Shoulder Support
 

OK so I've been in Physical Therapy, Massage and Chiropractic for over a year now. My Canon XH A1 is killing me. I've been filming weddings for ever 5 years and I didn't have a back and shoulder problem until I went from the GL2 to XH A1. I need to take the weight off of my back and shoulder. I read some posts about camera stabilizers and support systems. My question is, which one is the best???? Especially for a 5 foot 2 inch woman and 120 pounds! I've bought two supports before and returned both. Can someone tell me the easiest to use, most comfortable and affordable for my size? THANKS!

Amie

I'm wondering if something like this might be helpful for you. It should move the majority of the load to a waist belt whilst being (apparently) light weight. Other shoulder support systems require that you hold the camera, and the rig up with your arms and that could possibly make things worse for you. A full vest style stabilization system might work too, but the increase in overall weight and cost might inflict pain in other areas.

If your pain stems from the position of your head and arms in the shooting position, I'm not sure what could help you with that.

I tried this at DVExpo, and liked the way it balanced the load.

VariZoom | VZMEDIARIG DV Media Rig | VZ-DV MEDIA RIG | B&H Photo

I really liked it, but most of my work is tripod-based so I held off on picking one up. It also seems to me that there likely is not one that is "best" per se, I think you just need to go out and try a few out and get what works for you. Try and find one that's carbon fiber or otherwise very light aluminum construction. Look at lightening your whole kit so you are not dragging 3 tons of gear to every shoot.
Do you do 2 cam shoots with yor GL2? Maybe you could try using the A1 on a tripod and using a shoulder mount for the GL2 and use it for "hand held" work. That is, if you are shooting in SD....

I personally use a Redrock Micro shoulder mount setup for my entire rig, but the shoulder mount system for the XH-A1 alone is fantastic!

Redrock microShoulderMount

I've done a rather huge search for shoulder mounts on this forum but not really found the answers I'm looking for.

My rig is a Canon XH A1 with Letus Elite adapter, Proteus Cinevate rail system, Nikon mount for Nikon lenses. I'm using the RR follow focus and would prefer a shoulder mount that keeps one hand free for focus etc... Is my rig too heavy for one hand shoulder mount?

I'm basically half way between a Cinevate and a RR shoulder mount. Both require two hands, although I think the RR is configurable somehow for one hand.

Anyone who uses a similar rig to me like to offer their experience, would appreciate it!

Chris

The steady stick is a great concept, but I think it would limit your flexability quite a bit. The Redrock system is nice but only if you get the micromounts (extra $110). I would rather the shoulder pad rap around your shoulder rather than rest on the top, seems more secure/solid that way. I use the Indifocus system.

And as always, search here for a plethora of information Support Your Local Camera - The Digital Video Information Network.

JS