DSLR rigs... Which one ?

C

Cinedslr

New member
Hi everybody,

I'm french, so I'm sorry for my poor english language.
I have a question about DSLR Rig. I would like to buy a SOLID DSLR rig, and I saw in all the topics and on the web many brands who made DSLR rig. I'm LOST.

I haven't the budget to buy a Zacuto or a RR rig. I film with a DSLR and sometimes with an FS100, so I need something SOLID and DURABLE.

- What are the brands that you recommend ?

- What do you think about the LANPARTE rig ? http://www.hdvideoshop.fr/product.php?id_product=126

- I have seen the Gini rigs too. Better quality than the LANPARTE rig ?

Many thanks your answers.

Regards,

Cinedslr
 
Last edited:
We have those rigs in Australia rebranded as 'Oz Rigs' or something, apparently they're pretty good.

But if you're dropping that kind of money on a rig you may as well get a Redrock, I've dabbled with the cheaper rigs and wouldn't bother again.

Zacuto is well out of my price range, so I went for Redrock. Never looked back.
 
the thing about "rigs" is its VERY personal. what works for one guy, doesnt work at all for another. i owned a $3500 zacuto rig for a couple years and it WORKED beautifully and it was a joy to touch. but it didnt suit the way i shoot from an ergonomic standpoint. so i sadly ended up selling most of it off.

i have yet to hold a "perfect" rig. at ANY price. but here are a couple interesting offerings ive either owned or used that i enjoy on the more affordable end:
dynamicmotionvideo
http://www.dynamicmotionvideo.com/index2.php#/gallery_sec/1/
their website is utter dog crap. but their ss-302 with handles is one of the best values you'll find. it doesnt DO much. but it doesnt claim to. and thats what makes it so cool : )

ikan
ikanhttp://ikancorp.com/productListing.php?FamilyID=70
these guys are one of the least known rig providers out there. but ive used a number of their kits. and constructed my own custom rigs from their component stuff. a REAL good value there.
what i like about their stuff is how flexible it is. you can reconfigure much of it like an erector set. they have one of the most comfortable shoulder pads ive used:
http://ikancorp.com/productInfo.php?id=401&FamilyID=70&CategoryID=93
and its a really good starting point
 
Last edited:
I don't know about Lamparte, but Gini Rig is excelent quality. I got mine 1 month ago and I'm really pleased. I do recommend it.
 
Ok thanks a lot for your answers.
I have a budget of 500$ (400€) for my DSLR rig. I want a rig with just shoulder pad, base plate, handles, if possible a Z-shape Offset and 15mm rods (because I will use a follow focus, and maybe a matte box).

- I have seen IKAN, but in Europe, it's not easy to find a dealer which sales all the Ikan products.

- GINI seems to be good. I found this web store : http://www.gini1.com/
Is it the official ?
I heard some problems with the delivery with GINI (?)

- TILTA is interesting but quite expensive, isn't it ?

- Other brands ?

Thanks a lot!
 
you can buy ikan directly from their website. and (i just confirmed), they do ship internationally.
 
Last edited:
here's a rig i put together at ikan yesterday.
it uses their:
ssm shoulder mount - $399
http://ikancorp.com/productInfo.php?id=401&FamilyID=70&CategoryID=93

and a bunch of single components:
http://ikancorp.com/productListing.php?CategoryID=93&FamilyID=70#CategoryID=94&FamilyID=70
2x 15rm dual rod mounts - $40
2x 15 rda mounts (to connect grips to the rods) - $80
double cheese plate - $50
pair of foam grips (1 shown) - $40
pair of 6" rods - $30
pair of 9" rods - $35

thats right at about $675 ($700 once you factor in screws) and its about the most comfortable shoulder rig ive ever held. and adjustable as HELL. forward / back, up / down, left / right. can hold both a DSLR or standard dvx-style camcorder. has room for a follow focus and probably even a mattebox too (may need to go with 12" instead of 9" front rods for that) and its solid as a brick s#!tter!

what i like most about it is that its easy to make it work with about any viewing setup. monitor, built in lcd screen or even just looking through the viewfinder

im actually pretty proud of it and may turn it into my daily rig...


photo(5).JPG
 
Last edited:
Thanks a lot for taking time to write a long and helpful answer.
Have a nice week.

Cinedslr.

PS: If you know other interesting brands, let me know!
 
Just got a Gini IFocus (follow focus) and a small Gini Rig to go with it. I can say as an owner of way too much equipment, that for the price, Gini makes the BEST products on the market. His equipment is really good, in the same ballpark as Zacuto and Cinevate; certainly better than RedRock. Usually, a bargain means you just pay again in the long run, but that is not the case with Gini.
 
G'day guys,

I actually work for OziRig Pro Australia - we're the official suppliers of Lanparte equipment in Australia, so I can definitely help shed some light on the type of equipment Lanparte make. I've actually owned a few DSLR rigs - a set of Gini, a Pro Aim, some parts of the RedRock and Cinevate, and of course, the Lanparte equipment. I've found the Lanparte to be a very good balance in terms of quality. I'm especially in LOVE with the Follow Focus (both the Pro or Basic) as the gear is top quality, the wheel has a huge amount of grip and it's never let me down. As gene_can_sing highlighted, the Gini IFocus is also very nice and I would say on par with both the Lanparte and Cinevate equivalent.

This here is the Lanparte Hard A-B Stop Follow Focus, and next to it is the Gini, for comparison. Unlike the Gini, the Lanparte has a very nice grooved wheel and a width adjust setting:
ffStaticAB.png
Screen-shot-2011-10-15-at-9.18.00-AM-300x295.png


You've probably noticed there isn't a heck of a lot of information available on line for the Lanparte products (which is something I'm desperately working on), but you can check out the current range, which has both a summary and some in-depth photographs here : http://www.ozirigpro.com.au/full-kits.html

For the price range that you're looking at, I would recommend having a look at the Single or Double Handle Rig from Lanparte.
If you take the Follow Focus out of these kits, then the price falls significantly: Single = $499, Double = $529
This includes basically everything you were after:

Shoulder Mount
15mm Rails
Baseplate
Offset Mount
Set of Handles

singleHandlePromo.png

doubleHandlePromo.png


You can mix and match and customize if you'd like, and I'm more than happy to offer free shipping to France if you'd like it. So if you're curious and need more information on the Lanparte range just let me know and I'll get back to you ASAP :D

To finish off, whilst I think the Gini rigs definitely have the reputation and quality behind them, my biggest recommendation is to steer you away from the other eBay brands like Pro Aim, which are around about the same price point as the Lanparte and Gini... it's cheap and nasty crap and I've heard so many stories about people getting rods which are all warped and heaps of problems with their Matte Boxes etc.

You really do get what you pay for!
 
Last edited:
Hi Josh,

I've been considering the Lanparte line for quite some time now, but have been put off by the lack of reviews/information and the less than perfect customer service from Lanparte directly.

Would you be willing to offer free shipping to Canada for an order less than the packages in which you currently offer free shipping?

Thanks,

josh-ozirigpro said:
G'day guys,

I actually work for OziRig Pro Australia - we're the official suppliers of Lanparte equipment in Australia, so I can definitely help shed some light on the type of equipment Lanparte make. I've actually owned a few DSLR rigs - a set of Gini, a Pro Aim, some parts of the RedRock and Cinevate, and of course, the Lanparte equipment. I've found the Lanparte to be a very good balance in terms of quality. I'm especially in LOVE with the Follow Focus (both the Pro or Basic) as the gear is top quality, the wheel has a huge amount of grip and it's never let me down. As gene_can_sing highlighted, the Gini IFocus is also very nice and I would say on par with both the Lanparte and Cinevate equivalent.

This here is the Lanparte Hard A-B Stop Follow Focus, and next to it is the Gini, for comparison. Unlike the Gini, the Lanparte has a very nice grooved wheel and a width adjust setting:
ffStaticAB.png
Screen-shot-2011-10-15-at-9.18.00-AM-300x295.png


You've probably noticed there isn't a heck of a lot of information available on line for the Lanparte products (which is something I'm desperately working on), but you can check out the current range, which has both a summary and some in-depth photographs here : http://www.ozirigpro.com.au/full-kits.html

For the price range that you're looking at, I would recommend having a look at the Single or Double Handle Rig from Lanparte.
If you take the Follow Focus out of these kits, then the price falls significantly: Single = $499, Double = $529
This includes basically everything you were after:

Shoulder Mount
15mm Rails
Baseplate
Offset Mount
Set of Handles

singleHandlePromo.png

doubleHandlePromo.png


You can mix and match and customize if you'd like, and I'm more than happy to offer free shipping to France if you'd like it. So if you're curious and need more information on the Lanparte range just let me know and I'll get back to you ASAP :D

To finish off, whilst I think the Gini rigs definitely have the reputation and quality behind them, my biggest recommendation is to steer you away from the other eBay brands like Pro Aim, which are around about the same price point as the Lanparte and Gini... it's cheap and nasty crap and I've heard so many stories about people getting rods which are all warped and heaps of problems with their Matte Boxes etc.

You really do get what you pay for!
Click to expand...
 
hi wgzn,
It's been almost two years from this thread. Would you be able to comment on what creates the best fit for putting eye on the camera builtin EVF with maximum flexibility on horizontal and vertical adjustment of the front rod systems (not just the baseplate) and the best option for the nicely curved and cushioned shoulder pad, and the single half frame with top handle?
I found this one from Ikan that allows a lot of adjustment for the front rod system but the shoulder pad is not as nice as the one you pointed out: http://ikancorp.com/productdetail.php?id=834
Also there is no cage and top handle. Unless I ask them for the upgrade to better shoulder pad without changing the shoulder frame. I don't know if they can unscrew the pad and put another pad but it looks like your shoulder pad frame has standard 15mm rod adapter but this one has attached adjustable offset arms. I wish they would make adjustable offset arms with standard 15mm rod adapter in both ends. I don't know if fixed offset would work for me. I have a Tascam DR-60D sound recorder that is a rack mount goes on the baseplate and the camera goes on top of it so I need to be able to bring down the front rod system about 4 inches or so to be able to put the camera EVF aligned with my eye.
What do you think? And anyone else out there. THANK YOU…. GUYS…??
 
After twoyears of filming with GINI rigs, are you guys satisfied? Would you suggest nowaday?
Any European customer here?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top