Check this camera support ! at DVinfo.net
DV Info Net

Go Back   DV Info Net > The Tools of DV and HD Production > Support Your Local Camera > Shoulder & Handheld Supports

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old February 12th, 2009, 10:16 PM   #1
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Dominican Republic
Posts: 135
Check this camera support !

Shape WLB - The camera support you have been searching for!
Franklin Bencosme is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 13th, 2009, 12:19 AM   #2
Major Player
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: KLD, South Africa
Posts: 983
Indeed! Awesome kit, that is the camera support I have been looking for :P
Nicholas de Kock is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 13th, 2009, 10:08 AM   #3
Trustee
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Boise, Idaho
Posts: 1,997
Quote:
Originally Posted by Franklin Bencosme View Post
looks a bit cumbersome. I think my DVMultiRIgPro is a bit better than theirs, but who knows. I do like that the MultiRig is designed to not just hold a camera, but provide mounting & attachment points for lots of other stuff (light, mics, wireless receivers, etc).
Jason Robinson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 13th, 2009, 11:27 AM   #4
Major Player
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Northampton, UK
Posts: 915
We used one of these in a recent shoot home

Expect some highlights soon. Used it in the bridal prep to give that 'manic, chaotic, getting ready' felling as the glidecam is too smooth and slow to make you feel the emotion.
__________________
mintyslippers.com
Danny O'Neill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 13th, 2009, 12:56 PM   #5
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,505
While the units do look rather well built, I have to agree with sticking to my DVMulti Rig. It's much more compact and lighter in weight, and just as, if not more, configurable.
__________________
Michael
www.lvpvideo.com
Michael Liebergot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 13th, 2009, 06:52 PM   #6
Major Player
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 991
OMG the music for the promo video was seriously annoying...

I never get these shoulder mounts.. When you use them with two hands how do you zoom and focus? I hate the zoom motion from rocker switches and I always use manual focusing. Can you support the camera with just one handle on the fly? Would that cause the camera to rock due to the sudden change of hand? Also, you're basically always shooting from shoulder level and you can't rotate the camera because the mount is hooked onto your shoulder..
Yang Wen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 13th, 2009, 07:23 PM   #7
Inner Circle
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,609
having shot for years with full size cameras and then making the switch over to small form factor cams I could never be without my DV multirig.
First I can hold steady like I did with the FS cam for long periods of time. 2nd, I use a zoom and focus controller and can do a very fast zoom if needed and focus at the same time. All of this while holding the rig with 2 hands and because of the spring rod I can even walk and be quite steady while focusing and zooming if need be. As for shooting at a different angle, again, it's no problem. The MultiRig allows the camera to be shifted off the shoulder to an over the head shot and lower to a waist level shot if needed. The real beauty of it to me though is the fact that I can be in a stationary position locked down for quite a while for things like toasts which can run quite long as you know. 99 out of 100 people that handhold small form factor camera shoot from the waist and after a couple of minutes they have to change position because of fatigue. With a properly built and balanced shoulder rig (and a little practice of course) you're good to go. But different strokes for different folks.
__________________
What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer.
Don
Don Bloom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 13th, 2009, 07:48 PM   #8
Inner Circle
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Miami, FL
Posts: 2,933
Yea! I'm 1 out of 100!!

I had to shoot a 35-minute toast/gift session at a rehearsal dinner last year. I 'toughed' it out and shot without switching positions .. AND .. the footage was steady all the way through. It was brutal, though.

This year I'm abandoning that tactic and will shoot all such events from a tripod.


As for shoulder mounts, I owned a Spiderbrace, and it was nice. But I think Don is right on the money. Not everyone likes to shoot the same way. I found I didn't like the shoulder-mount position as much.
__________________
Black Label Films
www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com
Travis Cossel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 13th, 2009, 09:59 PM   #9
Major Player
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Tulsa, OK
Posts: 910
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yang Wen View Post
OMG the music for the promo video was seriously annoying...

I never get these shoulder mounts.. When you use them with two hands how do you zoom and focus? I hate the zoom motion from rocker switches and I always use manual focusing. Can you support the camera with just one handle on the fly? Would that cause the camera to rock due to the sudden change of hand? Also, you're basically always shooting from shoulder level and you can't rotate the camera because the mount is hooked onto your shoulder..
Hi Yang,

When I went HD I came from a shoulder mount camera. I was looking for a way to get a steady shot at the reception while being zoomed in 75-100%. The DVTec MultiRig was the perfect solution for me.

I also shoot manual focus, so I rest my left hand on top of the left from arm of the MultiRig so I can manually focus. Then I have a zoom controller on the right front arm. When I'm shooting something like toasts, where the subject is not moving, once I have focus, I will take my left down from the focus ring and place my left hand on the left arm of the MultiRig. It feel very comfortable and allows me to get a steady shot for long periods of time, even while zoomed in

The advantage that I see that the MultiRig has over the above unit is the support pod. It is spring loaded and supports the weight of the camera. With the above unit, the shooter supports all of the weight.
__________________
Mark Von Lanken
www.VonWeddingFilms.com
Mark Von Lanken is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 13th, 2009, 10:05 PM   #10
Major Player
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 991
Hmm I agree with all comments.. Here's what I'm wondering..

My usual shooting position when off the tripod is to either hold the camera by the top handle with right hand and manipulate the focus/zoom with the left hand, meanwhile bracing the camera against my abdomen. This proves to be steady and allows me to rotate the camera and take advantage of the DVX's geared zoom for quick snap zooms and framing from shot to shot.(I hate servo zoom for the lack of speed). Or I would have my hand in the side strap and brace the rear viewfinder against my chin or forehead and manipulate focus/zoom with my left hand.

With a shoulder rig, can I realistically hold the rig up with one handle and manipulate the lens with my other hand without much balance issues? The handles sticks out away from the camera so that additional distance would introduce extra torque on top of the camera's weight, but maybe the shoulder brace would mitigate that extra torque?

I looked at the multiRig and I'm intrigued by the "steady-cam" mode by using the flexpole that attaches to the holster. WIll that give me a pseudo "steady cam" look if I walk gingerly? If so this could be a good solution for me as there is no way I can operate a steadycam when I'm the sole shooter
Yang Wen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 13th, 2009, 10:21 PM   #11
Major Player
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Tulsa, OK
Posts: 910
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yang Wen View Post
Hmm I agree with all comments.. Here's what I'm wondering..

My usual shooting position when off the tripod is to either hold the camera by the top handle with right hand and manipulate the focus/zoom with the left hand, meanwhile bracing the camera against my abdomen...

With a shoulder rig, can I realistically hold the rig up with one handle and manipulate the lens with my other hand without much balance issues?
Hi Yang,

For prep and establishing shots of the reception I use the handheld technique you described. Once the reception starts, I use the MultiRig. For the first dance and parent dances I use the rocker for zoom because I find it gives me better control versus the zoom controller.

By placing my left on the left arm of the rig it not only helps to balance the rig, but also makes it feel more comfortable since my hand is resting on the rig. Does that make sense?

You can see a pictures here.

EventDV.net: In the Field: DvTec dvMulti Rig Pro

If you are on Facebook, I have some more picture of me using the rig as I have described and there will also be a release next week with an online article on EventDV and there are a couple of picture of me using the rig.
__________________
Mark Von Lanken
www.VonWeddingFilms.com
Mark Von Lanken is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 14th, 2009, 12:09 AM   #12
Major Player
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 991
Ahh those picture help. THanks! When you place you left write on the left handle, it doesn't force down the left side of the camera?
Yang Wen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 14th, 2009, 12:29 AM   #13
Major Player
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Tulsa, OK
Posts: 910
Hi Yang,

You are welcome. No it doesn't because my right hand is either in the strap of the camera so I zoom and start/stop or on the right arm with the zoom controller, so it keeps it balanced.
__________________
Mark Von Lanken
www.VonWeddingFilms.com
Mark Von Lanken is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 14th, 2009, 10:25 AM   #14
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,505
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yang Wen View Post
Ahh those picture help. THanks! When you place you left write on the left handle, it doesn't force down the left side of the camera?
Actually Yang, what Mark says is true.
I also shoot with the DVMulti Rig and shoot with the camera in shoulder mode with the 2 section support pod.

I shoot I several configurations, but this is the setup I shoot in most.

What I do is this...
The right grip is faced out like normal and I hold this with my right hand.
The left grip is turned inwards and I also rest my left elbow against it.
I then use my left hand for all manual camera controlling, such as of focus, iris, zoom etc.
I prefer to control the zoom using the zoom ring on the camera lens, rather than using the zoom toggle switch. The reason being that I get a much more fluid control over my zoom speed buy manually controlling my zoom from the lens barrel.

This is entirely personal preference of course, as I used to use a LANC remote on the handle grip, but still found myself reaching on the camera itself for additional controls, like iris and such. So for me it made more sense to shoot with the multi rig, as I would a supported camera (even though I have never shot with a should camera before), where I would control everything on the lens barrel and let the camera rest on my shoulder.

The big difference in this equation, is the 2 section support pod, which makes panning, booming, static shots and the like so effortless, as the camera simply floats on the support pod and takes all of the stress and weight off of my shoulders, back, and arms.

I can shoot all day long with no fatigue, and I get great steady, fluid hand held shots.

I shot for someone recently who owns a DVMulti Rig, but never really used it.
When he reviewed my footage from the wedding we shot, he was amazed how rock solid my shots were, and even how fluid my moving camera shots were on the dancefloor. He told me that the camera seemed to be floating while moving from one couple to another.

I am now teaching him my techniques of shooting with the DVulti, which is really simple, but I have found 3 or 4 really great shooting styles over the years while shooting with it.

BTW, I was one of the first in the U.S. to won and use the original DVMulti Rig 4 years ago. The new DVMulit Rig is much improved, as it's lighter, even quicker to reconfigure, it has a new quick release support pod which is the bomb. And even the new tripod adapter plate, that lets you mount the entire DVMulti Rig to a tripod is much improved as it's rock solid adn enables you to go from handheld to tripod and back in a matter of seconds.

For anyone out there who shoots with a smaller hand held prosumer camera, there is no comparison. Pickup a DVMulti Rig, as it's the most versatile rock solid support system you will EVER use.
__________________
Michael
www.lvpvideo.com
Michael Liebergot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 14th, 2009, 12:21 PM   #15
Trustee
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Boise, Idaho
Posts: 1,997
Quote:
Originally Posted by Travis Cossel View Post
Yea! I'm 1 out of 100!!

I had to shoot a 35-minute toast/gift session at a rehearsal dinner last year. I 'toughed' it out and shot without switching positions .. AND .. the footage was steady all the way through. It was brutal, though.
wow. I'm too much of a fiddler and a fidget to be able to do that. I can't even stand still NOT holding anything, let along holding stuff!
Jason Robinson is offline   Reply
Reply

DV Info Net refers all where-to-buy and where-to-rent questions exclusively to these trusted full line dealers and rental houses...

B&H Photo Video
(866) 521-7381
New York, NY USA

Scan Computers Int. Ltd.
+44 0871-472-4747
Bolton, Lancashire UK


DV Info Net also encourages you to support local businesses and buy from an authorized dealer in your neighborhood.
  You are here: DV Info Net > The Tools of DV and HD Production > Support Your Local Camera > Shoulder & Handheld Supports

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

 



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:02 AM.


DV Info Net -- Real Names, Real People, Real Info!
1998-2024 The Digital Video Information Network