viellearoue35
Member
Hi all,
I just wrapped a feature in San Francisco and wanted to share with the online community my experiences with the DeFoeTech You Pod handheld system (http://www.defoetech.com/). Local cinema equipment fabricator Greg Defoe from DefoeTech.com let me test his YouPod system with my Canon 7D camera package. The camera was outfitted in full cinema configuration-
Redrock Mattebox
Chrosziel Follow Focus
Zeiss ZF lenses
Marshall monitor
A little about the rig-
The system is lightweight and and very functional. The camera easily attaches to the base via 1/4-20 screw. It is a module system allowing a variety of configuration options. The basic configuration consists of two handles and a shoulder brace. The handles can be mounted in nearly any position desired and locked free of slipping. On other handheld rigs, I find that the handles tend to slip/slide under strain. These handles lock in nice and tight. The shoulder pad is very adjustable and allows you to rest the rig on your shoulder or brace it against your chest. DefoeTech offers an off-set accessory for the shoulder-pad so that an HDSLR eyepiece lines up directly to your eye. The entire rig is adjusted by tensioning knobs which feel very rugged and easily tensioned. Aesthetically the rig is very pleasing and has a nice black anodized finish.
My Experiences-
Our feature had many handheld scenes and the rig proved itself useful in a variety of circumstances. The rig was able to quickly alter its configuration based on the type of handheld work I was doing. I loved how the shoulder pad could easily be changed into a shoulder brace. It was so easily adjustable that I did so between takes without wasting time reconfiguring the entire system. The seemingly endless configurations allowed improved stability and quality of handheld work.
Being an indie production we had many downtown scenes which were not permitted where we used a wheelchair as a make-shift dolly. I would configure the shoulder pad into a brace, pulling the weight of the rig against my shoulder. I then flipped the handles right-side up and found myself in a comfortable/stable operating position. I was able to focus on operating and not the pain of the camera.
After testing the rig, I discussed my experiences with Greg and asked if an accessory exists to add weight behind the shoulder brace. My camera is front-heavy by the time I add my mattebox, follow focus and monitor. Turns out he offers this accessory which would be a usefull option while working with a fully configured HDSLR.
I hope that by sharing this information with the online community another handheld option presents itself to the HDSLR user. Happy Shooting!
PS- I have used the DeFoeTech Mattebox on a feature in the past and was VERY impressed by both its weight and functionality.
I just wrapped a feature in San Francisco and wanted to share with the online community my experiences with the DeFoeTech You Pod handheld system (http://www.defoetech.com/). Local cinema equipment fabricator Greg Defoe from DefoeTech.com let me test his YouPod system with my Canon 7D camera package. The camera was outfitted in full cinema configuration-
Redrock Mattebox
Chrosziel Follow Focus
Zeiss ZF lenses
Marshall monitor
A little about the rig-
The system is lightweight and and very functional. The camera easily attaches to the base via 1/4-20 screw. It is a module system allowing a variety of configuration options. The basic configuration consists of two handles and a shoulder brace. The handles can be mounted in nearly any position desired and locked free of slipping. On other handheld rigs, I find that the handles tend to slip/slide under strain. These handles lock in nice and tight. The shoulder pad is very adjustable and allows you to rest the rig on your shoulder or brace it against your chest. DefoeTech offers an off-set accessory for the shoulder-pad so that an HDSLR eyepiece lines up directly to your eye. The entire rig is adjusted by tensioning knobs which feel very rugged and easily tensioned. Aesthetically the rig is very pleasing and has a nice black anodized finish.
My Experiences-
Our feature had many handheld scenes and the rig proved itself useful in a variety of circumstances. The rig was able to quickly alter its configuration based on the type of handheld work I was doing. I loved how the shoulder pad could easily be changed into a shoulder brace. It was so easily adjustable that I did so between takes without wasting time reconfiguring the entire system. The seemingly endless configurations allowed improved stability and quality of handheld work.
Being an indie production we had many downtown scenes which were not permitted where we used a wheelchair as a make-shift dolly. I would configure the shoulder pad into a brace, pulling the weight of the rig against my shoulder. I then flipped the handles right-side up and found myself in a comfortable/stable operating position. I was able to focus on operating and not the pain of the camera.
After testing the rig, I discussed my experiences with Greg and asked if an accessory exists to add weight behind the shoulder brace. My camera is front-heavy by the time I add my mattebox, follow focus and monitor. Turns out he offers this accessory which would be a usefull option while working with a fully configured HDSLR.
I hope that by sharing this information with the online community another handheld option presents itself to the HDSLR user. Happy Shooting!
PS- I have used the DeFoeTech Mattebox on a feature in the past and was VERY impressed by both its weight and functionality.
