The r-THREE is advertised as an inexpensive remote camera control system. Does anyone have any experience with this system? It looks like it would be perfect for a single videographer to get good multi-cam coverage of a ceremony.

http://grizzlypro.com/index.htm

The r-THREE is advertised as an inexpensive remote camera control system. Does anyone have any experience with this system? It looks like it would be perfect for a single videographer to get good multi-cam coverage of a ceremony.

http://grizzlypro.com/index.htm

Hi Roger,

I have seen the Grizzly Pro at a couple of trade shows. It looks very impressive. I have a friend that uses two of them and based on how much he likes them, I will be buying one soon. I have talked with the owner of Grizzly Pro, and while I do not know him super well, he seemed like the kind of guy that I would want to do business with. He seemed very high on customer service and was not pushy in his sales approach.

Thanks, Mark.

While I haven't been able to dig up much on the net, what I have has been positive. I just wonder if I'll be able to keep up with three seperate cameras all panning and zooming at the same time.

Thanks, Mark.

While I haven't been able to dig up much on the net, what I have has been positive. I just wonder if I'll be able to keep up with three seperate cameras all panning and zooming at the same time.

I'm the guy that Mark met. I'm happy to talk about the r-THREE if you give a call (no sales pitch), contact info is on the website. I'll be in vegas at NAB until thursday . No booth this year, too much work (and $) and I'm already filling orders as fast as I can. The Weva web site
http://www.weva.com/cgi-bin/newsreader.pl?op=render&type=i&storyid=3424
has a film about using the r-THREE at the 100 camera shoot in Sacramento.

Regards,
Phil

The r-THREE is advertised as an inexpensive remote camera control system. Does anyone have any experience with this system? It looks like it would be perfect for a single videographer to get good multi-cam coverage of a ceremony.

http://grizzlypro.com/index.htm

Ok, I'll bite...

How can you use this system with 100's of feet of cable strung through a church? Does a case of Duct tape come with it?

Since the cable is just a single cat5 it's pretty easy to set the system up. It can run up to 600 feet so you don't have to run the cable straight to the camera from the operator. I've taken it out a window and back in another window but for the most part it's so small that you can hide it in the corner of the wall and the floor and just tape it where it changes direction. Markertek sells a jackreel with 400ft of cat5 that makes the cable handling pretty tangle free.

With other systems you would need to string three seperate cables (video feed, camera control and pantilt control).

I typically spend much more time just getting the cameras ready and hooking up the audio feed than I do on setting up the remote control.

I recently purchased an r-3 with live swithing from Phil and he has lighting fast customer service! We definately recommend the system. I have used it from High School sporting events to a couple of weddings.

I also purchased a color 4 channel processor, so you I can see all 3 cameras on one screen, as well as the Jackreels from Markertek. It takes me about a 1/2 hour to setup for a wedding and about a 1/2 hour to take it all down. I have been recording live to a mini-dv deck and dvd burner. It's great when you can hand a bride a ruff version of her wedding the same day. Yes, live doesn't equal edited but it's in her hand the same day!

Thanks Phil!

Jon Omiatek

There's something to be said cutting a live production and walking away with a great cut, not picture perfect like an edit, but a great live cut. If the system only takes 30minutes to set up then that's a great setup for live coverage. I thought it would take at least an hour to set up but that's great it's so much faster once you have it down. Nice.

Ben

The following items really save me time on setup:

1) Bogen Quick Release plates on all the PTZ Heads
2) Jackreels for cable management
3) Grizzly pro console, DV deck, 4 channel processor and audio swither all ready to go, all I have to do is take it out of the case and connect the rj-45 cable and power

I bring the following that are not included in the r3

* 3 pd170's
* 3 tripods with 501 heads
* 3 wireless micrphones (senhessier g2's on a,b,c frequencies)
* 1 24" LCD Monitor for preview of all cameras and program view(4in1)... If space doesn't permit I bring 7" LCD's.
* A roll of gaffer tape and a small mat(carpet)... I use this if i need to go across the isle. I try to avoid it if possible.
* If a balcony is not available, I bring Bogen / Manfrotto 3322B - Stacker Light Stand and make my own balcony. up to 13 feet... Thanks for the tip, Phil!

It takes about 30 minutes to tear it all down and bring it to the reception. We connect straight to the dj for sound and have a ambient mic to switch to if needed.

This week we are going to play a little more and a wireless video feed for the isle shot. Basically, camera two will be disconnected from ptz head used in the isle and then returned to the ptz head.

Jon

From the time frame of this original thread, April of 2006, I have bought a Grizzly Pro as well. For those churches that will not allow a videographer at the front, it is great to be able to get those shots from the front of the church with the Grizzly Pro.

I like to go in tight on the ring exchange and then slowly pan up to the Brides face to show here expression. The Grizzly Pro is so smooth I can get this shot, even when I am zoomed in at 12x.

Mark,

Which version did you buy? Have you run into a problem with churches not allowing you to have the rj-45 cable connected to the cameras?

Jon

Mark,

Which version did you buy? Have you run into a problem with churches not allowing you to have the rj-45 cable connected to the cameras?

Jon

Hi Jon,

I'm sorry for the delay in responding. I had an out of town wedding and then spent a couple of extra days on business and pleasure.

I bought the r-one single head unit. I used the r-three with two cams over the course of a few months and absolutely loved operating two cameras with the system.

When it was time to send it back and buy my own I purchased the r-one for a couple of reasons. The r-one is half the price of an r-three two cam package and secondly. I only own two cameras that will operate with the Grizzly system, and Trisha shoots with one of those from the balcony.

I can always upgrade to the r-three 2 cam setup if I need to at a later date.

By the rj-45 cable, are you referring to the CAT 5 cable. It is a small cable, and no, I have not had a problem with running the cable at churches. You only use one cable per camera and it is very easy to tape down with gaffers tape, or in older churches, tuck between the floor and woodwork.

When it's time to make your purchase let me know. If the timing is right, I may be able to save you a little $.

Hi Jon,

I'm sorry for the delay in responding. I had an out of town wedding and then spent a couple of extra days on business and pleasure.

I bought the r-one single head unit. I used the r-three with two cams over the course of a few months and absolutely loved operating two cameras with the system.

When it was time to send it back and buy my own I purchased the r-one for a couple of reasons. The r-one is half the price of an r-three two cam package and secondly. I only own two cameras that will operate with the Grizzly system, and Trisha shoots with one of those from the balcony.

I can always upgrade to the r-three 2 cam setup if I need to at a later date.

By the rj-45 cable, are you referring to the CAT 5 cable. It is a small cable, and no, I have not had a problem with running the cable at churches. You only use one cable per camera and it is very easy to tape down with gaffers tape, or in older churches, tuck between the floor and woodwork.

When it's time to make your purchase let me know. If the timing is right, I may be able to save you a little $.

Do you or anyone else recommend this system for wedding videos?

I have been considering one of these systems for quite some time. My problem is that it's hard for me to secure a videographer for the day, even though I pay rather well and use my own equipment. I even had some who failed to show up. I also hate it when me and the other videographer are framing at the same time!

Do you think this system is practical/reliable for wedding videos? I just worry about something like this as being too mechanical and it's possible the client might think it's cheesy. I mean, it kind of reminds me of surveillance cameras, lol.

This is just my own perception. I would love to use something like this because I wouldn't have to rely on someone to help me and I actually think the footage would benefit since you could control both cameras.

I am not sure if my cameras will work with it though, I have canon a1's.

Do you or anyone else recommend this system for wedding videos?

I have been considering one of these systems for quite some time. My problem is that it's hard for me to secure a videographer for the day, even though I pay rather well and use my own equipment. I even had some who failed to show up. I also hate it when me and the other videographer are framing at the same time!

Do you think this system is practical/reliable for wedding videos? I just worry about something like this as being too mechanical and it's possible the client might think it's cheesy. I mean, it kind of reminds me of surveillance cameras, lol.

This is just my own perception. I would love to use something like this because I wouldn't have to rely on someone to help me and I actually think the footage would benefit since you could control both cameras.

I am not sure if my cameras will work with it though, I have canon a1's.

Hi Jonathan,

Yes, I do recommend the Grizzly Pro for weddings. Here are a couple of links that show one of the reasons why. It works great.

This Wedding Day Edit was shot with a two cam remote system and a Glidecam and balcony cam. We only got to practice with the system the night before the wedding, so you will not see zooms and pans from the front cams.
http://tulsaweddingvideos.com/video/CJSDE.wmv

This Wedding Day Edit was shot with one remote cam and one balcony cam.
http://tulsaweddingvideos.com/video/ZCWDE.wmv

In both cases we were not allowed to shoot from the front, so you can see the advantage of the Grizzly Pro.

From experience I know the system is both practical and reliable for weddings. My clients don't think it's cheesy. They love the fact that I get great closeups from the front, even though the church will not allow a manned camera at the front. All they see is a camera on a tripod, so why would they think that is cheesy?

When I am positioned in a side room and the groom can see what is going on before the ceremony starts via the Grizzly Pro, they think it is pretty cool. I have had them ask me to pan around the room so they can see who is there.

I would contact Phil or go to his website, www.grizzlypro.com to see if it works with the Canon A1.

Thanks a lot Mark for the info! Very nice wedding highlights. I am glad to hear that your clients like the system.

I probably will end up getting this system, I am thinking the two camera system.

The way I setup my ceremony videos is to have one isle cam that faces the b/g and then have another camera near the pews on the groom side - to see the brides face.

I have found that this setup renders the best footage from the limited two cameras. However, the cameras in these locations are FAR from inconspicuous. That is the only reason why I thought it could be cheesy, because the cameras will be right where everyone could see them.

This also brings up the question of the mechanical noise generated from the pan heads. In some of these ceremonies, you could hear a pin drop!

So right now, I am just trying to get a gage on how well this system would fit in these scenarios.

...That is the only reason why I thought it could be cheesy, because the cameras will be right where everyone could see them.

This also brings up the question of the mechanical noise generated from the pan heads. In some of these ceremonies, you could hear a pin drop!

So right now, I am just trying to get a gage on how well this system would fit in these scenarios.

Hi Jonathan,

Okay, now I see your concern, but the Pan/Tilt head doesn't scream "look at me".

When you pan and tilt very quickly there is a small degree of noise, but I have never had anyone notice it during the ceremony. Once the main portion of the ceremony has began you probably wouldn't be doing fast pans and the slow pans are very quiet.

You mentioned using it with the A1. You would have to run the exposure in auto. My understanding is that when Sony and Canon designed their HDV cameras they eliminated a feature that allows the Grizzly to control the shutter speed and gain, which is how I control the exposure on my PD-170 with the Grizzly Pro.

Of course you can double check this before ordering, but I beleive Phil, the owner of Grizzly Pro, will give you a two week trial period, and if you are not happy with the unit, you can send the unit back for a refund.

Hi Jonathan,

Okay, now I see your concern, but the Pan/Tilt head doesn't scream "look at me".

When you pan and tilt very quickly there is a small degree of noise, but I have never had anyone notice it during the ceremony. Once the main portion of the ceremony has began you probably wouldn't be doing fast pans and the slow pans are very quiet.

You mentioned using it with the A1. You would have to run the exposure in auto. My understanding is that when Sony and Canon designed their HDV cameras they eliminated a feature that allows the Grizzly to control the shutter speed and gain, which is how I control the exposure on my PD-170 with the Grizzly Pro.

Of course you can double check this before ordering, but I beleive Phil, the owner of Grizzly Pro, will give you a two week trial period, and if you are not happy with the unit, you can send the unit back for a refund.

Your right, the website says 14 day refund policy. I am going to go ahead and put an order in for the 2 camera r-three.

I thought about how it would look and realized it would be no different than having me up there operating the tripod. So now, my only real concern is the noise level. The first thing I will do is take it to a local church and test it to see how noisy the unit is. If it is too loud by my standards, I may return it. However, it's price is so good it might be a handy tool to have on hand.

Again, thanks for sharing your experiences with the unit.

Hi Jon,

I'm sorry for the delay in responding. I had an out of town wedding and then spent a couple of extra days on business and pleasure.

I bought the r-one single head unit. I used the r-three with two cams over the course of a few months and absolutely loved operating two cameras with the system.

When it was time to send it back and buy my own I purchased the r-one for a couple of reasons. The r-one is half the price of an r-three two cam package and secondly. I only own two cameras that will operate with the Grizzly system, and Trisha shoots with one of those from the balcony.

I can always upgrade to the r-three 2 cam setup if I need to at a later date.

By the rj-45 cable, are you referring to the CAT 5 cable. It is a small cable, and no, I have not had a problem with running the cable at churches. You only use one cable per camera and it is very easy to tape down with gaffers tape, or in older churches, tuck between the floor and woodwork.

When it's time to make your purchase let me know. If the timing is right, I may be able to save you a little $.

Thanks Mark... Too late, I already purchased the r-3 with live switching built into the system.

I recently ran into an issue with a chuch who doesn't allow any type of wires, even small ones. I love the fact that I can have a camera in the front of the church facing the congregation. It works really well for parent shots as well as B&G shots when they are facing towards the officiant.

I recently purchase a wireless solution, for the isle shot to transmit back to the r-3 for live switching. I have given my last three brides a live version of there wedding. I record straight to dvd from the r3, switched between three cameras at the ceremony and reception.


Jon

Mark do you have your controller mounted on a tripod or something or do you hand hold it. I have a remote wireless from Rader that I use now and the control part is mounted on a tripod and I have a video camera on another tripod next to that, so it would be very hard for me to hand hold the controller.

Bruce Cleveland

Hi Bruce,

I hand hold the controller. I'm usually in another room away from the cameras. I guess you certainly could mount the contoller to a tripod, I just haven't had the need to do so.

I used on remote head last weekend with a Lcd monitor mounted to my tripod but you still have to make room for the control box. I have a bogen monitor platfrom that I mounted the controlbox and my battery for the grizzlypro system and lcd. It's much easier to control all camera from one centralized point. I guess it depends on which Grizzly Pro System you buy. I have the 3 camera version and I prefer to control it all from the balcony.

Jon

Jon could you post a picture of what that looks like? I just ordered the Grizzly 3 cam unit. Can't wait. I have been using a Rader system for the past 3 years or so, and this is really going to be a step up.

Bruce

Yes, I will post pictures. I have an event this Friday. I will take pictures of my setup and I will post some live footage using the GP R3 live switcher. I record it to a dvdeck as well as dvd. It nice to hand clients a ruff cut of there event, the same night. I also have DV Drives connect to each camera.

I would say the picture quality is about 85% of DV. We still edit but it would sure be nice to hand them a dvd at the end of the night and be finished.

Jon

Here are some stills from Friday's shoot. I have also included a one minute clip of the system in action.

3 PD170s connected to the Grizzly Pro, live switched to a DVD Recorder and DV Deck. The stills are straight from the live switched dvd. I haven't had time to capture the tapes.

http://www.omiatek.com/dvinfo/tribute.htm
http://www.omiatek.com/dvinfo/Web3mb.wmv