Lost in rail support land.

KREEDMAN

KREEDMAN

Active member
Hi guys,

I am really frustrated. I just got the Letus Extreme and I'm loving it. I am now lost in Rails and support world for my Canon HV30.

I live in Vancouver, where Cavision's HQ is. They suggested I visit a specific retailer. They suggested the following parts:

Cavision RS15IIM (without front bracket)
Cavision R15LS25SET (Lens Bracket Support)

When I went to the retailer, the prices they gave me were:

Cavision RS15IIM $240
Cavision R15LS25SET $75

A total of $315 excluding ~12% Tax :eek:

I think this is unacceptable price!!

I can get the RS15IIM for $200 shipped + tax from bhphotovideo!

I am now torn between Cavision and the indieRailsPro. When reading I notice that everyone is recommending what they have. Did anyone try both and picked one over the other? Other than rail length and price, why?
 
When picking a rail system, what's going to distinguish them is adjustability and setup time. Most of the cheaper rails like the IndiRail and Cavision doesn't have XY adjustments and they tend to raise the camera and adapter higher, resulting in an unstable rig. Expensive rods like Zacuto or Letus V2 actually lowers the adapter below the plane of the rod, which means that your whole system sits a lot lower and is more stable. Plus you can adjust the baseplate horizontally or vertically, so switching between cameras is a lot quicker. Rail system that are at a set height usually requires you to shim the baseplate if the default setting isn't good, which is time-consuming and imprecise.

Finally, and this is something that only the Letus rail does, is the quick release system. It's incredibly efficient to just be able to slide the camera off the baseplate instead of fiddling around with the screw.

$300 is on the low end. For versatility the high end ones are $700-800.
 
Huy Vu said:
Expensive rods like Zacuto or Letus V2 actually lowers the adapter below the plane of the rod, which means that your whole system sits a lot lower and is more stable.
Click to expand...
Very interesting answer for newbies like me.
That raises another question: if the adapter goes lower than the first pair of rods, isn't harder to balance really heavy lenses? I guess the tripod would step in the adapter's way if you want to slide everything back?
 
Huy Vu said:
Most of the cheaper rails like the IndiRail and Cavision doesn't have XY adjustments and they tend to raise the camera and adapter higher, resulting in an unstable rig.
Click to expand...

The Cavision does have XY adjustment. I had to slap mine on an XL-H1 one time and the tripod mount didn't line up with the lens. I loosened two screws and adjusted the Cavision baseplate. Voila.

Can't speak for the indirails though. I'm pretty sure they have vertical adjustment.
 
Yann Gourhant said:
Very interesting answer for newbies like me.
That raises another question: if the adapter goes lower than the first pair of rods, isn't harder to balance really heavy lenses? I guess the tripod would step in the adapter's way if you want to slide everything back?
Click to expand...

You flip the adapter upside down in the case of the Letus Extreme. Snorkel up I think they call it...
1755LG.jpg
 
Huy Vu said:
Finally, and this is something that only the Letus rail does, is the quick release system. It's incredibly efficient to just be able to slide the camera off the baseplate instead of fiddling around with the screw.
Click to expand...

Redrock and Zacuto also have quick release, and both can work with an Extreme or Ultimate.
 
We'll have pictures up tomorrow of our carbon Proteus rails system in it's should mount configuration. Basically one rails system that has XY adust, zero protrustion below the tripod, and doubles as a shouder mount system by adding our grips. We do have a clip on them in our Video University entitled " The New “Proteus” Carbon Fiber Rails System". The clip doesn't show the shoulder rig yet but our grips and pad were just announced a few days ago.

These systems are 100% CNC aluminum and the rods are the only solid carbon rods sold anywhere...about 75% stiffer than stainless at half the weight. The system does not require a second set of rails to accomodate an elevation change.

Shameless plug ...off :-)
 
Last edited:
Huy, that's something we took to heart a long time ago so the Proteus system can be used completely tool-free, including our quick-release Brevis to rails mount. The Proteus base has tool-free fasteners but they retain the ability to be tightened further if required using keys. The shoulder mount configuration will likely require this to ensure secure operation.
 
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