cheapest z-riser type thing

jenningsp

jenningsp

Well-known member
2x these - http://www.cinevate.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=68
1x this - http://www.cinevate.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=104

aprox $70


saw a photo of a rig over at the shoot35 forum and he had this. thought it was pretty clever... the rest of the rig is insane though :)


471260883_iukqk_l_811.jpg



any other good cheap solutions?
 
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My DIY cost about USD 300. All from EDM wire-cut and cnc milling
 

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jenningsp said:
2x these - http://www.cinevate.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=68
1x this - http://www.cinevate.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=104

aprox $70
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Awesome! I was wondering if that would work. I want to mount my blade in the snorkel up position but I can't justify paying what Zacuto wants for their Z-riser so have been contemplating building my own. This looks like it will do the trick.

I think shoot35 is thinking about designing a fixed z-riser but that's probably months down the road. For now, this will work!

Thanks for the tip! :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
Wait a minute, that looks familiar. Well no wonder, it's my rig! :)

I specifically built it that way using Cinevate parts so that the Redrock Mattebox could slide forward and backward and still clear underneath. This way I can accomodate almost any size lenses. Also, I need to add a follow focus and the Z-Riser and Letus Riser wouldn't leave enough room on the rails while still allowing the mattebox to fully slide back and forth . Lastly, the whole rig can be adjusted fore and aft on the tripod mount so perfect center balancing can be achieved on a tripod.

You can use any size rails for the upper sections; I haven't cut my upper rods to their final sizes yet because I'm still getting a feel for what I need to end up with... Ultimately, I'll have one upper set holding the mattebox and the other set holding the SGBlade.

So far it's worked out really well and I'm very happy with it. The total cost was about $175 because I used (4) of the Cinevate blocks, (2) Cinevate posts and a set of Cinevate solid carbon fiber rails (which I bought used from a fellow DVXUser).

If you have any other questions, just post 'em here and I'll answer them...

Cheers!
 
Nice setup Leo... I'm not sure why anyone in their right mind would pay the prices Z is charging... I can go to a number of local shops here and get the same thing milled for 100~300 dollars. I guess if you're too lazy to spend a day in making the damn thing then you can just order from Zacuto... if you have mucho money to blow, that is.
 
Um, I don't get it. There seems to be some confusion about a "riser" type support and a full rod support system. If it costs you $300 to make yours then you're not really saving much on the riser as Zacuto sells theirs for $330 and Letus have a similar L-riser for $200. If you're talking about the rail system then that's a different story all together.
 
2 inch drop.

2 inch drop.

This was my solution. It's not adjustable, but very light. The blocks drop or raise a set of rods exactly 2 inches. These were water-jet cut and powder coated. We are now machining everything and anodizing. They were $45 with all hardware. They will now be $85 so maybe not the most inexpensiove. Cory
 

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Huy Vu said:
Um, I don't get it. There seems to be some confusion about a "riser" type support and a full rod support system. If it costs you $300 to make yours then you're not really saving much on the riser as Zacuto sells theirs for $330 and Letus have a similar L-riser for $200. If you're talking about the rail system then that's a different story all together.
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If you don't need the added riser for the 35mm adapter, you can get away with only spending about $70-85 for the Cinevate parts and a couple of short 15mm rods as Patrick mentioned in the first post.

I initially looked at LuckyStudio13's method and decided to try a different route for other reasons. Also, I think his solution cost about the same as mine or maybe even a little bit more (2 x RR Multimounts + 1 x rod); I can't find the prices on the Multimount, only the Micromounts which are $45.00 each.

Believe me, I did quite a bit of research and planning on rail systems before settling in on what ultimately ended up working in my particular case.
 
Easom Aerospace said:
This was my solution. It's not adjustable, but very light. The blocks drop or raise a set of rods exactly 2 inches. These were water-jet cut and powder coated. We are now machining everything and anodizing. They were $45 with all hardware. They will now be $85 so maybe not the most inexpensiove. Cory
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Looks great Cory. Where were you a couple of months ago when I really could have used this? :huh: I'll have to keep these in mind the next time I build up a system...
 
Leo Versola said:
If you don't need the added riser for the 35mm adapter, you can get away with only spending about $70-85 for the Cinevate parts and a couple of short 15mm rods as Patrick mentioned in the first post.

I initially looked at LuckyStudio13's method and decided to try a different route for other reasons. Also, I think his solution cost about the same as mine or maybe even a little bit more (2 x RR Multimounts + 1 x rod); I can't find the prices on the Multimount, only the Micromounts which are $45.00 each.

Believe me, I did quite a bit of research and planning on rail systems before settling in on what ultimately ended up working in my particular case.
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I assume that you can clamp down firmly enough on the vertical rod to avoid any accidental twisting? I mean it looks solid enough...
 
mvansomeren said:
I assume that you can clamp down firmly enough on the vertical rod to avoid any accidental twisting? I mean it looks solid enough...
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I thought about that in the beginning and yes, it's possible for it to twist. To solve this, I ended up inserting some 3/4" 1/4 20 set screws into the bottom block and then threading them with a hex key up into the other block. No twist at all after that.
 
Leo Versola said:
If you don't need the added riser for the 35mm adapter, you can get away with only spending about $70-85 for the Cinevate parts and a couple of short 15mm rods as Patrick mentioned in the first post.
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Right, but there's quite a bit of differences in the result. Patrick's rig sits VERY high on top of that tripod, which can be inconvenient for both framing (you can always raise the tripod, but you can't make the rig sits lower) and for panning since the center of mass is so tall. My old rod setup used to be like that but I've always hated how unstable the whole thing feels. With something like the Z or L riser your camera sits very low on the rod for a smaller profile and better stability. You do get what you pay for.
 
Huy Vu said:
Right, but there's quite a bit of differences in the result. Patrick's rig sits VERY high on top of that tripod, which can be inconvenient for both framing (you can always raise the tripod, but you can't make the rig sits lower) and for panning since the center of mass is so tall. My old rod setup used to be like that but I've always hated how unstable the whole thing feels. With something like the Z or L riser your camera sits very low on the rod for a smaller profile and better stability. You do get what you pay for.
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That's actually my rig and it really doesn't sit that high on the tripod... Although I don't have it configured this way yet, I actually designed the setup for the snorkel up position. With the camera sitting at its lowest position on the rails, the SGBlade would need to sit slightly higher than it already is and in order to align up with the RR mattebox, I needed a bit more height as the SGPro adapter mount simply didn't adjust high enough to accomodate this particular arrangement while still allowing the mattebox to slide back and forth enough for all my lenses.

As for framing, it's not so much a problem for me; my Miller Solo VJ sticks sit as low as 9" and raise to over 6' in height. Also, I've found that the sweet spot for center of gravity in order to achieve the proper counterbalancing on the tripods I've owned, typically needs to be a bit higher rather than lower.

Anyways, to each his/her own. This setup is very flexible, very solid, extremely stable and most importantly -- works for me...

Cheers...
 
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leo, where did you get the screws to stop the twisting and what are they???

easom, can you get a less bulky nut piece so it can sit flush to the ground and right up against the adapter tube? also do you sell short 15mm rails?

thanks!
 
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Patrick, Yes, the bolts are standard 1/4 20 thread and most 1/4 20 thread knobs will work. We are now machining our own 6 lobe knobs. Aluminum with stainless thread inserts. I couldn't find any super low profile knobs I liked. I've included a graphic with the new knob dimension fitment. They're very flat, only 5mm tall. I like the symetricy of the lobe style as opposed to the wing knob look. That's why I don't use wings. So they aren't all twisted wierdly when tensioned. Is that wierd or does anybody else not like wing knobs when they're not 90 or 180 degrees to the rig?

Short rods. I have 6 inch Carbon Fiber rods for $50 a pair. 9's for $75 a pair.

Oh And Leo.... Ya, sweet rig. I'm a fan of the Micro Matte Box and if you look in the graphic. My new spacers have the side rail mounts built in for the Micro MAtteBox offset. I think it will be the new industry standar for side rails. We are making a mount for the SmallHD monitor that will slide along them as well. Oh! to get back on track. The large cage spacers bolt directly to the drop/rizer blocks. Cory
 

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Easom Aerospace said:
This was my solution. It's not adjustable, but very light. The blocks drop or raise a set of rods exactly 2 inches. These were water-jet cut and powder coated. We are now machining everything and anodizing. They were $45 with all hardware. They will now be $85 so maybe not the most inexpensiove. Cory
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SWEET! Where can I get one of those Easom Drop Blocks? I have been stuck with my 35mm setup.. I have an old Redrock M2 & rails... but a cheap bracket that doesn't line up... & those drop blocks would make it possible for me 2 run it.. Can u (or someone) post a link to a buy page 4 them or another? Cuz I can't find the Letus one without the rails & it's $200... Any help is very much appreciated! Thanks!
 
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