Lean NanoFlash setup with shoulder pad for EX1

[Olof Ekbergh]

I hope everyone had a great Holiday.

Below are some photos from my shop with the NanoFlash setup I am working on. I would be skiing now except it is pouring rain here. So I may as well fool around in the shop.

It uses my standard EX1/EX1R tripod plate with wing and the straight NanoFlash arm.

All available now at:EX1 Stronger Plates

There is a clip system that attaches to the wing so you can simply snap a couple different versions of my shoulder braces onto the wing.

I have the largest SWit battery on my EX1R and I did not like the exposed D-tap, it is on the bottom of the battery when used on the EX1.

This very small shoulder brace, it is the aluminum unfinished part, shown with a foam cushion right under the battery. It protects the D-tap and is surprisingly comfortable if you use the Hoodloop on the LCD.

If you use the VF instead, the larger brace shown with a chest brace in one of the photos below is better ergonomically.

You can quickly change from one to the other, they just slide on or off.

You may also notice that I now make custom D-tap cables with an inline sliding switch for the NanoFlash. I also make custom SDI cables and I sell the BNC removal tool that makes it very easy to attach the BNC cable to the EX1/3. I actually had to make the switch case out of Delrin as I could not find another good solution for a small switch that is hard to turn off by mistake.

The whole setup fits in a small run-bag without disassembly.

I would appreciate any comments or thoughts.

If you are interested in ordering any of the products, contact me:

olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283
cel 603.387.4921

[Piotr Wozniacki]

Hi Olof,

Both your shoulder brace versions look interesting - it's great you have taken into consideration using either the LCD or the VF.

BTW, what's this large eye piece on top the Hoodman loupe?

[Gints Klimanis]

Looks good, Olof. My Swit battery has the D-tap on the panel side with the LEDs and push button. Do you have an older Swit battery? The fellow at Dolgrin Engineering mentioned that previous designs placed the D-tap in the location shown in your images.

I've decided to avoid using the Swit for longer shoots and instead get hardware to use other Sony batteries. With the Swit, the LED meter is too inaccurate to predict when the battery will suddenly turn off as the LEDs read 0% after about 45 minutes of use in Nanoflash+ Sony EX1.

[Olof Ekbergh]

Originally Posted by Piotr Wozniacki

Hi Olof,

Both your shoulder brace versions look interesting - it's great you have taken into consideration using either the LCD or the VF.

BTW, what's this large eye piece on top the Hoodman loupe?

That is an I-cuff. I fid it really helps if you wear glasses and it is less likely to fog your VF in cold weather. It is also very comfortable.

Raider | i-cuff HD Viewfinder Hood | ICUFFHD | B&H Photo Video

[Piotr Wozniacki]

Thanks Olof.

Just to make sure: using Hoodman ONLY is still possible with your smaller shoulder pad ?

[William Graydon]

which battery is that? is it this one? Switronix | EX-L96 14.4v 96W Lithium-Ion Battery Pack | EX-L96

the reason I ask is because i just got the ex1r and the stock battery isnt all that great. Thanks.

[Olof Ekbergh]

William,

Yes that is the battery. I like it, the only thing about it is that the indicators on the back are not very accurate. The charge lasts much longer than they lead you to believe.

I like the way the camera balances with this battery.

[William Graydon]

oh ok great. thanks. In regard to the charge indicator, cant it be seen from the camera itself?

[Olof Ekbergh]

William,

There is a voltage indicator in the viewfinder. In a while I will know at what point the camera has to shut down. I have seen the voltage as low as 13.5 with no lights on in the back, and the camera and the Nano are both still happy. This is after hours of on-time and a week of staying hooked up to EX1R.

The trick will be to notice the voltage right before it is to low for the camera or Nano. I have not had the low batt warning with this system yet. My guess is that it will be around 11.5 volts.

Maybe someone here knows that number. I also would not be surprised if different batts and cams are different.

[Paul Cronin]

Olof I have run my Swit battery to 12.5 and the camera was still running fine. At that point I switched batteries.

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Friends,

If powering the nanoFlash and the camera from the same battery, for almost all cameras, the camera will shut-off first.

The nanoFlash goes down to approximately 6.5 volts before shutting off. This is far lower than most any camera.

When the camera shuts down, the nanoFlash will detect the absence of the HD-SDI signal, then close the file.

[Piotr Wozniacki]

Very important point, Dan - it may be obvious reading the nano's specs, but it's good to realize that!

[Piotr Wozniacki]

Olof,

Awaiting the pre-production shoulder brace unit, I've been thinking:

- would there be a way to attach some counterweight to the small version (i.e. the one assuming the use of the LCD / Hoodman loupe)?

Having experience with my RedRock shoulder mount, I believe it'd be great if some short rails could be added at the back, and depending on the needs - a brick battery (like my 2.2kg PAG), serving as a counterbalance and of course, additional power source...

This would be welcome with just the EX1 + nanoFlash, but I'd say - indispensable with some front rails for mounting a matte box.

[Olof Ekbergh]

Piotr,

The lean is just that really lean, it fits in a runbag as is all set up.

I also have "full size" shoulder mounts in the works using batteries etc as counter balance, and chest braces as well, both for EX1's and #X3's, I have used the EX3 version myself now for almost 2 years.

I will soon have all these on my web site.

EX1 Stronger Plates

[Piotr Wozniacki]

Olof,

I understand perfectly that this is intended as a lean design, and I'm actually looking forward to it (with my rail-based RedRock solution being heavy and cumbersome).

However, some modularity would be welcome in the design; perhaps accommodating front/back rails would be an overkill for what is supposed to be "lean", but an ability to fix a brick battery plate to hang over the shoulder would be nice!