Fig Rig at wedding
 

Well, I broke down and got a Fig Rig last week since I've been curious about it since it came out.

It worked great, I couldn't be happier. I had used a Flow Pod before, and didn't like the setup, learning curve, and the "floating" look. This gave me a smooth shot, but still had that hand-held look that's all over tv and movies.

I also got lots of comments on it during the prep time and reception (of course, I used a tripod during the ceremony.) Comments and questions were mainly from guys who were curious how it worked. One guy even asked if I had invented it (I wish!)

If you're interested in getting one, you *must* get a LANC remote. I'm glad I did, because this would have been almost useless without being able to control the camera with my thumb. Although one of the bridesmaids, in reference to my remote, said "Look, his steering wheel has cruise control!"

Although I'm an avid supporter of all Australian inventions and inovations, I'm afraid I cant see any merit in a Fig Rig. It may be very stabel, but for prolonged perios of time, it really can tax your arms if you dont have a balanced camera. (Like the FX1 or Z1.) I see it as a Health and Safety issue. I mean, after shooting with the Frigging Rig for about 2 hours straight, it felt so heavy I almost dropped it. The Friggin' rig unfortunately does not support an arm brace and you have to find other ways to support your arms.

The Friggin' Rig also makes you lose the ability to do smoth shots with the viewfinder, and are 90% of the time foced to use the LCD screen which, if you dont have lots of battery would be cutting off the endurance of shooting time.

you also mentioned that you need a Lanc control, which means added cost and that means loss of important manual fucntions and a reliance on auto fucntions.

Consider the comments you get - and no the wedding guest comments are tame compared to what you hear on the street. The Friggin' Rig has a threatening look to it. It doubles the size of the camera, and is really sticks out. Some of the comments (aside from the usuall wheel jokes) were, "Hey, if I hit the camera, will it fall off its stroller?" Often followed by repeated proddings to see the camera jiggle in the Rig.

My main gripe is the lack of statationary stability if you are foced to keep shooting and dont have time to remove the camera onto a tripod. The shake is unbearable. Its great to reduce shake ont he move, but the verticle image shake when trying to stay still is something that I wish the Friggin' Rig had a support.

My 2 cents, but I suggest you really think carefully about the Friggin' Rig before staking your life on it.

Hey Chris:

Would it be possible if you could show us some footage with the fig rig? I have been curious about this equipment.

I will try my fig rig out, so to speak, at this beach wedding I'm doing next week. I really like it so far, It's much more stable than just holding the camera in MY hand. I too have a lanc controller, and I understand that it's more cost, but seriously, if I'm going to spend 4700 on a camera, I should have those extras.

I can see many other handheld devices working for others, but I can really see the fig rig working out on this beach gig. It's light, versitle etc.

I love the cruise control comment.

Leo, I think you need to go lift some weights and pump up your wimpy arms.

I've used the rig for extended periods of time and so have other shooters and it takes us about 4-5 hrs. before we get fatigued.

The ability to follow dialogue and action with this rig is well worth the investment. The lanc controller is a must.

Funny comments. Sure. But it's the shot that counts and the shots are on par with a shoulder mounted camera. Not motionless, but definetely shakeless and without the jitters.

Another advantage no one has mentioned yet is that you can now mount your shotgun and on camera light on the rig at the same time. I've run it with a shotgun, on camera light, beachtek, and wireless all neatly mounted on the rig and in one package. Try that with a "well balanced" FX-1 and see how many cables are running over your body and how you have to mount the gear. It doesn't even compare.

It also doesn't require balancing like a steady cam or glide cam when you mount the camera. You just slide it in and go. Couldn't be simpler or easier to use. It doesn't "float" like those but that's not what it's intended for. It's much more practical for wedding work than a steady cam.

It's a great tool.

Ben

Also noone mentioned that you can mount the FigRig on a tripod or a lightstand, using one of the Fig Rig clamps or a lightstand hook. Look on page 7 of the brochure to see what I mean.

http://www.bogenimaging.us/literatur...ile0011608.pdf

The only problem I see with relying on the LANC control though is the lack of iiris and gain control on a LANC control. you can get a LANC control for Panny cameras, but currently there isn't an offer out there for Sony or Canon cameras.