Ebay cheap dslr rig - looks cool

robo3687 said:
well it arrived this morning and here's my first and they all feel comfortable to use

i'm quite happy with the purchase, I'm yet to try any recording with it, but i just walked around with it and it seemed to keep it quite stable.

i'll get some pics later
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Great Robo! Yes some pics would be great too.

Do you think you can use the rig with a dslr and a viewfinder like the z-finder?
 
i'd say yes to both, with the camera facing one way it'd be quite easy and the other you would have to lean your head over a bit as it's not offset...

i'll get those pictures up tomorrow....
 
I've got mine today also, and while I already did regret having ordered it, I am now very very happy. I've pretty quickly found out how to tweak it in a way that's great for GH2 using the EVF, being center balanced in front of your face. Actually, for stabilizing and comfortable shooting, it beats the > $1000 Cavision rig I have used sometimes which is quite unbalanced as most of these one sided rigs (of course there's no follow focus or mattebox with this one, which I don't need or want anyway for most situations). There are 1/4" threads on both ends of each handle which I plan to use for mounting 2 counterweights. I'll try to post pictures or a video if I fins more time.
It's not the best built device ever, of course, but all in all it's very rugged and I have to admit that it kind of looks cool too ;)
 
stip said:
but all in all it's very rugged and I have to admit that it kind of looks cool too ;)
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yeah i reckon its cool looking as well, i terrorised my family with it lust walking around with it on my shoulder filming everyone...

i think it might also be possible at some point to add rails to it, like i mean its obviously possible, but more from an ergonomics point of view....
 
Here are some pics of it, as I wrote above, making a center balanced shoulder support with top and side handle

https://picasaweb.google.com/103190068518306121894/20110406#

I'll post a video later on

robo, which camera are you using it with?

@krick, I think this would work well with a LCD viewfinder, the camera can be mounted along the baseplate, 3" (7,5cm) forth and back
 
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Awesome! I wish I knew about this before I decided to just buy the cowboy studio shoulder mount. I mean, this is more expensive, but it looks more versatile. If I didn't already have a mount, I'd definitely go for this one!
 
Considering the price of both, going with the cowboy studio rig is absolutely ok I think.
 
Nice rig for the price. Steady footage too. I wonder if this could work with consumer video cams as well.
 
Just ordered one - with the favourable Canadian currently exchange rate, it's even cheaper!

I figure I'll try it out shooting some of the hand-held VillainFest shots.

If my film sucks, I can blame the rig, naturally...
 
I just ordered mine as well. After a weekend of shooting using my home made rig (similar to the plug wire rig seen on cheesycam ) i found that being locked into a shoulder type situation made shooting interesting angles like lows and the like are pretty hard. This rig will hopefully be more versatile for run and gun type work.
I will post any interesting findings I have once i get it.
 
First impressions

First impressions

OK! First day of shooting complete on VillainFest. I used the DSLR rig a few times, and it was fine. I hadn't had much time prior to the shoot to practice or play around with it, so a few observations after using it "on set" for the first time:

  • The plastic joint tighteners are a little bit flexible. With my GH1 and Rode VideoMic on board it was pretty stable but there was a tiny bit of flex in the handles. Not a deal breaker, but it didn't really feel "solid".
  • The main part of the rig is a stamped steel plate that the three articulated handles attach to. This is very sturdy.
  • The drilled metal arms are also sturdy and look pretty cool too.
  • I really like the different configurations available, and the telescoping back arm came in handy when stabilizing the rig against my chest for some awkward angles. I was using my 20mm pancake so no onboard stabilization available and the shots were usable, but nobody will be mistaking my footage for steady-cam stuff.
    • One thing to note about the tightener for the telescoping arm: It feels VERY cheap. But it appears to be a pretty common piece so I suspect I'll be getting the opportunity to replace it sooner than later.
  • As I don't have a follow-focus setup, I was pulling focus with the little focus ring on the 20mm. This is a dumb thing to do at the best of times, but I managed a couple good takes that I hope coincide with good takes by the actor. Even if I did have a FF setup I'm not sure how I'd attach it...?
  • Other than that, the price is right and it folds up quite small and fits into my gear box nicely.
  • I'm not a pro by any stretch, but for hobbyist stuff it seems to work well so far. No regrets yet!
I hope this helps someone out there.
 
I just ordered one too. I'll give my impressions.. $90 + free shipping. Not bad ;-)
 
Has anyone tracked down a source for the accessories when mounting lights, LCD and Mic?

They look like micro versions of the manfrotto articulating arm. See below

ShoulderRigE.jpg
 
Yes the seller have these. I think they are the 7'' magic arm... Not sure so double check ;-)

here is a video about this rig. It's called the spidersteady:

 
My big reservation for buying this is over whether it can be tripod mounted.

I'm never going to get rails or a cage for my camera, so I would hope for this to serve as a handheld setup and monitor support when on a tripod.

Can this be securely and easily screwed into a tripod plate?


Thanks everyone,
-J
 
FatBird19 said:
My big reservation for buying this is over whether it can be tripod mounted.

I'm never going to get rails or a cage for my camera, so I would hope for this to serve as a handheld setup and monitor support when on a tripod.

Can this be securely and easily screwed into a tripod plate?


Thanks everyone,
-J
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Yeah. The screw that holds the camera to the rig is theaded underneath. It will mount to a tripod.
 
When using this in the shoulder mount configuration, is it possible to rotate the handles forward (beyond 180deg) so that they are forward of the lens?
 
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