Grizzly Pro r-THREE at DVinfo.net

Roger Mason · April 18th, 2006, 07:11 PM

The r-THREE is advertised as an inexpensive remote camera control system. Does anyone have any experience with this system? It looks like it would be perfect for a single videographer to get good multi-cam coverage of a ceremony.

http://grizzlypro.com/index.htm

Mark Von Lanken · April 19th, 2006, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Mason

The r-THREE is advertised as an inexpensive remote camera control system. Does anyone have any experience with this system? It looks like it would be perfect for a single videographer to get good multi-cam coverage of a ceremony.

http://grizzlypro.com/index.htm

Hi Roger,

I have seen the Grizzly Pro at a couple of trade shows. It looks very impressive. I have a friend that uses two of them and based on how much he likes them, I will be buying one soon. I have talked with the owner of Grizzly Pro, and while I do not know him super well, he seemed like the kind of guy that I would want to do business with. He seemed very high on customer service and was not pushy in his sales approach.

Roger Mason · April 20th, 2006, 08:46 PM

Thanks, Mark.

While I haven't been able to dig up much on the net, what I have has been positive. I just wonder if I'll be able to keep up with three seperate cameras all panning and zooming at the same time.

Phil Jensen · April 21st, 2006, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Mason

Thanks, Mark.

While I haven't been able to dig up much on the net, what I have has been positive. I just wonder if I'll be able to keep up with three seperate cameras all panning and zooming at the same time.

I'm the guy that Mark met. I'm happy to talk about the r-THREE if you give a call (no sales pitch), contact info is on the website. I'll be in vegas at NAB until thursday . No booth this year, too much work (and $) and I'm already filling orders as fast as I can. The Weva web site
http://www.weva.com/cgi-bin/newsread...i&storyid=3424
has a film about using the r-THREE at the 100 camera shoot in Sacramento.

Regards,
Phil

Rick Steele · April 21st, 2006, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Mason

The r-THREE is advertised as an inexpensive remote camera control system. Does anyone have any experience with this system? It looks like it would be perfect for a single videographer to get good multi-cam coverage of a ceremony.

http://grizzlypro.com/index.htm

Ok, I'll bite...

How can you use this system with 100's of feet of cable strung through a church? Does a case of Duct tape come with it?

Phil Jensen · April 21st, 2006, 03:48 PM

Since the cable is just a single cat5 it's pretty easy to set the system up. It can run up to 600 feet so you don't have to run the cable straight to the camera from the operator. I've taken it out a window and back in another window but for the most part it's so small that you can hide it in the corner of the wall and the floor and just tape it where it changes direction. Markertek sells a jackreel with 400ft of cat5 that makes the cable handling pretty tangle free.

With other systems you would need to string three seperate cables (video feed, camera control and pantilt control).

I typically spend much more time just getting the cameras ready and hooking up the audio feed than I do on setting up the remote control.

Jon Omiatek · February 28th, 2007, 05:00 PM

I recently purchased an r-3 with live swithing from Phil and he has lighting fast customer service! We definately recommend the system. I have used it from High School sporting events to a couple of weddings.

I also purchased a color 4 channel processor, so you I can see all 3 cameras on one screen, as well as the Jackreels from Markertek. It takes me about a 1/2 hour to setup for a wedding and about a 1/2 hour to take it all down. I have been recording live to a mini-dv deck and dvd burner. It's great when you can hand a bride a ruff version of her wedding the same day. Yes, live doesn't equal edited but it's in her hand the same day!

Thanks Phil!

Jon Omiatek

Ben Lynn · February 28th, 2007, 06:00 PM

There's something to be said cutting a live production and walking away with a great cut, not picture perfect like an edit, but a great live cut. If the system only takes 30minutes to set up then that's a great setup for live coverage. I thought it would take at least an hour to set up but that's great it's so much faster once you have it down. Nice.

Ben

Jon Omiatek · March 1st, 2007, 07:42 AM

The following items really save me time on setup:

1) Bogen Quick Release plates on all the PTZ Heads
2) Jackreels for cable management
3) Grizzly pro console, DV deck, 4 channel processor and audio swither all ready to go, all I have to do is take it out of the case and connect the rj-45 cable and power

I bring the following that are not included in the r3

* 3 pd170's
* 3 tripods with 501 heads
* 3 wireless micrphones (senhessier g2's on a,b,c frequencies)
* 1 24" LCD Monitor for preview of all cameras and program view(4in1)... If space doesn't permit I bring 7" LCD's.
* A roll of gaffer tape and a small mat(carpet)... I use this if i need to go across the isle. I try to avoid it if possible.
* If a balcony is not available, I bring Bogen / Manfrotto 3322B - Stacker Light Stand and make my own balcony. up to 13 feet... Thanks for the tip, Phil!

It takes about 30 minutes to tear it all down and bring it to the reception. We connect straight to the dj for sound and have a ambient mic to switch to if needed.

This week we are going to play a little more and a wireless video feed for the isle shot. Basically, camera two will be disconnected from ptz head used in the isle and then returned to the ptz head.

Jon

Mark Von Lanken · March 1st, 2007, 11:16 PM

From the time frame of this original thread, April of 2006, I have bought a Grizzly Pro as well. For those churches that will not allow a videographer at the front, it is great to be able to get those shots from the front of the church with the Grizzly Pro.

I like to go in tight on the ring exchange and then slowly pan up to the Brides face to show here expression. The Grizzly Pro is so smooth I can get this shot, even when I am zoomed in at 12x.

Jon Omiatek · March 2nd, 2007, 09:10 AM

Mark,

Which version did you buy? Have you run into a problem with churches not allowing you to have the rj-45 cable connected to the cameras?

Jon

Mark Von Lanken · March 8th, 2007, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Omiatek

Mark,

Which version did you buy? Have you run into a problem with churches not allowing you to have the rj-45 cable connected to the cameras?

Jon

Hi Jon,

I'm sorry for the delay in responding. I had an out of town wedding and then spent a couple of extra days on business and pleasure.

I bought the r-one single head unit. I used the r-three with two cams over the course of a few months and absolutely loved operating two cameras with the system.

When it was time to send it back and buy my own I purchased the r-one for a couple of reasons. The r-one is half the price of an r-three two cam package and secondly. I only own two cameras that will operate with the Grizzly system, and Trisha shoots with one of those from the balcony.

I can always upgrade to the r-three 2 cam setup if I need to at a later date.

By the rj-45 cable, are you referring to the CAT 5 cable. It is a small cable, and no, I have not had a problem with running the cable at churches. You only use one cable per camera and it is very easy to tape down with gaffers tape, or in older churches, tuck between the floor and woodwork.

When it's time to make your purchase let me know. If the timing is right, I may be able to save you a little $.

Jonathan Nelson · March 8th, 2007, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Von Lanken

Hi Jon,

I'm sorry for the delay in responding. I had an out of town wedding and then spent a couple of extra days on business and pleasure.

I bought the r-one single head unit. I used the r-three with two cams over the course of a few months and absolutely loved operating two cameras with the system.

When it was time to send it back and buy my own I purchased the r-one for a couple of reasons. The r-one is half the price of an r-three two cam package and secondly. I only own two cameras that will operate with the Grizzly system, and Trisha shoots with one of those from the balcony.

I can always upgrade to the r-three 2 cam setup if I need to at a later date.

By the rj-45 cable, are you referring to the CAT 5 cable. It is a small cable, and no, I have not had a problem with running the cable at churches. You only use one cable per camera and it is very easy to tape down with gaffers tape, or in older churches, tuck between the floor and woodwork.

When it's time to make your purchase let me know. If the timing is right, I may be able to save you a little $.

Do you or anyone else recommend this system for wedding videos?

I have been considering one of these systems for quite some time. My problem is that it's hard for me to secure a videographer for the day, even though I pay rather well and use my own equipment. I even had some who failed to show up. I also hate it when me and the other videographer are framing at the same time!

Do you think this system is practical/reliable for wedding videos? I just worry about something like this as being too mechanical and it's possible the client might think it's cheesy. I mean, it kind of reminds me of surveillance cameras, lol.

This is just my own perception. I would love to use something like this because I wouldn't have to rely on someone to help me and I actually think the footage would benefit since you could control both cameras.

I am not sure if my cameras will work with it though, I have canon a1's.

Mark Von Lanken · March 8th, 2007, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonathan Nelson

Do you or anyone else recommend this system for wedding videos?

I have been considering one of these systems for quite some time. My problem is that it's hard for me to secure a videographer for the day, even though I pay rather well and use my own equipment. I even had some who failed to show up. I also hate it when me and the other videographer are framing at the same time!

Do you think this system is practical/reliable for wedding videos? I just worry about something like this as being too mechanical and it's possible the client might think it's cheesy. I mean, it kind of reminds me of surveillance cameras, lol.

This is just my own perception. I would love to use something like this because I wouldn't have to rely on someone to help me and I actually think the footage would benefit since you could control both cameras.

I am not sure if my cameras will work with it though, I have canon a1's.

Hi Jonathan,

Yes, I do recommend the Grizzly Pro for weddings. Here are a couple of links that show one of the reasons why. It works great.

This Wedding Day Edit was shot with a two cam remote system and a Glidecam and balcony cam. We only got to practice with the system the night before the wedding, so you will not see zooms and pans from the front cams.
http://tulsaweddingvideos.com/video/CJSDE.wmv

This Wedding Day Edit was shot with one remote cam and one balcony cam.
http://tulsaweddingvideos.com/video/ZCWDE.wmv

In both cases we were not allowed to shoot from the front, so you can see the advantage of the Grizzly Pro.

From experience I know the system is both practical and reliable for weddings. My clients don't think it's cheesy. They love the fact that I get great closeups from the front, even though the church will not allow a manned camera at the front. All they see is a camera on a tripod, so why would they think that is cheesy?

When I am positioned in a side room and the groom can see what is going on before the ceremony starts via the Grizzly Pro, they think it is pretty cool. I have had them ask me to pan around the room so they can see who is there.

I would contact Phil or go to his website, www.grizzlypro.com to see if it works with the Canon A1.

Jonathan Nelson · March 8th, 2007, 04:59 PM

Thanks a lot Mark for the info! Very nice wedding highlights. I am glad to hear that your clients like the system.

I probably will end up getting this system, I am thinking the two camera system.

The way I setup my ceremony videos is to have one isle cam that faces the b/g and then have another camera near the pews on the groom side - to see the brides face.

I have found that this setup renders the best footage from the limited two cameras. However, the cameras in these locations are FAR from inconspicuous. That is the only reason why I thought it could be cheesy, because the cameras will be right where everyone could see them.

This also brings up the question of the mechanical noise generated from the pan heads. In some of these ceremonies, you could hear a pin drop!

So right now, I am just trying to get a gage on how well this system would fit in these scenarios.

April 18th, 2006, 07:11 PM	#1
Roger Mason Regular Crew Join Date: May 2005 Location: Houston Posts: 28	Grizzly Pro r-THREE The r-THREE is advertised as an inexpensive remote camera control system. Does anyone have any experience with this system? It looks like it would be perfect for a single videographer to get good multi-cam coverage of a ceremony. http://grizzlypro.com/index.htm

February 28th, 2007, 05:00 PM	#7
Jon Omiatek Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 755	Worth the investment I recently purchased an r-3 with live swithing from Phil and he has lighting fast customer service! We definately recommend the system. I have used it from High School sporting events to a couple of weddings. I also purchased a color 4 channel processor, so you I can see all 3 cameras on one screen, as well as the Jackreels from Markertek. It takes me about a 1/2 hour to setup for a wedding and about a 1/2 hour to take it all down. I have been recording live to a mini-dv deck and dvd burner. It's great when you can hand a bride a ruff version of her wedding the same day. Yes, live doesn't equal edited but it's in her hand the same day! Thanks Phil! Jon Omiatek

March 1st, 2007, 11:16 PM	#10
Mark Von Lanken Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 910	From the time frame of this original thread, April of 2006, I have bought a Grizzly Pro as well. For those churches that will not allow a videographer at the front, it is great to be able to get those shots from the front of the church with the Grizzly Pro. I like to go in tight on the ring exchange and then slowly pan up to the Brides face to show here expression. The Grizzly Pro is so smooth I can get this shot, even when I am zoomed in at 12x. __________________ Mark Von Lanken www.VonWeddingFilms.com

April 20th, 2006, 08:46 PM	#3
Roger Mason Regular Crew Join Date: May 2005 Location: Houston Posts: 28	Thanks, Mark. While I haven't been able to dig up much on the net, what I have has been positive. I just wonder if I'll be able to keep up with three seperate cameras all panning and zooming at the same time.

April 21st, 2006, 03:48 PM	#6
Phil Jensen New Boot Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: bellvue, CO Posts: 13	Since the cable is just a single cat5 it's pretty easy to set the system up. It can run up to 600 feet so you don't have to run the cable straight to the camera from the operator. I've taken it out a window and back in another window but for the most part it's so small that you can hide it in the corner of the wall and the floor and just tape it where it changes direction. Markertek sells a jackreel with 400ft of cat5 that makes the cable handling pretty tangle free. With other systems you would need to string three seperate cables (video feed, camera control and pantilt control). I typically spend much more time just getting the cameras ready and hooking up the audio feed than I do on setting up the remote control.

February 28th, 2007, 06:00 PM	#8
Ben Lynn Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 636	There's something to be said cutting a live production and walking away with a great cut, not picture perfect like an edit, but a great live cut. If the system only takes 30minutes to set up then that's a great setup for live coverage. I thought it would take at least an hour to set up but that's great it's so much faster once you have it down. Nice. Ben

March 1st, 2007, 07:42 AM	#9
Jon Omiatek Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 755	The following items really save me time on setup: 1) Bogen Quick Release plates on all the PTZ Heads 2) Jackreels for cable management 3) Grizzly pro console, DV deck, 4 channel processor and audio swither all ready to go, all I have to do is take it out of the case and connect the rj-45 cable and power I bring the following that are not included in the r3 * 3 pd170's * 3 tripods with 501 heads * 3 wireless micrphones (senhessier g2's on a,b,c frequencies) * 1 24" LCD Monitor for preview of all cameras and program view(4in1)... If space doesn't permit I bring 7" LCD's. * A roll of gaffer tape and a small mat(carpet)... I use this if i need to go across the isle. I try to avoid it if possible. * If a balcony is not available, I bring Bogen / Manfrotto 3322B - Stacker Light Stand and make my own balcony. up to 13 feet... Thanks for the tip, Phil! It takes about 30 minutes to tear it all down and bring it to the reception. We connect straight to the dj for sound and have a ambient mic to switch to if needed. This week we are going to play a little more and a wireless video feed for the isle shot. Basically, camera two will be disconnected from ptz head used in the isle and then returned to the ptz head. Jon

March 2nd, 2007, 09:10 AM	#11
Jon Omiatek Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 755	Mark, Which version did you buy? Have you run into a problem with churches not allowing you to have the rj-45 cable connected to the cameras? Jon

March 8th, 2007, 04:59 PM	#15
Jonathan Nelson Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Kingman Arizona Posts: 298	Thanks a lot Mark for the info! Very nice wedding highlights. I am glad to hear that your clients like the system. I probably will end up getting this system, I am thinking the two camera system. The way I setup my ceremony videos is to have one isle cam that faces the b/g and then have another camera near the pews on the groom side - to see the brides face. I have found that this setup renders the best footage from the limited two cameras. However, the cameras in these locations are FAR from inconspicuous. That is the only reason why I thought it could be cheesy, because the cameras will be right where everyone could see them. This also brings up the question of the mechanical noise generated from the pan heads. In some of these ceremonies, you could hear a pin drop! So right now, I am just trying to get a gage on how well this system would fit in these scenarios.