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Hello everyone! Since I am new here I thought I will start of with a review. Still in hope, that this is the right place to post something like this. But I do get an incredible amount of information from this side so I thought maybe someone is interessted in a low budged shoulder rig. I certainly have been and I could not find a lot on this anywhere so I thought why not give something back. If it's the wrong place please just let me know or delete it or so :/ Let’s get to the review already. The rig I am talking about: http://www.proaimshop.com/pas/CAMTREE-Camera-Shoulder-Mount-Kit-201.html General Since I live in Austria it is not that easy to test a lot of different quality video gear and I have been looking for a shouldermount/cage for quite a while. A friend of mine has imported quite some stuff from the US and all over the world, so his stuff was/is my reference. He owns some wooden camera stuff (which I guess is some kind of standard) and quite some manfrotto things among diverse other brands. The most important feature for me was, that the system has to be versatile and offer a lot of flexibility. Processing Everything is made of black aluminum which looks and feels great and has the perfect amount of weight to it (thus still keeping everything light weight enough to carry it around for a while). Processing is seamless for the most parts. The only thing I found are the edges of the cage brackets are a little sharp on some parts (I used sandpaper to get rid of them, now everything is smooth again). I had no issues with loose parts or loosening screws so far and I don’t think there will be any problems anytime soon. Accessoires and packaging The number of accessories that come with this set is incredible. In fact there are so many, that I didn’t even knew what to do with every part when I first saw it. It is equipped with 9 15mm rods (!!) with gives you a lot of possibilities to mount stuff together. You can have a look at everything that is shipped via the link below. And everything has its own space in the amazing box the ship it in so nothing gets a scratch or anything the like. In fact there are so many accessories that I was able to make two rigs out of everything! One small handheld and a larger shoulder mounted rig. You can mount literally a hundred different things to the cage up to a point where you can’t really carry it anymore because it is just too heavy ;) Ease of use and long term work experiences I had more than just one chance to use my rig now and there are many ups and some minor downs to it. Proaimshop.com is very thoughtful with every request you send them and the really have always a solution to a problem you might face. The First thing I didn’t like about the kit is the shoulder pad itself that comes as standard with the kit. It is not really soft and very small and it can not offer you a lot of stress relief on your arms. Another thing I didn’t like (or need) was the quick release system. I already use one system and mixing different systems together is counterproductive. With all that being said here is the great thing about proaimshop.com: I wrote them that I don’t need the quick release system and if I could get some extra handles instead and it was no problem at all. I had to ge the shoulder pad with a different shipment tough because I didn’t know that I would not like it. So I would suggest to get a different shoulder pad on your first order. (I have and love this one: http://www.proaimshop.com/New_Images/DSLR_Rigs/CAMTREE-HUNT-Quick-Mount-DSLR-camera-Rig-(CH-QM-SR)-Pad.jpg) Now to the ease of use part: the rig is thought through and this makes it easy to adapt to any situation while shooting. The thumbscrews make it easy to tighten everything up or make the rig smaller if you need to (I would suggest some iron washers tough because the plastic things that come with it tend to break if you tighten the screws to strong). Besides the breaking plastic washers I have not a single scratch or anything on my rig and it has been through some serious video shoots! EDIT: The cage is tall enough for a 5D MK3 plus battery grip so you should easily fit every DSLR out there =) Summary This kit is just amazingly versatile and for its price it is unbeatable! I can really recommend everything from proaimshop I bought so far (which you can find in the link section below) even when compared to wooden camera or manfrotto stuff. The customer service is amazing as well and shipping is surprisingly fast. All in all it’s just an amazing product with only very little minus points. If you have any specific questions please feel free to ask! I will try to answer everything. I purposefully did not attach any foots because the pictures on their side are really representative and everything looks like on their pictures. If you however want a picture of a special part or something the like I can make pictures and send them to you! LINKS The rig I was talking about: http://www.proaimshop.com/pas/CAMTREE-Camera-Shoulder-Mount-Kit-201.html Crane (I love it - it is like the aviator travel jib or kessler pocket jib) http://www.proaimshop.com/pas/Camtree-Scout-Video-Camera-DSLR-Jib-Crane-with-Tripod-Stand-CSJT.html Flycam (you couldn’t want anything more from it) http://www.proaimshop.com/pas/FLYCAM-3000-Handheld-Video-Stabilizer-with-Free-Plastic-Quick-Release-Plate.html Cheap and good enough slider http://www.proaimshop.com/pas/CAMTREE-3ft-Linear-Camera-Slider-C-S3-4010-with-Level-Feet.html Thanks =) ps: since, as mentioned above, I am from Austria my english may not be perfect, please connive at it :) also this is my very first review so you may forgive me that as well ;) I am not payed by proaimshop.com or anyone else to write this, it really is just my opinion and I understand that there might be some people who do not like pro aim stuff.

This is my fifth attempt to find an affordable stabilization solution for the BMPCC, particularly for the heavy setup with Speedbooster and Sigma 18-35. It works perfectly, and the only two things that are missing are 1. Pistol grip to be clicked underneath the cage with a quick release plate and 2. Lanc-controller with button on top of the grip for START/STOP. It consists of an old, self-built shoulder pad with counterweight (aluminum rack, ~$ 5,- , bent in a vice and padded with foam rubber, ~ $ 2,-), a micro goose neck with 3/8" connections, ~ $ 7,- , filled with a steel rod, ~ $1,-) and a ball head (~$ 30,-). The ball head allows for fast height- and angle-adjustments. I found this to be the most crucial aspect of all shoulder supports. You both stress your neck with only half an inch of unergonomic proportions and run the risk of unintentionally rotating your frame. Not with this ball head. If you loosen the ball, you can screw it on or off the cage within 10 seconds. The counterweight could be substituted with a battery pack, and the rod that helds the goose neck stiff could also be a steel tube (well, perhaps, it could turn out to be too weak then) to hide the cable. The shoulder pad doesn't look particularly elegant, I'm sure you can do better.

Ive been looking for a particular piece to customize my rig. I dont know if it exists so I figured i'd post here in case anyone has run across it. Basically it connects 2 15mm rods in parallel on the top and bottom. Except the second set of 15mm rods I need it to swivel. So probably two 15mm rod pieces with swivel action so it can be placed at different degrees of angle. Basically like this item. http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/mountinggear/microMount Except with the right ring parallel to the left and able to rotate to a 45 degree angle. Im trying to mount my vmount battery plate at a 45 Degree angle from the back of the rig on 15mm rods. Any help would be appreciated thanks! Edit* found this as a better example. http://www.amazon.com/Lanparte-Battery-Internal-Splitter-External/dp/B00ARABA9I/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1393126744&sr=1-1&keywords=lanparte Basically what this does but I already have the plate and I want an additional set of 15mm rods parallel to the plate itself.

Hey I figured i'd drop this here if anyone was interested. Im selling my Redrock Micro Black Ultracage Professional DSLR mounting on ebay here. Selling for 15% less than retail plus HDMI wireLock accessory included. Great condition, however I dont have a need for it since I recently purchased a BlackMagic Cinema Camera. Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, Check out this kickstarter of the Lenzhound Wireless Follow Focus by Motion Dogs. They just released their newest update and are desperately trying to reach their stretch goals in order to supply us indie filmmakers with the best possible gear! I think this is a fantastic product and I can see myself using it non-stop on sets, especially since I am still in film school and every bit of speed and perfection on set really goes a long way. Anyway what do you guys think about it, and if you like it try and spread the word so that these amazing stretch goals can be fulfilled! Thanks guys! LENZHOUND LINK: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...control-system UPDATE #4 LINK: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...8?ref=activity

Im in need of some advice. I have a full Redrock UltraCage setup. Backplate everything and power distribution system connected to a V-Mount battery. Its heavy to say the least. I bought the Steadicam Merlin and body brace. Which worked with just the dslr, well even with the beginning parts of the ultracage. However with the full ultracage and battery it is far too heavy.   Im in need of a scale for sure, however does anyone have any suggestions for good heavy duty heavy camera stabilizers? Im concerned the Glidecam 4000 doesn't support the weight I need it to support.   Additional accessories on the camera Marshall LCD H4N Zoom Sennheiser boom mic with blimp windscreen   Its all very heavy and most I can find only support 4-10 lbs   Ultracage setup   Ultracage Ultracage backpack and v-mount battery attachment Shoulder support (which I could very well remove without much effort that in itself is heavy) MatteBox (id like to use this however i can remove it)   Id like one that i can just lock onto with a Manfrotto quick release plate whenever I need a steadicam shot and not have to take the whole ultracage apart just to do it.   Thanks in advance.

Hi everybody! This's my first post on EOSHD, I'm very happy! My name 's Brice Rudelli filmmaker of south France. I work on a accesories line for dslr like GH2, rig, dolly, jib crane and others... I present to you my first test of ultra light jib crane, it's just a prototype. Heavy 14 pounds with the GH2 and lense. [img]https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/313980_10151054706374887_1054247970_n.jpg[/img] Video test: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVrKn0XBzyg[/media] I crop for looks and put a little bit of stabilisation because I shot without external monitor. The GH2 's no hacked. Put just color grading with MB Thanks for watching If you want more information you can go on my website for contact me. [url="http://www.pictureyourarttoo.com"]http://www.pictureyourarttoo.com[/url]

Hi everyone, I've been using the iFocus from Gini Rigs for a couple of weeks now and I just thought I had to share my opinion about using it. First of all, it's a nice follow focus, it's got hardly noticeable backlash and offers smooth focusing. The main disadvantage in my opinion is its size. It's really big and looks somewhat silly on my GH2 rig, but it does the job right when used properly. So how to get the most out of it? Well, out of the box, it has it's focusgear on the right side, closest to your camera, which is very common for follow focuses. But due to it's size, it will get in the FOV of (smaller) wide angle M43 lenses (<14mm). It also won't allow the use of sunhoods, because of the small space between the gearbox and gear, the gearbox will hit the hood before the focusgear can slip into lensgear. [attachment=300:000.jpg] So the first thing I did was switching the gear from the right to the left side. You'll just need two small hex keys (I think its 2 and 3mm) to do this. [attachment=301:001.jpg] [attachment=302:002.jpg] But after this, the follow focus will block the view of the FL and DOF markings on the lens, and will make it harder to adjust aperture when having a manual aperture ring. [attachment=303:003.jpg] To solve this little problem I attached the 15mm connecter to the other side of the rig, so a large part of the FF will be under the lens. You can rotate the gearbox, so the wheel will be vertical again. [attachment=304:004.jpg] So this is my opinion on using this follow focus, just thought to share it with you. Any tips or recommendations are welcome.

Hey guys, I've been playing around with my new gini-rig. However I've been noticing a problem whenever I'am racking focus. Especially when I'am using a longer/heavier lens. Since the lens weights more then the camera, there is a cantilever effect. The camera tilts up and down whenever I turn my focus wheel. Iam not sure if you guys have experience such a problem. Would really like to know how you guys will go about solving this issue. So far what I can come up with, its either adding more weight on my GH2 or finding some kind of lens support(so the lens mounts directly to the rig, instead to the camera.)

Hi guys, Am looking around for budget mattebox. Along the line of Konova or Redstar..etc. Something along the Pro line which allows for filters. Wondering do you guys have any recommendations of any matte box, based on your experience. Thanks