Was wondering if anyone could recommend a good shoulder stabilizer for the A1. Preferably one that will accept a Bogen 3273 Quick release. Thanks!

I'm using the media rig from Varizoom. Works awesome but is a little costly.
Check their website to see the different features. In a wedding I use this in combination with the glidecam and hand held. My wife uses the media rig for the entire day and 7 pounds of camera weight. She doesn't feel any sore.

I was looking into that one. Will the bogen 3273 work with it? Also, can it be used easily one-handed? Thanks!

Check out the DVTEC DV Multi Rig (http://www.dvmultirig.com/) it's similar but a little different from the Varizoom DV Media Rig (http://www.varizoom.com/products/supports/vzDVMediaRig.html). I borrowed one from a friend and won't give it back until mine arrives in the mail :-) The DV Multi Rig works with quick release plates.

Looks like the DVTEC DV Rig Pro (http://www.dvtec.tv/) is more comparable to the Varizoom Media Rig.

DVtec DV Rig pro is a excellent unit. Loads of options and packs away small. I have one that I customized with a Kenyon KS-8 gyro for the Canon A1.

Yes works with the 3273 Bogen. I'm still thinking that the varizoom is more confortable.

Check out the SPIDERBRACE. Do a Google search. Good Luck.

I like this one from Birns & Sawyer:

http://www.birnsandsawyer.com/cgibin/BIRstore.cgi?user_action=list&category=Camera%20Sales;DV/HD%20Camera;Camcorder%20Accessories;Shoulder%20Supports

Checked out the DVtec and its looks a little better than the varizoom, to me. My concern is, with the two-handed rigs, if you let go to use the lens, will it tilt to one side? Can you position the handles so that the right side is closer to the middle, or is the shoulder support bracket enough to keep it from moving?

I like this one from Birns & Sawyer:

http://www.birnsandsawyer.com/cgibin/BIRstore.cgi?user_action=list&category=Camera%20Sales;DV/HD%20Camera;Camcorder%20Accessories;Shoulder%20Supports

That one looks good too, but im not sure if the two handed rig is as adjustable llengthwise as the vari or dv. It is alot cheaper though!

I should have posted that my interested is in the single handle one. I don't see why you'd want 2 handles. If you didn't see the single, scroll down.

in my opinion I have the spider brace and with a small bit of weight added to the back of it, it works amazingly well. www.spiderbrace.com its also cheap. I am looking forward to trying it on my xh a1 when it arrives.

This review of the SpiderBrace may be of interest...

http://dvformat.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=38293

Does anyone know if the spiderbrace accepts quick release plates? Namely the bogen 3273?

It is NOT possible to attach a quick release plate to the bottom of the Spiderbrace. But it is possible to attach a quick release adapter to the top. Then you could use the quick release plate normally.

The DV Multi Rig can accept a quick release plate on the bottom and a quick release adapter on the top.

Looks like the DVTEC DV Rig Pro (http://www.dvtec.tv/) is more comparable to the Varizoom Media Rig.


So are the DV Rig Pro and the DV Multi Rig essentially the same thing, but with the DV Rig Pro having the rail supports for a 35mm Adaptor System?

These look like a great deal, I just want to make sure I get the right one. I don't have the 35mm Adaptor yet, but was planning to buy later thgis year, but the Multi Rig looks so versatile, that I just wanted to make sure I'd basically be getting the same functions in the Rig Pro.

Thanks

Yes they are essentially the same concept/design. The DV Rig Pro is for larger ENG / front heavy cameras. The DV Multi Rig is for smaller setups and excels at creative handheld shots, more so than anything else out there. It's one of my favorite toys. It feels like I'm playing with a slinky or silly putty when I'm twisting it into different configurations. But the DV Multi Rig probably wouldn't be ideal for a 35mm adapter with rails.

Sounds very cool Michael. Maybe I should just go with the Multi Rig, since I'm probably a good 6-7 months away from the 35mm adapter and can't nail down which one to get anyway. I hadn't even heard of this until your post, but I can tell by your enthusiasm it is a special little toy to have and I think would work for most of what I would like to do with the camera. How does it do when you are walking? Does it really act as a shock absorber, or should you pretty much keep your feet planted? Just looks so cool. I'm so glad you brought it up!

Because the Multi Rig is so flexible, it's stability changes in different modes.

The best mode for walking is to flip the handle bars up which lowers the cameras center of gravity, and puts it closer to yours. This is a very stable mode and is wonderful for handheld shots. In this mode I managed half a block, running on the balls of my feet. And yes for you wise guys, that's a New York Avenue block. For those just doing narrative work, I'd suggest just getting this package - without the stabilizer bar.

The stabilizer bar puts the weight on your body which lets you shoot longer, but it also makes it more difficult to walk quickly while keeping the image stabilized. Because the stabilizer bar is spring loaded, it smooths out a lot of motion, but it's also attached to your hips which makes it easier to transfer larger movements to the camera.

With my feet planted and the image stabilizer ON, I can get great steady shots at full-medium zoom. Panning, tilting, and basic 1-2 step moves are easy to control. But at a full 20x zoom I reach for the tripod. I recommend this setup for those people who do event video because the stabilizer bar lets you shoot for hours at a time without getting fatigued.

As for walking with the stabilizer bar, I'm still working on my technique but I've had good success using the stabilizer bar by taking baby steps and walking at slow-medium speed. Not as smooth as a Merlin, but very close. Walking fast I can only take a few steps before I significantly jar the image. Running is extremely difficult with the stabilizer bar.

Interestingly, forward & backward movement is the most difficult with the stabilizer bar, because my hips transfer a lot of movement to it. But, I can crab sideways all day and get a beautiful panning movement for what seems like miles. Go figure.

I use the SpiderBrace 2 with my A1 and it works great. And you can't beat the $85 price point (including shipping).

Varizoom also has the VZ 1Shooter (www.varizoom.com/products/supports/vz1shooter.html), which is what I use.

I also have a spider brace and yeah, it is OK for shoulder shooting only...but if you want to shoot ANY other position, you would need one of the aforementioned Rigs, which I intend to purchase eventually. The Spider brace is pretty much Just PVC plastic Conduit with Insulation over it. As I said, it will work for shoulder shots just fine..but beyond that, you better look at something else, it is a fixed position unit. J

Yes they are essentially the same concept/design. The DV Rig Pro is for larger ENG / front heavy cameras. The DV Multi Rig is for smaller setups and excels at creative handheld shots, more so than anything else out there. It's one of my favorite toys. It feels like I'm playing with a slinky or silly putty when I'm twisting it into different configurations. But the DV Multi Rig probably wouldn't be ideal for a 35mm adapter with rails.

Do you use the shoulder attachment that comes with the mulitrig pro? (and acts a bit like a third leg or handle for low shots) Not to be confused with the DV rig HD - which has a different shoulder mount design all together.

I've been looking at both the multi and the HD version - but was told the shoulder attachment for the multirig version can be a bit uncomfortable.

trish

I haven't found it uncomfortable, but I did have to play around with it to get it to sit right and grab my shoulder/neck. Seems to sit better with additional weight (wireless / battery / buck shot etc). Using the full setup of the DVMultiRigPro I've shot up to four hours comfortably without any fatigue.

Do you use the shoulder attachment that comes with the mulitrig pro? (and acts a bit like a third leg or handle for low shots) Not to be confused with the DV rig HD - which has a different shoulder mount design all together.

I've been looking at both the multi and the HD version - but was told the shoulder attachment for the multirig version can be a bit uncomfortable.

trish

Yes, the shoulder attachment is not very comfortable. As a wedding videographer, I use the shoulder support mode. However, there are a few problems I encountered:
- the joint between the stabilizer and the rig is flexible and cannot be fixed. It's not easy to do stable zoom shots.
- because of the time constraint in weddings, I only use the shoulder mode. The other modes become useless to me.
- the set up is quite bulky with the two handle flip out. Not easy for shooting in small space.
- no quick release for the stabilizer. you need to screw it on/off the rig everytime you want to put down the camera.

Now I am going back to what I did before: mounting the camera on a monopod with a ball head. The monopod is supported by a pouch I wear at my waist. It is actually not bad comparing with the rig. Now I can fix the ball head for steady shots. I think I will sell my rig soon.

I just ordered the DV Multi Rig Pro. Going to give it a shot I had been anxiously awaiting Danny getting more in stock and he has some right now. I'll post my opinions when I get a chance to play around a bit. Thanks as always for the help.

After many years of shooting with full sized cameras I wnet back to using small form factor for weddings but found I really missed the stability of a shoulder camera. I ordered a MultiRigPro, got it 2 days later and used it tonight for the first time under fire.
My observations are as follows.

Yes it take a few minutes to set my rig up-battery belt to power my light, clip on holster for the spring rod of the MultiRig and wireless reciever on the belt. Remember I'm used to using a camera with the receiver "permanently attached, the light running off the camera battery, pick it up, throw it on my shoulder and go. Having said that heres what i found. Besides it taking a few minutes to set up and get myself ready to shoot, I used a Bogen QR577 quick release plate on the MultiRig and since I'm now using a 501HDV head on my tripod (the 516 head was WAY too much head for a PD170) so getting the camera on or off is quick. You MUST have a zoom control to be able to start and stop recording AND properly control any zooms BUT with a bit of practice I found my moving shots were much smoother than with the fullsize camera AND I was able to lock down and shot quite steadily for over 30 minutes much the same as my fullsize rig. Yes I will put the receiver on the back of the shoulder brace from now on, it needs the weight. I also wear my battery belt on my waist not on my hips so the pouch is slightly off my hips but there is a trick in either case. You need to push up on the handles of the rig and keep 1 of the locking arms unlocked on the stab bar. Now you can get some very smooth walking shots.
Are ther drawbacks. Yes. Are there drawbacks to using the fullsize camera, YES. Are there drawbacks to using a monopod as I have done in the past YES. There are drawbacks to everything, no such thing as a perfect peice of gear. Every piece has a place and a job but overall I will say that my experience with the DVMultiRig has been favorable. Perfect? No, but for ta lot of the work I do, it is THE piece of gear to use.
YMMV!
Don

in my opinion I have the spider brace and with a small bit of weight added to the back of it, it works amazingly well. www.spiderbrace.com its also cheap. I am looking forward to trying it on my xh a1 when it arrives.

I have one of these on order - how do you add weight to the back? Clamp something on to the bar?


I also tested out the DV pro HD the other day at the store alongside the base DV multirig (no shoulder version) I'm 5' 3" and I found the HD version to be a bit bulky and heavy - but I'm sure for any standard size person this wouldn't be a factor. When I switched back to the dvmultirig I liked that it was lighter and you had the more creative movement options available. The only drawback was the handles didn't feel as solid locked in (but you can tighten these with allan keys, may just have been a bit too loose at the store). You want to feel secure taking one hand off to adjust the rings.

It helped having the velcro belt that came with the HD version - the multirig doesn't come with one, an added option. IMO you definitely need this or a similar product.

I had to shoot something as a favor last night - a homegrown fashion show dinner event for a cancer fundraiser - and I had only the monopod. (the feet version) And I have to say, still a very handy tool.


trish

Anyone have a method on modifying the spiderbrace with counterweights? I have found one online but it looks pretty cheap (putting weights in a tape measure holder)

Hi everyone,

I bought a spiderbrace for my Xh-A1 a couple months ago and I'm more than happy with. I used it on different jobs with great results with a lanc controller. I add some diving weighs (2x1kg) bought for a couple of euros fixed with scratch tape and with 2 small shock cords.
With my A1 full set up (mattebox, shotgun, etc...), I also add my preamplifier sounddevice MM1 on the back with another scratch (around 0,7 kg). The whole rig balances quiet well !

It's really a way to go as far as budget and simplicity are concerned.

All the best in 2009 !

Pascal

you could try making your own

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/shoulder-handheld-supports/108529-homemade-shoulderlander.html