Shoulder rig for EOS M3?

I

isrealityreal

New member
I just ordered an EOS M3 and a xr-1000 steadicam.

My next purchase will be a shoulder rig. I wanted a cheap out-the-box solution like an ebay/amazon kit from filmcity but can't figure out which model would be right or if id need to build something custom, because all i see is cages online for the small mirrorless cameras.

A guy posted his custom rig on youtube with a shopping list, so this would be my worst case scenario.


Anyone have any advice on which filmcity rig would line up including mattebox etc, or another sub $300 shoulder rig for the eos M?

I went to film school and shot on 16mm and have no experience in digital filmmaking.

Thanks in advance
 
Those frankenrigs look ridiculous and are very clumsy to use.

As for trying to find an all-in-one rig for your stated budget, be aware that any cheap kit that offers support plus FF and MB is going to cut lots of corners, mostly in the latter two accessories.

The other issue you'll have to address is counterweight. The M3 is a very small camera body, but that can be altered depending on the lens you add. Once you start piling on lens adapter, larger lens, follow focus, mattebox, monitor or electronic viewfinder, mic and/or recorder... you're going to have to add weight behind the shoulder to make it manageable.

For the base camera with lens adapter, mid-range lens (28-75 or similar), and maybe a mic on top, you can get away with something really inexpensive and compact like the Magic Rig if you also add a viewfinder loupe like the Kinotehnik LCDVF. I've actually shot with that exact setup (original EOS-M) and it is light and easy to wield.
 
Filmcity does have shoulder rigs with counter weights.

I think im going to up my budget a bit, get a small rig cage for the m3, and a shoulder rig with ff and MB...though filmcity does have a small cage for $90 that includes a top handle....my only concern is that everythinh aligns height wise
 
Why do you even want a shoulder rig? Because someone said you need one? Have you ever used one?
The M3 is one of the smallest and lightest cameras out there. Putting it on a rig is pretty silly if you ask me.
 
What are you shooting? Do you need all this stuff?

I like cages. I use one for my a7rii. I have a SmallRig and this Wooden Camera. I prefer the SmallRig because it's smaller and I can use the hotshot on the camera for audio input. This one has rails so I used it for the shoot.

a7rii Rig.jpg

This is for a studio set up I just shot with last week for a product review. Knocked out all the footage for it. I needed a follow focus for macro rack focuses. Much less camera shake this way. 7Q+ for recording ProRes 4K and monitoring from the front of the camera. The cage just allows me to have these options.
I never have my a7rii rigged like this unless I need to. It would be a huge PITA to always have a big camera. In the studio it works great. I never use a matte box. It's useless really unless you have a lot of filters for it. All show.

So ask yourself if I really need all this stuff? At a minimum a small cage will help to attach a couple accessories but most of the stuff on the video you linked seems useless and bulky. YMMV.
 
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Andrius Simutis said:
The M3 is one of the smallest and lightest cameras out there
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Which if you're using it handheld is precisely the reason you need a rig. Being so small and light depending on what lens you stick on the front of it you won't have to worry about counterweights, still much more comfortable than handheld. This one, which is sold under various brand names at around the same price is completely adequate. You don't need follow focus (unless for rack focus) or matte box. What have you got to lose? You will wonder how you ever did without it.
 
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I plan on shooting moving shots, following dancers. I also plan on shooting handheld narrative, guerrilla style on busy streets. So far I have an xr-1000 steadicam which I've yet to fully learn to balance.

A mattebox is mostly for show. But having a Mattebox and FF will make one look a lot more legit, for small job, with such a small camera.
 
isrealityreal said:
A mattebox is mostly for show. But having a Mattebox and FF will make one look a lot more legit, for small job, with such a small camera.
Click to expand...

If that's what you truly believe, then it doesn't really matter what you waste your money on. As long as it looks cool, right?

Everything on the rig is a tool, and you should only buy the tool if it fixes an actual problem you have. And you should purchase a tool that works. If you're building it up simply to look "a lot more legit", ask yourself how you'll look on the shoot when you're constantly having to stop down to re-align and re-tighten your flimsy MB and FF because they're built more for looks than for function?

I have a full rig, but I don't always use the FF, and I only use the MB when I need the extra light blocking and/or to add filters. Don't buy a wrench when you need a hammer, and don't bother setting out the hammer unless you actually need it for the job.

As a couple of us have already suggested, the Magic Rig is a viable solution for the camera and a lens. Add a viewfinder loupe like the Kinotehnic LCDVF, because the additional point of contact against your face will add to the stability for handheld shooting.
 
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