It is expensive. It is also very light, 100% adjustable, expandable, can be skinnied down, etc. The machining is first rate. I bought a Sniper rig with the follow focus and it just gets out of the way. I don't think about it. That is what gear is supposed to do - it just works. I could have bought an EX-1 for what I have in my rig, but made this choice. Better in some ways, worse in others. But I'd be saying the same thing on the other side of the decision.

looks like the peak cap is coming in very handy.

What is the box with the red strap?

Do you mean the Sony V-mount battery with the red tape on it?

Daniel Weber

I guess. Big battery, that drives the monitor?

Have to laugh at the producer's concerns about keeping a low guerrilla filmmaking profile. This is more like GORILLA filmmaking.

Charles has recently posted on how these boxes are powered- some inline adapter you can get from RadioShack. He could explain more. This doesn't look like the AJA box but rather the Blackmagic HDMI > HD-SDI converter. One feed is going to the Panasonic HD-SDI monitor, the other feed to video village / wireless focus puller.

7D really is the only option right now, since it is always 1080i, even when the record button is hit. You couldn't use this setup with the 550D or the 5DII, as it would switch to 480i video out. Not sure about the 1DIV

-C

I have no doubt that you are 100% satisfied with your Zacuto Sniper. It's an ingenious solution. However, it is wildly overpriced. I can't imagine paying $3,200 for 4 aluminum rods, a handful of connectors, a baseplate and a few rubber pads and grips. Seriously, the price tag is certifiably insane. And, of course "it just works". How could it not? It's just a modified version of the rods and connectors that optics companies like Thorlabs sell for about $10 a piece.

That said, I must admit that I own a Zacuto Rapid Fire and a Z-Finder. I'm happy with both products - especially the Z-Finder. However, a part of me really feels gouged.

Thankfully, there's a friendly Korean fella who is providing a nearly identical solution at a fraction of the price.

Hi folks.

As a comparison, check out the setup we've been using at:

So what does an HDSLR Hybrid Shoot Look Like? Vincent Laforet’s Blog

My build can be glimpsed in a few pix, like #37. Many of the same pieces as on the setup in this thread (a bit more tidy though)!

What I'm seeing on this rig is (on the rear, from top down):
Camcorder battery and cradle
Blackmagic HDMI to HD-SDI converter
Preston MDR (for remote focus)
Main Battery (Swit, I think).

Main battery would be powering the Preston, the Panasonic monitor and the BM box (via stepdown conversion); no clue what the camcorder battery is powering.

As noted above, you can see the focus puller at the monitor (with blackout hood) with the Preston hand unit hung around his neck.

Ryan, to answer your question about the AJA convertor--it's just voltage, babe. Simple voltage regulation circuit and you are off and running. We had the AJA on "Nocturne" but weren't aware that the box ran on 5v (I've used AJA downconverters before, they can be powered direct from the 14.4v battery via p-tap) and we fried the sucker immediately. Vincent and I have since switched to the Blackmagic as it handles the slightly oddball signal out of these cameras better. Still requires regulation down to 12v nominal but that's not a big deal.

Perhaps they are using the camcorder battery to run the Blackmagic--not sure if it will run on 7.2v nominal though.

The question about matteboxes is a really good one, and I think I'll open a new post about that. Chris, Danny--see you guys over there!

This is from Jimmy Lindsey - the DoP on the shoot giving some info on the rigs (posted on Phil's site):

"Jimmy Lindsey here. The man in the brown hat with the Z finder. I was Robert’s DoP on the ‘Bob Schneider’ music video (as well as his last feature ‘Machete’) and those are my 7D rigs at work. After seeing all the questions, I thought I might shed a little light on the subject. The rig Robert is using was set up to allow him to see an HDSDI image on a 7″ Panasonic onboard monitor while his AC (the insanely talented Sebastian Vega) pulls focus with a Preston FIZ from a 17″ Panasonic monitor. Very necessary as you know when shooting on a 200mm at a 2.8. The signal was split from HDMI to 2 HDSDIs using the Aja Black Magic powered by a Nebtek adapter and Sony M batteries. Both the Preston and the onboard were powered with a D tap cable and a Sony onboard battery. We also got some beautiful shots with my 50mm 1.4 and a lensbaby composer with single glass and plastic optics."

Chris, Charles, and Danny - thanks much for the info. Trying to find a monitoring solution for both the 7D and EX1 that doesn't trade off too much can be difficult, and knowing that I can power a converter without having to hack power cables together is what I was looking for. Thanks!

I did pretty well overall (didn't peg the fullsize battery as a Sony--who uses THOSE?!)

Ha, I'll have to give Jimmy a call (we worked together on a series some 14 years ago in New Orleans)--seems pretty bizarre to have to resort to a separate battery to power the Blackmagic. I hate having multiple batteries onboard a rig, too much to keep track of. Have to tell him about our cable.

Think Jimmy has his manufacturers mixed up, read this on Phil's site too.
No such thing as an Aja Black Magic. ;)
They just used the mini converter from Black Magic, which provides two HD-SDI taps out.
(photo attached). Retails for $500.

It's great to know that I'm filming with the exact same camera Robert Rodriguez is using...

COOOL!!

Charles - pardon me for being dense, but I don't quite understand what cable you're referring to - can you send a link or something so I can capture that and keep it handy for future reference? Is this a custom cable that you made or something that you found somewhere, and what battery are you powering it off of, exactly?

Hey Ryan, Zilker will be packed with folks this coming Sunday.. Hope the weather holds out.
Bring out your camera... :-)