good, yet cheap shoulder rig

F

FUBARFilms

Active member
The zacuto rigs are WAYY out of my price range, but I've come to realize I need some sort of shoulder rig to get usable handheld footage...can anyone recommend a low-priced alternative that does a good job stabilizing the camera? By low price I'm thinking like $200 max.

I came across the Steadi-Stock SSSB online, it seems like it would do the job but it looks a little flimsy...anyone have experience with it?
 
If it looks flimsy, it probably is. Don't buy cheap gear, it's not an investment.

You're better off making one on your own.
 
I have done A lot of research in this category.

Good and Cheap is $500
Pro rig is $1000

I made my DIY rig for $35, but Im buying a new rig soon.


Im starting to think varizoom is the way to go, because they are the only one's that incorporate a belt.

$650 for media rig, $1000 for Zero Gravity rig.
 
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Heres a link to my Vimeo runthroug of my shoulder rig, its cobbled together from abut 4 different suppliers, buying cheaper bits where I could and more expensive where I had too. I am happy with it so far.

http://vimeo.com/7306588
Evan
 
I've also got the redrock shoulder mount, and think that's a good place to start. You can get it without the rods for $300 and then just buy some cheap rods somewhere else. It's more than you're looking to spend, but maybe you can find in used in the marketplace and get it for around $200.
 
Thats a great thread Chuck and the SHAPE products definitely have a cool factor that blows away many products. Did you notice that cinevate actually admits their shoulder pad looks bad?

My concern right now, before I pull the trigger on a setup, is the camera being too close to my right shoulder and not in front of my eye. Do you find yourself uncomfortable when looking through the viewfinder?
 
No. I use two quick releases, one mounted on top of the "shape" box and attached to the rails to remove everything attached to them including the camera, and the other is the Cavision quick release that lets me release just the camera.

This combined with the shoulder adjustment lets me place it exactly where I need it.

Plus recently I customized a Pelican 1690 case for this rig and I have to remove the shoulder pad to make it fit correctly. While doing this I placed the camera support, without the shoulder pad, directly into my chest which places the camera directly in front of me. It is surprisingly comfortable to use it this way.
 
The Indifocus is By Far the Best bang for your Dollar. $995 and you get Mattebox, followfocus Pro, the Carbon Fiber rails hand and shoulder grip with the C shaped Plate the Goes arround the Rig for mounting stuff.. Cant beat it.
 
What's important for a shoulder rig, keep this in mind:

- center of gravity must be low-
- Unit should be well-proportioned from rear to back WITH a lens attached
- you should not have to hold the camera UP. Pulling it downward is a bit better, but not by much.
- Weight, Weight, Weight. It will smooth everything out. What's the point in going handheld if you're limited from the get-go to anything below a 50mm because of Micro-Jitters? You can get just as good a result from a neckstrap or holding a tripod by its legs if you just want to use a 28 or 35mm handheld/shouldered.
- Optional: Camera probably should NOT be in front of your face. This is optional because admittedly I have not put my face into one of those Z-Finders yet, but just from holding the camera right in front of my eyes it just isn't the ideal shooting situation. Will have to get hold of a Z-Finder to really commit to this but I have a feeling it just won't work out.
 
I bought one of the shoulder rigs off ebay made by gini in Korea. I added a lens case full of weights to the back of the shoulder pad and it balances nicely. I'm also using a z-finder with it and a follow focus. There's a thread on the Korean rig at cinema5D.
 
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