The V-Lock - Top Handle thing

[Mark Pedersen]

Yep.

Also, if you are getting the REDVOLT EXPANDER with XLR inputs and all that you should have enough clearance.

A bit off topic, but how do you like the new EVF in that position?

M

 

[Mark Pedersen]

Yep.

Also, if you are getting the REDVOLT EXPANDER with XLR inputs and all that you should have enough clearance.

My concern with the AB Cine batteries is how deep they are. By the time you add a RV Expander or OMOD module with a TX, you end up with a pretty long camera, and you don't need to worry about handle clearance once you add those modules.

M

 

[Phil Holland]

A bit off topic, but how do you like the new EVF in that position?

M

Pretty good. I only had it for that Florida trip and a bit before, but I'm 90% sure I'm ordering one. I was able to balance a shoulder rig a couple of ways. The newer EVF design itself is HUGE improvement.

Everybody is different though. Some will say it's too close to the front of the camera, etc.... Same critique as before, but most of that though goes away when you actually find the balance for a shoulder rig you like and then you're done with that.

My concern with the AB Cine batteries is how deep they are. By the time you add a RV Expander or OMOD module with a TX, you end up with a pretty long camera, and you don't need to worry about handle clearance once you add those modules.

A longer balanced camera Heh, maybe. Need to see a fully rigged OMOD setup now that the design is hammered down. In reality, really not an issue.

I understand a lot of the DSMC[SUP]2[/SUP] stuff is new, but seriously, it's a really small camera system with or without Expanders/Modules.

The only time I'm really worried about length like this is when camera need to fit into things like Shotovers, drones, or whatever and we're far and away not very long for a system like that. For standard shooting, as long as it's portable, lightweight, and I can balance the camera on a fluid head or whatever it's mounted on I'm good to go.

 

[Mark L. Pederson]

A bit off topic, but how do you like the new EVF in that position?

M

EVF is too far back for most operators - and you really need/want ability to slide forward/back. Pizzo has a bad ass solution coming for EVF mount. I was going to do something but he's already got the perfect solution. Coming soon.

 

[Christoffer Glans]

So, the battery solutions I have at the moment is either going with the wooden camera plate which puts the battery a bit lower or use the smaller top handle and the V-lock expander from Red. Now my question is, how stable and robust is the Wooden camera solution? I mean, is there any risk of power problems or damage to the camera because it's not magnesium built?

What's people's opinion on it? Anyone who tried it and could weight in on what's the best route to take? http://woodencamera.com/RED/New-Releases-RED/Cable-less-V-Mount-Weapon-Scarlet-W-Raven.html

 

[BrendanLeahy]

I haven't received my WC cableless v-mount yet, but can at least say the reason I went that route is that if RED's v-mount IO module has an issue and needs repair, you're out both on v-mount and AC power. With the WC + base expander, you'll still be able to power up the camera if one of those modules fails.

 

[jordan levy]

i know wooden camera is making a pogo to lemo and a pogo to pogo, i was just thinking i wonder if they have plans or if its even possible for them to do a pogo to sdi?
if so i think the wc v mount would be a real possibility with still able to do video out, for client, and evf or a wireless transmitter.

 

[J. Eric Camp]

The signal in the pogo and lemos is not sdi, so at best you would need a standards convertor in line before this is even rudimentary possible.

 

[jordan levy]

The signal in the pogo and lemos is not sdi, so at best you would need a standards convertor in line before this is even rudimentary possible.

ah darn, but it must be some sort of video output?

 

[Jason Bodnar]

I do not have the clearance requirement specs needed for DSMC2 top handle in regards to the RED bricks but would the Switronix Hypercore slim's slightly shorter with less depth stature provide enough clearance or would you still need to lower battery even further? Anyone have the handle and slim battery to test or know exactly what the clearance requirements are in inches or cm? RED brick is 6.46" tall and 2.05" depth vs Hypercore slim at 5.87" tall and 1.49" depth, would this work?

 

[Milan Spasic]

I'm not sure why is the DSMC Top Mount not listed as Weapon compatible.
I'm glad I didn't sell it with the rest of the Epic bits.

Not it only that it fits but it will let you mount any NATO top handle, either to the side or top and it will clear the v-lock battery.

 

[Jarek Zabczynski]

I'm digging the speed of cable-less setups. A full camera build takes no time at all and I don't have any cables flying around.

Rubbish. Cables are sexy!

 

[jordan levy]

Rubbish. Cables are sexy!

haha, though 99 percent of technical problems on a job come back to being a cable.
i think the big mistake was not being able to have the monitor off to the side cable free.

 

[Bob Gundu]

Rubbish. Cables are sexy!

 

[Christoffer Glans]

The top mounted cable-less display doesn't work on real productions. It works as a monitor for setting up the camera, but not for operation. You always put the camera high on a tripod, holds it handheld on the shoulders, put the camera in a corner position and so on. The top mounted cable-less setup only works in one kind of camera position. Having the display on an arm is the only way to work with it. It's easy to dig something that you might not have used that much during actual productions, but I doubt that there are many focus pullers who dig the cable less setup as it looks right now. Red should have built a cable-less arm instead, that would have been great. Right now, the best course is still to use the old arm and a cable. That's why I think it's odd that the new top handle can't be put at the far front of the camera like on the old DSMC setup. For being a complete redesign of the system it has quite a lot of setbacks in design. I mean, why design a camera around a setup that almost no serious productions use? It looks nice on the NAB floor to have a cable-less setup with Reds own batteries, but whenever it's used on film sets there's gonna be V-locks and two-three monitors pointing in directions the top mounted display can't.

So for the majority of productions, we are left with our own solutions. Why not just make room for the arm-mounted display, move the top handle one step forward, shorten it to make room for the v-locks and batteries etc. all of these can be done by redesigning the accessories, not the camera body itself. Or just make the v-lock expander mount batteries lower so the top handle actually works with it, like the wooden camera one. It's great that Red is listening to all the Redusers, but sometimes it feels like there are too many one-word praises whenever something is released instead of releasing an idea for an accessory and hear feedback. If the design for the V-lock were shown before production, I think people would have weight in on the fact that it actually doesn't work with the Red batteries, long before mass production.

As for the wooden camera v-lock, I still haven't heard anyone spill the beans on it's quality. I would really like to know if it works well or happens to be plastic garbage? Good to hear the idea about power failure though, that if the module fails you can use the base expander.

 

[Björn Benckert]

The top mounted cable-less display doesn't work on real productions. It works as a monitor for setting up the camera, but not for operation. You always put the camera high on a tripod, holds it handheld on the shoulders, put the camera in a corner position and so on. The top mounted cable-less setup only works in one kind of camera position. Having the display on an arm is the only way to work with it. It's easy to dig something that you might not have used that much during actual productions, but I doubt that there are many focus pullers who dig the cable less setup as it looks right now. Red should have built a cable-less arm instead, that would have been great. Right now, the best course is still to use the old arm and a cable. That's why I think it's odd that the new top handle can't be put at the far front of the camera like on the old DSMC setup. For being a complete redesign of the system it has quite a lot of setbacks in design. I mean, why design a camera around a setup that almost no serious productions use? It looks nice on the NAB floor to have a cable-less setup with Reds own batteries, but whenever it's used on film sets there's gonna be V-locks and two-three monitors pointing in directions the top mounted display can't.

So for the majority of productions, we are left with our own solutions. Why not just make room for the arm-mounted display, move the top handle one step forward, shorten it to make room for the v-locks and batteries etc. all of these can be done by redesigning the accessories, not the camera body itself. Or just make the v-lock expander mount batteries lower so the top handle actually works with it, like the wooden camera one. It's great that Red is listening to all the Redusers, but sometimes it feels like there are too many one-word praises whenever something is released instead of releasing an idea for an accessory and hear feedback. If the design for the V-lock were shown before production, I think people would have weight in on the fact that it actually doesn't work with the Red batteries, long before mass production.

As for the wooden camera v-lock, I still haven't heard anyone spill the beans on it's quality. I would really like to know if it works well or happens to be plastic garbage? Good to hear the idea about power failure though, that if the module fails you can use the base expander.

Christoffer if you use a noga arm. Then it works pefectly fine to remove the studs around the handle connector with a set of plyers and flip it forward. Then you can mount the noga arm where you wish, on the handle front or on the camera body. Having the handle forward is even better if you use a mattebox or larger lenses etc as center of gravity is usually then more infront of or above the lens mount than behind.

Also i have no doubt the wc backplate works just fine. Most stuff I bought from them has been on par with red accessories. So i doubt its built of shitty plastic even though its not magnesium, but then again its only a battery plate and you get two for the price of one compared to red and it also got usb for your iphone.

personally ordered the red v mount i dont care if large v locks sticks up in the back. As with a big brick on camera it allready is way out of the range for being a small camera.

To go small I will get the jet pack sdi and also i thinking that i will buy the wc backplate and then modify it so instead of the v mount plate on the back I will have one or two ronin battery power distroboxes / mounts on that plate which gives the camera +2 hours runtime and would alow hotswap and far lower battery costs, weight, smaller chargers at lower price etc.

 

[Rui Guerra]

I'm leaning to the solution of shortening the RED top handle.
Anyone knows how to remove the original top handle tube inside the rubber? How is it fixed to the front/electronic part of the handle?

 

[Meryem Ersoz]

here's my totally cheap, totally janky top handle solution for use with RED bricks. looks stoopid, works great! I probably would not try to sell this idea on big jobs just because the aesthetics are wrong, but it is great for smaller jobs where I'm shooting my own rig and care about how it works, not how it looks.

buy this -

https://www.amazon.com/Smallrig-Sca...sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=smallrig+red+top+handle

and two of these -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0084MTJ0I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Unscrew the long handle and remove it from the nato rail clamp part. Screw in a rod on each side. The beauty of the system is that it can mount horizontally, east-west, as pictured, as a space saver - or in the traditional north-south position, if you want to use it for shooting (or mounting or what have you).

I have lobbied forever for a t-bar top handle. Now I have one. I've thought about adding a little handlebar tape to the rails (these short mounting rails come in a larger size, I like the small ones) to dress it up and give it a bit of grip but haven't done that yet.

And if you want to try chopping a handle, better to chop the $49 handle and keep the real RED stuff intact.

 

[Fabricio Morato]

I have the SmallRig top plate and one of their top handles and it leaves enough space for me to mount my idx endura 95 batteries.

 

[Richard Luke]

If you can use other batteries theres some good options