GH2 Response to Edelkrone's Pocket Rig for international traveling? Alternatives?

eggmedia said:
This is my super simple grip. Its made from a foam covered handle that I got on ebay and a manfrotto camera bracket (with the screws taken out) that I already had. I find this balances really well with my GH2 and is very small and light. I only shoot handheld now and again so this is fine. I also have the Opteka X Grip which is good for low angle tracking shots but I find it a bit fiddly to get the GH2 balanced on it properly. In my opinion its not something you can pop the camera on and off of quickly.

The Pocket Rig looks very nice. If I was doing a lot of handheld work I'd spend the money on it. I'd expect the design and build quality to be very high as SmallHD make really high quality products and I doubt they'd be selling something that was inferior.


SimpleGrip.jpg
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You have a links? how much it costed?
 
I don't have links but you can find lots of these kind of handles on ebay for around $10. The Manfrotto bracket came as part of my 143 Magic Arm kit but I think you can buy it separately. B&H Photo would most likely have it.
 
You all realize of course that you can get just about that same degree of stability just pulling a neck strap taught? (thumbs pressing against the camera body at each end of the strap) Granted you will have neck strain if you do that all day long, but if you want a walk around solution, the neck strap solution can look almost as good as a steadicam and is less prone to the bounce of someone walking with a body brace ike this.

Where this rig shines would be brace combined with a viewfinder as depicted in the video or with the need for quick rails, but honestly if I am going to go into follow focus mode or work with a mattebox, I don't need the compact speed of this rig anyhow.

Something to think about.
 
yoclay said:
You all realize of course that you can get just about that same degree of stability just pulling a neck strap taught? (thumbs pressing against the camera body at each end of the strap) Granted you will have neck strain if you do that all day long, but if you want a walk around solution, the neck strap solution can look almost as good as a steadicam and is less prone to the bounce of someone walking with a body brace ike this.

Where this rig shines would be brace combined with a viewfinder as depicted in the video or with the need for quick rails, but honestly if I am going to go into follow focus mode or work with a mattebox, I don't need the compact speed of this rig anyhow.

Something to think about.
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I'll be using the rig w/ a neckstrap most of the time, that's one of it's benefits I think, is to be a sleeper rig until needed. Neckstrap works ok, but it's MUCH more comfortable to pull the rig into you for stability while trying to hit focus, than pushing it away from you, at least for me.

The rails allow me to throw on a handle if I need one, as well as to quickly through on some accessories, like a LED light, or my Zoom H1 when not using the VMP straight into the camera. Nothing else would allow me the freedom of expansion, and yet quickly fold up... at least that's what I'm hoping for. I have a small knockoff Zacuto Striker rig, but it doesn't go away quickly.

I'm doubtful that the rig will work well balancing it on top of my shoulder, that seemed like something random thrown in at the end of the clip as an extra thing, but will try it out that way as well.

It should be here any minute!
 
Tarkovsky said:
FYI guys, I heard SmallHD no longer distribute the Edelkrone line of products and therefore the big discount.
However, if you are really interested in buying Edelkrone stuff, check out the Edelkrone site. It's even much cheaper than the SmallHD discounted price.
http://www.edelkrone.com/e-store/category.php?id_category=5
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Thanks for the information, I hadn't seen the updated prices on Edelkrone's website. I'll check with my peeps at SmallHD to see if that's true.
 
peripatew said:
Thanks for the information, I hadn't seen the updated prices on Edelkrone's website. I'll check with my peeps at SmallHD to see if that's true.
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It's true, Edelkrone killed all contracts. Bummer for SmallHD.

As a side note. The rig is pretty AWESOME. Haven't had much time to play with it yet. But hopefully will be able to this weekend.

Initial thoughts:

It's very well designed. Pretty sexy. I had to tighten a screw or two, but I believe it shipped from Turkey before getting to SmallHD. I'm going to check all the screws, and maybe use some locktite.
It's very quick to setup.
It's adds some good weight to the GH2, without being to much. I'll be using it with a neck strap, and I think it's going to be plenty light to travel with.
It's no taller than a Canon/Nikon w/ a battery grip, so it fits in all my camera bags (LowePro and Kata)
I was worried that it would be too wide in comparison the GH2's base, but it isn't much wider.
It makes the GH2's grip a bit uncomfortable when NOT using the stabilization arm.
Throwing one handle on the right rail made the pivot point stabilization arm move to much WITHOUT a hand on the lens. But I only "gunned" with this setup for 37 seconds.
The rails lock VERY positively in place with spring loaded ball bearings.

Hopefully I'll be able to post a video w/ some footage this weekend, but with my trip approaching fast, not promises!
 
peripatew said:
Sure! Here is the one that I have: http://www.amazon.com/Polaroid-Stabilizer-Support-Digital-Cameras/dp/B005UEN8AU

Works ok, just not slim and quickly packable. The handle grip is loose on mine, the plastic rotates freely around the metal shaft, easy to fix with some glue. I ditched their quick release and put my wanna-be-manfrotto place from Calumet Photo on.
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I just got one of these because they were inexpensive, the quality is pretty poor, they got glue all over the place. Also, the clamps aren't that great, they slip more than I'd like. For the cost, it's not bad, but I'd be afraid with some of my gear that the friction would give.

I mainly got it for the chest support, but I am going to replace it with the Berkey chest support. For light cameras, it might be just fine, I am using parts of it with an FS100 and like I said, can be troublesome. For the GH2 I think it would be fine.
 
Bern Caughey said:
I have a Pistol Grip for the GH2, & 5D, but never liked it. If anything it seems to induce more shake.
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In my experimenting with this it comes down to center of gravity. If your hand is below the equipment, and the center of gravity tips slightly either way, it wants to keep going that way, so you are constantly fighting the wobble.

With the grips higher than the camera, the center of gravity forces the camera towards a neutral center position below, which is MUCH easier to keep steady.
 
Well first of all I have owned a dp6 and currently own a DP4. I love both products. The customer service I have received at smallHD is awesome! When smallHD tweeted that the rig was going to be on sale for 40% until supplies last I jumped right on it. Bragging to my friends on what a great deal I got. Received it in the mail today and have been playing with it. Thought I would jump on here and write a small review to help anyone out. I then see the post that smallHD is no longer going to distribute the unit and I can now order it for $299 direct. Kind of feel like a ass and taken advantage of. I believe SmallHD knew that the deal was off and that they needed to unload them at a heavily discounted price because who would pay $549 or even $349 if you can get it for $299. Part of me feels like I should ask for the other $50 bucks and the other part chalks it up to a lesson learned.


So here is my thoughts on the unit. Very well packaged just like the other SmallHD products. When I got the unit out, there was a little bit of rust on the allen screw heads. I little oil rubbed on them took care of it. It attached very nicely to my 5dII (Even with a lockport attached).

The rails are awesome and they snap in place and stay that way. That alone is almost worth having the unit. The shoulder extensions are not quite as smooth extending as the promo video shows. It grabs a little bit but not a huge deal. The size of it is really nice and being able to throw it in a Crown Royal bag and have it in your camera bag is a great thing.

At $229 I LOVE it - At $299 I like it - At $549 I would pass.

Hope this helps

2012-01-26 16.16.02.jpg
 
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peripatew said:
It's true, Edelkrone killed all contracts. Bummer for SmallHD.

As a side note. The rig is pretty AWESOME. Haven't had much time to play with it yet. But hopefully will be able to this weekend.

Initial thoughts:

It's very well designed. Pretty sexy. I had to tighten a screw or two, but I believe it shipped from Turkey before getting to SmallHD. I'm going to check all the screws, and maybe use some locktite.
It's very quick to setup.
It's adds some good weight to the GH2, without being to much. I'll be using it with a neck strap, and I think it's going to be plenty light to travel with.
It's no taller than a Canon/Nikon w/ a battery grip, so it fits in all my camera bags (LowePro and Kata)
I was worried that it would be too wide in comparison the GH2's base, but it isn't much wider.
It makes the GH2's grip a bit uncomfortable when NOT using the stabilization arm.
Throwing one handle on the right rail made the pivot point stabilization arm move to much WITHOUT a hand on the lens. But I only "gunned" with this setup for 37 seconds.
The rails lock VERY positively in place with spring loaded ball bearings.

Hopefully I'll be able to post a video w/ some footage this weekend, but with my trip approaching fast, not promises!
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Hey Peripatew...I'd love to see your results as I'm close to purchasing the Edelkrone real soon.
 
davidschmaus said:
Well first of all I have owned a dp6 and currently own a DP4. I love both products. The customer service I have received at smallHD is awesome! When smallHD tweeted that the rig was going to be on sale for 40% until supplies last I jumped right on it. Bragging to my friends on what a great deal I got. Received it in the mail today and have been playing with it. Thought I would jump on here and write a small review to help anyone out. I then see the post that smallHD is no longer going to distribute the unit and I can now order it for $299 direct. Kind of feel like a ass and taken advantage of. I believe SmallHD knew that the deal was off and that they needed to unload them at a heavily discounted price because who would pay $549 or even $349 if you can get it for $299. Part of me feels like I should ask for the other $50 bucks and the other part chalks it up to a lesson learned.


So here is my thoughts on the unit. Very well packaged just like the other SmallHD products. When I got the unit out, there was a little bit of rust on the allen screw heads. I little oil rubbed on them took care of it. It attached very nicely to my 5dII (Even with a lockport attached).

The rails are awesome and they snap in place and stay that way. That alone is almost worth having the unit. The shoulder extensions are not quite as smooth extending as the promo video shows. It grabs a little bit but not a huge deal. The size of it is really nice and being able to throw it in a Crown Royal bag and have it in your camera bag is a great thing.

At $229 I LOVE it - At $299 I like it - At $549 I would pass.

Hope this helps

View attachment 46907
Click to expand...

Sounds like a reasonable review. Have you got any footage to show? I'm also quite curious about how it deals with tracking shots.
 
found an alternative - use a variable friction arm, eg http://bit.ly/GWqf3E

So all in, for about $35-$40 you've something which is pretty darn close to the Pocket Rig. Ok, it's won't be as comfortable or as flexible as the PR would be + doesn't have any rails, BUT for a newbie like me who wants a cheap way to stabilise my camera & hasn't the need for rails at all yet, I reckon this has to be the ticket. It would be almost 10x cheaper!! You also have the benefit of being able to use it for what it is originally for! However, if I find I use it a lot, value that discreet look and portable design, then I will take the plunge and buy one of these PR.

@ edelkrone staff - I agree with davidschmaus that the sweet spot for pricing would be $229. If it was priced at that level I would get one, but even then it would be the max of my budget. Remember poorer/less committed videographers are naturally attracted to something like this, so your pricing has to match their budget. Anything higher and for some reason their price elasticity drops vertically (as mine has done), the straw that broke the camel's back type of thing. Hey you guys are in Turkey! Surely you should be able to pass on some of the savings from the cheaper cost of living/production? Even now it seems to be priced right at the top. Canon can afford to overcharge for the 5d3 that in all fairness should have come out a long time ago, but they've a huge loyal customer base by now - don't think you're in the same position. You need to get the right pricing level and $300 is still not it I'm afraid
 
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