Finally a game changer

Z

zacuto

Well-known member
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Hi all! I have to be honest with you, when the DSLR's first came out I was excited but kind of miffed on how to really make them usable for filmmaking or ENG applications. So after 6 months of using DSLR's for shooting video, starting from the ground up, I think we really figured it out. We have just released our four new DSLR Gunstock Shooters, which come equipped with our Z-Finder optical viewfinder. The optical viewfinder is key and the kit can position the camera so that your eye is perfectly aligned in the viewfinder without having to have your head in a funky position. I think the key to making these cameras work is keeping them light, getting away from overbearing heaving encagement and doing the opposite by going light. These kits weigh only seven pounds (including camera and follow focus). We have created a system with 5 points of body contact because stability is essential with these light cameras to get them to create shots that have the look of a heavier ENG style camera. Out of the 27 new products we’re debuting at NAB, this is the one I’m most excited about. Check out our video at http://vimeo.com/4044623. If you want to see more photos click here: http://zacutodslr.com

As always, I welcome your feedback?
best regards, Steve Weiss
 
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Very nice, does the eye piece have a dipoter or are you simply cutting ambient light and looking at the LCD ?

Also, what conditioner does the girl in the shots use ?
 
One other question, to what extent does the system close/fold/dismantle - would it collapse enough to be put in a backpack ??
 
Brilliant !

I will definitely be ordering one of these, probably the lightest version of the 5.
 
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Frankly I don't get it, their kits run between $1800 to $5200... Are you crazy???
For that pice you can buy a steadicam, it's pretty much the same price as the Merlin in the low range to the flyer in the end range with the Pilot in between.

Don't get me wrong, I love Zacuto. All my base plates, follow focus, matte boxes, rails. etc... have always been bought from them, actually I bought 2 cameras ? monitors from them as well, great place and great product, but those prices are ridiculous.
 
It sounds like a lot but in many kits a follow focus $1100, optical viewfinder $395 are included in the kit, some include 2 V-Mount batteries, dual chargers and much more. You own all of that gear already, some are starting from scratch. I hear you though, it costs me a lot making it 30 miles from Chicago, in a world all shifting to China, I'm never going to opt for less quality. It's just not what we are about. Buy it three times elsewhere or once from me? Steve Weiss

PS. It's not supposed to be a steadicam, this if for lightweight stable handheld shooting that's 6.5 lbs. We are going to be carrying these around NAB, ALL DAY, I wouldn't want a Steadicam hanging on my shoulder strap for that.
 
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Steve:

When do you anticipate availability of the Z-Finder as a stand alone without buying a kit? I am very interested in the Z-Finder, you are going to sell a boatload of those.

The kits look very nice to me and I think that they are a good value. I have some of your stuff and it is worth every penny. Not cheap but you get what you pay for.

Dan
 
much nicer than the cage set up, but is there anyway to build these contraptions at a lower price? I just can't fatham paying more for rails and an eyepiece than i would for the actual camera.
 
I agree with you somewhere in LA. $2000 to $5000 for this set up is alot. not Knocking zacuto because i've purchased from them and swear by the quality, but I've set up my camera up on my dvrigpro with the dvrig pro and have gotten great results. f I can by the z finder seperatly, this may be the better option for me. Again not knocking the zacuto product, but after kitting out an slr with the z gear I mind as well pick me up a hpx300.
 
I would like to buy the filmaker kit, but I also feel that the prices are too high!! Don't get me wrong, it looks very, very professional, and I definitely need it for the amount of work I am doing with my 5DII. But a $2700 camera needs accessories that fit within that price range.
 
I hear you.

I hear you.

Reem, I'm hearing you but a year from now when the camera price drops to $500 a follow focus is still going to be $1100. The camera manufacturers can make 100,000 units in India/China and get the price down, becuase of volume and cost of labor. The accessory business is not remotely that big. We deal in 100's or maybe 1000 units in a year or two. So we don't have the economies of scale that Canon does. Plus Zacuto manufactures in the USA for various reasons, speed to market, quality & QC. That's just what we are all about, it's not for everyone and we understand that. We are just never going to compromise on our quality or lifetime warranty. Steve
 
Dan,
I know this kind of sucks but we just don't have enough volume in batch one to get us through NAB if we sell Z-Finders without baseplate kits. If you want one, Mandy has a list going and I'm sure not long after NAB we should be able to fulfill these. It realy does rock.
contact: mandy@zacuto.com or me steve@zacuto.com
Steve
 
This lot looks worth the money - loads of engineering and small runs of that engineering

My quaestion is - is the design too complex

My shoulder mount is a $3 bit of aluminium extrusion from the local hardware store and a $50 manfrotto plate

I dont think the great eronomics are required for carrying such a small weight

and how do you press the record button ?

S
 
Nothing against zacuto, but the price is not in the line of market. I can get cheaper parts from other brands, when I am looking around. Probably not as sophisticated as zacuto, but usable as well. The "felt" prices of all that is in direction of 50% their prices.
And what I miss very much is an intelligent way to release the recording with a rig like that.
Benn
 
I sense a disconnect here. Based upon the posts in this thread, I think that there are two factors at work.

1. Because the 5D MKII is a cheap tool from a professional standpoint, I think that some low budget indie users are expecting to be able to have a professional quality full support package for probably well under $1,000.00. As anyone who has used and owns support packages for 35mm adapters knows, this is unrealistic. I own a very typical middle of the road Letus setup for my HPX170. But it is a full setup with rod mount, rods, follow focus, matte box, filters. My package doesn't even include any kind shoulder mount, it is strictly for tripod use and it cost close to $6,000.00 in total. The Canon is very cheap for a professional level tool so some users expect cheap support. If you research, there are a lot of cheap options to consider but Zacuto, thankfully, will never be among them.

2. From a working professional's standpoint, the cost of the Zacuto packages are negligible as is the cost of the 5D MKII itself. I would even go so far as to say that for a working pro, making money with broadcast or theatrical projects, the 5D MKII is disposable, it is cheap enough to buy two or three for a project. Same with the cost of the Zacuto support packages. I think it is working pros who Zacuto is aiming these packages at, not hobbyists and no budget indies who had to scrape to be able to even afford the 5D MKII. Making gear domestically is not cheap and Zacuto has a unique product, it is very high quality and it is realtively costly. Ask anyone who used or owned their gear if it is good or if it is worth the money and they will tell you yes. I own some Zacuto gear and some other brands that shall remain nameless and the nameless gear is constantly becoming loose, stripping out, literally falls apart under heavy usage and it just not built very well. The nameless gear was all a LOT cheaper than Zacuto and you can tell, it is not nearly as good. Pretty simple equation, if you want the best stuff, you have to pay for it.

I am very happy that at least we have choices in the market. For those using DSLRs to make money, the Zacuto gear is a smart investment. Also, this gear should be looked at like any other camera support gear, it is a long term investment. When the 5D MKII is soon surpassed by another DSLR, this Zacuto gear will be just as useful for the next DSLR or a Scarlet or whatever other small, light camcorder you will own. No different than a tripod. Some people are happy with a Bogen or Velbon and some people are happy to pay for a Sachtler or O'Connor.

If Zacuto has priced the products to high, then their sales numbers will tell them to re-evaluate but I have a feeling that they will sell a lot of these packages. I think the logic of "you shouldn't price a piece of support gear to be equal with or more than the gear it is supporting" falls apart at the lower end of the market. My $2,500.00 Sachtler tripod still performs perfectly whether I have my $5,000.00 HPX170 on it or my $1,000.00 Canon Vixia on it. But conversely, my $400.00 no-name tripod performs just as lousy with the Vixia or the HPX on it, the weight is immaterial, it is a crappy tripod. Same with this gear, it is built well and will perform well for many years to come.

My .02

Dan
 
I'm curious as to how the optical view finder attaches to the camera. Can it be removed and replaced easily?

From the video, it seems like it's velcro. Velcro seems a little jury rigged and the strength of the attachment gets weaker after successive attachments and reattachments.
 
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