GH2 Rig Dilemma (Shoulder to Tripod)

H

Heartfelt

Well-known member
Months ago, I spent lots of time research a minimal budget video rig for corporate work. Now, our company was acquired and the budget is... well, there actually is a marketing budget. Whew! Being frugal but responsible, I see myself sitting between the Zacuto rigs and the Indisystem/Trusmt/Woodlan/etc. rigs and asking this question:

What is in between that is reliable/longlasting (with certainty) but doesn't break the bank?

I want to build a rig that will handle:
GH2 - DP4 or DP6 (will alternate) - Mattbox with filters - Sennheiser Wireless or Shotgun (will alternate) - Zoom Recorder. I will also use Zeiss ZF lenses and need a reversible FF.

What is a reasonable and reliable solution? If the cheaper rigs are actually worth considering, which is the diamond in the rough?
Thanks
Rob
 
Zacutos are definitely built to last and have a lifetime warranty. Both good things, but the price is quite high.

Out of the 3 budget options you listed, I've heard good things about TrustMT, but more than enough poor accounts of Indisystem and Wondlan items to keep me away.

Other options: Lanpart, Gini. I personally use a Gini rig (K-5) and do not find any fault at all with it. All parts are very well machined and solid. It may not be as flashy as the other systems, but that also means that it doesn't have a brand name plastered all over it and fits in well with other systems.
 
the one place where the zacuto rigs REALLY shine is in their arms and arm mounts. a lot of the cheaper manufacturers use a simple rod clamp and a 1/4-20 screw for the arm. thats great as long as you dont need to mount the 1/4 hole vertically. then your arm WILL eventually unscrew itself and drop like an old scarecrow.

zacutos arms all have a 15mm stud at one end to go into a variety of their 15mm z-mount/t-mount stuff. and that is solid as a brick s*%tter at ANY angle. because the tension is from the sides rather than simply relying on the rotational tension of the 1/4" thread.

none of the manufacturers is perfect (at any price) but what id do is find a base rig you could afford then add arms and mounts from zacuto. but i really HATE zacutos grips, id look into redrock or the new ikan rubber grips.
 
Considering rigs.

Two manufacturers offer best quality for reasonable money - Lanparte and Tilta.

On personal-view.com we have deals time to time with both manufacturers for our members :-)
 
tilta makes a pretty good product. their follow focus is BY FAR the best ive seen for the price. but their big rigs are VERY prone to flex (or bounce)
ive tried to contact them about ordering. but ive now had 4 emails go unanswered...

as far as articulating arms go. nobody. and i mean NOBODY compares to zacuto
 
> but their big rigs are VERY prone to flex (or bounce)

Never heard about it, despite many members using them. Can you tell me exact rig model?

> tried to contact them about ordering. but ive now had 4 emails go unanswered...

It is quite normal for them :-)

>as far as articulating arms go. nobody. and i mean NOBODY compares to zacuto

And you definitely tried all the arms? :-)
 
Just found Shape on B&H and called them. Unlike RedRock or Zacuto, I actually got a person who was enthusiastic to talk about their product.

There seems to be very little info out there about them but all I see so far is good. Any thoughts?

Nice to see a company with a reasonable product, website, phone number and interest in custom solutions.
 
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