hey finner.....

[Chris Parker]

how are ya man. since you 'know best', i am gonna ask you.

what pieces of kit do i need to fully pimp my RED out? I am considering both ET stuff or SIM stuff.

From ET, if I got:

- topside combo
- EVF mount
- video breakout box
- 12" 2060 dovetail
- 15mm toe plate
- rods

Would this be all I need? Ho can I best mount the battery with the ET stuff?

Is there any concerns when working in 15mm world with this stuff?

Is the ET solution better than SIMs?

I also have the RED Diamond package from ugrip coming in. Will this all work together with the ET stuff?

What do I need to order from RED to make all this work?

Help me Hoff...

 

[Finner]

how are ya man. since you 'know best', i am gonna ask you.

what pieces of kit do i need to fully pimp my RED out? I am considering both ET stuff or SIM stuff.

From ET, if I got:

- topside combo
- EVF mount
- video breakout box
- 12" 2060 dovetail
- 15mm toe plate
- rods

I have this set up and am very happy with it. Your in TO right? Don't you typically run with 19mm there or do you all use 15mm like here in western Canada?

Would this be all I need?

ET will have soon the cheese handle that is great and a drive mount that I have been testing and is perfect.

How can I best mount the battery with the ET stuff?

2 ways:

1- You can buy an extra ET "top rod mount" and attatch the "red battery plate" to the top rod mount. Just drill holes in the steel plate of the battery plate to attatch it, ET also has an aluminum battery plate that replaces reds steel plate, is lighter then the reds steel one and it already has holes. This allows you to hang the battery off the back of the camera from the top or bottom rods.

2- If you are handy you can buy flat aluminum. Then bend the aluminum to approximately a 90 degree, drill holes to attatch to the top cheese plate and the back plate of the battery plate. Then just hang it off the dumb side of the camera.

Is there any concerns when working in 15mm world with this stuff?

Works with all the 15mm studio equipment I own or have used perfectly.

Is the ET solution better than SIMs?

For me the rigging possibilities with the ET stuff makes it the big winner. It also seems priced better to me and the EVF mount is incredible.

I also have the RED Diamond package from ugrip coming in. Will this all work together with the ET stuff?

The ugrip red package comes with 19mm bridge adapters that you can attach stuff to and hang off the rods. I am 90% sure you can get 15mm plug adapters to take the 19mm bridge plate down to 15mm. I believe this will work but am not completely sure. You can also attach the ugrip box to the top cheese plate.

What do I need to order from RED to make all this work?

I got 2 battery plates (back up), EVF, AC power pack, red/arri/ET 15mm base plate, red drive, CF

Help me Hoff...

Hope that helps

cheers
Daren

 

[Chris Parker]

you rock finner. thanks for the tips....

 

[SF Geek]

I'd wait on the Ugrip stuff to see what ET has to offer handheld-wise.

 

[Andrew Benz]

I'd wait on the Ugrip stuff to see what ET has to offer handheld-wise.

Good advice, it's what I am waiting on to move forward.

Skip, definitely get ET's alu battery plate and an extra 15mm ET "top rod mount". I put mine together last night and it works great and is light weight. Daren is dead on with this advice.

Big thanks to Stephen Pizzo for all his help and advice, I am very happy with all my purchases and am ready for the next wave of ET goodness.

Skip, I will try to get a picture up later if that would help...

 

[Chris Parker]

a picture would be awesome......

and finner, we are 15mm here in toronto....

 

[Andrew Benz]

Pictures are coming...

Pictures are coming...

2 ways:

1- You can buy an extra ET "top rod mount" and attatch the "red battery plate" to the top rod mount. Just drill holes in the steel plate of the battery plate to attatch it, ET also has an aluminum battery plate that replaces reds steel plate, is lighter then the reds steel one and it already has holes. This allows you to hang the battery off the back of the camera from the top or bottom rods.

2. ....

a picture would be awesome......

Skip, consider this a place holder for just a couple hours until I finish the rest of my work for the day. My good friend Bryan Stafford and I have already taken pictures that should prove to be helpful. I will get them up shortly.

Cheers,

Andrew

ps- These pics are down n' dirty not portfolio pieces.:wink:

 

[Chris Parker]

down n' dirty is perfect and actually suits this thread.....actually.....if the thread were titled 'hey finner's mom' it would work better.

who loves ya darren?

 

[Andrew Benz]

Oh, I wish I could meet Finner's Mom.

Oh, I wish I could meet Finner's Mom.

OK, on the left is the heavy metal Red back plate from the Red Battery plate. For shits and grins lets say this is the ET Aluminum Battery plate and there are four holes drilled in the back and spaced to allow for the installation of the ET 15mm top side mount (which is on the left).

When you purchase the ET Aluminum Battery plate it will come with 2 hex screws/split washers plus six small hex screws that fit the business end of the Red battery plate.**Caveat** before you install make sure that you are not crimping any wires and make sure you position the ET 15mm top mount exactly the way that you need it or you will find yourself taking things apart... not that I would know about that. Also make sure to cinch everything down then tighten down alternating corners and middle so everything is tightened evenly.

Side view of ET Aluminum battery plate attached to the Red Battery and the ET 15mm top mount using split washers and two hex screws. This shows the washers and the spacing. This is a very solid config... so no worries.

(side note... since we are limited to four pictures per post, this is one you will have to click on to see.)


Alternate side view... sorry for not getting a shot straight on the backside to show the four hole spacing. But this next shot should make up for it...

One of the several configs using the ET aluminum/top mount/RED plate combo.

I hope this helps... if I was unclear or if anyone has any questions please ask or pm.

Cheers,

Andrew Benz

 

[Chris Parker]

awesome stuff andrew. thanks so much. what are you using for a handle for the camera in your config. i didn't see one in the full RED camera pic.

but very nice advice indeed.

 

[Finner]

I have the same battery mount as you Andrew and it works great.

awesome stuff andrew. thanks so much. what are you using for a handle for the camera in your config. i didn't see one in the full RED camera pic.

I am lucky enough to have an ET cheese stick handle. It works really great and allows many mounting options. Stephen tells me the cheese stick handle should be an available product soon.

 

[Andrew Benz]

I have the same battery mount as you Andrew and it works great.

Yeah I really like this light weight combo. Stephen gets a big thank you for the advice and the solution to my 15mm rod system/battery mounting dilemma.

what are you using for a handle for the camera in your config. i didn't see one in the full RED camera pic?

I am lucky enough to have an ET cheese stick handle. It works really great and allows many mounting options. Stephen tells me the cheese stick handle should be an available product soon.

This is what I hear and I am very ready for this to happen. No handle limits me in some shooting situations but I am able to adapt for right now. I will say though that I am looking to build a handle solution like Matt Urhy's very nice set up here in this post with the aid of a machinist...

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showpost.php?p=164203&postcount=3

What a nice, well thought out, compact Red configuration. And if you look closely at that handle that Matt made in his shop there are some very nice added features to it's use and operation. Also note the position of the battery on the dumb side, as others have said ( as does Finner in this thread)... great for counter balance.

awesome stuff andrew. thanks so much... but very nice advice indeed.

Hey Skip, I am happy to hear this helped and I am glad that I did not let you down. Like many here, I am waiting for a few more pieces of gear to get out of dev. limbo in order to get the most out of my rig and myself using it.

 

[Matt Uhry]

This is what I hear and I am very ready for this to happen. No handle limits me in some shooting situations but I am able to adapt for right now. I will say though that I am looking to build a handle solution like Matt Urhy's very nice set up here in this post with the aid of a machinist...

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showpost.php?p=164203&postcount=3

What a nice, well thought out, compact Red configuration. And if you look closely at that handle that Matt made in his shop there are some very nice added features to it's use and operation. Also note the position of the battery on the dumb side, as others have said ( as does Finner in this thread)... great for counter balance.

Thanks for the nice comments Andrew!. The handle is working out really well. I had to re-do the part with the holes in it, it was flexing and scaring some people. New one is solid and not scary. There also is a focus hook on the top now, a better place than on the body I think due to staying clear the matte box and follow focus. A leica disto also conveniently butts up against the flat part of the handle and has a clear view forward..

Actually the tall, removable top handle idea was inspired by a camera with truly horrific ergonomics:

Matt Uhry
www.mattuhry.com

 

[Finner]

Actually the tall, removable top handle idea was inspired by a camera with truly horrific ergonomics:
www.mattuhry.com

Still an ergonomic step up from the Epic though.

 

[SF Geek]

Hey Matt,
Do you find that you keep your Red configured like in the picture most of the time? Do you keep it like that for handheld? If so, how do you keep it from being front heavy?

 

[Matt Uhry]

Hey Matt,
Do you find that you keep your Red configured like in the picture most of the time? Do you keep it like that for handheld? If so, how do you keep it from being front heavy?

The concept of putting weight ( batteries and drives ) far back to balance a inherently front heavy camera while in hand held mode is totally wrong. You increase the mass that plays on the X and Y axis while decreasing mass that affects the Z axis. Basically this makes it hard to keep good horizon. This state of imbalance is further aggravated by being top heavy due to the lack of a shoulder cut out and the height added on by the base plate / shoulder pad design. A good handling camera will have all it's mass close together and a low center of gravity.

Anyway I ended up with this:

It's not a product - ( although several guys who've tried it out, side by side with their red setups have discussed forcibly stealing it ) I made it just to provoke certain parties into creating an even better solution.

I used to own an Aaton which was sweet, about the same weight as the Red. If the Red's in hand held mode is what the "Camera of the Future" looks like there will be more opportunities being a chiropractor than a cinematographer.

Matt Uhry
www.mattuhry.com