Found this familiar design from Cinecity. Wonder how well does it work against the original..

The CineCity*::*Shoulder Support*::*PRO Shoulder mount with 15mm rods for dv/hdv cams (http://www.thecinecity.com/tcc/product.php?productid=122&cat=3&page=1)

I hate finding cheaper items once I've ordered something. They look OK though. If you take any notice of the blurb they are the best in the world. Can't imagine using the Spider Pod as groovy as it looks. The video off the MKII would look terrible.

I just looked at the weight and it was 7 lbs. Is that the unit itself or shipping weight? That seems a little heavy.

I Have one of these I bought recently. generally it's fine but one of the screw threads in the shoulder mount is pretty stuffed so the locking screw doesn't lock.

Shame, spoiling an otherwise fine piece of gear. I might send that bit back.
Avey

I thought the price is very close to Redrock's shoulder mount kit? I do think the eye spy looks pretty good.

This thingy is very heavy but most of all, it is super front heavy.
In fact there is nothing that makes use of the shoulder padding, it almost carries no weight.
The rods have very thick walls - I wonder why, it adds to the weight unnecessarily.

I will try to modify mine and maybe add some weight to the back for balance. Now it is more like a gym torture tool than a shoulder mount.

There is a mattebox support (called Universal rod support) in their line which can be used for shifting the camera sideways for better postioning for the eyes. With that you can make an almost identical copy of the Redrock rig but that thing also adds more to the weight.
http://www.thecinecity.com/tcc/product.php?productid=73&cat=269&page=1

Found this familiar design from Cinecity. Wonder how well does it work against the original.. The CineCity*::*Shoulder Support*::*PRO Shoulder mount with 15mm rods for dv/hdv cams (http://www.thecinecity.com/tcc/product.php?productid=122&cat=3&page=1)

Not long ago I got this shoulder mount kit myself, minus the rods. It's very solid (wouldn't surprise me if it's the same manufacturer that makes the RedRocks). However, since I'm not using it anymore (actually, I never really used it at all), if you want to get your hands on those for a nice price (the handles and the shoulder mount) send me a pm/email.

-- peer