Complete HDSLR Rig for under $1000

I've made a video of my current DSLR shoulder rig and invite you to check it out.

Components are:

Camera - Canon 60D (Future upgrade of either 6D or 5D mk iii)

Lenses - 24-105mm f4L, Nifty 50 (1.8 soon to be replaced by vintage Helios 58mm f/2 prime or new Canon EF 50 f/1.4), Tamron AF 70-300 F4-5.6 Di LD Macro lens and a kit 18-55mm)

UPDATE: Purchase of an 18-35 1.8 from Sigma. Excellent lens!

Mics - Rode NTG2 shotgun Mic, Audio technica shoe to 3/8" mount, Rode Videomic and Sony UHF lav mic.

Future Purchases will include:

Manfrotto Smypla USB remote
V Lock battery system (double duty as counterweight)
Carryspeed Universal LCD Loupe
m42 to EOS adaptor plus Nikon to EOS adaptors

The whole rig (Minus Cam and lenses) cost around $700!! Total bargain!! Great quality with solid, dependable operation.

Of course, you can purchase items much more expensive (or even cheaper!) than this but my research looked at bang for buck and I think this is quite a good setup now!

Comments and thoughts welcome!

[mcphee]

kamerar has now bought out a 'nuns knickers' type universal donut for the matte box. looks like it'll do the job nicely.

[mcphee]

This is a good idea. i ended up using a cold shoe mount and an adaptor that worked on my shock mount. the problem though is that you cant use this solution very effectively for 'run-and-gun' shooting as you tend to get a lot of noise of the leads and mics bouncing around. good for steady shooting though.

[perrymorrisjr]

Looks pretty good but most all your shots were extreme close ups and I was not complete able to get a good feel of the whole set up. It is an excellent rig for around $700, thanks!

[mcphee]

there is an adjustment on the follow focus that has now been tightened. it seems much better now.

[mcphee]

The ng2 is now on a boom pole. It was close to useless in application on top of the cage or hotshoe. I tend to use the in camera mic for scratch on my a7s which is surprisingly good for scratch audio. I now use the rode mic with a zoom h4n which works a bit better.

[RandomRaptor]

I was loving the rig until I saw the cat. I now love the cat more in this video, haha!

"679"

[mcphee]

the filter size is 77mm on my biggest lens if thats what you mean. i have an adjustable gear that can strap around it as I need it for the follow focus.

[mcphee]

the lens hood was a cheap rubber 77mm threaded cone on the end of my largest lens. no i have a universal donut for it.

[FotoflixMM]

I too have the Kamerar Matte Box and wanted to know what the grey lens adapter was that you have on your new 24-105 F4 L lens?

So three questions...what is it exactly (Name, Company, Size)?, where did you buy or order it? and how much did you pay? I can shop at B&H or locally at Vistek or Henry's here in Canada.

Ken
Creative Director at Fotoflix Multimedia.

[fabianpsanchez]

you should get the cage from PC to add the mic and lights in front..I'm thinking about doing that.

[mcphee]

yeah, the cage is good but doesnt work well with the shoulder rig. makes it hard to see from the LCD screen as mine is articulated. the cage is great for hand held shots though!

[notchvideography]

To fix the mic problem and add versatility you could use a magic arm like the one in the link below. It could either be mounted on that swiss arm or on the gearbox and attach the gear box to your setup. I saw you fixed the problem but the magic arm seems like it is a less flimsy option.

[thalie-lux]

Nice video. But in my opinion this isn't "a little bit of play" it's a hole play in there... but the rest of it pretty nice.

[augusthalverson]

You use an NTG-2 for stratch audio?? Then what the hell do you use on your boompole?

[DylanRutter]

Is everything jumping around because you way overstabilized this footage in post?

[premcash]

were you able to add DSLR cage as well

[KingHanma]

Seems to be nice but your shots are too close. I would like to see the entire rig in the shot. Too bad, I really wanted to see it in its entirety.

[jeancarlosvelazquez]

what is your set up ring on your lens what .mm?

[jeancarlosvelazquez]

What is the .mm on the ring on your lens?