Anyone using the Zacuto Fee-N-G

[Tim Palmer-Benson]

Am looking for advise on using the Zacuto Fee-N-G with a Canon 5D mk11...I am finding the rig heavy and difficult. It seems like if you are not use to old Sony ENG cameras there is a learning curve. The 8 pound weight seems a bit much. I am having trouble balancing everything and my arm that holds the Z grip gets tired after a while. I can see that weight plays an important part in the steadiness of a shot, but running around with this all day would be beyond me. Maybe I gotta do some exercises and practice! I have looked everywhere on the web for comments and real reviews on this equipment but can't find any except what I consider marketing hype.

I have also discovered that it is difficult to slide the rig onto a Manfrotto 501 Quick Release because the Zgrip in the front of the rig has to be manouevered out of the way each time. This is a nuisance when you are trying to quickly release or place the rig on a tripod with this style Manfrotto release.

[Trevor Dennis]

I have no answer for you, but I have been having similar thoughts with the Tilta rig I am slowly putting together for an XF300. It is already noticably heavier, and I have a few items to add yet. I would say that a two handed grip with decent width between them is going to be a lot more managable than the single handle on your rig. Although one of my problems is that the seven inch monitor I am using is unbalancing the rig.

It still weighs less than the pair of 1D bodies I carry when working stills, but I suffer for days after a long weekend of that.