[WTB] GH1 PL Mount

just curious are hot rod PL's the only thing there is? Cus those are like 1000-1500 or are there cheaper ones? Cus I could have sworn I seen someone post about a 300-500$ PL for GH1
 
There is one that's sold on ebay for like $299. I would not expect it to be the same quality or engineering as the Hot Rod.
 
what's the difference though? It's just a mount. I mean how much could possibly go wrong, would the lens fall out or something? serious question, I'm not being sarcastic. just curious how much "better" a 1500 mount can be over a 300 one and for what reasons? Is it simply longer lasting? does it look prettier? etc.........?
 
If you've ever bought any of the poorly-engineered knockoff stuff that comes out of India, you wouldn't be asking... :D

There's plenty of room to do something right, or do it wrong, when it comes to making these mounts. But I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the $299 one. It might be just fine, it might be a piece of junk, I don't know -- I haven't used either of them. I have heard several testimonials as to how very right the Hot Rod one is, that it's superbly engineered and all. At the bare minimum, the difference as I understand it is that the Hot Rod unit is a mount and support all in one, so the camera attaches to the mount, not the other way around. Whereas the ebay one looks like a regular mount adapter like any other. PL lenses are heavy and many of them are going to need their own support anyway; if you tried sticking a PL adapter on a GH1 and mounting that onto a little tripod head, and then stuck a heavy and expensive PL lens on the front, that's pretty much a recipe for trouble. Hot Rod gets around that by having the mount and support on the tripod all integrated, so effectively you don't mount the lens to the camera, you mount the camera to the lens.

Whether that's worth an additional $900 is for each individual buyer to decide.
 
Okay, well, looks like the ebay ones have dropped in price, they're $230 now.

Look at this one, and you can see that it looks like a regular mount.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Arri-Arriflex-P...wItem&pt=Lens_Accessories&hash=item3a5cda58a0

Then look at the Hot Rod.
http://www.hotrodcameras.com/products/lens-mount-kits/pl-mount-and-mods/hot-rod-pl-basic/

Now, if the Hot Rod is just a mount adapter with a tripod socket in it, and the ebay one comes with a tripod socket on it, then I guess they'd be pretty close. But if the Hot Rod is an all-in-one integrated mount system, and the ebay one doesn't provide for lens support, then that would point to a substantial difference between them.
 
None of the cheap ebay sellers are offering PL mounts with a professionally shimmable flange. This is the most glaring omission of what should be considered a mandatory feature. Without a shimmable flange it means that every lens mounted to the ebay adapter will not have accurate focus marks.

Despite the claims of the overseas ebay sellers, without an adjustable flange infinity focus (as well as every other distance mark) can not be guaranteed. And a simple tripod screw won't transfer frontal lens weight safely.

I have several months of work into my design. The reason it costs what it does, is not because I am getting rich off of these (clearly I'm not), it's because it takes significant money to build and test professional grade equipment in small batches in the USA; which is how I believe products like this ought to be made, and it is the best way to assure quality. There is a reason that professional rental houses use Hot Rod Cameras mounts exclsuively and not the stuff sold on ebay.

When you are out on set with a Hot Rod PL, and the DP wants to put up a Angenieux zoom, it works, including the focus marks lining up and the extremely expensive optics are held securely every time. This is probably the reason Angenieux has been showcasing the Hot Rod PL adapter with their lenses in there booth for all the cine related trade shows this year.

If you truly believe it's in the best interest of the production, the equipment, your wallet, and your career to risk the safety of a $60,000 lens (hell even a $3000 lens) with a $200 ebay adapter, please don't buy my products! Clearly your sanity has been impaired and I don't want you as a customer.
 
Illya Friedman said:
None of the cheap ebay sellers are offering PL mounts with a professionally shimmable flange. This is the most glaring omission of what should be considered a mandatory feature. Without a shimmable flange it means that every lens mounted to the ebay adapter will not have accurate focus marks.

Despite the claims of the overseas ebay sellers, without an adjustable flange infinity focus (as well as every other distance mark) can not be guaranteed. And a simple tripod screw won't transfer frontal lens weight safely.

I have several months of work into my design. The reason it costs what it does, is not because I am getting rich off of these (clearly I'm not), it's because it takes significant money to build and test professional grade equipment in small batches in the USA; which is how I believe products like this ought to be made, and it is the best way to assure quality. There is a reason that professional rental houses use Hot Rod Cameras mounts exclsuively and not the stuff sold on ebay.

When you are out on set with a Hot Rod PL, and the DP wants to put up a Angenieux zoom, it works, including the focus marks lining up and the extremely expensive optics are held securely every time. This is probably the reason Angenieux has been showcasing the Hot Rod PL adapter with their lenses in there booth for all the cine related trade shows this year.

If you truly believe it's in the best interest of the production, the equipment, your wallet, and your career to risk the safety of a $60,000 lens (hell even a $3000 lens) with a $200 ebay adapter, please don't buy my products! Clearly your sanity has been impaired and I don't want you as a customer.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure who your reply is directed at but I'm looking for a used PL to m4/3 mount... I will decide if I want it and how much I could pay when someone makes an offer. This isn't a thread about which is better, I'm just looking for one. I want to get the best bang for my buck which could include a used Hot Rod. So please, if you or anyone else has something to offer me by all means let me know!
 
seanmcleod said:
I'm not sure who your reply is directed at but I'm looking for a used PL to m4/3 mount... I will decide if I want it and how much I could pay when someone makes an offer. This isn't a thread about which is better, I'm just looking for one. I want to get the best bang for my buck which could include a used Hot Rod. So please, if you or anyone else has something to offer me by all means let me know!
Click to expand...

It was not directed at anyone in particular. Rather it is directed at anyone naive enough to believe that price is the only difference between what Hot Rod Cameras builds and a shoddy ebay-only offering from overseas.

In the past 14-months I have seen exactly 2x used Hot Rod PL kits up for sale. I knew both of the people who sold them and both offered them to me first. Both ended up selling for close to the new price. I haven't heard of anyone who plans to part with one lately, but it's good to know that someone is waiting.

At the moment Abel Cine is sold out of the Hot Rod PL as well.

In two weeks all brand new Hot Rod PL Kits are being sold in the darker British racing green, so if you pick up a used one and want to add the new accessories (that are on their way), new and old pieces will be perfectly functional and compatible, but the shades of green won't match.
 
Yeah just trying to save a little coin by not purchasing new, because the difference between new and old I'm sure is negligible. I don't need the rails and the handles either which is a factor in looking for a used one as well.
 
seanmcleod said:
Yeah just trying to save a little coin by not purchasing new, because the difference between new and old I'm sure is negligible. I don't need the rails and the handles either which is a factor in looking for a used one as well.
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Rods are not included. You still need the CS (Central Support) as this is what makes it safe to use heavy lenses; the mount for Arri standard 15mm lightweight rods is included free of charge and is optional in use. I do sell a kit without the handgrips, it is slightly less expensive. Although I should probably note that I get more emailed complements on the design and construction of the grip system than any other product I manufacturer.
 
Hi Sean. I've got the following on the big auction site. You can make me an offer and if accepted, I will close the auction.

http://www.arri16s.com/HotRodSale.htm

HotRod1.jpg

HotRod2.jpg

HotRod3.jpg

HotRod4.jpg

HotRod5.jpg


What Illya says is correct. I service motion picture cameras and the build quality of the Hot Rod adapter is up to the quality of the PL mount cine glass you would be using on it. The FFD on the Hot Rod is spot on. That can't be said about the stuff coming out of the orient unfortunately.

Best,
-Tim
 
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