Anyone use this Redrock shoulder mount with the Letus? at DVinfo.net

Chad Hucal · November 17th, 2008, 09:44 PM

Hi, I have the EX1 and the Letus Extreme adaptor with it's rail system.
I was looking for a shoulder mount to hold the entire setup. This looks like it will do the job. Just wondering if anyone has tried/used it?

Thanks.

microShoulderMount for 35mm Adapters Bundle (Patent Pending)

David Warrilow · November 17th, 2008, 10:31 PM

Hi Chad,

I have that very setup. I have not tried the shoulder mount with the Letus yet - as just with the EX1, RR Follow Focus and (sometimes) the RR Mattebox - it's beast to carry and balance - just basically unwieldy.

With the extra front-heavy weight of the Letus (I bought the Shoulder Mount deluxe specifically to shoot with my Letus) I am afraid it'll just be unusable. I have to admit that I haven't tested it though and am probably naive to all the possible configurations that the SM can be set to but even with my (admittedly minimal) testing, I can't see how it's going to be comfortable.

Phil Bloom shot his trench-war piece hand held with the Letus and a Zacuto rig - you can find it on his blog. It might be possible to figure out from that a workable arrangement with the RR shoulder mount. Zacuto's setup is a bit different in design though.

The biggest issue I've faced (other than the RR mattebox not being designed to work with the EX1 and requiring some major jimmying to be functional with it at all), is that everything is so damn front heavy. I think RR have some kind of counterbalancing add-on for the shoulder mount - a battery pack holder or something - but I waited over 120 days for delivery of my order so I'm not game to look at anything else from them just yet.

Maybe I'll try and hook it all up to find out once and for all. Sorry, that didn't help much at all really, did it?

Cheers,

David.

Chad Hucal · November 18th, 2008, 12:27 AM

Thanks David, I appreciate any input into this. Having spent so much money on both the Letus setup and the EX1, I'm trying to find a good way to do filming without a tripod.

I want to know all my options. I just thought the RR rig was a decent price compared to others I've seen. It's tempting to build one from scratch, but the results are usually mixed with homemade camera gear.

James Huenergardt · November 18th, 2008, 12:43 AM

I have the Letus Ultimate, EX1 and the RR Shoulder Mount.

Just got finished shooting a short film with the rig. It was WAY cool.

I had my tripod mount on the rig, so I could shoot with that, then just unhook it, and I'm hand held. It's awesome.

I would recommend getting extra microMounts so you can use an extra rail for the cross bar. That way, it will be sturdier.

What you do is use another 15mm rail hooked into two microMounts on the two rails. That replaces having to use the cross members that come with the system. See this video: http://www.vimeo.com/1317816

I've attached a picture of the rig. The IDX battery powers my monitor. I need a D-Tap splitter or something so I can power both monitor AND Ultimate with one power supply.

The reason it's so far back is because the rails are out of spec and it's VERY hard to move the power pod.

I love it.

Chad Hucal · November 18th, 2008, 09:15 PM

Wow James, thanks for the video link and your own photo. That helps me a lot. I think I'll go for this RR mount after seeing everything as work.

David Warrilow · November 19th, 2008, 05:43 PM

Hi James,
good to see you got functional with it! Encouraging! Can you post a few more picture of your rig from different angles so we can get a good look at how you set it up (components etc)? As I said, I haven't yet tried mine with the Letus but I'm pretty psyched about it now.
Cheers,
David.

November 17th, 2008, 09:44 PM	#1
Chad Hucal Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 77	Anyone use this Redrock shoulder mount with the Letus? Hi, I have the EX1 and the Letus Extreme adaptor with it's rail system. I was looking for a shoulder mount to hold the entire setup. This looks like it will do the job. Just wondering if anyone has tried/used it? Thanks. microShoulderMount for 35mm Adapters Bundle (Patent Pending)

November 18th, 2008, 12:43 AM	#4
James Huenergardt Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Chehalis, WA Posts: 513	I have the Letus Ultimate, EX1 and the RR Shoulder Mount. Just got finished shooting a short film with the rig. It was WAY cool. I had my tripod mount on the rig, so I could shoot with that, then just unhook it, and I'm hand held. It's awesome. I would recommend getting extra microMounts so you can use an extra rail for the cross bar. That way, it will be sturdier. What you do is use another 15mm rail hooked into two microMounts on the two rails. That replaces having to use the cross members that come with the system. See this video: http://www.vimeo.com/1317816 I've attached a picture of the rig. The IDX battery powers my monitor. I need a D-Tap splitter or something so I can power both monitor AND Ultimate with one power supply. The reason it's so far back is because the rails are out of spec and it's VERY hard to move the power pod. I love it. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Reel Inspirations - www.reelinspirations.com Commercials, Dramas, Image Pieces, Documentaries, Motion Graphics

November 17th, 2008, 10:31 PM	#2
David Warrilow Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 106	Hi Chad, I have that very setup. I have not tried the shoulder mount with the Letus yet - as just with the EX1, RR Follow Focus and (sometimes) the RR Mattebox - it's beast to carry and balance - just basically unwieldy. With the extra front-heavy weight of the Letus (I bought the Shoulder Mount deluxe specifically to shoot with my Letus) I am afraid it'll just be unusable. I have to admit that I haven't tested it though and am probably naive to all the possible configurations that the SM can be set to but even with my (admittedly minimal) testing, I can't see how it's going to be comfortable. Phil Bloom shot his trench-war piece hand held with the Letus and a Zacuto rig - you can find it on his blog. It might be possible to figure out from that a workable arrangement with the RR shoulder mount. Zacuto's setup is a bit different in design though. The biggest issue I've faced (other than the RR mattebox not being designed to work with the EX1 and requiring some major jimmying to be functional with it at all), is that everything is so damn front heavy. I think RR have some kind of counterbalancing add-on for the shoulder mount - a battery pack holder or something - but I waited over 120 days for delivery of my order so I'm not game to look at anything else from them just yet. Maybe I'll try and hook it all up to find out once and for all. Sorry, that didn't help much at all really, did it? Cheers, David.

November 18th, 2008, 12:27 AM	#3
Chad Hucal Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 77	Thanks David, I appreciate any input into this. Having spent so much money on both the Letus setup and the EX1, I'm trying to find a good way to do filming without a tripod. I want to know all my options. I just thought the RR rig was a decent price compared to others I've seen. It's tempting to build one from scratch, but the results are usually mixed with homemade camera gear.

November 18th, 2008, 09:15 PM	#5
Chad Hucal Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 77	Wow James, thanks for the video link and your own photo. That helps me a lot. I think I'll go for this RR mount after seeing everything as work.

November 19th, 2008, 05:43 PM	#6
David Warrilow Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 106	Hi James, good to see you got functional with it! Encouraging! Can you post a few more picture of your rig from different angles so we can get a good look at how you set it up (components etc)? As I said, I haven't yet tried mine with the Letus but I'm pretty psyched about it now. Cheers, David.