Pelican: How to pluck myself an EX3 shape
 

Hi guys, Im just looking for pictures of anyones self-plucked pelican case with their Ex3 inside. Got my case today but I dont want to pluck a pick and pluck wrong! (try saying that when your drunk). Which way should it face etc...

I have the 1620, Cheers!

I bought a 1600 2 weeks ago for my spare EX1 and at first I was confused as well. However on reading the instruction manual that comes with the case, I took the hint of placing the camera on the foam and then inserting tooth picks along the lines of the camera. When you remove the camera you end up with the shape of the camera in tooth picks.

However please note that in practical terms it's best if you insert the toothpicks for small sections one at a time. Picking and plucking is very easy. You will end up with a very nice tight shape for the camera.

BTW pls note that I'm usually a very lousy DIY person - so the fact that I managed to get a very nice product means that anyone is able to do it!!

Glynn:

Drop the extra $150 and get one of the Velcro compartment kits for the Pelican. You can customize it 20 ways from Sunday, and best of all, rearrange it at any time as your accessories change.

The Pluck and Pick foam comes apart after a few months of use.

I did it!
 

Thanks for the advice guys,

I was able to pick myself a decent snug little spot for my camera. I used the top layer as a sort of cover, so I only plucked out the bits that were pressuring it, like the viewfinder and mic holder. Turned out to really hold everything well. Had I plucked out the whole top layer, the camera could bounce a bit too much for my liking in rough transport.

There's a company I saw at NAB that makes custom foam for Pelican Cases.

Carrying Case - SONY XDCAM PMW EX3 - 01-26-2009

They also make them with storage for a laptop in the lid (or something like that).

They will custom cut the foam for a perfect fit. Just send them the case and your gear and they will turn it around in a couple of days. Not cheap though ($250), but worth it for some people.

Check out this set up for the RED camera and MacBookPro laptop:

RED APPLE STUDIOCRUZER - Carry-On Case - CaseCruzer

TRICK!

Thermodyne is the company that makes the custom cases for Sony.

I purchased a case for my EX1 and love it.

I have a second EX1 and may be purchasing an EX3 and if I do, they will custom make me an ATA flight case that will hold all three for about $500.

QuickCases! Shipping cases & rackmounts in as little as 24 hours!

Also, another really cool thing is CaseCAD Custom Foam Inserts for Hard-sided Carrying Cases

I haven't used them, but it looks really cool. They have free software that allows you to create custom case foam for anything using an existing Pelican case. I'm going to use them for a portable audio case. Once I do that, I'll post something up.

Jim

Great link on CaseCAD, I'll be giving them a call soon. Thanks!