[WTB] Heden Carat or other comprable WFF system.

[Ryan Forte]

Hello,

Looking to upgrade from my RRM WFF to something much more reliable. The best systems for my needs seems to be the Heden Carat, but I am open to other reliable systems?

 

[Joel Voelker]

Get a Hocus Axis1. Best affordable single channel. You can find great deals on them used.

 

[Ryan Forte]

That's what I keep hearing only thing I didn't like is the 100M range on the transmitter. Has anyone had any issues with a 100M range?

 

[Joel Voelker]

Heden carat is Bluetooth (I think) so I would imagine the range is much worse than the hocus.

 

[Ryan Forte]

You would think so, but the range of the transmitter is 1000m for Heden and 100N for Hocus.

The Axis 1 system is looking good to me.

 

[Jack Lam]

I own the Heden Carat. The range is amazing. I haven't done a scientific test on its range, but I never have problem with it. It simply works so reliably that I just don't bother testing it for range.

 

[Ryan Forte]

I own the Heden Carat. The range is amazing. I haven't done a scientific test on its range, but I never have problem with it. It simply works so reliably that I just don't bother testing it for range.

I have recently gotten a bit scared to purchase one because I have heard from a local owner and others online about connectivity issues. Having a hard time making a decision. I spent a great deal of time working with a Cvolution and Camin 4m setup and trying to come to terms that it is better than anything I am going to be able to afford for around 5K.

 

[Adam Van Voorhis]

Have you considered RTMotion?

 

[Ryan Forte]

Have you considered RTMotion?

The hand unit looks kick ass, but Not reliable enough from what I've read and the motors are a 4 pin Lemo not 7 don't want to go with a company that new. I have a Red rock system that gives me enough trouble don't want to spend money to have similar problems.

I think I'm gonna have to just pony up and go for a CMotion system with Heden Motors...

The Heden Motors will work directly with the Movi Pro for Aerial work and the cVolution/Camin will be compatible with every scenario I'm handed...

 

[Timm Stemann]

Having a hard time making a decision. I spent a great deal of time working with a Cvolution and Camin 4m setup and trying to come to terms that it is better than anything I am going to be able to afford for around 5K.

Ryan, lately a lot of customers have turned from a Heden Carat to our Chrosziel MagNum. Chrosziel has a history of more than 20 years of Wireless FIZ, great references like Panavision/Sony Pictures/Netflix/AngLee..., reliable dual-band transmission and starts at 5k with one Heden motor. A full 3-channel Heden kit is about 13k. Let me know if you want to check out a demo system (AbelCine, SchneiderOptics, us, ...), test rent it (Panavision, PC&E, Adorama, ...) or want me to point out some of our owners to you.

Let me know your thoughts.

Please note I work for Chrosziel as the Product Specialist Lens Control.

 

[brett mayfield]

Hey Ryan
I have gone through a lot of systems and I now own two different brands, Chrosziel and Preston, both full systems. based on your original post, I feel like the Chrosziel MagNum kinda fits your bill, depending on what features you need.
There are two kinds of Chrosziel MagNum: MagNum and MagNum Mini, though they both utilize the same handset. http://www.chrosziel.de/magnum/?lang=en

Mini: Single channel RX, tiny receiver, extremely lightweight, terrific for gimbals and low profile cameras
MagNum: RX starts as 2 expands to 3 (maaaybe 4?) motors, integrates very well with Fuji Cabrio and Canon broadcast lenses, combined power and R/S cables, GHz & MHz (which can be very helpful when shooting indoors with lots of walls)

I really like the hand unit, very ergonomic, great carrying features like hand strap, neck strap, and belt hook. 4 user buttons that are really powerful if you know how to use them in interesting ways, like setting a focal distance for slate and much more like short cut keys. Rx works with any motor i can think of and their motor is great for gimbals and pushes 90% of the lenses we use. In fact I was able to get two of their motors inside of a Gates housing for use on a super speed on Alexa Mini. Integrates with multiple brands of horns (Arri, CineTape).

The developers are Chrosziel seem to be constantly innovating, developing firmware upgrades whenever a bug is reported or just to bring in new features. They are very responsive to any hardware and software needs ive ever thought up or had, including skype calls. The handunit is the same whether you use one, two, or three channels. You essentially just upgrade the unit and they add hardware when you want to bump up to more channels (there are some limitations on the single channel unit, like GHz only). They are making different colored housings, and even improving the materials over time.

I own two hand units, 1-channel and 3-channel (DP and AC respectively), the full size MagNum Rx and the Mini, the Chrosziel motor, and 3 heden motors, lots of cables and straps and batteries.

AbelCine now sells them, Radiant Images in Los Angeles services them, Chrosziel emails you directly whenever there is a firmware upgrade. Ive been very pleased. I think it i a very powerful tool at a great price point. It packs way more punch than any Bartech-esque device. I always prefer it on my rig over my Preston.

Let me know if you have any other questions about it. There is a possibility of getting a demo unit in your hands as well. I dont work for Chrosziel, Ive paid for everything I own from them. Ive just gone through this game so many times, having owned Preston, CMotion, Axis 1, Bartech, and Chrosziel.

brett.