Help me find a shoulder rig: adjustable height, good for tall people, different cams

[John M. Kim]

I'm looking for a shoulder rig with some capacity to adjust the height. Something *similar* to the Anton Bauer StatsisFlex but without so much flex.

I basically need it to adjust at the clavicle area of the shoulder. It terms of height, the height of the Kittyhawk is close but the ergonomics is not what I need: kittyhawk

The rig would have to support low- to medium-weight build cameras: one is a GH2 with a SmallHD DP6, and the other is a Canon XF100. Each build has one shotgun microphone, too.

Take a look at the attached picture for a napkin sketch illustration of what I mean. There are various reasons why I want this style, one being that I'm very tall, and want to be able to maintain my vertical lines without squatting all the time.

[Don Bloom]

John, you might want to look at the DVMultirig at: www.dvtec.tv

I've been using one for years and the shoulder mount can be adjusted to fit just about any position you want plus with the spring rod it helps take the weight.

Danny N used to visit here all the time and is a pretty good guy to work with.

[John M. Kim]

Thanks. How usable it this rig without the middle tent pole support?

[Don Bloom]

Well, I'm old and not a big guy so for me, anything bigger than an HV20 would be more than I'd want to handle. Of course if you have arms like a body builder I suppose you could run pretty much anything.
The "tent pole" is what makes the Multirig work so well. It allows walking shots to be relativley stable, I've even run with it and have done roundy rounds with it. I've locked it down for long winded speakers and had really nice footage. Now it will not replace either a decent tripod or a steadicam but if one know the limitations one can work around them and that's what I do. Could I do my job without it? Yep! Can I do my job better with it? Yep.
I typically run about 8 pounds on the multirig and without the "tent pole", my arms would have fallen off a long time ago.

[Chris Harding]

Hi John

Don does weddings and so do I and trust me you will get to really appreciate a tent pole after a few hours with a camera. I don't use a DVD Rig as my cams are shoulder mount so I already have a "rig" however I added a little set of DIY aluminium rails to the cam so I can attach the tent pole just below the lens. My tent pole is part of a CineCity rig and I just bought the two section spring loaded pole and a belt with pouch. The only thing I have added to my tent pole is a miniball head to give me nice flexible movement. The pole absorbs any shock when you move thru the springs but more than anything the pole takes the front end weight off my camera which makes a HUGE difference to shooting.

If I was shooting even with a DSLR like your GH2 I would still consider a tent pole as well to take any weight off the front of the rig. With an 8lb camera the tent pole makes everything virtually weightess and really rock steady even during tilts or pans!!

Chris

[Dave Blackhurst]

I'd also recommend the MultiRig - finally got one coming in myself, after DIY building similar rigs, so looking forward to the "real deal"!

That "tent pole" is the real key to the system IMO - as already described, you need to get the weight off the arms for anything other than short clips - I've used a tool belt socket thingy I found at HD, and a monopod... works well, but rather have a dynamically sprung support...

The design of the MultiRig is quite versatile, and if you re-arrange the parts, you can duplicate about 90% of the "rigs" out there (although you'd have to cobble up rails separately, if you need/want FF/mattebox type stuff). Easy enough to change the height as desired! Or switch it around and shoot low mode, or "fig rig" style, or...

If you catch my drift, it's hard to find a more versatile piece of "support" equipment, I would have bought one long ago had the budget been there - I just happened into one at a great price and am much anticipating it's arrival!

[Jon Fairhurst]

Your graphic shows the camera in front and no counterweight. For that situation (like with DSLRs), I find that I prefer a "chest rig", like Redrock's The Event, compared to a shoulder setup. I find that without a counterweight that the shoulder pad doesn't really anchor to the shoulder. But with a chest setup, I naturally pull the weight back toward the upper chest, locking it in.

If you plan on a system with a counterweight - never mind. :)

[John M. Kim]

Thanks. I considered the Event but I don't think the angle's right for me. Given my height, I tend to shoot such that the, er, "film plane" or sensor is at the height of my clavicle, more or less, and I think I would like some additional support.

Thanks for the suggestions for the MultiRig. I'm giving it serious consideration.

[Danny Natovich]

Originally Posted by John M. Kim

I'm looking for a shoulder rig with some capacity to adjust the height. Something *similar* to the Anton Bauer StatsisFlex but without so much flex.

I basically need it to adjust at the clavicle area of the shoulder. It terms of height, the height of the Kittyhawk is close but the ergonomics is not what I need: kittyhawk

The rig would have to support low- to medium-weight build cameras: one is a GH2 with a SmallHD DP6, and the other is a Canon XF100. Each build has one shotgun microphone, too.

Take a look at the attached picture for a napkin sketch illustration of what I mean. There are various reasons why I want this style, one being that I'm very tall, and want to be able to maintain my vertical lines without squatting all the time.

The Extreme Deluxe is designed exectly as your scatch.