Arri base plate from RED or ET?

[Brandon Fraley]

Is the Arri base plate from RED different than the one from ET? The both look the same and cost the same?

THANKS

 

[Mark Pedersen]

ET makes the 19mm and 15mm Arri base plate on Red.com/store. You can only buy them from Red.

M

 

[Brandon Fraley]

Thanks Mark. If someone wouldn't mind, I'd really appreciate an explanation of what the Arri plate does and why you would want it. Also, how do you shoulder mount the camera when using the Arri plate? Do you have to take it off?

 

[Fredrik Callinggard]

Go and watch this video review Finner made. It's quite self explanatory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ9g5lmV4ZY

There's no question which one you should get.


Fredrik Callinggard

 

[Brandon Fraley]

i've seen that video before. I'm preparing for the names i'm about to be called, but i still don't really get why the Arri plate is important. Why is it better than
RED's bottom plate? Also it seems really practical that the RED dovetail has the shoulder pad built in, and i don't see a shoulder pad option on any of the ET stuff.

Sry for the ignorance You guys gotta be patient with a newbie like me

 

[david farland]

Why get the ET gear over the Red bottom plate/dovetail gear?

it's made better....that's all!!!

It gives a firmer mount....but if buy the Red cheese plate, you've got a firm mount and lower height above tripod.

D

 

[Osler Go]

i've seen that video before. I'm preparing for the names i'm about to be called, but i still don't really get why the Arri plate is important. Why is it better than
RED's bottom plate? Also it seems really practical that the RED dovetail has the shoulder pad built in, and i don't see a shoulder pad option on any of the ET stuff.

Sry for the ignorance You guys gotta be patient with a newbie like me

Hey Brandon, no worries, everyone has had similar questions at one time or another. Wrote an article on Element Technica, which you can find here.

 

[david farland]

Very nice write up Osler...

I missed the slide plate function if you don't already have it in your existing setup.

One thing though....the whole thing about being compatible Arri MB/FF etc.

This is not an advantage over Red's bottom plate as the Red bottom plate is compatible with Arri MB/FF gear also. look here

People probably need to make this a little more clear in their reviews.

There's also a disadvantage with the ET 1030 dovetail you showed in that if not clamped up properly, it can slide off the tripod with the camera!

D

 

[Fredrik Callinggard]

I think that the BIG thing with having a dovetail is the adjustment possibilities. My guess is that people coming from stills or "video" are not aware of the "sizes" and weight of the gear they most probably will be using with RED.

When shifting between primes to a zoom or vice versa. Or when putting on tele lenses etc. You will be happy about the advantage over a dovetail to the quickplate. The balancing it will bring is IMPORTANT. Now there is dovetail's being made for RED so you can slide RED's baseplate as well, but I would still recommend ET's ARRI baseplate, since it's more of an industry standard.

regards,


Fredrik

 

[Greg M]

Why get the ET gear over the Red bottom plate/dovetail gear?

it's made better....that's all!!!

It gives a firmer mount....but if buy the Red cheese plate, you've got a firm mount and lower height above tripod.

D

Its not so much about being made better as it is about compatibility and cost. The Arri base is compatible w/ Arri dovetails, so if you have or plan on using an Arri dovetail and/or and OConnor head, then the Arri base is the way to go.

If you are more interested in saving money and dont require compatibility with Arri dovetails, then the Red bottom plate is a good alternative, especially considering the price of the Red Base Production Pack.

That being said, the Arri Base system is made much better and would be more reliable long term.

 

[Matt Uhry]

I think if you are not going after the rental market and not planning to ever use your camera with other professional gear you can get away with using Red's production pkg Base Plate setup, assuming you also get a bottom cheeseplate ( $300 ). It basically works, you can say it's a good value for the money if it fits your needs.

However ET's designs are industry standard, solid, quick to work with and represent incredible value in their category. You will have no regrets buying from them.

Setting up your Red camera is not a "one size fits all" situation. Someone who lives in Hollywood and shoots commercials and music videos is going to have very different needs than someone who lives in Montana and shoots wildlife films. Maybe it's best to seek someone who's knowledgeable and does the same kind of work that you do / aspire to do and give their opinions a bit more weight than the others.

Matt Uhry
www.mattuhry.com

 

[sander kamp]

One thing though....the whole thing about being compatible Arri MB/FF etc.

This is not an advantage over Red's bottom plate as the Red bottom plate is compatible with Arri MB/FF gear also. look here

Not in comparison with a RED bottom plate but with a standard Arri baseplate. If you mount that under your RED the rods will be too low and your mattebox will not be centered. The ET bottomplate fixes that.

If you are in a commercial production where you switch from primes to zoom regularly there really is not much choice. A tripod head can balance a bit but mostly not enough, and taking the camera off and turning it upside down to unscrew the baseplate takes too much time.