Camtree FS700 Rig/Cage - the indian knockoff of the Movcam Rig

[stefanhuberfilms]

hey folks, i just bought the Camtree FS700 rig, which seems to be a exact knockoff of the Movcam rig, except from the shoulder pad, which can either be mounted on the rods, or in the same way it is mounted to the rig in the Movcam version - which is a nice bonus.

The build quality is better than the usual cinecity stuff, the pictures on their website are a little crappy and the finish looked like powder coating on the pictures, glad it came anodized in the end. Also the knobs are somehow different than in the pictures, maybe they photographed their knockoff prototype...

One thing i notice as a disadvantage over the Movcam cage, is that it only is available in black.

Other than that, there is not much more to say about the cage - anyone who has seen the reviews about the Movcam Cage knows it's features.

I didn't try it out that much, and not on a real shoot yet, but it looks really promising.

That's what comes with the package: 4 pcs. of rods, handle, baseplate, side cover and the shoulder pad with its rod mount.

the side plate - hmm, did they just put a sticker over the movcam logo there?


shoulder pad with rod mount


top handle, attached via two 1/4 20 screws


third party cold shoe i bought from amazon - to attach the mic holder


the base plate with rosette...


a little BTS


the lens support i also ordered with the rig - as before, nice build quality and gives me some extra stability.


... and the back of the lens support - did the put the sticker on the wrong side?


the fully kitted rig with my Nikon 80-200 f2.8


...and everything wrapped in the backpack.


Hope this is useful for you guys, i think this is a great alternative to the movcam rig. good bang for the buck at 390$.

i ordered it from here:
http://www.thecinecity.com/eshop/CAMTREE-Hunt-FS700-Cage-for-Sony-Nex-FS700.html

They also offered me a discount for ordering the lens support. The guys at cinecity are super friendly and responsive.

cheers

Stefan

 

[jshbckr]

Seems like a pretty good price for all that gear. I really like my Berkey plate setup, compact and light, so I don't think I would change it.

Do you have a way to measure the distance between the center of the lens mount and the center of the rods? I just know a cheap mattebox I bought a while back measured about 95mm instead of the standard 85mm, with no height adjustment option. The pictures look pretty close but that would be my main concern for someone who might not have a height adjustable mattebox.

 

[Clermond]

chinese copyists getting copied by Indian copycats. Who's next?


(Thanks for sharing, Stefan!)

 

[stefanhuberfilms]

Seems like a pretty good price for all that gear. I really like my Berkey plate setup, compact and light, so I don't think I would change it.

Do you have a way to measure the distance between the center of the lens mount and the center of the rods? I just know a cheap mattebox I bought a while back measured about 95mm instead of the standard 85mm, with no height adjustment option. The pictures look pretty close but that would be my main concern for someone who might not have a height adjustable mattebox.

Just pulled out the caliper, measured 85mm.

 

[JensK]

Thats very interesting! I've been writing with them checking on prices and shipping. How much did you end up paying for transport and taxes and whatnot?

 

[anatusa]

generally their products were a complete junk, so i would not expect to much from it.....

here is a review to one of their products https://vimeo.com/56355739

 

[eiker_ir]

Could you post a link to the low profile shoe mount you ordered from Amazon?

 

[stefanhuberfilms]

Thats very interesting! I've been writing with them checking on prices and shipping. How much did you end up paying for transport and taxes and whatnot?

They wrote $18 onto the invoice so i didn't pay any tax, only the price of the rig plus shipping...

 

[stefanhuberfilms]

generally their products were a complete junk, so i would not expect to much from it.....

here is a review to one of their products https://vimeo.com/56355739

Don't mix up their "Proaim" Stuff with their "Camtree" Stuff, seems like they have one junk and one quality brand. The rig i got definitely is better then their Proaim Range. I had the Proaim Baseplate before....

 

[stefanhuberfilms]

Could you post a link to the low profile shoe mount you ordered from Amazon?

the uk link i found:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Walimex-Pro-Cold-Mutabilis-System/dp/B00CSQOIES
i ordered it from germany, the screws seem a bit different:
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00EPTTV9S/ref=oh_details_o00_s02_i04?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[stefanhuberfilms]

I found this tool for tax calculation handy btw:

http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/

 

[dmitrizigany]

Stefan, what was the final cost in €uro including import duty and shipping? (Would assume it'd be about the same to Germany, right?)

 

[stefanhuberfilms]

They wrote $18 onto the invoice so i didn't pay any tax, only the price of the rig plus shipping...

already answered here...


EDIT: quick calculation for germany here:
http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-i...on/saved_calculations/view_details/187366557/

 

[dmitrizigany]

Sorry, missed that part. Did you ask them to set the value at $18 or did it seem like they do that by default?

 

[stefanhuberfilms]

they did it by default. today i received a corrected invoice via mail, but i had to ask for it.

 

[dmitrizigany]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Clermond]

Sorry, missed that part. Did you ask them to set the value at $18 or did it seem like they do that by default?

From my experience it depends on the carrier and it's also by chance if customs accept this performa invoice attached on the package. Mostly you have to supply a proof of payment. I received some shippments as reported from Stefan but in the majority of cases I had to pick up the items at the local customs office handing over a proof of payment (ebay, credit card) Also some carrier charge you an extra fee for custom handling. E.g. EMA from China or FedEx in general. It's annoying as in some cases you already paid an arm and a leg for shipping rates. Lucky you, Stefan!

 

[dmitrizigany]

Yeah, and apparently there's only one customs office for all of Berlin so you have to wait in line forever to pick up stuff... HD Video Shop here seems to be carrying some Camtree gear so maybe I can ask them if they plan to order the cage...

 

[isck29]

Out of curiosity Stefan what bag did you use to fit the entire rig as I just invested on a think tank roller hybrid bag to fit my movcam system along with many more accessories but I do like the look of your backpack to is it a KATA bag by any chance?

by the way I removed the long extension handle at the front as I don't think id use it for anything do you guys mind the long horn?

Regards,

Stephan

 

[stefanhuberfilms]

The bag is a EVOC CP - camera pack... I bought it because it is built for heavy snowfall conditions and has a lot of room for macbook, rods mattebox etc.

I like the handle extension so far, makes the part where you really carry the camera free of hotshoes and accessories and leaves more room to attach a monitor, mic etc....