My Redrock Micro vDSLR Rig.

karenabadmfa:

So I got an email from a lovely Mr. Brandon Walowitz asking to detail all the parts and accessories in my vDSLR rig set up, here, so here goes. Before I begin please keep this in mind. I am a HUGE fan of Redrock Micro, Zacuto, and Cinevate. However, to buy this entire rig from either of these three places costs a couple thousand dollars, money that I can’t really afford to spend on a rig. So I spent the last couple months incessantly searching on ebay and Craigslist for the parts I needed. I found all in relatively new or brand new condition, for almost half of the actual costs. The only things I bought directly through Redrock Micro were the DLSR baseplate, counterweights and marking ring. Redrock seemed to have the most affordable prices (out of the three) for awesome quality. Besides, Blue on Black is super sexy, just saying. So here goes:

• Tripod. I use a Davis and Sanford tripod. At the time that I purchased it 3 years ago, it seemed like the best deal for the price. It’s actually a pretty obnoxious tripod because the knobs are positioned in a way that they often times run into one another. I feel like most of the time that I am adjusting, there’s just a huge clusterfuck of knobs that are too close together. Other than that, beautiful tilts and pans with the fluid head, and for the price that I got it at, it’s served well over its purpose.
• Camera. I am now currently shooting with the Canon 7D. It’s a really great camera for what it is capable of and how much it costs. Of course the new Canon 55D/Rebel T2i is being released which is way cheaper…but that’s how it goes. Technology is technology. It’s going to change really quickly. Your best bet is to just settle on one camera and learn the ins and outs of it so it can serve your purpose. It’s the filmmaker who makes a film, not the equipment he or she uses. Now when it came between choosing the Canon 7D vs. the 5DmkII, I’m going to be honest, the biggest seller for me was the price and the 24P/60P. As much as I’d like a full censor, I rather spend the extra grand or so on making a rig that I’d probably need to get anyway, even if I go the 5DmkII. The censor makes people want the 5DmkII because it handles better in low light, you get a more shallow depth of field, etc, but I can manage adding more light, and I think that people are getting way too DOF happy with vDSLRs. I want my actor to be able to hit his mark, and not worry if his nose will be in focus while his eyes aren’t. Close down the aperture, add more light, just because you can have a hairline DOF, it doesn’t mean you always should.
• Lenses. The biggest problem I had crossing over to Canon was that I have been shooting Nikon, for the entire duration of my interest into photography. I had spend quite some money on lenses already and I didn’t want them to go to the wayside. Problem solved, I bought a $9 adapter (that works just as well as the $200 adapters) that adapts Nikon lenses to EOS camera bodies. Problem solved. Now I have a slew of beautiful glass that I can still put to good use. I have a preference for Nikon glass over Canon glass, just based on how it handles circles of confusion, grain, colour, and light. I don’t think one is better than the other, they are just different. I’m used to the optics of Nikon, which makes shooting with them more comfortable for me. I mean really, who can afford all those sexy Lomo anamorphics?
• Matte Box. I did some research on what matte box I wanted to get for a while. At school we use Chroziel matte boxes for the film cameras. Some people even joked around and said, why don’t you just make one out of cardboard, aren’t they just flaps to block flares? The reason why I wanted a Matte Box was so that I could eventually invest in a nice set of ND filters, Polarizers, and ND grads. These are crucial, especially for shooting in the bright sun. Digital still can’t match the latitude of film, blacks are crushed and whites are lost, so any sort of colour manipulation is best handled with filters during shoots. I really like the Redrock micro Matte box because it supports 4X4 and 4X5.65 filters. It also has a swinging door to make lens changes easier, limited height adjustment and it is also the best piece of equipment for its price. Don’t settle for those gross chincy ProAim rigs from India on eBay. You might as well make an investment here.
  • Redrock microMatteBox Features (from Redrock)
    • microMatteBox wide format shade
    • 15mm lightweight (60mm) swing-away arm (rods and baseplate not included)
    • 2 universal 360 degree rotating filter stages
    • 2 dual-purpose filter trays, supporting 4x4 and 4x5.65” filter sizes
    • 1 wide screen interchangeable matte
    • 4 rubber donuts

• Follow Focus. I use the Redrock Micro follow focus v1, because that’s what I happened to find, but i would definitely recommend going for v2 with the quick release on it. I love this follow focus, you can adjust the width, the tension, position, etc. I am really digging the 3D marking rings so you can pull focus from behind the camera instead of completely to the left for the assistant. The speed crank and the whips are great added bonuses too. A follow focus is essential for maintaining that critical focus while you shoot. You can’t always rely on your hand. 
  • Redrock microFollowFocus v2 Features (from Redrock)
    • Completely gear-driven design for slip-free, accurate, and repeatable focus movement
    • Unique quick release clamp
    • 1:1 gear ratio allowing smooth movements for still and motion picture 35mm lenses
    • Adjustable slide-mounting mechanism to fit large range of lens diameters, including video camera lenses
    • Interchangeable drive gears including 0.8 film pitch and fujinon pitch (for fujinon video lenses)
    • Easily switchable to either side of camera
    • Optional microLensGears which can be quickly attached to existing 35mm still (SLR) lenses for accurate gearing. (see below for more details)
    • 3D marking disk allow focus marks to be easily viewed by operator or assistant
    • Standard arri-style accessory port in focus wheel for attaching whip, speed crank, etc.
    • Industry-standard 15mm lightweight (60mm spacing) rod mounted (rod support not included with microFollowFocus bundle)
    • Optional 19mm rod clamp adapts microFollowFocus for 19mm rods for cameras including the Red ONE
    • Optional fujinon 0.6 pitch drive gear for working directly with fujinon lenses
    • Optional reversing gear for focusing nikon and pentax lenses the ‘correct cinema’ direction
    • Machined with high quality, machined aircraft-grade aluminum
    • Lightweight design
    • Sleek Redrock look
    • Also works great with DV and HD/V built-in camera lenses**
    • Weight 15 oz
• Shoulder Mount and accessories. I love the Redrock Micro Shoulder Mount because it’s relatively cheap and fully customizable. I needed the microShoulderMount as opposed to the vDSLR rigs they have because I have all that extra crap (Matte Box/Follow Focus/Giant lenses) that needed the extra length of the rail system. On my Shoulder Mount Deluxe bundle, I added the DLSR baseplate, which is an essential for vDSLRs (super awesome, quick release, rubber padded, and has a locking pin for Nikon and Canon cameras to prevent rotation). I also have the Counterweights in the event that I want to go hand held on this rig. It’s very front heavy so it needs all that weight to balance it out. I think my favourite thing about this rig is that the bottom of it is shaped like a plate so it can mount directly on my tripod, and it has holes to screw in a tripod baseplate. Essentially, I didn’t really NEED a shoulder mount set up, I needed a rail system…however rail systems are surprisingly expensive. How odd is it that I could kill two birds with one stone with this not so expensive rig. Cinevate also has a pretty awesome hand held rig.
  

  • Redrock microShoulderMount Features (From Redrock)

    • Rubberized handgrips and padded shoulder mount for maximum comfort
    • Removable rod clamp allows shoulder pad to be positioned separately from camera for additional balancing options
    • standard 15mm lightweight (60mm center to center) rod configuration
    • Optional microMount connector with 1/4” 20 male/female tap can be used to mount on-camera LCD monitor, articulating arm, or other accessories. The microMount can also be positioned on any 15mm rod anywhere on your rig for added flexibility
    • Machined aluminum and stainless steel construction for maximum durability and rigidity
    • Padding, rubberized grips, and full adjustments for maximum comfort and stability
    • Configurable components can be assembled to exactly meet your needs
    • Expandable with other Redrock gear allows you to grow your rig as your needs or camera changes

So that is that. My rig. Make sure you check out Zacuto, Redrock Micro, and Cinevate if you are looking to make your own rigs. They all have really amazing pieces of equipment. I am looking to maybe expand if I save up enough for a monitor, or even get a Hoodman, but this should suffice for now. Any little money I have left is going towards funding and producing my thesis. I’m also looking to build a Gliderail system on my own this semester to add to my Jib/Dolly. It’s also important to not go gaga over camera movement conventions and use them in order to tell a story…but that’s for another post.

2 years ago  /  20 notes  /  Source: karenabadmfa