Anyone using one of these? I am looking at purchasing one and would love to hear what you guys think.

Ok...well I ordered one today. I guess I'll be the first to review it on here.

So far I am loving it. We've used it for two weddings in a row. Once things slow down then I will post something significant.

got a picture, a link, something more descriptive?

I used the Redrock Micro unit for one wedding and then turned around and used the Indisystems unit for the next 4 weddings. My initial impression is that I like the Indisystems UltraCompact better for the following reasons:

1. It cost a fraction of the price of the Redrock
2. It's seems to be a little smaller in both weight and size. I had to fly for two of these weddings and I was able to fold this this rig up and fit it into a typical carry-on bag.
3. The hand turns for tightening the different sections of the device are very convenient and don't require me to use wrenches all the time.
4. The way it is designed I am able to slide the rails over in front of my eye and offset the shoulder mount/pad.
5. The added counterweights were really affordable. I think they were $25 or so.
6. Excellent customer service. One of the pieces they originally shipped was faulty and they two day shipped it to me without a hassle.


The negatives:
1. No instructions for assembling. This unit is easy to assemble but I would have preferred instructions as a time-saver. My friend that owned the Redrock said that it was shipped with no instructions as well so I guess that is par for the course.
2. The paint on the metal scratches very easily with use. This is not the end of the world but worth noting.
3. Heavy for long shoots. This is very true of the Redrock Micro unit instead. There are other quality units out there that are lighter but they are much more expensive.


I have attached a pic of my wife using the UltraCompact in Boston at a wedding we shot.
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=19742&stc=1&d=1286298843

*This is not a super formal/official review but just my opinion.

Maybe I have newer RR stuff, but my handles, shoulder pad and baseplates are all adjusted with thumb screws. I sat with a gram scale and weighed parts from Redrock, Cinevate, CPM, Zacuto, Cavision, Easom, the Korean Gini Zacuto knock-off and a couple others that don't pop into my under-caffinated brain and most of the weights were pretty close for similar parts. When I built full rigs the RR actually came out lighter than most, and that's including its bulky (but very functional) shoulderpad. When I compared the quality of everything, RR and Zacuto are clearly a step above everyone else. I bit the bullet and went all RR. After investing in a 5d and a slew of lenses, I felt it was worth the investment to spend a little more on a rig that had a much nicer build. Just my .02.