Rod Support System?
 

I'm looking to add a RedRock follow focus to my Mark II and I was wondering what the best option is for rod support? I want something lightweight if possible... Zacuto is out of my price range... I'm looking to spend around $400 or less.

I own RedRock gear, so I can't speak about the quality of "indi gear," but when I was looking for a Slider, I found these guys and see they have other product as well:
IndiSYSTEM - Studio 4 Productions - The indiRAILSpro

I just leave mine on the RedRock Micro Shoulder Mount. Works fine for what I need and makes the camera much more practical for hand held work. I just wish it had a handle on top, carrying this thing on anything other than a shoulder is clumsy. I don't want the cage because of the extra weight and it's a bit expensive.

Hi Daniel, nice looking rig there. May I know if the config u have there is the
- Redrock micro shoulder mount
- microShoulderMount Rod Clamp Add-On?? (looks like a quick release but i cant figure which part is that)
- microMatteBox Deluxe Bundle including Flag Kit

It's a little different right now and I'm still making adjustments to find the best configuration.

You have most of the components right. The extra rod clamp was a bit big so I secured the Bogen Quick Release plate on to a MicroClamp instead. It's shorter and allows for the camera to move closer over the shoulder for better weight distribution. The release plate overlaps with the shoulder support rod clamp.

I had to drill the center microClamp hole just a bit wider and used a 1/4" thumb screw to secure the Bogen quick release adapter. I don't remember which quick release adapter it is, I think its the 577.

I don't mean to hijack this thread, if there are more questions I may as well as start a new one.

Is anyone successfully using a cheaper rod setup with the 5D2? I can't justify spending almost the same price of the camera for a few rods and handles, especially since we know the life span of the 5D2 for video usage is only a couple of years at the most, when something else much more usable comes out.

Does anyone have any experience with those indirailspro rods Matthew referred to? At just $99 the price point is very attractive... I also see they have a follow focus as well for about half the price of the Red Rock... anyone worked with that before?

I've used quite a bit of redrock equipment and some of their stuff is pretty nice, but i really dont like the shoulder mount stuff. The grips are not easy to adjust and i dont know who ever decided their perpendicular rod, with a handle grip attached, clamped to one 15mm rail support is enough to hold a camera is mistaken. Maybe with a 2lb camera rig it might be fine, but I used them on a camera with their m2 adapter and the only way to get the grips to hold was to use a wrench to overtighten all the screws which eventually led to the threads stripping off onto the screws. grips should have rosettes and attach to both 15mm rails or directly to the camera and be easily adjustable. it also bothers me how limited the shoulder pad is in terms of adjustment. you have to either screw it into the baseplate and have high center of gravity no ability to adjust the rigs position over the shoulder, or slide it onto rails which allows very little adjustment and a lot of rail and no way to have correct balance. Their stuff is cheaper than a lot of alternatives but you get what you pay for. for a 5dmk2 this might not be as big of an issue unless you are using big lenses and a big matte box (btw their matte box is ridiculously big for a DSLR rig).

As with many other people I am on a small budget so i got cavisions dual grip shoulder mount rig which has handle grips which can be extended with extra accessories (which i also got) and a rod system and rod-mounted shoulder support. Its a great deal for the price, but its not amazing quality at all. I do consider the grips better thought out than redrock's and the shoulder a bit more adjustable, but the rods it comes with are fiberglass and pretty cheap (i guess thats what they used to keep cost down since i dont think you can even buy those rods separately) the rods are prone to scratches and mine came with two rods of slightly different sizes which is a bit of a pain. i may just buy new aluminum rods. even without the rods though $199 is a pretty good deal for reasonably good grips, a camera plate, and a shoulder support. they also make versions with wider grips, which would be better, but the grips also wide a bit with every extension piece you attach.

otherwise, you could always go with the indian knock-offs from cinecity or ebay. The indirailspro never looked very well done to me. it doesnt look well designed, it looks like cheap diy rectangular cuts of plastic with cheap screws. the carbon fiber rods might be ok though, who knows. I could be wrong about that but thats the idea i get. cavisions rig is even cheaper than the indirailspro if you get the shoulder system.

I agree with Noah, the grips design on the cavision kit is much better although a little less flexible. It's true that on the redrock setup if its not locked tight enough it will slip. So far it has remained secure with a 4lb battery, mattebox, LCD, the 5D2, zoom lens and follow focus. Overall it's solid, the grips are rubber, and shoulder pad is soft and for me that was important.

There are a lot of threads and resources about building your own rod support system so that's always an option for anybody really on a budget.