Is a shoulder rig necessary?

[Jon Fairhurst]

My homebuilt is also a shoulder rig. But I found that there wasn't enough weight on the shoulder to make a difference. For work, I specified The Event, since it gives a solid point of contact. I find that the arms don't just pull down; they also pull back toward the chest. And with the pad near the top of the chest, the camera weight is supported as well.

The following is a stock photo. I angle the handles about 45 degrees forward. And I can "hold" a handle with my forearm while controlling a follow focus. A short handle on the FF is handy when you need to rack the focus over a long distance.

[Chris Barcellos]

Originally Posted by Lee Tamer

Chris, out of curiosity what type of lens is on your camera?

That particular lens was a vingage Nikon 50mm F 1.4. I have a 24mm, a 35 mm and that 50 mm that all look the same. All bought on Ebay around $75.00 apiece and mounted with one of the Nikon to Canon EOS adapters. Obviously do not have auto focus or auto aperature, but then I wasn't looking for that.

I have similar finds in Pentax mount, including a 28mm to 85 Takumar zoom that is great walk around lens for my 5D. These same lenses mount to my T2i, though turning a bit more telephoto in the crop factor process.

[Chris Barcellos]

Originally Posted by Jon Fairhurst

My homebuilt is also a shoulder rig. But I found that there wasn't enough weight on the shoulder to make a difference. For work, I specified The Event, since it gives a solid point of contact. I find that the arms don't just pull down; they also pull back toward the chest. And with the pad near the top of the chest, the camera weight is supported as well.

Actually, my homebuilt distributes weight decently. As you can see from the imgage, the handle extends past the center of gravity of the camera. Also, the should piece is intentionally a tight squeeze for my shoulder so it actually pins camera weight to shoulder.

[Chris Barcellos]

Follow focus.... is it necesssary for a shoulder shoot gig ? I have one, but I have to rely on the old hand twist when focusing shoulder mounted. This is using the vintage lenses which have a significant throw in them. Hard to do with the modern auto focus lenses.

[Luke Gates]

Originally Posted by David St. Juskow

Lee, contrary to common wisdom, I think, at least with the IS 2 lenses, the rigs are actually a detriment. I rented the newest flavor of Canon's 70-200 is 2 lens and the best red rock mount on the market. After 10 minutes, I ditched the mount and got better results cradling the camera and lens in my arms. This was zoomed in all the way in crowded times square, filming closeups of pedestrians. I could track them as they crossed the street, stopped, etc and the results looked gorgeous.

I couldn't agree more until you try to get a steady 3 minute shot and your arm starts to shake because its so tired. Then you will enjoy that shoulder rig

[Alan Halfhill]

Sometimes. I find with my L-Finder on my 60D I can get away with out a rig. I do have an old shoulder rig that I had for my video camera that work well. But for a wedding I just did I did not have a rig. For the NAB 2011 show reports for FrugalFilmmakers.com Filmmaking & Photography I did use a CamCaddie from Welcome to The Original CamCaddie universal Steadicam Steady Cam Camera Mount as a handle to carry my camera and hold my shotgun microphone.

The L-Finder is @ The L-Finder FrugalFilmmakers.com

[Jon Fairhurst]

Originally Posted by Chris Barcellos

Follow focus.... is it necesssary for a shoulder shoot gig ? I have one, but I have to rely on the old hand twist when focusing shoulder mounted.

For solo work, a follow focus isn't a necessity, but I do find that I can keep things more stable when racking further with a FF and crank. Then again, I shot the bullfight stuff with a 200/2.8L and 2x extender without a FF. The action was far enough away that I was just barely nudging the focus in and out.

That said, shooting an action narrative piece, having one person frame with a rig and another adjust focus with a whip to set marks is the way to go. Wireless focus would be better still.

[Cole Prine]

I use a Glidecam too, and find it works great for handheld shots too. I just put the counter balance pole on my leg/hip and use it to stabilize. It's worked great for me. So, with that I can go straight from flying to handheld without changing a thing.

[Anas El-Biad]

I plan on getting this shoulder mount Shoulder Mount DSLR Rig-290 with a z-finder. But that L-finder thing seems cool though, I just don't know if the Hoodman do the job as much as the z-finder? Did someone tried both and can tell me if the z-finder is worth the extra bucks (i know it's overpriced) or should I stick with the hoodman?

EDIT: I'm talking about magnification. The z-finder does 2.5x and 3x but I don't know about the hoodman. The price is tempting though.

EDIT2: Oh i see that you need the eyecup for the magnification on the hoodman. Still not as expensive as the z-finder.

[Jon Fairhurst]

I have the Z-Finder at work and the Hoodman with x3 mag at home. I prefer the Z-Finder, but I would buy the HoodLoupe again if budget is important. Without the x3, the Hoodman was weak. With the x3, it does the job nicely.

Make sure to get either the HoodCrane or the RedRock mount for the HoodLoupe. Those rubber bands are a poor solution. The crane has the advantage of quickly putting it on or off. The RedRock is more solid for travel.

The EVF would be perfect for run 'n gun with a 7D. It would allow you to mount the camera over the shoulder for better balance. The 7D doesn't downres the HDMI output to SD when recording.

[Anas El-Biad]

Thanks Jon. I think I'm gonna get the hoodloupe after all. I'm on a tight budget so.... And i guess it would still be better than trying to focus with the 3" lcd screen on the cam.


"The 7D doesn't downres the HDMI output to SD when recording."


Yeah it's kinda stupid that the other Canon dslrs do. But I guess they have a reason for that?

[Jon Fairhurst]

The 1D4 also doesn't downres. That implies that the camera needs two DIGIC 4 processors to record and send HD at the same time.

[Bruce Foreman]

Originally Posted by Anas El-Biad

Thanks Jon. I think I'm gonna get the hoodloupe after all. I'm on a tight budget so.... And i guess it would still be better than trying to focus with the 3" lcd screen on the cam.

Give it a fair try and get used to it a bit. I have the CAVISION viewfinder setup with the "swing away" setup that I got originally for a T1i (before the 7D appeared). It has a 6X eyepiece without diopter adjust but it works well for me. I do like the 6X, but the whole rig takes a few minutes to mount or remove.

It also fits the 7D nicely and the T2i (minor adjustments).

I put off the ordering the Hoodman setup, looked way to "klunky". I had the basic Hoodloupe with diopter adjust but no magnification and eventually I ordered the 3X eyepiece and the crane.

Mounts and unmounts in SECONDS! 3X magnification WORKS FINE and the diopter adjust can be really handy. The whole setup goes from camera to camera and if minor adjustments are necessary that takes me less than 30 seconds.

It's really useful and the more you get used to it, the more I think you'll like it.

If I have to use a two camera setup I'll usually have the CAVISION on the 7D and the Hoodman setup on the T2i or 60D.

If I had to choose between the two I have, even though I like using either, the Hoodman kit would be the choice. Simply because it is effective and WORKS, as well as convenience in swapping to other DSLRs.

[Bruce Foreman]

An inexpensive alternative might be the SpiderBrace. Lightweight, made from PVC, partially disassembles for storage in a bag or suitcase, and only cost me just under $100 delivered to my door.

I use the SpiderBrace 2 with the extra "Combo" grip, so I have 3 grips on mine. The rig aligns the viewfinder with my eye fairly well, and I have a Manfrotto 577 quick release adapter on it for compatibility with the 501 head on my tripod.

The third grip centered allows me better balance when having to use one hand to focus (I just go to the focus ring on the lens and "deal" with autofocus lens focusing rings. Do what I gotta do).

I can go from shoulder mount to tripod in seconds.

I use Canon 7D, T2i, and 60D with viewfinder loupe on this thing, I try to stay lightweight (at 72 this is important) so no "gadgets" added.

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