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REDModz Exclusive - Element Technica Handheld SneakPeak

Tonaci Tran

Tonaci Tran

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Okay folks... first official sneak peak of ET's immaculate handheld rig and handle grip system. You know you want it. =)

More pics HERE:

piz_0234.jpg


piz_0241.jpg
 
That looks pretty neat. Is that the final finish color on the entire rig?
That there looks like the ViewFactor Origo in that last close up, too!
 
Are there other options for the handles? I'll see if these work better but I tend to like handles without finger identations, like Arri MKI... If you work days in a row handheld there tends to be blisters no matter what you do. If you have straight handles at least you can rest the blisters, whereas with the hand locked in place there is no way out....
 
So does that fit with the ET Base Plate? If so that's just the solution I'm looking for. And I don't think I'm not the only one...
 
I love everything except the handles. Can one buy individual components or do you need to buy the whole deal? If someone would come up with a 90 Degree Rosette to mount just the UGrip handles and leave everything else as is that would seem to me like the perfect handheld setup. The way it is it seems like there's no way to adjust l/r position of the handles? I like to adjust handles so they are like a boxer shielding a left hook...
 
Cool, looking pretty good. I also hope that those rosettes are compatible with Arri handles.

Is that clamping mechanism on the 19mm rod strong enough to prevent rotation when a 40lb camera is tilted forward off of the shoulder by the handles?

It's come a long way. Can't wait to try it.
 
Method said:
Is there a price set yet? Even a guess would be nice. Hey Stephen, Would you like to chime in on availability and expected pricing?
Click to expand...

I am going to venture a guess and say $1790? :umm:

Pretty sure it will be more then $1500. Definitely hope it is less then $2150....
 
Element Technica HandHeld Rig Specs (so far)

Element Technica HandHeld Rig Specs (so far)

Compatible with all Arri-style bridgeplates

Rosettes are also Arri standard so other handles can be used.

The rosette extension pieces (dog bones) in the photo are about 4” long each. The configuration in the photo shows about 8” of handle extension on each side. These will be available as an option but most folks will want the new telescopic handle extensions.
The telescopic version will start at roughly 7.5” and extend to 12”. This version will also provide the ability to rotate the handle about the telescopic axis. If 12” of extension isn’t enough then a dog bone could be added as could any other Arri-style rosette based handle accessory.

In addition to the ergonomic handle pictured we will also offer a cylindrical handle with a BMX style grip.

So far we have experimented with 4 different right side and 3 different left side handle options. We will offer any that make sense as part of the system.

Our various handles will provide a place to dock the View Factor Origo as well as cable management.

We will also work to ensure compatibility with the “Super Grip” as well as the Micro Force and the Oppenheimer Rock N Roll handle.

The rosette cross bar at the front of the dovetail is adjustable side to side as well as rotationally. The clamp that holds it in place is very strong and can support a fully loaded Panavision GII with 1000’ of film and a 4:1 zoom. For those who like a more traditional approach, our rosette cross bar and clamp can be quickly removed from the dovetail and attached to a universal mount like our upcoming QR version.

The most significant feature of the system is the variable relationship between the shoulder-pad and the dovetail. We spent many months studying how different camera operators work with a shoulder mounted camera. Most systems offer the ability to balance the camera fore/aft while on the shoulder. Since the shoulder has some amount of downward slope, most systems have some angle built into the shoulder pad to help keep the camera level. The problem is that everyone one is different and the shoulder angle can vary dramatically from operator to operator. This results in most operators attempting to hold the camera level while they are trying to compose the frame and pay attention to moving. Rather than letting the shoulder pad settle on the shoulder into a stable equilibrium the operator is constantly applying a torque in the roll axis to hold the horizon. As soon as they make a direction change, the amount of torque required to level the camera changes and the frame tips in one direction or the other. This makes any camera feel top heavy and unstable. This is one of the main reasons operators have always placed such an emphasis on making the camera’s CG (center of gravity) as low as possible. We discovered that as soon as we made the angle of the shoulder pad variable, it was possible to adjust the angle so the weight of the camera package would settle into a very stable equilibrium with a level horizon.

As we worked with a larger sample of operators we realized that in addition to the varying downward slope of the human shoulder, there is also a varying amount of forward rotation of the shoulders. We have also noticed that when an operator stands straight and looks forward that the camera’s LOS (line of sight) actually crosses the operator’s LOS. To compensate, most operators actually pan their upper body or entire body slightly, relative to their direction of travel. By offsetting the angle (pan axis) of the shoulder-pad relative to the camera, we were successful in making the camera’s LOS and the operator’s LOS perfectly parallel without any neck/torso twisting or side-stepping.

Our shoulder pad and dovetail are connected by an extremely low-profile 2 axis gimbal that allow adjustment in pan and roll as well as a fore/aft linear adjustment independent of the dovetail/bridgeplate. The pan angle is set before the camera goes on your shoulder while the roll angle or horizon can be easily set with the full rig on your shoulder. It is so easy it can be tweaked in between takes. The biggest impact of these additional adjustments is felt in terms of endurance. A fully dressed camera rig will stay comfortable for a much longer period of time.

As far as pricing we are almost there. We will say that Curren Giddens has a good eye. We think everyone will be pleased with the pricing considering how many of the professional handle-only options are currently priced.
 
Lets just say I had to pull this down.
 
I had a chance to see and feel the handheld system. Stephen and Hector have done an amazing job from research to design to execution. It's a very lightweight and modular handheld system. Worth the wait.
 
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