Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress at DVinfo.net

Sander Vreuls · May 13th, 2011, 02:14 PM

Would like some input, maybe some of you have some additional ideas!

I prefer the form factor of a shoulder camera, so I came up with this (Photo is a bit shoddy because the only decent camera I have is mounted on the rig!):

The wiring is not done yet and some components are still underway. The viewer is a former digibeta SD B/W one and I'm hoping to use that with a correctly setup zebra function in Magic Lantarn to get the proper results.
I still need a phantom power solution, and I'm thinking about a pre-amp. That and the viewfinder will receive power from the anton bauer battery on the back.

Preferably I would go with a LCD viewfinder such as the ones now available, but they're a bit out of my budget range..

Currently on the way are some XLR chassis parts and a HDMI > Y/C converter (hoping that will give me better quality than the AV cable). I am also still working on mounting the matte box.

Chris Westerstrom · May 13th, 2011, 02:31 PM

awesome! Love seeing stuff like this, thanks for sharing

John Wiley · May 13th, 2011, 07:33 PM

Nice!

What did you use to make the platform/handle/shoudermount part?

One thing I'd usggest is integrating some rails so it becomes even easier to add extra monitors, matte-boxes, heavier lenses, handles, etc. Also a quick release adaptor so you can whip the camera straight out in a hurry.

Charles Newcomb · May 13th, 2011, 09:46 PM

Don't forget a zoom rocker.

Or, you could just get this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/761586-REG/Sony_PMW320KCE_PMW_320K_XDCAM_EX_Camcorder.html :)

Sander Vreuls · May 14th, 2011, 03:29 AM

Charles.. if I had the funds I definatly would :)
Sadly I don't earn money with this, it's just a hobby.. I did think about a zoom remote, but the problem is I have a lot of different lenses. If I had only one standard lens I would try to rig up something.

John. The platform is a piece of a flat aluminium, the battery holder/rear part of the carry handle is also aluminium. The main part of the carry handle used to be an old Sony DXC/PVV-3 carry handle.

I am thinking about adding more mounting options.. first I want to get the basic rig fully operational though.

Sander Vreuls · June 1st, 2011, 01:58 PM

Update.. Mechanical side is just about done.. All that is left is make sure all components get power..

On this last picture you see the HDMI converter and the Phantom Power supply. I've allready ordered Cokin P sized ND filters for the box.. I could add a VCT-U14 wedge mount but I don't have a VCT-U14 or a tripod so that's a bit pointless at the moment..

John Mitchell · June 2nd, 2011, 01:07 AM

Awesome!

Couple of questions - how much does it weigh? I imagine less than a digibeta?

And how will you get the VF to work - Sony were pretty proprietary with the signal wiring they sent to those things (plus of course they were SD not HD. Does the Canon automatically output an SD signal or will your HDMI converter do that part?

Good work and I hope you get it all working - then maybe you could make some money and buy the 350 or the RED?

Sander Vreuls · June 2nd, 2011, 04:30 AM

The entire rig with that lens (Vivitar 28-105) is about 4.2kg (9.3 lbs).
So it's about 600 grams heavier than an EX3 and about 0.8kg lighter than a HPX-301 for example..
Big part of that weight is the lens, viewfinder and battery..

I have the maintenance manual for the viewfinder, so I know the pinout and I have the wiring diagram for the BVF style plug (I also have the DXF 20pin and 8pin pinout available incase someone needs that).

I am using the HDMI converter to go from HDMI to Y/C, of which I will use just the Y.
I'm hoping that gives me a better picture than straight composite out of the camera.

The camera is mostly for my own fun, I doubt I will be making money with it :) It was my attempt to replace my old DVCpro25 camcorder, in the same form factor but in HD..

Sander Vreuls · July 12th, 2011, 10:57 AM

Right, small update
I got the rig working fully now, after some adjusting the viewfinder works pretty nicely. I am using the USB > AV cable for monitoring the audio levels.

Next week I'm going to shoot with the rig, and after that I'm going to try and make some improvements, I learned a lot from building it :)

Sander Vreuls · August 11th, 2011, 03:38 PM

Ok, came back from the major event I wanted to shoot at.. I had some trouble with the rig so I had to improvise. Basicly some viewfinder contacts let go so I put the rain cover on top of the rig and just viewed on the LCD screen. That meant I couldn't see what was going on all the time. Furthermore the matte box attachment was not strong enough and the rig got knocked sideways a bit, so when I was fully zoomed out I the matte box and camera cover were in sight. I shot at 1080p25 and just used that footage at 720p25 so I could pan and scan. It doesn't look 550D worthy or DSLR worthy but it turned out better than last year so that's a good thing. I also had some trouble with a class 6 card which couldn't cope, got to research that some more.

This is what I shot (when the group got ambushed camera buffer stopped so I had to solve that with some different shots). Also I couldn't fully watch the movie while editing (PC didn't like it) so it probably doesn't look as good as it should :)
Red-Alliance at War & Peace Show 2011: Arena Display - YouTube
(Audio starts low, gets louder. watch it!)

This is the rig now in a diagram.. I will post what I want to change soon.

Sander Vreuls · August 13th, 2011, 10:27 AM

So my problem was also flexing. I want to replace the floorplate with a steel one, and have the rods extend backwards to transfer the force better. Ideally I would want to replace the 550D with a GH2 though it's not necessary. If I do replace it with a GH2 I will install a B4 mount adapter and a broadcast lens.

If I stick with the 550D I will get a fader ND instead of the fixed matte box I had now. I will also install a lens cover on the existing photo lens instead of relying on the matte box. With the 550D I also want a quick release for the camera. With the GH2 that would not be needed since the B4 adapter will be mounted to the rig, and the camera to the adapter.

VCT-U14 style plate is also planned.

With GH2:

This is to create a cheap shouldermount ENG style setup.

Sander Vreuls · August 21st, 2011, 05:39 PM

GH2 bought, now to find a decent video lens with extender.. got my eyes on a couple allready :)
However I will only buy them if the price is right.. I have a lot of time on my hands..

People might say "But this way your camera won't shoot at cinema apertures!".. And that is true.. I'm not looking for a true cinema camera.. I want a "cheap" HD capable ENG shoulder camera, with a decent zoom lens. Just another route you can take with these camera's!

May 13th, 2011, 02:14 PM	#1
Sander Vreuls Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hilversum, The Netherlands Posts: 184	Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress Would like some input, maybe some of you have some additional ideas! I prefer the form factor of a shoulder camera, so I came up with this (Photo is a bit shoddy because the only decent camera I have is mounted on the rig!): The wiring is not done yet and some components are still underway. The viewer is a former digibeta SD B/W one and I'm hoping to use that with a correctly setup zebra function in Magic Lantarn to get the proper results. I still need a phantom power solution, and I'm thinking about a pre-amp. That and the viewfinder will receive power from the anton bauer battery on the back. Preferably I would go with a LCD viewfinder such as the ones now available, but they're a bit out of my budget range.. Currently on the way are some XLR chassis parts and a HDMI > Y/C converter (hoping that will give me better quality than the AV cable). I am also still working on mounting the matte box.

May 13th, 2011, 02:31 PM	#2
Chris Westerstrom Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden Posts: 259	Re: Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress awesome! Love seeing stuff like this, thanks for sharing

May 13th, 2011, 07:33 PM	#3
John Wiley Trustee Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Byron Bay, Australia Posts: 1,155	Re: Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress Nice! What did you use to make the platform/handle/shoudermount part? One thing I'd usggest is integrating some rails so it becomes even easier to add extra monitors, matte-boxes, heavier lenses, handles, etc. Also a quick release adaptor so you can whip the camera straight out in a hurry.

May 13th, 2011, 09:46 PM	#4
Charles Newcomb Major Player Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Salida, Colorado Posts: 561	Re: Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress Don't forget a zoom rocker. Or, you could just get this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/761586-REG/Sony_PMW320KCE_PMW_320K_XDCAM_EX_Camcorder.html :)

May 14th, 2011, 03:29 AM	#5
Sander Vreuls Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hilversum, The Netherlands Posts: 184	Re: Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress Charles.. if I had the funds I definatly would :) Sadly I don't earn money with this, it's just a hobby.. I did think about a zoom remote, but the problem is I have a lot of different lenses. If I had only one standard lens I would try to rig up something. John. The platform is a piece of a flat aluminium, the battery holder/rear part of the carry handle is also aluminium. The main part of the carry handle used to be an old Sony DXC/PVV-3 carry handle. I am thinking about adding more mounting options.. first I want to get the basic rig fully operational though.

June 1st, 2011, 01:58 PM	#6
Sander Vreuls Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hilversum, The Netherlands Posts: 184	Re: Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress Update.. Mechanical side is just about done.. All that is left is make sure all components get power.. On this last picture you see the HDMI converter and the Phantom Power supply. I've allready ordered Cokin P sized ND filters for the box.. I could add a VCT-U14 wedge mount but I don't have a VCT-U14 or a tripod so that's a bit pointless at the moment..

June 2nd, 2011, 01:07 AM	#7
John Mitchell Contributor Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 873	Re: Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress Awesome! Couple of questions - how much does it weigh? I imagine less than a digibeta? And how will you get the VF to work - Sony were pretty proprietary with the signal wiring they sent to those things (plus of course they were SD not HD. Does the Canon automatically output an SD signal or will your HDMI converter do that part? Good work and I hope you get it all working - then maybe you could make some money and buy the 350 or the RED?

June 2nd, 2011, 04:30 AM	#8
Sander Vreuls Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hilversum, The Netherlands Posts: 184	Re: Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress The entire rig with that lens (Vivitar 28-105) is about 4.2kg (9.3 lbs). So it's about 600 grams heavier than an EX3 and about 0.8kg lighter than a HPX-301 for example.. Big part of that weight is the lens, viewfinder and battery.. I have the maintenance manual for the viewfinder, so I know the pinout and I have the wiring diagram for the BVF style plug (I also have the DXF 20pin and 8pin pinout available incase someone needs that). I am using the HDMI converter to go from HDMI to Y/C, of which I will use just the Y. I'm hoping that gives me a better picture than straight composite out of the camera. The camera is mostly for my own fun, I doubt I will be making money with it :) It was my attempt to replace my old DVCpro25 camcorder, in the same form factor but in HD..

July 12th, 2011, 10:57 AM	#9
Sander Vreuls Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hilversum, The Netherlands Posts: 184	Re: Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress Right, small update I got the rig working fully now, after some adjusting the viewfinder works pretty nicely. I am using the USB > AV cable for monitoring the audio levels. Next week I'm going to shoot with the rig, and after that I'm going to try and make some improvements, I learned a lot from building it :)

August 11th, 2011, 03:38 PM	#10
Sander Vreuls Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hilversum, The Netherlands Posts: 184	Re: Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress Ok, came back from the major event I wanted to shoot at.. I had some trouble with the rig so I had to improvise. Basicly some viewfinder contacts let go so I put the rain cover on top of the rig and just viewed on the LCD screen. That meant I couldn't see what was going on all the time. Furthermore the matte box attachment was not strong enough and the rig got knocked sideways a bit, so when I was fully zoomed out I the matte box and camera cover were in sight. I shot at 1080p25 and just used that footage at 720p25 so I could pan and scan. It doesn't look 550D worthy or DSLR worthy but it turned out better than last year so that's a good thing. I also had some trouble with a class 6 card which couldn't cope, got to research that some more. This is what I shot (when the group got ambushed camera buffer stopped so I had to solve that with some different shots). Also I couldn't fully watch the movie while editing (PC didn't like it) so it probably doesn't look as good as it should :) Red-Alliance at War & Peace Show 2011: Arena Display - YouTube (Audio starts low, gets louder. watch it!) This is the rig now in a diagram.. I will post what I want to change soon.

August 13th, 2011, 10:27 AM	#11
Sander Vreuls Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hilversum, The Netherlands Posts: 184	Re: Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress So my problem was also flexing. I want to replace the floorplate with a steel one, and have the rods extend backwards to transfer the force better. Ideally I would want to replace the 550D with a GH2 though it's not necessary. If I do replace it with a GH2 I will install a B4 mount adapter and a broadcast lens. If I stick with the 550D I will get a fader ND instead of the fixed matte box I had now. I will also install a lens cover on the existing photo lens instead of relying on the matte box. With the 550D I also want a quick release for the camera. With the GH2 that would not be needed since the B4 adapter will be mounted to the rig, and the camera to the adapter. VCT-U14 style plate is also planned. With GH2: This is to create a cheap shouldermount ENG style setup.

August 21st, 2011, 05:39 PM	#12
Sander Vreuls Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hilversum, The Netherlands Posts: 184	Re: Working on a shouldermount.. work in progress GH2 bought, now to find a decent video lens with extender.. got my eyes on a couple allready :) However I will only buy them if the price is right.. I have a lot of time on my hands.. People might say "But this way your camera won't shoot at cinema apertures!".. And that is true.. I'm not looking for a true cinema camera.. I want a "cheap" HD capable ENG shoulder camera, with a decent zoom lens. Just another route you can take with these camera's!