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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

They make these rigs for Scarlet now as well, very excited!

Very cool stuff. I dig the design. Seems very nicely put together. I'm also a fan of the ultra portable rigging.

If you are interested in staying loose and portable I would say try out the Red "Clutch" before dropping that kind of money. It's one of the best built and flexible shoulder rigs I've ever seen and has the advantage of a more secure hands free balance via the front chest support. It literally hugs you, which is nice on a long hard shooting day. The base components can be rigged out into a two handle configuration as well.

Right now I'm trying to figure out how to add a Clutch to my Scarlet X package. I'm having a hard time though. I already have a very functional shoulder setup that took me two years to complete that I've grown attached too.
 
I like that you can make all 4 of these rigs for the Scarlet if you buy the complete set for 6k not bad in our opinion, very pro from what we see, and you get a really good follow focus from what we are told, this option for us seems more cost effective being that we can build 4 rigs for different purposes, for the price the clutch may be good but not cost effective for us in the long run ..but just out opinion =)
 
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Is there an advantage to getting the Clutch vs. getting the Letus kit? Letus makes decent quality products and from the looks of it, it is configurable in almost every way one could need, so is the Clutch even necessary?
 
For some the clutch is what they need and is a very good product, but for us Letus rigs are the way to go for us for the price but that is just us.
Chris Gavrilovic said:
Is there an advantage to getting the Clutch vs. getting the Letus kit? Letus makes decent quality products and from the looks of it, it is configurable in almost every way one could need, so is the Clutch even necessary?
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Ruben and Sheri O. said:
For some the clutch is what they need and is a very good product, but for us Letus rigs are the way to go for us for the price but that is just us.
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I have dealt a lot with Zacuto rigs, but not so much Letus rigs. I've used other Letus products, so Im assuming their quality is just as good. If price was no concern, what brand of rigs is regarded as "the best"? Application would be for shoulder use.
 
I just don't get why all these rigs are constructed with such a short handles, this is a very inconvenient design in my opinion. It may be "traditional" but this doesn't mean it's the best.

The camera is almost always looking down, not forward and your wrists are in a weird position, so they get tired faster than you'd want to. In my opinion long handles are the way to go, I've been using Zacuto Z-Grips and they are a lot more convenient than whatever "short handles rig" we've used (be it Redrock rigs or any other). The Clutch also embraces the long handle approach, not as long as Zacuto but kind of in the middle. I see this as a solid advantage.

Also, some feedback from a friend of mine who's recently purchased the Clutch — overall it's a great rig, well put together, great quality and construction, but he is still going to add some counter balance to the back of the rig, cause without it it just doesn't feel completely right for him, a bit top heavy.

P.S.: I like the "man-cam" though, it is a very smart and simple concept.
 
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Each person might like there rigs different then others but we do know there is a perfect fit rig for everyone, there many options but we like the short handles just our opinion, but We do see your point. We also luv the man cam and studio cam set up =)
Demetri Zuev said:
I just don't get why all these rigs are constructed with such a short handles, this is a very inconvenient design in my opinion. It may be "traditional" but this doesn't mean it's the best.
opinion
The camera is almost always looking down, not forward and your wrists are in a weird position, so they get tired faster than you'd want to. In my opinion long handles are the way to go, I've been using Zacuto Z-Grips and they are a lot more convenient than whatever "short handles rig" we've used (be it Redrock rigs or any other). The Clutch also embraces the long handle approach, not as long as Zacuto but kind of in the middle. I see this as a solid advantage.

Also, some feedback from a friend of mine who's recently purchased the Clutch — overall it's a great rig, well put together, great quality and construction, but he is still going to add some counter balance to the back of the rig, cause without it it just doesn't feel completely right for him, a bit top heavy.

P.S.: I like the "man-cam" though, it is a very smart and simple concept.
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We believe so the FF is just an option as well as the MB
Ben Feuer said:
I'm very interested in the MCS kit ... but the price of the MB and the FF seem a little high compared to some of the other options out there. Does anyone know if this rig is compatible with cheaper follow focus options, like, say, the D Focus?
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Did you actually get to try the Cluth out Phil? I was there on Nov 3rd, but didn't get to physically try it out. Did you feel the rig was relatively heavy?

I'm still trying to put together a configuration I like that is ultra portable and I can quickly put onto steadicam. RED's rib cages are very attractive.


Phil Holland said:
Very cool stuff. I dig the design. Seems very nicely put together. I'm also a fan of the ultra portable rigging.

If you are interested in staying loose and portable I would say try out the Red "Clutch" before dropping that kind of money. It's one of the best built and flexible shoulder rigs I've ever seen and has the advantage of a more secure hands free balance via the front chest support. It literally hugs you, which is nice on a long hard shooting day. The base components can be rigged out into a two handle configuration as well.

Right now I'm trying to figure out how to add a Clutch to my Scarlet X package. I'm having a hard time though. I already have a very functional shoulder setup that took me two years to complete that I've grown attached too.
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Anthony Vu said:
Did you actually get to try the Clutch out Phil? I was there on Nov 3rd, but didn't get to physically try it out. Did you feel the rig was relatively heavy?
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Yeah. I put the rig on twice. Once for a good amount of time. It was my first time with it on my shoulder, but I got to feel it out nicely. I wouldn't say it's heavy at all with the Scarlet X, Bomb EVF, and lens combo they had on the floor. If you're used to S35 shoulder setups I would say it's much lighter. If you're coming from HDSLR world it's a smidge heavier, but honestly not much.

What I really liked was the sturdy feel of the Clutch. I was trying to apply some counter torque to it's frame, but I didn't feel it move at all. The components are very solid. The chest support and shoulder pad seemed to really grab on. I could see shooting with this thing all day and it not being an issue. That's where the real temptation lies.

I prefer shooting on sticks and go to the shoulder for a more energetic feel. Rarely do pure handheld work. I don't do much event work, but I do shoot Coachella, which is a marathon. I have had real nasty bruises and pain from shooting 8 hours or more for consecutive days, and I'm a pretty tough dude. I know in 2012 I'll have to do that two times for Coachella this year and the feature I'm gearing up for spring is also very shoulder support focused. More typical use for me is one and two hour shooting bursts on set. Often with little breaks in there.

I'm one of those guys that would shoot with a watermelon tied to a chainsaw if you told me that was the rig I had to use, but the Clutch is much more comfortable than what I have used in the past.

The biggest difference between the setup that I used on 11.03.2011 and what I'll be attempting to do is that I'll be focusing on using the 5.0" LCD Touch instead of the Bomb EVF and using the QuadVolt or DualVolt (whenever they are available) instead of the V mount battery on the end of the shoulder pad. I really like the Bomb EVF though. That also might be something I grab in the future. I know mostly from my previous shooting history that I prefer an external monitor, but I could see using an EVF more and more. Same with the battery situation. I am putting my focus on the RedVolts at the the moment because you can scale the rig down and go ultra portable or add something like the QuadVolt and run for two hours with the added flexibility of hot swapping.
 
Here are the pictures of the rig with Epic/Scarlet. It's balance to the point that you can let go of both of your hands. It was engineered so that all the weight would transfer straight down to your foot.

LetusMCS


LetusMCS
 
Give me the clutch with a ribcage and some extra rails over this any day (for a similar price). More configurations possible than the Letus and far more adjustability for personal comfort.

Options are always good, but for me it looks uncomfortably with very little adjustability.
 
Well, kudos to Letus for stepping up, but, Man, at near $3K I would just move up to the Clutch too. Beside the point for me tho because I think a LOT of Scarlet-users will be looking for something better valued - meaning: build their own kit from various manufacturers' components. I have convinced myself this can be done well - and cheaper. Still looking...

;)
Stu Aull
Alaska
 
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