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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Anyone shooting R1 handheld?

Jeff Unay

Jeff Unay

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I am planning a 6-day doc shoot (covering a blues group traveling from Tampa to New Orleans) with the R1MX and am entertaining the idea of shooting primarily handheld with it. Each day would potentially be 4-8 hours of shooting. I've stripped it down to 14lbs which is doable (SSD, 7in monitor, Nikon Primes, top handle & battery belt). When I add the Red mattebox, Oconnor handles, FF & ET 12in dovetail, it quickly becomes beastly.

I'd consider all of the above to be mandatory gear. I'm curious how many folks out there are shooting the R1 handheld these days for doc work and if so, any tips? Eg...are people using screw-on IR filter + variable NDs instead of the mattebox?

My alternative would be to just go with my 5D rig (which I'm bringing, too). I considered renting other camera systems but I'm having a really tough time justifying the costs considering I have these 2 fully kitted out rigs that I already know so well.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thx,
-j
 
Jeff Unay said:
I am planning a 6-day doc shoot (covering a blues group traveling from Tampa to New Orleans) with the R1MX and am entertaining the idea of shooting primarily handheld with it. Each day would potentially be 4-8 hours of shooting. I've stripped it down to 14lbs which is doable (SSD, 7in monitor, Nikon Primes, top handle & battery belt). When I add the Red mattebox, Oconnor handles, FF & ET 12in dovetail, it quickly becomes beastly.

I'd consider all of the above to be mandatory gear. I'm curious how many folks out there are shooting the R1 handheld these days for doc work and if so, any tips? Eg...are people using screw-on IR filter + variable NDs instead of the mattebox?
My alternative would be to just go with my 5D rig (which I'm bringing, too). I considered renting other camera systems but I'm having a really tough time justifying the costs considering I have these 2 fully kitted out rigs that I already know so well.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thx,
-j
Click to expand...

Battery belt, screw on filters, no FF, no mattebox, carbon rodes if you need some, some light lenses, and finally go back to the gym.
Best
B.
 
Or rent an EasyRig.

Red One handheld just gets really heavy, really quickly, especially if you're on your own. 4-8hrs for 6 days will be gruelling, and probably bad for your back!
 
Which screw on filters are recommended? I too am looking to go handheld (shooting outdoors, so ir will be issue).
Thanks for any advice.
 
My two cents:
Shooting handheld with the R1 is completely doable, but painful. I also vote for the easy rig if you can. If not, it depends on your shooting style.
I use to mount battery on camera, added a top handle, nikon lenses, a 7" lcd, and NO RODS, NO MB, NO FF. I found a lot more flex when working this way, than over the shoulder... but as I mentioned before, long days were grueling. Still, I kept the kit to 10-12 lbs, and shot tons of doc work just like that. I also kept filters to a minimum... usually just a polarizing filter. While IR pollution may pop up here and there, it is not a deal breaker, and IMHO is far better under daylight than under tungsten.
 
A big part of this lies in how the camera is situated on your back.

2-Rune_Ericson-Aaton-650px.jpg


Why does Rune Ericson look so happy? Because the camera is at rest.

I used to handhold the Red One with a sweatshirt and handlebars and it was great. Then I added an S4, matte box and follow focus, dovetail and Mantis, and it was considerably less great. Think about what you actually need. Maybe a follow focus will give you a more traditional style while pulling off the barrel will make your footage "freeform" and "loose," maybe you want that, maybe you don't. Either way consider what you absolutely need and then position it all on your shoulder in a way that you can let go and the camera will just stay there.

The camera's lens mount should be next to your eye or thereabouts, and as low as possible. With all the weight on your shoulder, not on your hands, you are putting less strain on your upper back and arms. Your body is no longer tense, straining to carry that weight through your fingers hands arms and upper back; everything is at rest; your hands are free to steer...

As for what to remove? That's up to you, I would say forget the dovetail, it raises the center of gravity and puts a bunch of metal between you and the camera. You don't need to slide the beast back and forth if you've got one balanced configuration and no need to fly quickly to tripod. (If tripod changes are a concern, consider a velcro-on shoulder pad with the tripod plate always attached to camera beneath it.) If you have decent core and leg strength a battery belt for 7 hours is no problem, and with the Red One you don't need the brick hanging off the back for counterweight anyway.

Also makes for fun encounters with local police late at night--"ITS A CAMERA," "STOP MOVING, STOP WALKING TOWARDS US, HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD," "I CAN'T LET GO OF IT" etc etc

What kind of follow focus are you using? Do you have the option of 15mm lightweight rods? If you're using Nikon lenses, which have a nice long throw, could you just use Red rock gears with their "zoom stick" screw? As for the matte box, are you trying to make people feel famous and important, or are you trying to capture them at ease, because a matte box usually can't pull off both. Schneider Variable ND filter if you want super shallow DOF in sunlight that you can quickly adjust if the clouds change, / don't mind a little softness; polarizer if you'd rather just have punchy postcard images; often I just get a screw in IR + ND .9 and 1.2 to avoid the softness of a Variable ND and the intensity of a polarizer.

Just keep the camera as low as possible with a good shoulder pad or old sweatshirt, solid counterbalance, and zero gack.
 
They EasyRig system is your friend. We shoot hand-held all the time. It's amazing. . . and we likely couldn't do it all without it.

Just make sure you buy/rent the rig with the appropriate lift. Ours is a 600N, and it's just right for our camera, but we use Canon lenses, so it might not be right for those with heavily-weighted cameras using large cine primes.

Stephen
 
This is all super helpful info, guys. Really appreciate it.

-j
 
There is a few things I would like to add.... First the Camera Comfort Cushion. About $60US. Its great for long time hand-held shoulder operating even with the Easyrig. Second, an EVF. When operating with a monitor close to your eyes they start to strain. An EVF with a diopter set to your eye will reduce eye strain. (Unless you are naturally near sighted). Third, if you decide to use an Easyrig, the R1 handle is too large for the rig's clamp. I'd replaced my R1 handle with a couple of short eyelet screws and a medium size carabiner.
 
We had an 18 hour shoot on the R1, shooting only handheld.
Me and the DP spent hours configuring the rig the day before shooting.
- Zacuto Universal Baseplate
- 15mm rods
- Zacuto Swiss Plate
- RED Brick
- 7" RED Pro
- DP4 EVF
- Top Handle
- Follow Focus
- Nikon glass

So it`s completely doable.
My DP wanted the rig to be just a little bit front heavy.
In fact he just came back from a 10 hour Scarlet shoot and said his back was hurting more this time.
It`s all about how you configure the rig and who is using it.

Good luck!
 
Not unless you're built like Arnold Schwarzenegger used to be when he was Mr. America.

The Red-One is just too damned heavy for me, but maybe you're young and strong and have the endurance of a teenager. I don't.

We originally bought our Red-Ones thinking one could be a field camera for our documentary work. But, it's just too heavy and cumbersome for that. We have now realized that as good as the R1 is, and it is, it is strictly a studio camera. Plain and simple.

We love our Red-One, but it will never leave the studio again.

.
 
George D. said:
We love our Red-One, but it will never leave the studio again..
Click to expand...

Almost as depressing as the news that Aaton may close today.

Chris that rig looks perfect. People don't realize that a camera made for your body does not need to look like a JJ Abram's monster.

Do you like to mount the battery using the top two holes on the plate so it falls lower behind your shoulder, or leave it up? Depending on the rig sometimes one or the other feels better, curious what you prefer with that setup..
 
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Ryan De Franco said:
Almost as depressing as the news that Aaton may close today.

Chris that rig looks perfect. People don't realize that a camera made for your body does not need to look like a JJ Abram's monster.

Do you like to mount the battery using the top two holes on the plate so it falls lower behind your shoulder, or leave it up? Depending on the rig sometimes one or the other feels better, curious what you prefer with that setup..
Click to expand...
I guess I prefer to leave it upright since having it down lower than my shoulder would make setting the camera down on the ground for low angle shots, and such, impossible. To be honest, I have not ever tried it in a down position but since you mentioned it, I might give it a try to see how it feels.
 
George D. said:
Not unless you're built like Arnold Schwarzenegger used to be when he was Mr. America.

The Red-One is just too damned heavy for me, but maybe you're young and strong and have the endurance of a teenager. I don't.

We originally bought our Red-Ones thinking one could be a field camera for our documentary work. But, it's just too heavy and cumbersome for that. We have now realized that as good as the R1 is, and it is, it is strictly a studio camera. Plain and simple.

We love our Red-One, but it will never leave the studio again.

.
Click to expand...
It can be done, but in small bursts. I'm by no means in Olympic form but I did just recently film a boxing match for a documentary where I was allowed to shoot ringside handheld Red One. The fight went 8 rounds, then we went straight into post fight interviews handheld. I've also filmed UFC handheld with Red One and done a sparring session where I went in the ring with two boxers with the R1. Nothing fancy about my setups.

UFC was done with Mantis, battery belt pack, and a RED 18-50

Boxing was done with carbon fiber rods sitting directly on my shoulder (I have a House of Power shoulder pad but didn't use it for this), Battery belt pack, Tokina 16-50 F2.8 (pulled focus from lens), Red handles (not the greatest), RED 5.6" LCD. When I need to, I can get the camera rig down to about 12-14 lbs. which isn't bad. I shot 4x4 Jeep offroad racing for 8 hours straight with a R1 with it really stripped down. I did feel the effects of that one a couple of days later though. :-)
 
I did a A-ha concert handheld, no Easy Rig. Bad idea. My back hurt the next few days. Never again would I do the R1 handheld for more than 15 Minutes without some form of support.

Not only does it save your back, it also allows you to shoot from angles you otherwise couldn't do - like from the hip.
 
Hi I shot a feature film project that contained a lot of hand held with the r1. Less is more but the essential is a battery belt clip, and to take off that monster cage on the back, i would also use a light viewfinder, the original evf is too heavy, I used one for the shoot only because i had no alternative. I used a birger mount and 15mm bars for a light weight chroziel matte box, and attached the red handles to them. For a cushion shoulder pad i just used a scarf wrapped around some foam cushion, did the job but after about 15min was as much as i would do before it got too much, then had a break for a few minutes. An assistant who will take the camera from you as soon as your finished a shot is a blessing as, every minute on the shoulder counts when working for a long day, you end up being very conservative, that kind of goes for every doc shoot i do any way. www.pilgrimhillfilm.com .
 
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