Spartacus
Veteran
You seem to be pretty confident in your statements. Why ask for advise then? Just buy what´s offered in your given pricerange, which is not that much and easy to find through Google.
Building your own dslr cinema rig. Best Value DSLR Mattebox/FF/Batterypack?
- Thread starter MattMyster
- Start date
I have tried a few of the super cheap FF units- the Fotga DP500 II is in my opinion the best value out there- about $150 in the quick release version. It has hard stops and very little free play and I can get consistent focus pulls as long as I am using lenses that have a decent amount of throw.
drapeama
Well-known member
I guess once you have used a more "professional" follow focus, you won't ever use one of these. I can't tell, as I'm using a similar one myself. I have very basic needs and so far, it suits them well.
But it's like learning to drive on a Hyundai and buying a Lexus as the second car: I doubt you'll ever get back to Hyundai after, even if it gets you from point A to point B.
Michael Carter
Veteran
My .02 -
My DSLR rig was purchased when the T2i came out, wanted to play with the footage and see what I thought. I use this rig constantly and have yet to upgrade it:
Loupe - to me it's the first, most essential piece of gear. I got a Cavision since it was the only for for the T2i at the time. Works fine, no diopter adjustment but not an issue for me with 3x mag. There's a loupe (Swivi VF or something) I got on Amazon for $140 (on my Nikon) that's just killer for the price. BUT... when you mount it, your tripod hole is off-center. There goes your matte box. I machined an aluminum block. I'm in Texas so the last thing I want is a glue-on magnet plate - hate those.
Rails & rail block - hybrided up several parts from Jag35. The problem with many cheap rail blocks is they flex from lens weight. That's a place to spend $100 or more. I got various parts so there are two risers to the camera plate to stop flexing. I also have a Fotga (amazon) rails system I use to shoulder mount my big video cam. It's damn good for about $60.
I cut a corner off my dslr plate with an angle grinder for battery access. Batteries are cheap and last a long time - you don't need external power if your block solution allows quick battery changes. Unless you're an event shooter, I don't see a compelling reason for external power - I get plenty of warning to pop in another ($20 amazon) battery that last 2+ hours.
D Focus - it really works quite well when you get it situated right. Bigger issue is SLR lenses - many of them will shift a bit when you move focus - they're not designed for motion. Plenty of focus gears on eBay. $160 or so at the time. Cheap FF units have gotten better I understand. I use spring clips for focus stops and I prefer them to "real" stops. I really prefer a cheap FF to no FF at all.
Cavision shoulder and front handle mounts - kind of plasticey feel, but they do the job. Maybe $150 for both??
Indian matte box, $299. This took some playing with - added adhesive velcro here & there so the flags don't rattle against each other - they're sorta strapped together now. 80% of shoots it's just the top flag though. Corners of flags needed grinding to seat better. Every shoot - you really gotta tighten everything up or your front flag can droop out of the blue. No issues with it, rotating holders, looks good too.
I started with tiffen/etc round ND filters and step up rings. Eventually got deals on 4x4's. Don't skimp on these. Round & used are easy to come by for now.
The only nagging issue with this rig is there's a stack of stuff - camera plate, loupe plate, camera body - and something always loosens up and you're seeing the edge of the matte box. I have to tighten everything the night before, and remember to tighten the main lock every 30 minutes or so to be safe. But until DSLRs get a fore & aft set of holes like a "real" video cam, bodies coming loose will be an issue since they can rotate.
So, I "did it" - built a cheap DSLR rig that's worked well enough that I haven't felt like upgrading anything. All of the above, excluding filters and lens gears - $700 or so? And it's worked fine for three years of paying gigs, even brutal handheld shoots of a staged "live" metal band thrashing around (and into me).
This year I'll likely upgrade the rail block as I'm likely going Nikon for DSLR video - eventually I'll look for a better FF. But man, got my money's worth!
My DSLR rig was purchased when the T2i came out, wanted to play with the footage and see what I thought. I use this rig constantly and have yet to upgrade it:
Loupe - to me it's the first, most essential piece of gear. I got a Cavision since it was the only for for the T2i at the time. Works fine, no diopter adjustment but not an issue for me with 3x mag. There's a loupe (Swivi VF or something) I got on Amazon for $140 (on my Nikon) that's just killer for the price. BUT... when you mount it, your tripod hole is off-center. There goes your matte box. I machined an aluminum block. I'm in Texas so the last thing I want is a glue-on magnet plate - hate those.
Rails & rail block - hybrided up several parts from Jag35. The problem with many cheap rail blocks is they flex from lens weight. That's a place to spend $100 or more. I got various parts so there are two risers to the camera plate to stop flexing. I also have a Fotga (amazon) rails system I use to shoulder mount my big video cam. It's damn good for about $60.
I cut a corner off my dslr plate with an angle grinder for battery access. Batteries are cheap and last a long time - you don't need external power if your block solution allows quick battery changes. Unless you're an event shooter, I don't see a compelling reason for external power - I get plenty of warning to pop in another ($20 amazon) battery that last 2+ hours.
D Focus - it really works quite well when you get it situated right. Bigger issue is SLR lenses - many of them will shift a bit when you move focus - they're not designed for motion. Plenty of focus gears on eBay. $160 or so at the time. Cheap FF units have gotten better I understand. I use spring clips for focus stops and I prefer them to "real" stops. I really prefer a cheap FF to no FF at all.
Cavision shoulder and front handle mounts - kind of plasticey feel, but they do the job. Maybe $150 for both??
Indian matte box, $299. This took some playing with - added adhesive velcro here & there so the flags don't rattle against each other - they're sorta strapped together now. 80% of shoots it's just the top flag though. Corners of flags needed grinding to seat better. Every shoot - you really gotta tighten everything up or your front flag can droop out of the blue. No issues with it, rotating holders, looks good too.
I started with tiffen/etc round ND filters and step up rings. Eventually got deals on 4x4's. Don't skimp on these. Round & used are easy to come by for now.
The only nagging issue with this rig is there's a stack of stuff - camera plate, loupe plate, camera body - and something always loosens up and you're seeing the edge of the matte box. I have to tighten everything the night before, and remember to tighten the main lock every 30 minutes or so to be safe. But until DSLRs get a fore & aft set of holes like a "real" video cam, bodies coming loose will be an issue since they can rotate.
So, I "did it" - built a cheap DSLR rig that's worked well enough that I haven't felt like upgrading anything. All of the above, excluding filters and lens gears - $700 or so? And it's worked fine for three years of paying gigs, even brutal handheld shoots of a staged "live" metal band thrashing around (and into me).
This year I'll likely upgrade the rail block as I'm likely going Nikon for DSLR video - eventually I'll look for a better FF. But man, got my money's worth!
Last edited:
Patryk_Rebisz
Veteran
In case anyone is interested to float just a bit above rock bottom, i have a fantastic Genus 4x4 mattebox on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251315837768?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251315837768?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649