The Best Gear at CINE GEAR EXPO 2009

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Okay, if you are reading this forum then you love camera gear as much as we do. But without the inventive and creatively, driven equipment manufacturers we would never get the pleasure of using such crafted tools. So in apprecitaion, a toast to all exhibitors at CINE GEAR EXPO 2009 in Hollywood at Paramount Studios Back lot. It was a blast!

To all out there, please chime in, post your thoughts on the "Coolest Gear "at CINEGEAR EXPO this year. Give your favorite Toys and their Makers a pat on the back, with the economy down it was amazing to see so much lovely gear and such positive spirits there. (Besides the free Beer and Wine of course.) We thank everybody there for taking the time and effort and inspire us to "Keep On Shooting!"

We ran into the fantastic" Fresh DV's Matt " and he asked us what were our favorite things at the Expo,... so we pass this on to you, help the others who were not able to make it there this year. Cheers,

 

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Well like Mary Poppins " these are a few of my favorite things". Below are the the things we actually tried out and were blown away with, some are quite affordable, others are pricey but we will rent them because they're simply top notch essentials when shooting "Hollywood Epic Style".

*Pictures are now added on the most recent posts.

KESSLER CRANE - Pocket Jib and Dolley
Incredible motion, light weight well bulit and extremely low cost.
*Great guys, and prideful support and guidance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe7Fg7dIylc

http://www.kesslercrane.com/

HIP CAM from CINETECH,
Completely takes the weight off of the arms, with handheld, heavy 35mm dof
adapters rigs. No back counter weight needed. Rather pricey but available at
many rental outlets. *Karl Horn is a genius, he has created a suspension rod set up, much
like a shock absorber that is simply unlike anything on the market today, the
camera is weightless ( I have personally used this for two features, it rocks!)
http://www.cinetechonline.com/HC02.html

LOSMANDY Porta Jib and CARTONI Spin & Smart Heads
* One of the best duos, i have ever used, the camera simply floated.
Again very pricey, but as a rental it's a Epic motion picture making tool.
http://www.porta-jib.com/standard.htm
http://cartoni.com/eng/spinhead360.html
http://cartoni.com/eng/smarthead.html

AJA KI PRO
Onset 4.2.2 HD-SDI recording, camera mountable, portable media.
*Well designed and thought out, Wait a few months and it will become a little more afforadble, like the AJA IOHD
did. http://www.aja.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFE-krIM3O8

CINEMEK's G35 static, 35mm DOF adapter and also their great iPHONE App,
"HITCHCOCK" an incredible storyboading tool right on your iPHONE.
*The best" film look" adapter i have used. True Passion in the product.

G35 http://www.cinetechonline.com/HC02.html

Hitchcock http://www.freshdv.com/2009/06/cine-...ck-iphone.html


ZACUTO DSLR RIGS
A wide array of super cool supports, eye pieces & add ons for MK II and GH1
High quality and modular. Life time warranty.

http://zacuto.blogspot.com/2009/06/cinegear-09-post-mortem_11.html

http://store.zacuto.com/home.php?gclid=CJbtkMyb-poCFRo-awodAkq3eQ

 

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HIPCAM from CINETECH

HIPCAM from CINETECH

I have had a few questions regarding the HIP CAM, here are some picts of the creature, i used it on "Children Of The Grave "for 6 hours straight and walked 2 miles with it through the woods.

It holds any payload and was designed for fully loaded ARRIs film cameras. This eliminates the need for counter weights in the back. It has a Heavy Duty 3/4 mounting plate with rods for a follow focus as well. You could shoot during a Earth Quake, All of us adapter heavy shooters can shoot handheld again, Thank God!
Well hidden in the back of CINE GEAR EXPO was this little gem from Karl Horn at CINETECH.

Cheers

 

[Deano]

Thanks for posting this Philip, great info. Really appreciate your perspective!

 

[andythefilmer]

I liked the steady head in the front with the Arri cam on it. I also enjoyed the VariCams at Panasonic and the steadicam flyer.

 

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Hey Guys, I just found this info on Cinemek's "Hitchcock " for iPhone on Fresh DV
now i can use it with my iSlate
Cheers

http://www.freshdv.com/2009/06/cine-gear-hitchcock-iphone.html


http://www.apptism.com/apps/islate

 

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Is it xmas time yet, i want one.....

Is it xmas time yet, i want one.....

Thank you so much Cartoni & Losmandy Porta Jib for spending the time showing us these heads at CineGear.

SPINHEAD is an innovative and unique support head for any film or video camera weighing up to 18 kg (40 lbs).

Its ‚"L" shape configuration allows to operate at nodal setting (coincidence of the rotation center with the optical center) on a tripod, dolly, on camera cars, underslung from a crane or a jib arm. Both pan and tilt movements are assisted by CARTONI patented continuous fluid drag units.

These fluid drags are hollow in the center in order to allow cables and plugs. The unique feature is a spinning tilt unit which offsets the camera allowing to pivot the camera plate for 360 degrees and lock it at any angle you may desire

 

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Super Sleek and Sexy!

Super Sleek and Sexy!

In our ever going search for the ultimate handheld rig options , we also came across this, a little pricey again because it is targeted for the film world, but you get the idea!

*The Mantis handheld solution- Element Technica

Dovetail interface allows quick setup; 20 seconds from tripod to hand held
Multi axis adjustment allows shoulder pad to conform to any shoulder
Two axis (rotational) adjustment shoulder pad
Fore/aft linear adjustment shoulder pad
Designed specifically for Arriflex style bridge plates (435, Arricam, Moviecam, Phantom, etc.)
Utilizes conventional bicycle grips (use ours or bring your own)
Telescopic and rotating handle extensions
Handles and extensions use Arriflex compatible rosettes
Mounting point for ViewFactor Origo remote start/stop button
Available as a system or a la carte
RED One owners will need the ET Arri-Style Base from RED.com or similar Arri compatible bridge plate.

 

[nantnee]

that hip support is pretty rad.

 

[chrislancaster]

Really amazing stuff.. I hope the aja comes down in price so i can grab one of those soon....

 

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Two very informative links from Fresh DV on two cool finds at CineGear this year!
I really like the idea of being able to storyboard via iPhone alot.

http://www.freshdv.com/2009/06/cinegear-2009-cinemek.html

http://www.freshdv.com/2009/06/cinegear-2009-kesslercrane.html

 

[Deano]

Thanks Philip! freshdv.com is a fabulous site. Those guys rock.

Love my Kessler Crane and Kpod tripod. The pocket dolly looks great. I already own the indislider which is great, but I like the idea of the pocket dolly's crank, do kessler have any plans to motorize it for perfect linear tracking? Or can you change the gear ratio at all?

Dean

 

[Chris Beller]

Dean - We plan to have a motorized upgrade for the Pocket Dolly. No ETA yet, but it is in the works.

 

[j]

> I really like the idea of being able top storyboard via iPhone alot.

I saw that app, It's almost cool enough to buy an Iphone. That and the new Pcam on the Iphone...

 

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J, Did you see the remote DSLR on the iPhone
http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/freshdv/story/iphone_dslr_remote_control/

*Some more links about the new toys out there, isn't Xmas already? Cheers

http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/awilt/story/cine_gear_expo_2009/
http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/freshdv/story/freshdv_cinegear_2009/

 

[Matt Gottshalk]

I own the Cinetech Hipcam. It is ridiculously good.

 

[Deano]

Dean - We plan to have a motorized upgrade for the Pocket Dolly. No ETA yet, but it is in the works.

Cool, great stuff Chris. Used my crane today to shoot a model for ILM. Everyone loved the results. Any news on the 16ft upgrade?

Dean

 

[Chris Beller]

I should know more about the status of the 16' upgrade this week.

 

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I found this link on the DSLR mounting craze from DV Fresh on Zacuto @CineGear Expo.

http://www.freshdv.com/2009/06/cinegear-2009-zacuto-libertypak.html

Are these really going to replace our adapter rigs? I think i'll keep mine and get a DSLR for B roll.
Cheers

 

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This is a sexy beast! Just got shipping confirmation, The HR 1 will be here in one week!, cool


http://www.the-running-rig.com/products.htm