who's using the redrock microshoulder mount...
 

and likes it? anyone using this with an ex3?

Greg

Hi,

I'm using it with a XH-A1 + 35mm adapter + FF unit + lens + 8" monitor.

I think the shoulder pad is a tad short (sideways). Sorry about my English but what I'm trying to say is that I feel that it could be larger from neck to shoulder, but I suppose it will be different from person to person.

I also feel the need to operate the handles a bit lower, but for that you have to buy the MicroMount 3 pack and that will put another 110USD on it, and that's if you have some spare rods, if not, you will have to add those too!

On the other hand, it's easier to operate the FF unit with the handles in the original position.

If you are going to operate the camera alone I think that it works very well and you don't need the lower handles, but with a 35mm adapter it is a must have.

Besides that and considering the price, it really is very well crafted and one of the best, if not the best option out there.

Hope this helps

I'm dredging up a sort of old post, but I have the red rock and I love it. I use it with a JVC HD100 and red rock follow focus with a Manhattan 8.9" LCD and love this thing. +1 from me.

Have any of you used the DV Rig Pro? I just purchased a lot of items from RR but for the shoulder mount i like the support rod and wondered if any of you have compared the two?

Thanks,
Brian

Hi!

I'd be very interested to hear reports/thoughts on the use of the Red Rock Shouldmount with a video dSLR like a 5DmkII or GH1.

Cinema Bundle
 

I'm looking to get The Redrock DSLR Field Cinema Bundle for $1995. Mostly I need a shoulder mount setup with follow focus. Just wondering if there is and saving to be made to get what I want by not getting the above setup but something more pared down? Anyone?

I bought the Red Rock Micro Captain Stubling rig the other day and I'm very much looking forward to using it on a shoot. Gorgeous bit of kit.

Haven't quite worked out the exact difference between all the kits. Looks like you don't have and probably don't need therefore - the shoulder mount, a bunch of stainless steel rods, a cage (can't make it out from the photo), top handle and microMatteBox arm support. I'm starting to think I don't really need them myself. Its a little hard choosing the right configuration without a hands on demo. Jack, do you find you don't need any shoulder support (I'm only supposing you don't have it)? Any background on your decision making would be appreciated.

Hi there,

First off, I should mention that I haven't had a chance to play with my Captain Stubling rig yet. My Panasonic GH1 is due to arrive tomorrow so I should get a better chance to play tomorrow.

I'll try to sketch out some of my thinking...

I have been quite influenced in my thinking by Stu Maschwitz and Kholi. The basic thinking goes something like this: these dSLRs are SMALL; a fact which should be embraced rather than compensated for. Small rigs allow you to move swiftly and sometimes move stealthily if you need to. If you want to shoulder-mount these cameras then you have to add lots of weight to the back of the shoulder mount (otherwise the rig will very front-heavy). Also, I like the freedom that the Stubling rig gives in comparison with a shoulder-mounted rig. We'll see. I might hate shooting with a Stubling rig but I doubt it!

Part of me is concerned that some of my clients will question the small size of the GH1 + Stubling but I'm fairly sure I'll be able to persuade them that the size of the camera has no bearing on the quality of the image! I was considering getting the Red Rock Mattebox but it is HUGE in comparison to the GH1. Putting the Red Rock Mattebox on the front of the Stubling rig probably would be possible but it would completely change the balance. I'm definitely considering buying the Genus matte box (which is smaller and lighter than the Red Rock matte box).

Some other reasons...

For me, I suppose I'm trying to get back to my happy and naive early days of shooting video at college (with a Hi8 camcorder... it was really light and easy... my current DVX+Brevis rig is just so heavy and clumsy... it feels like the technology gets in the way of my shooting, which is not cool).

Also, I'm very eager to reduce the environmental impact of my filming, part of which means leaving my car at home as often as possible and taking public transport where possible. Having a small and light camera rig will make my life much more comfortable when travelling on public transport.

Finally, I love the idea that I can pack my basic shooting rig (GH1 + a few lenses + Stubling + Rode VideoMic) into a backpack for taking almost everywhere. Awesome.

Peter, where are you based? I HIGHLY recommend travelling to your local Red Rock dealer to get some hands-on experience with these rigs.

Thanks for the detailed reply Jack. I guess I was concerned about eht stability of the rig using the Followfocus in particular. I think my nearest dealer is thousands of ks away as I am in Sydney. I will be happy to hear your first impressions though Jack. I hope it works out for you. I would like to keep it light too. The extra handle on top is not something I would use much either. Are you using a Hoodman with this setup or something else. My main concern though will be stability. Let us know how you get on after the initial excitement dies down a little. Good luck.
PS. I would spend the extra money saved on a fluid head.

OK, I've had the GH1 for a few hours now!

I've tried it with the Stubling in the back garden with a few primes. Overall, I'm VERY impressed and I think I'm going to fall deeply in love with this little camera and rig. It's my 10-year school reunion tomorrow and I'll take the GH1 along with the stock lens and a couple of primes (although I must admit I'm considering leaving the Stubling at home tomorrow because I want the camera to look as low-profile as possible).

Initial tests suggest that it is fairly easy to pull focus with the FF on the Stubling without introducing any extra wobble / twisting. The only caveat seems to be that it is quite hard to do a quick but deep focus pull (e.g. from infinity to minimum focus in one pull) without introducing wobble.

The Stubling definitely allows you to hold the camera in such a way as to minimise the hand-held shake. I'd say the Stubling is probably easier to hold than, say, a DVX100a or something like that.

The GH1 is a tiny little camera and it's quite hard to hold it on its own, especially if you have big hands.

That's encouraging! Would the speed crank help do you think with a full or extreme focus pull?

Also, I have to ask whether you think the shoulder mount might give you some stability you may not otherwise have/need where focus pulling is involved? That's my main concern.

Oh and do you use a Hoodman or similar with this?

Hi,

OK, I've used the GH1 + Stubling for a few more shoots now.

The Stubling is OK for short bits of filming but it gets unstable as my arms tire. Perhaps I need to go to the gym! But I was able to hold my DVX100a stable for hours at a time. The main problem with the Stubling seems to be that it's all too easy to introduce unpleasant "rotational wobbles" (i.e. because you're holding the rig with two hands, one on either side of the camera, it's easy to rotate the camera as your arms twitch independently of eachother).

To be honest, I think the Stubling is not great for shooting for more than perhaps 5 minutes at a time. I don't have the Red Rock Shoulder mount but I do have some 45cm rails and I've tried hacking together my own shoulder mount with the follow focus and handles from the Stubling plus my 45cm rails plus a 3kg exercise weight on the back of the rails to ballance the camera. I think this rig would be more stable than the Stubling alone.

I don't have a Hoodman but the GH1's built-in EVF is very usable and I do find that using the EVF (instead of the LCD) while shooting hand-held does help a lot, not least because you can follow your gut instincts much more easily in terms of moving the camera to follow rapid-fire dialogue.

I've just bought myself a Manfrotto monopod which I'm planning to use in conjunction with the Stubling. I have high hopes for the monopod + Stubling + GH1 rig. I've played with the rig round the house and it seems to work nicely for situations where there isn't time/space for a tripod.

The biggest advantage of the Stubling is that you can hold both handles (one in each hand) whilst still being able to pull focus using the Red Rock follow focus. Lovely!

Best of luck,
Jack

Thks for the update. I am using the Zacuto Rapid Fire without the Z finder now, and find it good for short sequences like your rig. I suspect when the Z finder comes it will improve further.

I thought Redrock's Eye Spy looks pretty good.

Knowing what you know now Jack, from experience would you opt for a shoulder mount or EyeSpy rather than get a Stubling if you hadn't already bought it?

Tricky. It does depend what you're planning to shoot. The Stubling is great for quick bits of filming, plus it packs away really small.

If you want a package that will suite many different filming situations then I'd recommend something like this:

1) Buy the Stubling. Most of the cost of the Stubling is the Red Rock FF which is a lovely bit of kit. The Stubling is great for run-and-gun and those short little rails are great for mounting the dSLR + follow focus on a tripod (but you need to get a tripod adapter).

2) Also get some 45cm long 15mm rails and some sort of counterweight to build a shoulder-mounted system (you can re-use the Follow Focus and handles from the Stubling). With the GH1 you can use the flip-out screen without having to add a third off-set rail like the Eye Spy rigs.

But I suppose my main bit of advice is TRY BEFORE YOU BUY! Or, if you can't do that, then buy from a supplier who will let you return the kit if you don't like it.

Hope this is of some help.

Thanks Jack. I wish I had more time to try a variety of options. As it is I need to get cracking so I shelled out for the EyeSpyDeluxe. I just wanted something a little more stable than what the Stubling seemed to be. At least it will get me out of trouble. Appreciate the report from you though.

Peter.

Jack.... what kind of tripod adapter are you suggesting...

Oh... right now I'm using the tripod adapter plate thingy from my Cinevate Brevis rails system. But I'm selling my Brevis so I'll have to get a new tripod adapter! Not sure which tripod adapter I'm going to get though. I think Red Rock sell some sort of tripod adapter. I may buy the RedRock should support (literally just the should support bit) which I think has an integrated tripod adapter.

Sorry, one small correction... I said above that I used 45cm rails to build a DIY shoulder rig. I was wrong! My rails were 60cm! I think 45cm rails would be too short to build a shoulder rig (I haven't tried though). (I've sold my rails but I'll probably buy some more soon)

A couple more quick updates...

I've just bought a 15mm-bars-to-tripod adapter from Shoot35.co.uk (who are based in the UK). An excellent price and excellent service.

Also, I've bought some solid 15mm aluminium bars from eBay (search for "15mm bars" and "15mm rods" and "15mm tube"). £7 for 1 meter! I know they'll be quite heavy but I want weight to stabilise my GH1. And I'm planning to buy the shoulder mount from Red Rock and maybe their counter weight.

RR EyeSpy Deluxe Bundle
 

Thought I may as well give some review of the abovementioned kit. On the whole have a fairly positive experience. I had to wait quite a while for delivery over the time quoted (just over 5 weeks). Stability is good. Ease of handling is good. Follow focus works well. I've been using the Hoodman with marginal satisfaction. Its attached with the RedRock mount which doesn't always sit flush with the LCD nor square on it. I think 'm going to need to spend another wad on a better arrangement – I don't want to use the Z word. One of the main difficulties for me using this setup is that I'm 6'3" and the view is always down unless I happen to be filming tall people or constantly bending at the knees. This is my main annoyance. Otherwise its OK.