DVO-4RED

[Mike Yonts]

There are times when I find it practical to keep my Red mostly built when transporting it to a location. If I have a camera assistant and plenty of time, I keep everything in hard cases, but for documentary-style shooting with a small crew, it can save a lot of time to have the camera all in one bag and ready to go. Additionally, I often take the camera to clients for demonstrations, and it's a lot easier to walk in with one case and a tripod, than to haul in four or five cases just to be able to show them a working camera.

So I was very interested in PortaBrace's DVO-4RED. I ordered mine through ZGC. Even though the website referred to it as being “in stock,” it took a few weeks before the bag arrived. The sales person at ZGC said that PortaBrace was still adjusting the design. As a Red owner, I can appreciate that!

By the way, I snapped these pictures under fluorescent in my office—this is not my idea of good product photography!

The bag comes in the Red color scheme—black with red accents. It has a rigid frame with about an inch of padding around the main compartment. You get one big inner space with several outer pouches.

The main space holds my Red with the Red 18-50 lens, Sim Video top handle, a battery, a drive, and the EVF. I disconnect the EVF and drive cables and put them into one of the pouches. I also disconnect the power cable from the camera. You get some foam blocks to help support things. I put one under the lens and one under the drive and battery. There's a pop-out section that makes room for the EVF and also provides some support for its weight. Two Velcro straps come up from the bottom of the case to help secure the camera. They're supposed to go around the camera's rods, but I put them around the top handle. Because of that, I would have liked for the straps to be a few inches longer.

There are two wheels on one end of the case and a wooden handle that slides out of the other end. It works pretty well to roll the camera around, at least indoors.

The biggest pouch zips off and can hold a laptop or a small LCD. I usually have my 15” MacBook Pro, a slate, and some test charts in mine. This pouch only has about a quarter-inch of padding, so I keep some bubble wrap around the MBP.

I find the handles on the outside of the case to be difficult to use. Instead of a shoulder strap or carrying handle anchored at both ends, you get one handle at each end of the case, making carrying it a job for both hands.

This bag shouldn't be confused with something you'd carry on a plane—people have mentioned some backpack solutions that are much better for that. And I don't think I'd transport my camera any farther than around town in this manner. But on some occasions, it comes in extremely handy.

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[Steve Sherrick]

Interesting. I have another Portabrace I sometimes use to keep the camera mostly built but it's not wide enough. This looks like a decent solution. Like you said, it's not the way you'd want to transport it in rough conditions, but I too find myself wanting to jump in the car with the camera built, ready to shoot when I get to my destination. This seems to be a good way to do it. I would definitely want a way to strap the RED in as snugly as possible, especially if wheeling it around, so I'd have to experiement with the included strapping to see if it's secure enough.

Thanks for posting info on this.

 

[Jean Déraps]

I'd love to keep the matte box on too. I've been looking at the Kata OMB-77... it's on sale right now...

 

[Mike Yonts]

I'll have a look at it--a small matte box might fit.

It's probably possible to get some additional straps sewn into it, maybe around the top.

 

[Paul Hazlett]

I routinely carry my red in a porta brace smuggler and its mostly build. just have to slide
on the viewfinder which rides in its own protective pouch that comes with the bag. Not sure I would want my camera rolling on those wheels in that config though, Handle and strap is much better for me.

I also looks fairly big. The smuggle can go on as carryon on a plane

 

[Tom Lowe]

Thanks for the review and pics.

No shoulder strap?? That's kind of a pain.

Can I make some space to hold 4 V-lock batteries?

How does this case compare to the "Smuggler"? http://www.portabrace.com/productA-SMG-2

 

[Paul Hazlett]

Thanks for the review and pics.

No shoulder strap?? That's kind of a pain.

Can I make some space to hold 4 V-lock batteries?

How does this case compare to the "Smuggler"? http://www.portabrace.com/productA-SMG-2

The smuggler is the one I have and its a bit small to keep the viewfinder on
but it comes with a padded bag for it and slides on in no time, plus its half the
price. It really is a good fit for red I can post photos if you like....and say please....

 

[Carlos Prio]

Yeah, I routinely strap "Elvira" fully built and on a Cinesaddle in the back seat of my truck with the seatbelt on!!! That is definitely my run & gun mode!!!

 

[A. Clint Litton]

It really is a good fit for red I can post photos if you like....and say please....

Pretty please...

When I first got my camera I looked into soft/portable case designs, and with limited budget, was only able to set myself up with the hard cases. Like others mentioned, it really sucks sometimes to lug around 4-5 hard cases just to shoot something, so I'd really be interested in a lightweight, carry-on-capable soft case for those days when I feel like staying quick, nimble and built.

Thanks for posting your respective impressions of these cases!

 

[A. Clint Litton]

Also, does anyone know if the Smuggler is available in the Black/Red color combo? Not just that I think it looks good, but it's nice to have something other than the standard Portabrace-blue that screams "camera equipment up in here."

 

[Mike Yonts]

Thanks for the review and pics.

No shoulder strap?? That's kind of a pain.

Can I make some space to hold 4 V-lock batteries?

How does this case compare to the "Smuggler"? http://www.portabrace.com/productA-SMG-2

The DVO is roughly 30"L x 12"W x 15"H, so it's quite a bit bigger than the sizes they list for the Smuggler. I think you could get four batteries in there, but you'd probably want to have some kind of padding so that they wouldn't knock against other stuff.

Yeah, I still haven't figured out what they were thinking on the carrying handles.

 

[rod bradley]

I'd also consider the Kata OMB-77 Jean suggested. Has some decided advantages, not the least of which is that it's lighter -- and you can remove the trolley rather than have built-in wheels. I own both Portabrace and Kata -- and both are brilliant, well-built and last -- but I'd give the nod to Kata. Also find Kata generally more adaptable, a bit more universal whereas Porta tends to be more specific. Of course advantages to both. Can't go wrong with either really.

 

[Tom Lowe]

Clint I would just call Portabrace with the color question.

What I am really interested in doing is getting a semi-rigid, rectangular Portabrace case that the Red can sit in, fully built, along with room for batteries, etc. I guess the LCD would fold down. I need something for run & gun where I can just whip the R1 out and throw it on the fluid head. But I would rather have a semi-rigid case than a soft-sided one.

Here is an example of the type of Portabrace case I am talking about. I built this one for my cine lenses:

Does anyone know of a Portabrace bag of this type, but extremely deep, so the Red could sit in it, built?

 

[Paul Hazlett]

Pretty please...

Ok Ok I am on a job right now and will do some droid pics later.

I have tried to keep the viewfinder on and have it sit in the pull out slot
where a regular broadcast viewfinder sits but its a tad too high for that.
Other than that you could fit the 4 batteries in the side pouches, extend the
back pouch and put the 18-50 on and leave it, no mattebox though.
then there is a mesh in the back for rods cables or what have you.

 

[Paul Hazlett]

Ok here are the pix as promised. in front of the camera is the VF in the padded pouch that comes with the bag and next to that is the 5" lcd in another bag.
cables can be left attached or put in another bag like I have here.
batteries can be put in the front pouches or if you like expand the back the back and add a lense for on the go. the other bag in the pix is a run bag I got
off ebay for 100 bucks and use it for 2 chargers 4 batts, extra cables, etc.

Hope this helps