Cheap shoulder rig?
- Thread starter Defjon
- Start date
I bought one of the CowboyStudio configurable shoulder mounts from Amazon. It was around $80, can be configured to work in a number of different ways (not just a shoulder rig), and is decently well made for the price. Overall, definitely worth the money. If I was going to use it on anything more than a short, I'd probably order an extra one as backup (like I said, it's decently built, but not enough that I'd trust it for anything vital, or to hold up to any kind of rough use). It's loaded with 1/4-20 mounting points, which is nice to be able to connect everything from monitors to lights to whatever else you need.
I bought that one. Didn't seem 'pro' or stable enough for me. The plastic adjustable knobs never do up tight enough even when you swing on them so I found there was quite a lot of movement in the handles, which I also felt were too spongy like you cant really get a good grip on them. I agree, for the price its great for what you get, but my thoughts on shoulder rigs are unless it feels solid and reliable, I'd rather go for handheld with a stabilized lens.
I have the cheapo cowboy studio shoulder support
This is also very cheap $30/£40 but as a 'stand-alone' piece of kit it is not great. It moves up and down with your breathing as the support comes solely from it resting on your chest.
People seem to have overcome this problem however by buying 'half' a rig to fix onto it that looks like a good approach check the pics. They actually used this method in the recent hit 'Monsters'. Unfortunately being in the UK I cant find anything suitable apart from the obvious expensive companies, the US seems has a wider range of 'middle-priced' gear at the moment.
The downside is that only the 'half-a-rig' needed for this addition to the cowboy studio $30 rig is another $300 (cheapest I can find anyway!) So it quickly becomes expensive again.
I'm looking for a cheapish rig that will still be professional to work with. Has anyone come across this model of mid-priced rigs before and are they any good? It's listed on eBay for £399, not the cheapest I know but still quite well priced compared to other similar brands such as redrocks equivelant which would be £1000's. It seems to have a decent baseplate and follow focus arrangement, also comes with several lens gears and focus whip included.
Let me know if theres anything better available to the UK market
I'm wondering if you got a dud. I can get my handles tightened up enough so they're completely stable, but if there were one thing I could change about the rig, it would be the plastic connectors at some points (including for the handles). One of these days I might try taking it apart to see if those could be replaced with something more sturdy, because even though I can get them tight enough, I sometimes worry they're going to break during tightening or adjusting.
Hmm those gini rigs look quite cool. US though to would have to add a third on cost to get it in the UK. Strange you say the guy speaks little to no english as his listings seem to be in very good english.
His BUYITNOW prices are high but starting prices are reasonable so maybe a possibility.
ANyone else had good usage from the GINI rigs??
Nah don't think I got a dud. It seems like its all 'as its supposed to be' but I just wasnt happy with having to put that much effort into making sure its tight every time. Then if its not quite in the right position having to undo and re-tighten. Pain is the a$$.