really, REALLY like how streamlined you can have the new cameras setup. Frankenrigs are just too much hassle. It's why I think it's fantastic that Arri have gone down the same route with the internal codex recoding in their revised XT Alexas.

Simple is good.
 
The ET micron system is pretty killer, had mine for a couple months now, it works on a few different cams also with more support coming...
 
One of the things that attracts me to the Elements Accessories is the quick change potential from tripod to hand held and back. The mini upper dovetail seems like a good idea. But will it hold up to big zooms? (Optimo 17-80, 24-290) The Vocus looks good too, I have their moose handles, which are super light, but is there a quick way to get it back on a tripod? I haven't taken a good look at the Arri/F55 Accessories, but it seems old school with the need to pull off the BP every time we go handheld. Thoughts?
 
tubular said:
One of the things that attracts me to the Elements Accessories is the quick change potential from tripod to hand held and back. The mini upper dovetail seems like a good idea. But will it hold up to big zooms? (Optimo 17-80, 24-290)
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You saw my picture above, right? That lens was the same as the Optimo 17-80. Barely worked.

There's no way the 24-290 would work. Not with JUST the Micron LW15 rods.

BUT,the Micron baseplate also slides onto ET's full size studio baseplates with a little adapter. As a bonus, the older versions of the Red studio baseplates that work with the Micron are only $270 right now. So for only $400ish more, you can go from Micron to studio for big boy zooms.
 
My f55 comes in next week and I plan on going with elements micron for the base and shoulder pad and solidcamera for the top plate and evf arm. I already have the SC evf arm for my epic and it's a beautiful piece of work. I like the idea of the elements micron line and already have their studio baseplate and dovetail so it should be easy to use for a heavy lens setup.
 
I'm just puzzled why everyone is spending $$$ to make their camera bulkier and heavier and than complaints to the manufacturers that the cameras are too heavy.
I'm striving to lighten up the lens setup on a camera with light weight still lenses, drive by wire FF without external motors, etc, manufacturers are using magnesium thin wall castings to shave every last ounce off the body- and than peeps buy 10 lbs of aluminum and pile it on the body... seems counter intuitive...
 
optitek said:
I'm just puzzled why everyone is spending $$$ to make their camera bulkier and heavier and than complaints to the manufacturers that the cameras are too heavy.
I'm striving to lighten up the lens setup on a camera with light weight still lenses, drive by wire FF without external motors, etc, manufacturers are using magnesium thin wall castings to shave every last ounce off the body- and than peeps buy 10 lbs of aluminum and pile it on the body... seems counter intuitive...
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I want to keep mine lightweight, but the F55/F5 requires a baseplate and shoulder pad to make it a more flexible handheld/mounted camera. 15mm bars are also fairly important for many accessories, as are hand grips. Unlike some other cameras, the F55/5 is DESIGNED to have the baseplate etc added as required.

Although I like the F55/5 design in general, it has several flaws - the EVF port being one and protection of that seems prudent.

I have now had a chance to see the Vocas, Arri and ET solutions in the flesh. All are solid and have different USPs. A few quick thoughts:

Arri:
Pros - rosettes, compatible with the Arri standards, cheeseplate looks good and can add EVF protection.
Cons - Shoulder Pad is far back, no rear bars when shoulder pad is used, No VCT 14 interface if you want it*

Element Technica:
Pros - Compact, I like the compact dovetail, Slightly better shoulder pad location but not as flexible as Vocas. Cheeseplate similar to Arri but not raised.
Cons - No rear bars, No VCT 14 interface if you want it*, less standard than the Arri (but can be adapted), no rosettes

Vocas:
Pros - VCT14 interface*, rear bars, rosettes, flexible positioning for balance
Cons - larger

*Personally I dislike using a VCT14 as it is heavy and has a lot of play, so in my books that is a con but for others it is a pro

Thanks for all the advice and help guys! You are true gents!
 
optitek said:
I'm just puzzled why everyone is spending $$$ to make their camera bulkier and heavier and than complaints to the manufacturers that the cameras are too heavy.
I'm striving to lighten up the lens setup on a camera with light weight still lenses, drive by wire FF without external motors, etc, manufacturers are using magnesium thin wall castings to shave every last ounce off the body- and than peeps buy 10 lbs of aluminum and pile it on the body... seems counter intuitive...
Click to expand...

Because my camera gets rented out to be used with large cinema zooms with real marks that are used with a manual follow focus. This requires a proper rod setup.
I love your mounts Jacek ( I have owned 2 of them ) but some people just don't want to use stills zooms no matter how hard you try to promote it. It's nice to be able to have a lightweight configuration but most of the time these cameras have monitors, matte boxes, follow focus', cinetape etc attached to them. For that we need a rod and usually a top plate system.
 
I get the base plate, rods and mattebox(the latter not so much) But cages, 1/2" aluminum plate armor, that's nonsense IMO. Film cameras never had these things, eng cameras never had these things. And they did just fine in rentals . If you are worried about rentals make sure the gear is insured- that's how it's been for ages.
It looks like the consumer mentality with the marketing driven desire to have the shiniest gadget is taking over. Sorry to be blunt guys- but prove me wrong....
Maybe that's the new style, maybe I'm old school-that's a possibility.....:thumbsup:
I just thought of an example:
how about the Alexa I haven't seen any cages or armors for them.. (maybe there are) do they fail in rentals?
Sony has made ENG cameras for ever( I have the DXC3000) Is Sony any worse than the Alexa?
 
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