I certainly agree, but I haven't yet seen a 5D rig that's not front heavy.

-- peer

I suspect that part of problem may be trying to use the DSLR LCD as the basis of the V/F. It'll be interesting to see how Charles deals with this.

There is a shoulder mount for the EX3 which I gather overcomes this camera being front heavy by mounting bars together with the battery mount (this looks like a 4Ah job) projecting from the rear of the camera, so that the battery is positioned behind the operator's shoulder, acting as a counterbalance. This arrangement has been used on the RED One as well. However, both these cameras don't have the V/F at the rear of the camera.

I know I'm in the minority, but I shoot mostly on a tripod (or soon a Steadicam Flyer - for the EX3 only). So hand held awkwardness is no big deal for me.

Previously I used a EX3 with a Letus Ultimate adaptor which also is a very front heavy rig. But with the Sachtler sliding plate I was able to balance it on the tripod. The new tripod we're getting for our new EX3 and DSLR has the Snap N Go (sideload) head. This also has a sliding plate but with an even wider range. I think I'll be okay. :)

Charles,

Would love to see what you come up with, totally agree most rigs you see pics of are far too front heavy.

Mitchell,

If you haven't seen it this is a video that shows the kit that Matt Jasper and myself came up with. It's been revised a bit since to balance even better.
It's still a bit top heavy compared to an ENG cam but much better than others I've tried.

Dan

I like the redrock gear; it's robust and has held up very well over the years for me and costs much less than the Zacuto stuff (not saying Zacuto doesn't make good stuff... I'm just saying...).

Another thing would be getting some bogen quick release plates for your tripod, steadycam, etc... that way switching your camera to different pieces of equipment is quick and easy!

If you are going to be using a mattebox, you might try and get the metal screw on hoods with the same diameter fronts so you only have to use one donut... it will make swapping lenses a breeze. Also having a swing away mattebox like the redrock one makes it even easier.

Be careful with the z-finder or any loupe... remember when you were a kid and burned ants with a magnifying glass? Well they can really mess up your LCD on your camera if the sun hits it right... cover it, or take it off when you are not using it (while shooting in extreme light).

Nice rig Dan! What matte box is that?

I did a budget rig here. A few changes have been made. To balannce it better, I now mount a weight on rear side of the fitted shoulder piece.

Chris, as always, I love your DIY stuff. Next time I'm in the Saco area, we need to do a shoot-out -- your rig versus mine. I was laughing out loud when you showed the problems with one thing rubbing against another -- exactly the same problem I've had when building mine, and as soon as I thought I'd fixed one spot, there'd be sort of an exponential chain reaction -- i.e., quite a few more problem spots were created ;^)

-- peer

Chris - While I appreciate the amount of time and energy you've put into you rig, I don't think I could take this out on paying gigs. What would a client think if they were paying me $130 a hour and I showed up with that?

It's really cool what you've done on a budget though. Impressive! :)

Uh oh...
I sense we're about to open up the whole, "It's not the camera or how it looks, it's what you can do with it" can of worms.

I agree with both sides; Yes, it REALLY only matters what the artist does with their tools, but also Yes, perceptions are important - especially first impressions.

I agree -- and I actually think certain DIY stuff looks cool (including Chris'). That's how crazy I am.

-- peer

You know, I never intend my stuff to impress anyone else as far as design and looks are concerned. I am lucky because I just do this stuff for the love of it. That is the benefit of being primarily a low budget, no budget shooter. I just want to get a job done. I am primarily a narrative shooter. Frankly, I think 95% of those shooting the 5Ds and 7Ds are in the same boat, so development of DIY gear is important. However from what I have seen of camera rigs and set up even on big time sets, there is all manner of gaffers tape and on the spot produced gear adapters fastened to existing gear with common hardware items. I think you do yourself a disservice showing up on a job without the tools and hardware to adapt to the shoots needs, and I am constantly gathering anything that can help me do that. From that standpoint, you would probably consider me more of a grip or gaffer than a DP, but in stuff I do, I wear all those hats.

Mitchell its a Genus mattebox from here Genus

Dan

Matte Boxes... one of my biggest peeves. $800.00 for a sun shade. Okay, I know, you can stack filters. And it looks cool. And there is a French flag... But with the 5D or 7D, why not stack circular filters with a $5.00 rubber shade like this one ? :

58mm 58 mm Rubber Lens Hood transfer Standard Wide Tele - eBay (item 110435229037 end time Dec-14-09 08:15:23 PST)

Well, mine was a bit more than that: Amazon.com: Century Optics DV Matte Box, Wide Angle 4 x 4" for the Sony DSR-250: Camera & Photo

-- peer