Rig versatility

[-Tom-]

I'm looking over some rigs (Varavon, Fotga and similar) and it looks like a essential piece of equipment if one is shooting. My stuff will need an upgrade soon, I've DIY'd my shoulder mount and slider and QR for the slider. It unscrews and gives me pain and grief while shooting, so I'm looking for something to $ and forget about the troubles of DIY

One thing bothers me - how quick can you remove the camera (GH2) from the rigs like Fotga? If any of you use those types of rigs (in general, no necessarily exact brands), do you ever need to separate the GH2 from the rig, or once the camera is in the contraption, you shoot with that setup the entire day?

Can you switch quickly to shoulder mount, and if so, how?

Just being curious before I dive into my pockets

 

[Sol M.]

The camera is mounted to a rig using a standard 1/4"-20 screw (just like a tripod). It takes about as long to unscrew it from the baseplate as it does to screw it in (i.e. not long depending on how good you are with a quarter).

If you want to save some hassle and make it really simple to mount/unmount the camera to/from a rig, add a quick release adapter (such as the Manfrotto 323 RC2) to the rig's camera baseplate so you can simply pull a lever to remove the camera from the rig.

Oh and BTW, definitely have a look at Gini rigs (eBay); one of the best in terms of price:quality ratio as far as I'm concerned. Tilta & Lanparte are also good quality. Fotga is OK quality for their lowball prices, but I have serious doubts about the lasting quality of their components.

 

[eiker_ir]

I usually have a base rig, it consists of a basic cage, top handle, follow focus and maybe Matte Box. I always like to work with this base rig because it makes handling the camera and accessories much easier.

After that, i use the same Quick Release system on any other support (Tripod, Monopod, Jib, Shoulder Mount, etc.), so i can usually go from one configuration to the other very very quickly.

 

[-Tom-]

I sport a vintage Slik 503QF tripod (its been working fine for 20 years) so because of that, I'm somewhat inclined to the Slik brand. But, Im considering upgrade since the center column can sometimes be pushed down even when it's tightened, so putting a rig on that wouldn't make me confident.

Slik 504 QF II seems like a reasonable upgrade, so Im planning on this, and correct me if Im wrong - if I get the slider (Im thinking Varavon) I should get another Slik 504 head too for the slider, and get 3 QR plates (rig, tripod, slider)...am I missing out on something, special screw adapters or whatnot?