DSLR RIG REVIEW

by Sebastian WöberJanuary 23^rd, 2010

Introduction

Some cinematographers still complain about the idea of shooting video on a DSLR camera. They may be scared because finally you can get the real “movie feel” on a smaller budget. I think that breaks a lot of barriers. The big sensor size and swappable lenses, let indie filmmakers achieve really professional looking results.

The idea of just picking up a DSLR and shooting cinema style is tempting, but to really get noticed by the Industry you need at least two more things on your camera to make it a perfect tool.

Knowledge of how to fight the flaws the companies built into the new breed of DSLR’s (see forum) and really good camera support!

The sum of the parts that we add to the new DSLR cameras is the thing we call a “rig”. It’s what extends your camera’s body to make it ergonomic for cinema style shooting. The way it is set up, depends on what you’re shooting.

Usually, the more sophisticated camera configurations are handheld rigs. Not only do they have to conveniently and safely hold together basic parts, like for example a matte box, follow focus, monitor and/or microphone, but at the same time balance all weight comfortably on your shoulder so you can create good camera motion and be able to work quickly, for long hours.

Usually professional camera support is compatible with those common film and video cameras, but DSLR’s are an exception and demand their own dedicated rigs due to several reasons.

• More lightweight than other (serious) movie cameras, balance becomes more of a challange.
• Lenses sit lower than on most other video cameras, so the base plate has to compensate, by being higher.
• Some DSLR still photo lenses are shorter, and smaller, than movie lenses.
• There’s no eyepiece on a DSLR yet, so the camera itself has to be brought to your eye with an LCD viewfinder of some kind.

It was some time before manufacturers started to produce rigs dedicated to DSLR’s, but after a year of very slow DSLR evolution more and more companies got on board. Some come from big and well established manufactures, others from individuals putting stuff together in their garage.

Since the market for this is very new and some of the rigs cost more than the camera itself, it is wise to take a closer look into what you’re going to get. We would like to help you with this task. We will show you what we experienced and think after looking at gear by ten different brands, ranging from simpler setups to more complex handheld stuff.

On the team with me are BBC freelance cameraman Johnnie Behiri and photographer / DOP Serafin Spitzer who is also studying with me at the Vienna Film Academy. We come from different fields and have worked with professional, semi professional and DIY gear alike. While also using other systems we currently share one vision, which is shooting with DSLR’s and we have learned to know what that means.

For all our tests we used a Canon 7D, with both a Zeiss prime, and a Canon Zoom lens.
As a loupe we tested the widely used Zacuto Z-Finder and the LCDVF.

Before we start, let me tell you that our primary mission was and is to provide the truth to our fellow DSLR shooters. All products were reviewed with equal approach, no brand had better chances than another and our conclusions come from the best of our knowledge and conscience. We might lose some sponsors after this review, but we want to add that this does not affect this review at all.