Top Handle Solutions?

OutlawsDelejos

OutlawsDelejos

Active member
I'm running my T2i on a JAG35 Field Runner, I opted out of getting the Top Handle with it because $90 for a handle isn't something I can justify.

Anyone come across something that would do the job?

I see Proaim do one but as far as I can see it can't be purchased on it's own.
 
I'm running my 60D on a homemade rig. The top handle is from an old garden water pump. And its probably the best looking item on the rig. These pumps cost about $90. $90 for a handle is crazy, but then most rig pricing is crazy. How come you can you buy ten new bicycles for the price of a rig? Bunnings will have something, or take your rig in and ask one of the elderly sales people how to handle it. Here's a picture of my rig, unfortunately its a lower view, the handle on top is a bit obscured, but you get the general idea. http://www.shoestone.com/jpgs/upview.jpg
 
Wow, cool rig. I've always admired the DIY crowd.

Been keeping my eyes open around hardware stores and other places for something that might do the trick, saw one guy use a screwdriver with a flexible ratchet head mounted onto the hotshoe mount on CheesyCam.

It's not a necessity by any means, just got stuck on a shoot the other day and thought "Gee, wish I had a top handle right now."
Like all things I made it work then, so I'll keep looking until something presents itself.
 
With the Field Runner, top handle solutions are going to be a bit trickier than with a cage-based rig. Else I could help you out with a simple DIY solution, the Home Depot way.
 
Rainer, I assume using a garden pump handle was worth it because you already had one to repurpose, right? I'm sure you can get something else with a handle, or even the handle itself from something like a bike shop, etc, for less.

I'm entertaining the idea of a DIY rig... I love your setup! Would love for some of you guys to part out what you bought and did to make these happen!
 
Hi Dishe. You need to look at this and related threads: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?140312-DIY-Mattebox-with-flag-and-side-wings. I was a bit lucky because I had most items just lying around. But yes. A top handle is just an L bracket joined (screw or pop rivets) to a piece of tube with a BMX grip slid over it. Same principle for bottom handles. Some tips: you can buy 14mm carbon fibre tubes on-line for $15 per meter. You can buy old cameras from charity stores for $2 and just use the flash shoe (anyone want a used Canomatica missing a flash shoe but otherwise in good condition?)
 
Rainer said:
Hi Dishe. You need to look at this and related threads: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?140312-DIY-Mattebox-with-flag-and-side-wings. I was a bit lucky because I had most items just lying around. But yes. A top handle is just an L bracket joined (screw or pop rivets) to a piece of tube with a BMX grip slid over it. Same principle for bottom handles. Some tips: you can buy 14mm carbon fibre tubes on-line for $15 per meter. You can buy old cameras from charity stores for $2 and just use the flash shoe (anyone want a used Canomatica missing a flash shoe but otherwise in good condition?)
Click to expand...

That's a GREAT idea for a matte box!
I'm more interested in the rest of your rig, but matte box is a great start!
 
It's not the cheapest solution (especially considering you thought 90 was too much, although when purchasing the Field Runner kit, the top handle only costs an additionl $30, but then again it's not so much a tophandle to your camera as it is a means to carry your rig around...man this is a lot of text for a parenthetical sidenote), but it's available, Redrock Micro Handle Plus: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/732194-REG/Redrock_Micro_2_016_0002_microHandle_Plus.html

732194.jpg
 
Yowzers! That's a whole lot of dough to blow on something that is very SERIOUSLY questionably designed! I mean, can a hot shoe mount handle the weight of your entire rig? It seems like you're relying an awful lot on two little pieces of thin metal and plastic. Maybe the camera alone would be ok with that, not with some of the setups I've seen!

I think a setup like Rainer's wouldn't last more than a minute!

EDIT: I just noticed the holes for rails. That's better. Still... that IS a hotshoe mount on the bottom, right? This is far too overpriced IMO.
 
Since there seems to be a bit of interest, I'm posting a photo http://www.shoestone.com/jpgs/cage.s.jpg of the basic cage here. Now I don't think this is an ideal design. I needed a cage for ground level (puppycam) and made this quickly, no drawings. It's mainly 1" aluminium channel with 3/4" channel uprights which slot neatly inside the 1". The said garden pump handle is on top. The platform is two pieces of 150X100mm X6mm flat aluminium separated by more 1" channel. This is thick enough to tap 1/4" holes for a tripod. I didn't have this lying around and had to buy it from an aluminium supplier ($20 per metre). I used 300mm, which was the same size as the furniture scuff pad I used for padding. Bigger than it needs to be. After that, it was so easy to add rails, etc, it just sort of grew. The rails are 14mm carbon fibre tube, here tube comes in 2mm increments, no 15mm. I had to buy a step drill to drill out the holes accurately to 9/16" - just over 14mm - that was the only special tool needed and it will be handy for other things. Somewhere someone's posted a how to cut up an Ikea cutting board for sliders, and I think that's a better idea.
 
kaib0rg said:
but then again it's not so much a tophandle to your camera as it is a means to carry your rig around
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, the Redrock MicroHandle is not meant to be used on your hot shoe if there is anything attached to the bottom of your camera. It is designed to be attached to a bare camera, and than you build off the top set of rails, releaving any extra stress on the hot shoe mount. You can attach things like a follow focus or even a mattebox to the top set of rails. Take a look at the LowDownDeluxe bundle
 
I'm weary of the Redrock rigs now, I got a Redrock Shoulder rig a while ago to use with the Sony EX3.
Have since got the Redrock M3 to pair with it, the thumb screw on the bottom of the M3 Baseplate actually hits on the shoulder pad on their own rig and has to be removed to mount the baseplate on to the rig.
Thus leaving it sitting there not locked on, major design flaw.
For what they charge for their products and no response from them on how to solve it, I'm sort of done with Redrock.
 
@OutlawsDelejos - I checked with our support guys and they haven't heard anything about inquiries related to your issue. Drop me a PM and let's see what we can do for you.


Regarding our microHandle, Loren makes the good points - It's not just a handle and I would definitely not lift your rig from the hotshoe. it is designed to go onto your rails for heavy rigs, like we show in our field cinema bundle http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/DSLRShoulderMountedRigs/DSLRFieldCinemaBundleV2

*and* it's designed to be a lot more than that. You can attach it to your hotshoe, and have a simple lightweight low mode handle (just the camera and lens), or you can have a more elaborate low mode on which you can attach a monitor to the handle and add top rails, and put a follow focus on it. So you end up with a bunch of different options, not just a handle.


Thanks

Brian
 
Hey Outlaw, not to veer horribly off the threads original topic but I wanted to address your issue with some photos I took today. By mounting the shoulder mount "backwards," and I write backwards in quotes because the actual shoulder pad is symmetrical, you can avoid the screw under the baseplate. Ideally, if you're using a matte box, monitor and anything else on the front of the rig, the shoulder pad is meant to be attached just under the M3, much like your tripod, for perfect balance. Here are a couple photos that demonstrate you can actually get a really well balanced without any additional counterbalance weights:
M3 Shoulder Mount 2.jpgm3 Shoulder Mount.JPG
 
@Loren - nice suggestion. The microShoulderPad can be positioned forwards or backwards, which gives added flexibility in the setup


Brian
 
Hey Loren,
That's a really interesting idea, and one I have to say never occurred to me.
I'm not too sure how I'll go as it looks like my rig balances completely differently to yours, heavier body and generally using much lighter primes.
Worth a shot though.

And Brian, I'm not picking on Redrock gear, I own enough of it to testify I quite like it, perhaps I was venting my frustration a little too vocally.
I'll PM you a bit later with some images of the problem I can't seem to get around.
 
@Outlaws - cool, just drop a line. It looks like Loren's lens is a Canon 16-35(?) which is a pretty light lens. The M3 balance point is much closer to the M3, so having that positioned roughly on top of your shoulder makes sense.

B
 
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