Zacuto Rapid Fire vs Gini DSL -17

parallactic-pictures

parallactic-pictures

Active member
Hey guys,

So my quest to build up a decent rig for my 7D continues. Next up on the list is a good shoulder mount / stabilization rig. I've been told, in a previous thread I started here, that the Gini rigs on eBay are very well made and very affordable. But I've also heard great things about the Zacuto Rapidfire.

RAPIDFIRE1209-1.jpg

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http://store.zacuto.com/DSLR-Rapid-Fire.html

On eBay, this goes for $499. (it's $550 new)

VS

DSLR_SharpShooterEdit1.jpg


http://cgi.ebay.com/DSL-17-upgrade-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2a04f06e6d

The Zacuto is a lot smaller. It's also more expensive.

The Gini is more affordable at $365, but it looks a little more cumbersome. Don't go off the picture above. That's not the exact rig. Click the above eBay link to see the rig I'm talking about. It doesn't have handle grips, and the placement of the camera to the shoulder looks a little uncomfortable. I feel like the Zacuto would work better for run and gun. Yet, the Gini looks like you can mod and customize it more.

Thoughts?
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Another cool thing about the Gini is that it has rails for a follow focus and matte box. There doesn't seem to be a way to put rails on the Zacuto Rapid Fire.

I wonder what the lowest a person ever offered for the Gini was and had it accepted.
 
The important thing you need to know about the gini rig is that it's not as "ready to go" out of the box. I spent a lot of time modifying the shoulder pad (or just adding padding at all) and making counterweights for the gini. That kind of time is not something everyone would be interested in spending on their rig.

Personally, I bought two gini rigs, and now have access to:

- Small Zacuto Rapid-Fire style gunstock rig
- Redrock Eye-Spy balance style, single shoulder mount, counter weighted rig
- "my design" double shoulder, counter weighted, single grip rig (very stable and lets you keep one hand on the focus ring at all times)
- Classic double grip, single shoulder rig (I would never use this though. How do you focus with both hands on the grips?)
- Low mode cage
- And everything in between.

Bottom line: gini rig is a steal if you're willing to get your hands dirty modifying your rig. If out-of-the-box functionality is your primary concern, I suggest Zacuto or Redrock.
 
I just purchased a Gini DSL-17 rig, and I also live in the Los Angeles area. If you're interested, I could possibly set up a time to check it out. I don't have it yet, but should in the next few days.
 
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Wow, Gini just raised the starting price of this rig from $365 to $475. Guess they're popular.

I should not have hesitated in getting this. But now that the price is already up, there's not much I can do. I do have one more concern about this rig. Primarily, that the rails might be too long, and with a wide angle lens, I would actually maybe pick them up on the frame.

Can anyone take a look at the image on the eBay listing and tell me if this is a valid concern:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180475140827

I'm aware I could just move the camera itself, further down the rails so it's more centered. But since I'm using the V-Finder, I'd want the camera to be close to my face.
 
adster said:
I just purchased a Gini DSL-17 rig, and I also live in the Los Angeles area. If you're interested, I could possibly set up a time to check it out. I don't have it yet, but should in the next few days.
Click to expand...

I'd love to check it out too!
 
parallactic-pictures said:
I'm aware I could just move the camera itself, further down the rails so it's more centered. But since I'm using the V-Finder, I'd want the camera to be close to my face.
Click to expand...

I don't know from experience with the gini but it looks like the baseplate and handles should be moved forward anyway. look at how close they are to the shoulder pad.
 
how easy is it to take off the gini rig? i always like to remove my camera for the rig to place on my zaza slider
 
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