The editman rig for GH1

stoney

Check this out. This rig is definitely lighter than my video tripod. Depending on setup variation, the rig itself weighs from 1.5 lbs to 3.25 lbs. Initially I had 8x9" cage rig configuration. Very compact. But it was getting too crowded to have all gadgets on the top. Then I used 9x10" where actual rectangular size of the cage is 8x10". The threaded rods on the left and right handles made it easy to attach a hotshoe adapter and a QR01 quick release. A couple of accessory blocks can be attached on the top rod to add more gadgets. All parts can be disassembled to make a whole new configuration. It's like my LEGO blocks. Hehe. Yes I used it for little less than 2 hours, and I wasn't getting too tired.

It's not a steadicam, but I was able to get pretty stable moving shot. I loosened the top handle and the shoulder extension so that all parts aligned vertically. Lumix 20.7 lens was so light that it didn't require any adjustment. Lumix 14-42 was light also. Basically hold the top handle vertically and try to move around. Around 14-25mm range I was able to get steady enough "moving" shots. It's not as good as a dedicated steadicam, but it was good enough for me. One nice thing was that low position like 2 ft above ground was possible.

LliamW

Very cool Stonebat, good vid. How much did you put that together for?

Best
LW

stoney

I can't recall exact cost as I kept buying more blocks. Very roughly $700 total. High quality parts made in USA. Frankly I haven't bought made-in-usa gears in freaking long time.

Canon S95 + compact rig version weighed less than 2 lbs. My 5 years old likes using it. :)

My tripod is the cheap Weifeng WF717A from amazon at $149... but the price jumped to staggering $299. Anyways I didn't wanna spend too much on a tripod as I'm more interested in moving the camera around. The rig worked out nice for me.

LliamW

Thanks for that Stonebat.

I really love it's versatility and how you demonstrated that in your vid.
It encourages thinking creatively with the camera in hand which I think is just awesome and the way have always found myself working regardless of what I have or where I am.

I'd need to modify it somehow with some rails for FF and lens support. But again just love how versatile it is.

Best LW

stoney

Glad you liked it. Yeap... it took me a while to find what I like... or what I really want.

Initially I wanted to record better audio. So I got a preamp and a mic. Plus LED light. How to carry them? I saw the original editman rig from http://www.theeditman.com. That looked cool. So I got one. I don't like bulky and expensive ones that do only one thing. I just need a few "right" gears to do all things I need to perform. This is it. Imma happy camper. Hehe.

Hope you find a right configuration. If question, just ask here. Oh they got very nice lens support, too.

Tesselator

Very cool!

Do you have any sample vids using it as a make-shift steady-cam?

I'm in Japan too BTW, what city are you in?

stoney

I will post one tonight. I'm in Washington D.C.

Tesselator

Ah, in the District of Criminals... ;)

Bummer, you seem cool. Well, if you're ever back in Japan let's go shooting or something. I'm in Nagoya BTW.

Looking forward to seeing your video, Thanks!

stoney

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stoney

There's one piece missing.... the EVF rubber eyecup.... Arrrrrrrr!!!!!!

rigs

Nice rig Stonebat Thanks for sharring.
The EVF will be available this summer. I have to finish up a 2 month production first.

stoney

Thanks rigs.

G3 was just announced. It doesn't have a placeholder for bigger rubber eyecup either. When will Panasonic get it? EVF is da answer, Panasonic!!! Canon/Nikon have a placeholder on OVF for bigger eyecup but totally useless during video recording.

stoney

Here's little history of the latest editman rig.

Just 6 months ago I was all hand-held guy. Why get a big rig? I thought I could be like seb33. Nothing but hand-held. The ultimate minimalist. Unfortunately... I'm not seb33. Then I got a small tripod handle. It was better than hand-held but needed more support. Pressing my right eye against the EVF for long time was painful. Then the rubber eyecup made by rigs!!! What a great idea. I don't like the LCD eyecups. They are big, and the ones w/ diopter are expensive. EVF has higher resolution than LCD. So far so good. It's just a waiting game for the eyecup (Still waiting!!!!). Then Richard Hunter showed us how he used GH2 in production. He built a small rig w/ parts he already had and looked straight through the EVF. Never seen anyone trying that before. How about... a compact rig + the EVF eyecup? Ah Ha! Not just any rig, but a "modular" rig. The editman showed us his original editman rig. That was last December. Around that time ENG style was the hottest topic. A editman rig w/ the EVF eyecup in ENG style... super cooool!!! But if I'm getting a rig, why not get an ext HDMI monitor? Well... no 720p, no ETC, no here no there. Later Richard Hunter got the cool Cineroid EVF. Definitely a game changer. But... the price. Ok. Back to the built-in EVF. The EVF eyecup made by rigs can be used for video AND photo. I contacted Brian Berky from Berky System. He made the mikro baseplate for a small camera like GH1. Also he made the threaded components. Expect him making more cool components.

LliamW

Hi Stonebat,

Thank you very much for your kind offer. I may well take you up on it...

But I now think I am probably going to buy an FS100 as my A cam so I'm feeling less sure about my rig choice as it's not out yet - so there's nothing to look at... Prior to FS100, I had been considering the JAG35 field runner quite strongly, but I was concerned it wouldn't be as versatile as I would like... But the top hand and shoulder rig for the price point seemed like a decent choice I was thinking... But Cages always held a pull to me, as i know what I'm like when I get a camera in my hands...

Best
LW

stoney

A cage is really for vdslrs like GH2 and 5Dii. FS100 or AF100 doesn't really need a cage.

I got GH2 body at little over $700. If it were $2K, I wouldn't have gotten it. Every few years I could upgrade the body easily and use the same rig. Yeap... cost saving is a big concern to me. If you can afford FS100, don't think twice about it. Get it and have fun~!

Tesselator

Hehe, cool example vid stoney! Thanks for that man!

It looks like it does pretty good as a steady device. Maybe a swivel handle at center instead of the rigid one would bring it up to full steady capability?

Anyway I liked that video! Very cool! :)

stoney

Thanks. It took a few mins to capture and a few mins to edit. Just to see how it would perform. No software stabilization applied.

Yes... it could be improved. A gimbal handle w/ 1/4" hole connected to tip of the top handle... I just don't know where to buy such handle at cheap price. A combination of the rig, better footwork, and software stabilization will do it for now.

stoney

Next step up would be IndiSliderMini. It's not expensive. Since the cage rig is compact, it can sit on the slider. Use the cage handles to slide side by side and back and forth... like slicing breads. Art of videography. Sliding, gliding, rotating, mounting... :)

stoney

Some asked me in email. Here's my latest config. I'm using the top handle as the bottom handle. The threaded connectors do help. This config is very convenient when using EVF.

Exact parts list:
1 * mikro baseplate assembly w/ quad block & 2.5" post
1 * cross clamp
2 * 10" rods
2 * 8" threaded rods
2 * rubber handles
1 * adjustable handle grip as top handle
2 * accessory mounting post
4 * R blocks w/ knobs. Each R block gets 2 knobs. Total 8 knobs. 4 full knobs and 4 half knobs.
1 R block with 2 screws
1 * threaded spud block
1 * 8" rod
3 more screws
1 * adjustable shoulder/chest pad and a R-block w/ screws. That's a new shoulder pad config where I have a older shoulder pad, a accessory block, and a spud block.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Can you get money estimate for each item in the list?

stoney

I asked Brian Berkey.

stoney

http://www.berkeysystem.com/store/dslr-cages/

Mine is more customized for GH series. e.g. mikro baseplate instead of dslr baseplate. Plus shoulder... and shipping. I'm guessing total is around $850.

brianluce

The kid is way too cute.

stoney

Thanks. She's too cute... I know. What would I do when she leaves me :(

Anyways... I made a compact shoulder rig. Why one more where we have so many shoulder rigs in the market? I can't bring none of them to parties. A big rig is big no no. The rig setup above won't work either. Sometimes I just need a simplest setup that won't scare people away from a camera.

All parts from http://www.berkeysystem.com. Again it's pretty versatile. The EVF eyecup really made a big difference. I will do a quick review video when I get a follow focus gear.

A true story. Yesterday I brought the rig to my county's annual celebration event, and many locals asked me about the rig. They told me it's forbidden to bring a tripod to the event. I don't think anyone is crazy enough to bring a big shoulder rig, either. The small rig was just perfect for the event. Some took photos of the rig.

Berkey System parts:
1 * Mikro Baseplate Assembly w/ Quad Block & 2.5" vertical posts
1 * Chest Pad
1 * Accessory Mounting Post
1 * 3" Threaded 15mm Rod
1 * 6" Rod Extension
1 * 7" Standard 15mm Rod (Correction)
1 * Adjustable Handle Grip 6"

Good enough for my work since I don't have a really long lens. My longest lens is Nikkor 85mm 2.0 AI with Nikon F adapter. The length of shoulder rod is only 4". It's a set of 1" accessory mounting post and 3" threaded 15mm rod. It fits on me. When I wear a thick jacket, I can remove the accessory mounting post to shorten to 3". The 6" rod extension can be screwed into the threaded rod to hold a follow focus gear box. I tried the handle on all possible positions. I found it most comfortable in front of the camera. The chest pad can be leaned against a chest or a shoulder. When using it on a shoulder, the EVF eyecup becomes quite handy and gives more support. As you guessed it, I'm quite happy with the setup :)

stoney

I've been flipping the baseplate back and forth. GH2 works better with the baseplate facing forward. GH1 works better with the baseplate facing backward. Their tripod mounting point locations are slightly different. Each time I change some configs, I need different length rods. Instead of carrying an army of standard rods, I like a set of threaded rods and rod extensions.

http://www.berkeysystem.com/store/rods-and-accessories/threaded-15mm-rods/
http://www.berkeysystem.com/store/rods-and-accessories/rod-extensions/
http://www.berkeysystem.com/store/rods-and-accessories/accessory-mounting-post-15mm-to-14-20/

A set of 3", 6", 9" threaded rods + a set of 4" and 6" rod extensions + a set of 1" accessory mounting posts. It covers a wide range: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, etc.

A simple case. I can have a 6" threaded rod and a 6" rod extension. Use one on the chest pad and the other on the front handle. The front handle can be on either left or right side. When used on the right side, attach it to the other rod to create 12" rod.

It's more portable to carry a set of smaller rods than long rods. If the editman rig is built using threaded rods, all corner sides can be extended with the rod extensions. The accessory mounting posts have tripod mounting holes.

stoney

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