My *xmas* upgraded rig

  • Thread starter Thread starter SeanEmer
  • Start date Start date
S

SeanEmer

Guest
Finally had time to take some pictures of my hvx with all the newest gadgets from christmas. Not as fancy as some of the other rigs I've seen around, but I'm proud of it!

02.jpg

03.jpg



I had a good few hours of panic when the Letus didn't fit my rail system. A trip to ACE Hardware and an hour of picking through the screws and spacers section helped fix that. Jeez, this is fun!
 
supa-cool rig! is that an mkh-416? GOOD CHOICE!

but where is your follow focus?
- you're kind of a no-trick pony without one...
 
I'm pooling my money to buy the IndiFocus system and a couple extension rods right now. I just need to finish one editing job and everything should fall into place :). Then I get to worry about going handheld, heh.
 
It seems like I'm rushing all of this, but I've got a good handle on the gear that I have now, even if it is relatively new. I'll be DPing a good number of short films with this rig in the coming months for a film production group at my school.

I've been working with cameras and lights for 6 years now, and I've gaffed some 16mm shorts with some really talented people. That, combined with neglecting homework in lieu of playing with and reading about my gear has given me a good base knowledge of my rig.

all this technical stuff is still just technical. I have to be more careful of overextending my capabilities as a cinematographer in style rather than equipment. That's where the real fun begins!
 
what tripod and rails is that? ive got a century optics 2x and it needs some serious support underneath it!! haha
 
Am I seeing correctly that you have the Marshall monitor/arm connected to the handle with no extra support?
How stable does that feel? I'm still struggling with a way to securely mount my Panny monitor and it just seems too heavy for that handle.
What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks!
Mike
 
My Marshall is due soon (hopefully today) and in addition to the Noga arm I got a Bogen "Superclamp" that will allow the arm and monitor to be attached to a tripod leg. I got it as a package from Nebtek for about $180. Here's the link:

http://www.nebtek.com/proddetail.php?prod=IA-Noga_Arm_SUPR

It shows the arm/clamp package, although it's the regular, not heavy duty arm. Rob at Nebtek recommended the heavy duty one for the Marshall, which weighs about 4-5 lbs with a battery, so I went with that.

I was concerned (like you) about mounting it to the camera handle. I have seen at least one rented HVX/Marshall rig where the mount (mishandled, to be sure) had ripped out the camera socket. Ouch!

The superclamp/arm will prevet that and also allow the camera to pan and tilt without affecting the monitoring angle, which I think I will like. I'll report again when I've got it set up.
 
The noga arm is the one rated for the 7" Marshall Monitor, and it feels very stable. My order was messed up and I didn't get the panasonic battery mounts on the marshall, so for now I couldn't even mount a battery on it if I wanted to, heh. Whenever I do get batteries for the monitor I'll probably end up building my own rig to support the weight a bit more. Then again, this rig is meant for a controlled studio environment, so I'll probably just run the monitor on AC anyway.

My rails are the Chrosziel LWS system. The system on its own didn't raise the camera high enough to mount the LEX though, so I got longer screws and spacers from ACE Hardware and modified the rig to raise the camera an extra 1.5 inches.

The Sachtler tripod's exact model eludes me. It used to be my dad's, and I was too young when he bought it to remember the technicals. Its heavy duty though... almost as heavy as the camera, haha.

Ted: That superclamp looks pretty cool, but eerily similar to an everyday Maffer clamp... Do you think it would be cheaper just to modify a maffer clamp to fit the noga arm?
 
SeanEmer said:
Ted: That superclamp looks pretty cool, but eerily similar to an everyday Maffer clamp... Do you think it would be cheaper just to modify a maffer clamp to fit the noga arm?
Click to expand...

Depending on the model, the Maffer is pretty close in price to the Bogen Suerclamp ($37 at B&H). Nebtek rigs it with an adapter for the Noga arm and sells it as a package solution. Price-wise it seems reasonably competitive, and the Bogen clamp looks *very* beefy.

I've never used a Noga arm before btw - I have to say I get a kick out of how it magically tightens or loosens all three joints at once with a single knob. Cool... : )
 
Ted Spencer said:
I have to say I get a kick out of how it magically tightens or loosens all three joints at once with a single knob. Cool... : )
Click to expand...

Yeah, that gave me a kick too! Pretty cool design. So does Nebtek sell the superclamp without a noga arm? Maybe I didn't look hard enough, but I thought the link you had was a package coming with the clamp AND a noga arm. I wonder how they modify the clamps for the arm... I have a bunch of maffer clamps in my gaff kit that I could use.
 
I've used a maffer clamp on the HPX500's handle to support a home-built light ring - man that was fun.
This may be a stretch, but I wonder if that would work on the HVX's handle to go handheld with a monitor. I'm guessing it'd be too heavy/bulky to really be that useful.

What are your thoughts on the Zacuto options? Do you guys think it's worth the extra dollars? Anybody had any experience with them?
 
thekreative said:
how old is that pumpkin?
Click to expand...

Its plastic, don't worry!


Vallado: I used to be really big into the whole Zacuto thing, but I've come to the opinion that though it may be useful, its much too expensive and specialized. All this "Z System" stuff, where everything has to be a Zclamp or a Zarm or whatever is just plain annoying. I think they are overmarketed, and there have got to be cheaper alternatives to the Zacuto system. Then again, I could be wrong, and Zacuto could be worth the very high price. I guess I don't want my HVX rig to end up looking like Optimus Prime trying to learn film production...
 
thanks Sean,
its a tricky thing figuring out whats good and whats hype when you dont live somewhere where you can get your hands on a product without having to rent or buy it.
do you have any issues with your Satchler (dv6?)? I love mine, but Im having issues with one of the drag wheels. May be time for a good cleaning.

As for the pumpkin...makes me want some Skittles...go figure.

Mike
 
Last edited:
my tripod has been through some pretty intense conditions and environments, including beaches, blizzards, and paintball battles. I've never been so impressed by a tripod before... the durability is fantastic. The head is a Sachtler Video 20 II, and I assume the sticks are of the same model as well. I don't know my tripod brands/models well enough to be sure.
 
SeanEmer said:
So does Nebtek sell the superclamp without a noga arm? Maybe I didn't look hard enough, but I thought the link you had was a package coming with the clamp AND a noga arm. I wonder how they modify the clamps for the arm... I have a bunch of maffer clamps in my gaff kit that I could use.
Click to expand...

B&H sells it for $37:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/252211-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_635_Quick_Action_Super_Clamp.html

The thread adapter appears to be this $6 one:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/5368-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_3113_3113_Double_Female_Stud.html

But Nebtek's price was a lot higher ($14? I forget...), and they wouldn't budge on it, so it may be a different piece. Not sure.

It disappears completely into a matching hexagonal cavity in the body of the Superclamp, which then clamps onto it very securely, so it's probably why Nebtek chose both pieces. It effectively creates a one-piece mount for the arm, which is very slick. I'm sure the parts are all available separately.

You could certainly call Rob at Nebtek and ask. If you haven't already gotten acquainted with him, he's a nice guy, very knowledgeable, and very willing to help. If you do, please tell him I referred you.
 
Thanks Ted, I'll look into it further. I love my noga arm on top of the camera, but putting it on the tripod would definitely have some cool advantages
 
Quick suggestion for you. Loop that component cable around the camera handle a couple of times. On a busy shoot it only takes a second for something to catch it and send the whole deal to the floor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top