Israeli arm-+ clamp recommendation

E

eco_bach

Well-known member
Need a Israeli arm-+ clamp recommendation to mount my 7" monitor to my tripod.
There are so many available,

Pearstone
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...e_articulating_arm_and_mini.html/prm/alsVwDtl

Rotolight
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._RL_ARM_10_KIT_10_ARM_CLAMP.html/prm/alsVwDtl

Digital Juice
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...N_Articulating_Arm_and_Mini.html/prm/alsVwDtl

but a somewhat common complaint seems to be in clamp construction in some models, where the clamp can be easily stripped when over tightened.

Can anyone share their preference?
 
eco_bach said:
Can anyone share their preference?
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I bought one for my 7" monitor at our local photo store (brand is ProMaster) for about 50$. It holds pretty well, but I have the feeling a 15$ one on ebay would be the exact same thing, for cheaper.
I, personally, wouldn't worry much about a brand or another. I'd say, unless you'd go with Manfrotto or something that expensive, it would be very similar.
Like one of my co-worker often says: "Do you know many Ketchup factory? No? Then they're all produced at the same place, different brands."
 
Some have a lot more "grab" and "stick". It's a pain (and sometimes expensive) to have an arm you've cranked down within an inch of its life to suddenly decide its time to let go.
Which arms have the best holding power?
 
eco_bach said:
Need a Israeli arm-+ clamp recommendation to mount my 7" monitor to my tripod.
There are so many available,

Pearstone
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...e_articulating_arm_and_mini.html/prm/alsVwDtl

Rotolight
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._RL_ARM_10_KIT_10_ARM_CLAMP.html/prm/alsVwDtl

Digital Juice
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...N_Articulating_Arm_and_Mini.html/prm/alsVwDtl

but a somewhat common complaint seems to be in clamp construction in some models, where the clamp can be easily stripped when over tightened.

Can anyone share their preference?
Click to expand...

Every one of them sucks because they have round knuckle, so in cold weather when you are wearing gloves you will have to take them off to adjust the arm and in hot weather sweat on your palms might prevent you from tightening or un-tightening. You want an arm with an L-shaped knuckle such as this one:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/571950-REG/Noga_DG1108CA_DG1108CA_Cinematic_Arm.html
 
While in general you do get what you pay for (with the exception of a few overpriced brands whose names I won't mention) I don't agree that all bargain brands are the same. In general I've had great luck with Pearstone to name just one.
 
Thanks Patryk. Pricey but might be worth it. What clamp would you use to attach to a tripod leg?

I agree with this quote '
"when you buy expensive gear you regret it once. When you buy cheap gear you regret it every time you use it."
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quite awhile back i bought a bunch of the cheapies on amazon to hold either a smallhd evf or the5.6 lcd monitor. all of them are "TRASH". i got what i paid for. the links posted by the original poster are a little bit more expensive than i paid from amazon (although they are being sold on b&h and not amazon so they could be the same quality for just more i guess) but i gave up on all of these horrible and incompetent arms and bought a Zacuto arm and its absolutely no comparison. i got tired of the cheap ones coming loose & moving at critical times on a shoot. very annoying. the Zacuto is so strong i could probably jack up my car if i needed too. i only own a few Zacuto items but will say when you put it in your hands you know you got your moneys worth.

good luck
david
 
All of my arms are Noga. They're not cheap, but you should buy dependable gear that will last(at least longer than your camera. Lol).

There are many sayings such as, "The cheap man buys twice(or three or four times)" and "The bitter taste of poor quality remains long after the sweet taste of low price". The old adage still holds true on most things: You get what you pay for.
 
Run&Gun said:
You get what you pay for.
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Except for when the $15 Ebay one is exactly the same as the $128 Rotolight.

Now, I'm not saying this is always the case, but it often is. Factories in China that produce items that X company will buy and put their brand name on will then continue the run and and sell them cheaply without the brand name sticker. The problem comes in when a small shop will start to manufacture said item and not maintain quality control.

I happen to have two cheap Ebay clamps and arms. One clamp is solid and one rattles when it's not tightened. When I wrote to the seller who sold me the crappy clamp, he immediately refunded my money. Both arms are fine.

I'm also not saying the Zacuto is not top quality. I have no doubt it's superb. But for people on a budget, it can pay to check carefully, have patience, and be willing to complain if there is a problem. If you have more money than time, then forget all that and buy what you think is best.
 
Jordan_S said:
Except for when the $15 Ebay one is exactly the same as the $128 Rotolight.

Now, I'm not saying this is always the case, but it often is. Factories in China that produce items that X company will buy and put their brand name on will then continue the run and and sell them cheaply without the brand name sticker. The problem comes in when a small shop will start to manufacture said item and not maintain quality control.

I happen to have two cheap Ebay clamps and arms. One clamp is solid and one rattles when it's not tightened. When I wrote to the seller who sold me the crappy clamp, he immediately refunded my money. Both arms are fine.

I'm also not saying the Zacuto is not top quality. I have no doubt it's superb. But for people on a budget, it can pay to check carefully, have patience, and be willing to complain if there is a problem. If you have more money than time, then forget all that and buy what you think is best.
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You are slightly missing the point of the issue. The same looking things often are NOT. What differs is the quality of components. An item might require a strong metal connection at 2x the price but the shop substitutes it with a cheaper one - both looks exactly the same but the strong connector last while the weak one fails withing a few uses. The larger brands often have a dedicated QC person at the factories to make sure that only quality components go into the item, the factories are not stupid and know that they can produce a cheaper version with cheaper components (again, that looks EXACTLY the same) for the budget conscious market, and so they do.
 
Patryk_Rebisz said:
You are slightly missing the point of the issue. The same looking things often are NOT. What differs is the quality of components. An item might require a strong metal connection at 2x the price but the shop substitutes it with a cheaper one - both looks exactly the same but the strong connector last while the weak one fails withing a few uses. The larger brands often have a dedicated QC person at the factories to make sure that only quality components go into the item, the factories are not stupid and know that they can produce a cheaper version with cheaper components (again, that looks EXACTLY the same) for the budget conscious market, and so they do.
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Except that after you have been to Hong Kong and you have seen and felt the items and can compare the name brand that you have owned with the not -- then you understand what is really going on and how absurd it is for people to pay many times more for the same exact item with the only addition being a sticker. You really cannot understand it until you go there and witness it. It's quite a revelation. And yes, they certainly do sometimes substitute inferior materials. As I wrote earlier, "The problem comes in when a small shop will start to manufacture said item and not maintain quality control."
 
Jordan_S said:
Except that after you have been to Hong Kong and you have seen and felt the items and can compare the name brand that you have owned with the not -- then you understand what is really going on and how absurd it is for people to pay many times more for the same exact item with the only addition being a sticker. You really cannot understand it until you go there and witness it. It's quite a revelation. And yes, they certainly do sometimes substitute inferior materials. As I wrote earlier, "The problem comes in when a small shop will start to manufacture said item and not maintain quality control."
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You cannot "see and feel the item" - you have to use it a few times to see if the thread wears out quicker than it should or the metal piece that is crucial in the design is made out of resistant metal or the kind that shatters after a few uses. Sometimes things that appear totally legit are not (personal real-life examples: not heat resistant glass on knockoff Arri 300, plastic knob turning to dust on another unit - those are the kind of things that you spot with use not "seeing and felling").
 
Patryk_Rebisz said:
You cannot "see and feel the item" - you have to use it a few times to see if the thread wears out quicker than it should or the metal piece that is crucial in the design is made out of resistant metal or the kind that shatters after a few uses. Sometimes things that appear totally legit are not (personal real-life examples: not heat resistant glass on knockoff Arri 300, plastic knob turning to dust on another unit - those are the kind of things that you spot with use not "seeing and felling").
Click to expand...

Well, if use is the test, then the clamps I bought on Ebay pass. I've used them for over 2 years and have even trusted their use with my camera mounted on a sailboat. I can't speak about lights aside from Yongnuo flashes that have given me no problems. Just off the top of my head, I can tell you that I've had no problems with LPE6 batteries ($9 compared to $50), exact replacement hoods for Canon lenses ($5 compared to $35 and yes, they are flocked inside), lens rings ($6 compared to $45), camera and lens cases, batteries for my Fuji cameras ($7-8 compared to $25-$30), a fitted leather half case for the X100 ($20 compared to $100), a thumb up grip ($5 compared to $45). I've even bought $6.50 Casio G Shock watches for my kids that are still in use after summers at the pool.

The question of whether or not due diligence was performed by the buyer usually is a factor in whether or not a product will perform as expected. And it should be noted that I am not including products made in India, which are often inferior. But even so, I will concede that sometimes even with careful checking that you are correct, Patryk, that sometimes it will fail. But we can also say that about the major brands, can't we? I mean look at what Toyota did recently. And even Fuji, which has been creating great cameras lately, produced the first X100 cameras with sticky aperture blades. At least Fuji took responsibility; Toyota attempted to hide while knowing full well people were dying in their cars.

The Ebay sellers who want to stay in the game and have high scores search for the medium to large factories that have higher QC. They are the ones to trust. The sellers with less than 99.4% positive feedback are simply selling whatever comes cheapest and, as a result, people complain.
 
In summation: If you are poor and/or your business has yet to pick up, try to find cheap yet reliable products. If you are successful and/or wealthy, you should buy expensive and reliable products.

Cheap, unreliable products and expensive unreliable products should be be avoided at all costs.
 
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