Hand Grips at DVinfo.net

Josh Bass · October 2nd, 2002, 12:13 PM

What are these hand grips that improve camera work?

Adrian van der Park · October 2nd, 2002, 02:42 PM

they can be found on cavision's website.

they are very good for giving you more control. much like the grips by cinetech on the watchdog. The ones that I bought were really cost effective (around $90) and mount onto the 15mm carbonfibre support rails that mattebox mounts onto. I also have a support to take the weight of my zoom through wideangle adapter off of the lens mount (it's a heavy hunk of glass).

I personally prefer the added weight, feels more like a film 35mm camera and with the handgrips, gives me a lot more cinematic style of shooting than a lightweight handheld camera.

This is also why I still shoot most of my stuff with an XL-1... formfactor is very important to me, and directly related to how I manipulate the framing of my shots. I also have a GL-1 at my disposal, but the small size and lack of shoulder supports etc make it good as a second coverage cam on a tripod or jib only.

I also saw on cavisions site a cool minirail support system for the GL-1 that has a single handle on the bottom, kind of like an old kodak super8mm camera. As some of us know, if you stick a weight on the bottom of the handle, you get some surprisingly stable shots that way (same idea behind a steadycam/steadystick).

Adrian van der Park
VFX technical director
Rainmaker Digital Pictures
Vancouver, BC

Josh Bass · October 2nd, 2002, 03:49 PM

Can you mount those grips without a matte box on an XL1s?

Adrian van der Park · October 2nd, 2002, 04:03 PM

yup. just need the rails and mount plate. I don't know the exact price, but it should be less than US$300 for a rails and grips combo. you can email them for a price sheet. talk to john anthony.

Adrian

Adrian van der Park · October 2nd, 2002, 04:10 PM

the rails are a pretty standardzed piece of equipment. Only thing that'll change when you go to a different camera is the mount plate ($40 part).

there are a lot of accessories out there for the 15mm rod system. cinetech and stuff at XL-1.com use 15mm rods.

Josh Bass · October 2nd, 2002, 04:15 PM

And you can still control the zoom rocker and focus with the rails on?

October 2nd, 2002, 12:13 PM	#1
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	What are these hand grips that improve camera work? __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

October 2nd, 2002, 02:42 PM	#2
Adrian van der Park Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London, England Posts: 87	hand grips they can be found on cavision's website. they are very good for giving you more control. much like the grips by cinetech on the watchdog. The ones that I bought were really cost effective (around $90) and mount onto the 15mm carbonfibre support rails that mattebox mounts onto. I also have a support to take the weight of my zoom through wideangle adapter off of the lens mount (it's a heavy hunk of glass). I personally prefer the added weight, feels more like a film 35mm camera and with the handgrips, gives me a lot more cinematic style of shooting than a lightweight handheld camera. This is also why I still shoot most of my stuff with an XL-1... formfactor is very important to me, and directly related to how I manipulate the framing of my shots. I also have a GL-1 at my disposal, but the small size and lack of shoulder supports etc make it good as a second coverage cam on a tripod or jib only. I also saw on cavisions site a cool minirail support system for the GL-1 that has a single handle on the bottom, kind of like an old kodak super8mm camera. As some of us know, if you stick a weight on the bottom of the handle, you get some surprisingly stable shots that way (same idea behind a steadycam/steadystick). Adrian van der Park VFX technical director Rainmaker Digital Pictures Vancouver, BC

October 2nd, 2002, 03:49 PM	#3
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	Can you mount those grips without a matte box on an XL1s? __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

October 2nd, 2002, 04:03 PM	#4
Adrian van der Park Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London, England Posts: 87	hand grips yup. just need the rails and mount plate. I don't know the exact price, but it should be less than US$300 for a rails and grips combo. you can email them for a price sheet. talk to john anthony. Adrian

October 2nd, 2002, 04:10 PM	#5
Adrian van der Park Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London, England Posts: 87	also... the rails are a pretty standardzed piece of equipment. Only thing that'll change when you go to a different camera is the mount plate ($40 part). there are a lot of accessories out there for the 15mm rod system. cinetech and stuff at XL-1.com use 15mm rods.

October 2nd, 2002, 04:15 PM	#6
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	And you can still control the zoom rocker and focus with the rails on? __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB