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Cheap camera support gear that really works - emphasis on BMPCC and DSLR sized cameras


DPStewart
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1 hour ago, SR said:

Ha! The "Red Star" Yeah, that's the one. I wouldn't exactly give it high marks for useability - but that monster DOES do what it advertises, and it is cheap!

And I guess NONE of has that JuicedLink Little Darling yet, but I am curious to give it a go. Right now I use a Tascam DR-05 for "Belt;Pack" audio recording. Works really well and has a full readout screen and navigation. Plus I got it for only $75.
But the Little Darling is a lot smaller - that's why I want to get my hands on it.

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50 minutes ago, DPStewart said:

And I guess NONE of has that JuicedLink Little Darling yet, but I am curious to give it a go. Right now I use a Tascam DR-05 for "Belt;Pack" audio recording. Works really well and has a full readout screen and navigation. Plus I got it for only $75.
But the Little Darling is a lot smaller - that's why I want to get my hands on it.


A recorder (bracketed audio, nevertheless), plus it's not plastic! I never even knew I needed it till I heard about it. If it's good as advertised, I'm ready to ditch the Sennheiser G3 + Zoom H6 for this. If I can get rid of even one item from my setup, I'm all for it.

Check out their Word 95 presentation:
 

 

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2 minutes ago, Mars said:

Sounds not too bad indeed... :-)
By the way, what do y'all think of this one:
http://tascam.com/product/dr-701d/
 

It's nowhere near cheap. It's $600.
The point of this device is SMPTE Time Code. 
If you don't need it then you get a DR-70D for $300 - but it can usually be had on sale for closer to $250. I got mine for $169 on a B&H "Deal of the Day" thing.

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35 minutes ago, AaronChicago said:

I loved the stache. I forwarded from the middle to the end on YouTube and saw the mustache gone. Was like "what the hell..." Replayed it to see you take it off. Hilarious.

Well, this kind of material can get a little "dry"... So I try to keep it entertaining for folks.

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3 hours ago, DPStewart said:

Ha! The "Red Star" Yeah, that's the one. I wouldn't exactly give it high marks for useability - but that monster DOES do what it advertises, and it is cheap!

Got a chance to finally check out your video (was outside earlier). That Cavision Matte Box looks quite ideal, being lightweight. I might get that instead of the Red Star now. Thanks!

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I'd add some more links to my original post, but it seems the forum doesn't let you edit your posts after a certain amount of time.
I don't really want to toss other links throughout the thread as that makes things difficult for readers who come to it.

Any ideas? Am I missing some edit function?

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Here in this thread would be great! For example where to get that shoulder rig...
I've been looking for some stuff recently and only found more expensive toys:
http://store.redrockmicro.com/Mini-Mirrorless-Rigs.html
or
http://ginirigs.com/shop/run-n-gun-cage/
or
https://www.edelkrone.com/eu/p/467/the-pocket-rig-2

It is mindboggling how many alternatives exist... Btw, I finally ordered the https://www.owldolly.com/products/beholder-ds1-camera-stabilizer
Your "fault". ;-) No, seriously, looks really good.

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For rig parts, rods, risers etc I can recommend www.smallrig.com

They've moved more into cages now that look like very good value (but not tried personally), I've noticed their quality getting better and better...yet prices are pretty low.

I've interchanged smallrig components with my wooden camera cage, and they match almost identically (build quality and finish), but at a fraction of the cost. 

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On 2/25/2016 at 4:44 AM, Jonathan Lee said:

Thanks Dane. Awesome tips. Any recommendations specific to the BMCC?

Well pretty much everything I talked about in the video applies to the Cinema Camera, but there IS one thing...

I JUST got this cage - showed up in the mail yesterday. And I think it's going to be GREAT. - $237. 
It has a lot of similarities to the Movcam BMPCC cage - like the nice big base so the thing won't tip over when you set it down etc..
It looked like overkill to me at first but the price was great and I've had decent luck with "the cine city" before so I ordered it.
Now I can tell I'm going to use this without the left handle - that's just unnecessary for most setups, but I like the right handle with the record trigger for sure.
It's not made as flawlessly as the Movcam but it's definitely good. The included rods are cheaply painted and I already scratched them, but I'll be replacing the bottom rods with 40cm Fotasy rods anyway. the finish on the rest of it is better than on the rods. Some of the rigging it comes with I probably won't ever use - but it's nice to have it all included in the price anyway. You never know what you'l need...

http://www.thecinecity.com/eshop/CAMTREE-HUNT-Pro-Cage-For-Blackmagic-Cinema-Camera-Production-Camera-4K-CH-CPRO-BMC.html

 

CAMTREE-HUNT-Pro-Cage-For-Blackmagic-Cinema-Camera-Production-Camera-CH-CPRO-BMC-2.jpg

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On 2/25/2016 at 9:02 PM, DPStewart said:

This is a bunch of basic information about affordable camera support gear.

Great video!  Very informative, and it is further helpful that you demonstrated that some of the gear is booger-proof!

 

For my personal gear, I tend to go for much cheaper and lighter solutions, such as those shown on the Frugal Filmmaker channel.

 

The XTPower batteries are great.  I have 3 of them as well.  On the other hand, I sort of wish that I had instead purchased less expensive Sony NPF clone batteries, as they run at most cameras' (including the BMPCC) operating voltage of around 7.2v-7.5v.  The 12v setting on the XTPower units is nice if you want to charge the internal battery on the BMPCC while you are shooting, but such higher voltages heat up the camera and sensor more than necessary, and, thus, produce more noise.  The 9v setting on the XTPowers reduces the heat/noise, however, here is a video on how to easily use a cheap voltage converter to get 7.4v from 9v-12v batteries.

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24 minutes ago, tupp said:

Great video!  Very informative, and it is further helpful that you demonstrated that some of the gear is booger-proof!

 

For my personal gear, I tend to go for much cheaper and lighter solutions, such as those shown on the Frugal Filmmaker channel.

 

The XTPower batteries are great.  I have 3 of them as well.  On the other hand, I sort of wish that I had instead purchased less expensive Sony NPF clone batteries, as they run at most cameras' (including the BMPCC) operating voltage of around 7.2v-7.5v.  The 12v setting on the XTPower units is nice if you want to charge the internal battery on the BMPCC while you are shooting, but such higher voltages heat up the camera and sensor more than necessary, and, thus, produce more noise.  The 9v setting on the XTPowers reduces the heat/noise, however, here is a video on how to easily use a cheap voltage converter to get 7.4v from 9v-12v batteries.

The BMPCC is DESIGNED to run on an external power source of 12-18v. 
Any batteries will supply less voltage as they run down so using the 9v setting on the XT Power can cause an UNDERsupply situation that can cause internal operational problems.
The BMPCC has an internal DC-to-DC regulator that wants 12-18v coming into it. That regulator is going to send the correct amount of current to that various internal systems. Using the 12v setting or even the 9v setting on the XT Power is not going to cause an overheat condition in this camera. 
That 12v power supply that comes with the camera? The engineers designed the camera to run off of that.
I have run BMPCC's for over 2 straight hours of recording on both internal and external batteries (switching out the internals as fast as possible) and I have not ever noticed any housing temperature differences over all 3 of my BMPCC's.

Simple test: Keep the lens cap ON and run the BMPCC in record for one hour each using both internal and external batteries.
I saw no difference in noise.

The SONY cameras like the A7s described in that video may be an entirely different design that does indeed require a lower input voltage.

FWIW - I have a BSEE. That's a degree in Electrical Engineering. But then again I'm also a drummer in a rock band - so I might be crazy.
 

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