Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

Hey Tom

That looks quite neat!! Let us know how practical it is to use. I often have manual lenses on the camera so I need my right hand under the strap and my left hand to adjust focus etc etc so the handles wouldn't ne practical for me. If you are shooting in full auto, then of course, you can hit record and grab both handles and go ... you have to drop one hand to zoom and start/stop

To be honest I found my arms got quite sore holding up the camera but you are younger and fitter. With my support rod both my hands are free and there is no strain at all on my arms as your hips take all the load. For me it works but may not work for you?

You will find that you can get nice steady footage with the handles too!! I was reviewing footage I did last night at a wedding where I was 90% handheld and it's hard to see any loss of stability ...looks like it's on a tripod.

Chris

Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

Chris,


very quick movie. My wife was so kind to test it out.

Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

Thx for sharing Tom, although you should get more stable images shooting with these handles but when seeing it in action that looks like a very uncomfortable position to handhold the camera for extended periods, I really think you need that suspension rod Chris has been mentioning to get all the weight from your hands, in this way I don't think you'll manage to hold it like that for more then a few minutes. Just after you say, "arestapternekeermeerond" (start moving around) you can see your wife puff under the weight she has to push upwards, that seems like a tough workout :)

Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

In response to using the spring rod from the camera to the belt pouch.

First keep in mind that my experiences might be very different than yours but I've used a DVTEC ENG rig on full sized camera rig that go up to almost 30 pounds for a long time and I agree 110% with Chris that using that type of rig will not only allow one to have steadier footage than not using a similar type rig but will give one steadier footage at the long end of the lens. It give one the ability to keep your hands where they belong, on the lens of the camera so as to be able to operate the zoom rocker, shuttle feature if your lens has that, control the record button on the lens, control the focus and iris the WB, gain switch...all of the control one would expect to have and use on a full sized professional camera. IF the camera is balanced correctly, at least as far as I was taught 30 some years ago, it would be slightly back heavy so when one puts hands on the lens and your arms hang down to your sides you can rest your arms in that position while pulling the camera to a level position and here's the best part and why I am rehashing all this old stuff we've all known for years. The spring rod takes the weight and with a properly balanced camera will hold the camera level and yet will allow you enough spring so if you need to tilt up the spring rod will help you do that and help you hold the camera in that position. the same should you need to tilt down AND since the majority of the weight is being taken by the spring rod your back doesn't hurt as much if at all. I used to do 30 minute shots using this method that with out the ENG Rig I would have been forced to use a tripod. Again, this is my experience with this type of rig.

As for using 2 handles on a full size camera, I tried it once about 5 or 6 years ago, Noticed I said once. To get to the controls on the left side of the lens, I had to let go of the handle and frankly I couldn't get comfy with doing that and I had no real good way to get to the controls on the right side of the lens, namely...record button and zoom rocker. I shut that experiment down at the first break. Again this was my experience only. If it works for someone else and they're happy with it, I say go for it.

Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

Thanks Tom

They look like they work very well on your camera. As mentioned, I used must the same system on my Panasonic AC-130's and they did seem to work well ..Mine were DIY just with 1" square tube and bicycle hand grips but they did work well. After 10 minutes or even less I did find my arms were getting sore and often used to dig my elbow into my belly for extra support.

Chris

Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

Is this the one Chris?

DSLR Rig Support Rod|Shoulder Mount|Waist Belt

I will order today - they've given me a good price!

Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

Hi Pete

Yep, that's the new model that I also ordered as it has the ball joint on the belt and a flexible pin at the top so it works better than the older type .. I ordered one last week and mine should be here pretty soon.

Their engineering tolerances are sometimes not the best and I found the support tubes were a bit sticky cos they are powder coated not anodised so if the coating is not uniform the tubes don't slide as smoothly as they should ...simple to rectify of course..just some 1200 grit wet/dry abrasive paper and gently rub down the outer surface and it's smooth as silk!!!

You will be quite amazed that your camera goes from being painfully front heavy to almost "weightless" .. I wear the belt all the time at weddings and just click in the support when I need it... It works really well for long shots of the bride coming down the aisle too.. really rock steady!

Let me know if you have any questions?

Chris

Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

Just have to also mention that my good friend Don Bloom first put me onto this rig when I had my shoulder mount Panasonics about 3 years ago and he saved my back too!

A special thanks to Don for telling me where to go and find a solution!!

Chris

Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

Just ordered it Chris - sounds just the job - is it possible to attach anything else to the belt such as a lens or filter pouch?

Pete

Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

Hi Pete

I don't see why not?? My old belt was just ballistic nylon with a front pad and pouch so that certainly could have anything you like hanging from it. The new belts appear to be wider (more comfort) so whether it will thread thru a lens pouch or not I guess depends on the loop at the back of the pouch ..I'm just guessing now but from the pics the newer belt looks at least 3" wide compared to the older ones that were narrower.

My wife gets a sore back when cleaning so she has taken my old belt and puts it on back to front so the support pad sits in the small of her back and gives support .. there is a use for everything!!!

Chris

Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

Heh, No worries Chris. I'm always being told where to go so I just pay it forward whenever I can. ;-)

When I sold my DV Multirig I also included the belt so for the ENGRig I only have the clip on pouch left. That belt worked great. MY back is fine, my shoulder...not so much. Torn rotator cuff but NOT from hefting the camera (at least I don't think so).
Anyway, always happy to help a friend even if he's on the other side of the world. Have a "Fosters" on me!

Re: Ok I give up with weights!!
 

Thanks Don

My current support also has just a pouch and sometimes it's tricky to get the rod into the pouch as it's a tight fit. The new ones have a plate that slides into the pouch with a ball on it so hopefully that might provide more flexibility at my waist as the pouch seemed a little restrictive. Just busy yelling at the supplier as they decided in their wisdom to use a different courier instead of FedEx who are super quick!!

The aches and pains are all due to our age but all considered we are still doing pretty good!

Chris