FS7: Handheld vs Shoulder Mount

[Run&Gun]

13 hours of handheld shooting is going to be painful no matter what camera you are using, but you should really consider the ENG dock for your F55. It revolutionizes operation of the camera and makes it feel more like an F800 or Z450 than a cinema camera. The slot-in microphone receiver, additional external controls, etc. are added bonus. I also keep my R7 or R5 mounted even when I'm not shooting RAW because it pushes the weight of the battery and center for gravity even a few more inches to the rear. Yeah, it adds some weight, but the better balance more than makes up for it. I'll take a better balanced heavier camera over a lighter front-heavy camera any day. Any F55/F5 owner ought to have the dock.

I've said that same thing for years. I know I said it on B-roll more than once... ; ) It's one of the reasons It took me so long to convert over to Li-ion batteries on my ENG cams. In the early days, they were all too light to properly counterbalance an ENG camera. But once they started to get into the higher capacity, heavier weight designs(but still lighter than HyTron's), it was time.

The ENG dock has intrigued me and I know at least one guy that has one. If I did a lot more handheld with my 55(or I found a hot enough deal), I'd probably get one. Fortunately, the other night was more or less an anomaly. I'd say 90% of the time, I'm shooting sit-downs with it and off-the-shoulder shooting is usually in much shorter(reasonable) spurts.

 

[Doug Jensen]

Just one more thought about the dock -- it changes the camera in so many ways that go above and beyond just handheld comfort. I wouldn't want to use an F55 without it ever again.

 

[Donny 123]

Just one more thought about the dock -- it changes the camera in so many ways that go above and beyond just handheld comfort. I wouldn't want to use an F55 without it ever again.

I just wish they had come up with a bit of a sleeker design.. it sort of looks like a prototype ,and a fairly ugly one at that.. don't think I could live with that ascetically ..

 

[captslomo]

But with a V-mount there is no way to mount a wireless bracket on the back of the camera. To my knowledge there is no V-mount adapter that has mounts for a wireless bracket.

JP: once upon a time, IDX made a bracket that fit into the v-lock slot, and then had another v-lock slot for the battery on the back. It also had a D-tap, and two threaded screwholes that perfectly fit a portabrace double wireless bag. I used it for years until one of the screw taps finally blew out. I still have the plate on the camera for the extra D-tap port. Alas, I don't see anything similar still on their website.

For wireless, I now run a light weight 2-channel receiver from Lectro, which I velcro onto the inside of the battery mount plate I have on rods running off the back of the F3. It's tucked away nicely and solid as a rock.

 

[JPNola]

JP: once upon a time, IDX made a bracket that fit into the v-lock slot, and then had another v-lock slot for the battery on the back. It also had a D-tap, and two threaded screwholes that perfectly fit a portabrace double wireless bag. I used it for years until one of the screw taps finally blew out. I still have the plate on the camera for the extra D-tap port. Alas, I don't see anything similar still on their website.

For wireless, I now run a light weight 2-channel receiver from Lectro, which I velcro onto the inside of the battery mount plate I have on rods running off the back of the F3. It's tucked away nicely and solid as a rock.

Thanks for the info. Ideally, I would like to have the audio receiver mounted to the side of the battery, like the mounting plates by Anton Bauer for gold-mount, and not extend the length of the camera. Can the IDX plate be minimized to just the side plate, doing away with the rear section? Do the screw holes on the IDX product mate with the screw holes on Lectrosonic receiver boxes? ( I am about to find out, seeing as I just purchased that IDX mount from an eBay seller. )

Speaking of things that no one makes, wouldn't it be nice to have a tripod handle that adjusts with a push-button like the Shape Revolt arms, and not have to turn, turn, turn a knob every time you want to re-position a tripod arm? I think it is time. We've all seen tripod heads that have the rosette teeth stripped from repeated adjusting of the tripod arm by the careless user who does not fully disengage the rosette teeth before adjusting the position of the arm. Ideally, someone would create and produce an adapter that goes between the existing tripod-head rosette and the rosette on the stock tripod handle. Single-handed re-positioning of the tripod handle would be something nice to have. It would allow for quick and easy adjustment in between shots, for the times when you want a different angle on the tripod handle such as extreme upward tilts where the tripod handle hits against the legs when not pre-positioned to avoid such.


EDIT: Oh, and one more thing. Run&Gun- I tested and found that a Brightcast 1x1 LED easily mounts into my Chimera Medium Video Pro lightbank using a mount made for Lowell Tota lights. The entire LED unit sits inside the lightbank and can be fully enclosed in the light bank. Doing so turns the 1x1 LED into a 36x48" source, keeps the spill contained, and via use of a fabric grid on the front of the soft box makes for a large, soft source that is relatively controlled and narrow in projection. The 1x1 LED fully fills the front face of the soft box. Looking at the illuminated front face of the soft box you'd never know that the source inside the soft box is only 1x1. The output is every bit as uniform as that of a LightMat. No spottiness.

 

[legrevedotcom]

Could you post a photo of that setup? :O (the light)

 

[Doug Jensen]

I just wish they had come up with a bit of a sleeker design.. it sort of looks like a prototype ,and a fairly ugly one at that.. don't think I could live with that ascetically ..

Hmm, seems like a really strange reason to choose one camera over another. Besides, I don't think the F55 dock looks bad at all.

 

[Liam Hall]

What's the total weight of that rig Doug. And how often do you visit a chiropractor?

 

[Publimix]

:laugh:

That is not an issue for Doug, and I quote: "I shot all of the footage in this video last Friday morning in less than three hours -- and never more than about 10 feet (3 meters) from the bumper of my van. You're not going to find me hiking 10 miles into the wetlands or sitting in a blind for three days."

btw it looks much better than a fully rigged FS7.

 

[Doug Jensen]

What's the total weight of that rig Doug. And how often do you visit a chiropractor?

Ha, ha. That's my handheld setup with my Zeiss LWZ 15.5-45. I think it probably weighs around 20-22 pounds but no big deal. I can shoot with that rig on and off my shoulder all day without any discomfort. It's all about balance. Not really all that different from my old Ikegami HL59/BVV5 Betacam rig and only a little heavier that my previous fully-rigged F800. Balance. Balance. Balance.

 

[Doug Jensen]

:laugh:

That is not an issue for Doug, and I quote: "I shot all of the footage in this video last Friday morning in less than three hours -- and never more than about 10 feet (3 meters) from the bumper of my van. You're not going to find me hiking 10 miles into the wetlands or sitting in a blind for three days.".

Yes that is true!! But not with that lens.
This is my wildlife shooting rig and weighs around 30 pounds plus the tripod. And I broke my own rules of engagement yesterday and hauled it more than a 1/2 mile following a bald eagle out in the wetlands. It was worth it, though.

 

[JPNola]

I think it probably weighs around 20-22 pounds but no big deal. I can shoot with that rig on and off my shoulder all day without any discomfort. It's all about balance. Not really all that different from my old Ikegami HL59/BVV5 Betacam rig and only a little heavier that my previous fully-rigged F800. Balance. Balance. Balance.

Not all handheld work is the same. There is handheld work that will leave anyone destroyed at the end of the day, even if the rig is perfectly balanced. No matter how fit the Operator.

 

[Liam Hall]

Ha, ha. That's my handheld setup with my Zeiss LWZ 15.5-45. I think it probably weighs around 20-22 pounds but no big deal. I can shoot with that rig on and off my shoulder all day without any discomfort. It's all about balance. Not really all that different from my old Ikegami HL59/BVV5 Betacam rig and only a little heavier that my previous fully-rigged F800. Balance. Balance. Balance.

That is an excellent looking rig, and I agree, balance is everything. For my FS7 I have two basic configurations. one using the XDCA/V-mount batts/monitor/video transmitter and one stripped back with just the video transmitter. Stripped down the FS7 is so light I mostly just cradle it in my elbow. With producers pushing for longer, harder days all the time I'm all for taking weight of these days. That said, I still need a hip surgery...

 

[Doug Jensen]

Not all handheld work is the same. There is handheld work that will leave anyone destroyed at the end of the day, even if the rig is perfectly balanced. No matter how fit the Operator.

Uh, No kidding. But that's the kind of day where good camera balance and comfort is more important than ever.

 

[Donny 123]

Hmm, seems like a really strange reason to choose one camera over another. Besides, I don't think the F55 dock looks bad at all.

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Sure down to personal taste.. but that whole front design.. Im sure that could just be done better design wise.. I remember when pics of them first came out and everyone thought it was a prototype and that real thing would be alot "nicer". but it was the real thing..! its pretty clunky .. Im not talking about the whole camera also..just the dock..I think the f5/55 is nice design..