Mixing and matching rod support accessories

I'm picking up what your putting down now. I didn't get what shooter was saying at first. So your saying I should go the shoulder route then? :)
 
swanny said:
I'm picking up what your putting down now. I didn't get what shooter was saying at first. So your saying I should go the shoulder route then? :)
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No no. Shooter and I were just kidding about how serious filmmakers don't use the term "tripod". Instead they use "head and Sticks/legs"
 
Some carbon rods with a weave texture on their exterior can be problematic with accessories designed to slide onto the rails. I have a Chrosziel matte box, & follow focus, that don't mount easily to these type of rods.

I also have Cinevate's smooth carbon fiber rods, & the follow focus slides on much easier, but has a tendency to scratch the surface a bit. These are solid rods, not tubes, so very strong, but in general I prefer metal versions.

www.cinevate.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=60

Regards,
Bern
 
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true, though these do not have any texture from the weave, ie no bumps etc..., but totally agreed, metal does slide nicer. another note about the solid CF rods out there, they are still tubes, just fiber filled, which does give extra rigidity, though in my tests i've had a rather hard time getting much flex out of these. the 24" ones give a few mm flex with a 20lb load PER ROD. i had the factory make a 24" sample set with a thicker wall to compare, and i just don't see the benefit of less flex vs the added weight.

But that's as much i'd put in about a product i'm selling. i'd rather wait for the first users to give the input and if there's room for improvement i'll work to make those improvements. i send out a few pre-release samples to a few random users and the feedback was positive. we'll see if the masses think the same
 
ah and forgot to mention, the cinevate ones, which are indeed excellent, are 246grams for a 18" pair @ $135. the 18" IJ ones are 85grams @ $40. an offer too good to refuse, or so i hope :)
 
AnthonyR said:
What's a good cost effective plate and lens support to go with the rods?
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I love the Zacuto baseplate, but at $560 I can see how it's a bit expensive for some. Completely worth it in my opinion. I also found a Zacuto fake knock off sold by a DV City for $210. It looks just like the Zacuto one in the pictures plus it comes with a rod riser. If it's anything like the Zacuto one it would be worth it (Disclaimer: I have not seen or used it).
 
Bern Caughey said:
Some carbon rods with a weave texture on their exterior that can be problematic with accessories designed to slide onto the rails. I have a Chrosziel matte box, & follow focus, that don't mount easily to these type of rods.

I also have Cinevate's smooth carbon fiber rods, & the follow focus slides on much easier, but has a tendency to scratch the surface a bit. These are solid rods, not tubes, so very strong, but in general I prefer metal versions.

www.cinevate.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=60

Regards,
Bern
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imdjay said:
ah and forgot to mention, the cinevate ones, which are indeed excellent, are 246grams for a 18" pair @ $135. the 18" IJ ones are 85grams @ $40. an offer too good to refuse, or so i hope :)
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I bought Cinevate rods last December and had trouble sliding my D-Focus follow focus on it. I could not get a Varizoom accessory I have to slide on at all. I returned the rods and got Zacuto rods and everything worked perfectly. I also had trouble clamping some Cinevate accessories on Zacuto, RRM, and IndiSystem rods enough and that required my to get better thumbscrews to clamp everything down enough.
 
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Mike@AF said:
I bought Cinevate rods last December and had trouble sliding my D-Focus follow focus on it. I could not get a Varizoom accessory I have to slide on at all. I returned the rods and got Zacuto rods and everything worked perfectly. I also had trouble clamping some Cinevate accessories on Zacuto, RRM, and IndiSystem rods enough and that required my to get better thumbscrews to clamp everything down enough.
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not that i would defend cinevate over any of the other manufacturers, but i wouldn't say for sure that they deserve the blame, though maybe, because every manufacturer has different tolerances and it's hard to know whether the rods are off spec or the clamps are off spec. i literally went to B&H with a pre-production set of my rods and tested them on every single manufacturer that B&H had for support systems, about 6 in all, and i kid you not, every single manufacturer was looser or tighter on the same pair of rods, and not by a small difference. after a few more rounds of samples i took a production set of rods to B&H and did the same test, and while there was the same variance in clamps, overall every set was able to fit on without excessive force, and clamp tightly, though the CAVISION was just barely able to tighten fully.

so basically, it's a crapshoot when mixing and matching manufacturers, but overall things should work, but sure as hell might not here and there.

my 3 cents
 
imdjay said:
i really haven't found a plate of any cost that i've fallen in love with. i tried out the cavision one and like it, but only if i were to have it always attached to my camera, i think it's a bit clunky for frequent dismantles. but overall i think it's a good cost effective plate: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/749427-REG/Cavision_RQ1580R_RQ1580R_Reversed_Version_Quick.html
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I have the same Cavision plate, and I humbly recommend that you be very careful using it. Their mounting system is very flawed! Once it loosens on you, it is possible that you could twist the locking lever right past the point of maximum tight, and then the whole rig is suspect. Tighten the silver allen head screw too much, and you can strip it. Cheap metal! AND, because the weight of the camera rests upon basically a single point, it's easy to induce flex when using a follow focus unit. When you crank away on your FF, you can easily cause the whole camera to move

I looked at the ProAim Zacuto knock-off... I don't know what to say. I actually like Cavision, and use their follow focus. It replaced a POS ProAim FF unit that broke (while in a Pelican case!), and they were of no help in replacing it. In general, ProAim products are made terrible cheaply, often with cast steel instead of machined aluminum. There is a big difference, both in weight and quality. Even their screws are cheap, cheap, cheap.

I've been waiting for the new Genus Hotplate to ship. Suggested retail is $425; but the Manfrotto distributor says you should be able to get it for less. It's either that of the Zacuto. I've already wasted some $200 on the Cavision plate, and I don't want to waste another $200 on the ProAim!

All the guys who were saying, from the start, buy quality components, were right.
 
personally i use a RedRock Micro baseplate (low riser) that i love, super solid and overall excellent quality at a pretty decent price imo ($250)
 
swanny said:
What length would you recommend for the AF100 for just lens support and possibly a FF? 10" or so?
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I have 12" for the AF100 and that holds the cam, follow focus and matte box. then i have 10" extenders that screw in the back and a pad for should mount.
 
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