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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 :)

VCT-U14 Tripod Plate Adapter to mount the Red One

Jason Rivera

Jason Rivera

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Just in case anyone else was looking for a reasonably priced, stable adapter solution for the VCT-U14 tripod plate. I am personally looking at the following to fit the Sony VCT-U14 quick release adapter plate that came with my used O'Connor 50D fluid head. I can't vouch for any of them because I have not tried any of them yet. Will update if and when I do.

The lowest price solution of the more stable-looking ones that I could find:
http://www.amazon.com/Varavon-ENG-Plate-Adapter-Long/dp/B0074V6O9Y - $140

41Zz6UWpGJL.jpg

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The slightly more expensive, but seemingly more sturdy and dynamic of all the ones I've run across (it even has front and back rod extension supports, although they are 12mm threads which seem to be harder to find than 1/4-30 threads):
http://shop.dm-accessories.com/collections/frontpage/products/vct-lp-rm - $199


VCT-LP-RM1_large.jpg


The seemingly not as sturday solution, but lighter, handheld rig friendly solution (not a long plate and no tail stud hook):
http://shop.dm-accessories.com/products/vct-wedge

VCT1_large.jpg


I'm sure there is a ton of stuff that I'm not considering with regards to using any of these solutions and working with other rigs, stabilizers & such, but it sure seems like a cost effective starting point for me. I'll know more once I've received my camera. Thanks for looking.
 
Good find, Jason. I've been looking for a long VCT plate. I only wish I'd seen the one w/ the rod extension threads before I built my own bridge plate. I may have to pick up the Varavon ENG from B & H.
 
Hey Jason, That Varavon looks really good. Very low profile and light weight. I ended up going with the Tilta shoulder mount. It has the VTC-14 mount hardware built in. I had an old Sony plate from long time ago anyways so I was looking for a way to mount the camera with that system. I love being able to quickly pull the camera off the tripod since I mostly do doc work and one-man-band type shooting. The advantage of the Tilta is that it has a shoulder mount built in as well as forward and aft 15mm rod support. It even comes with a couple short rods. Also it comes with a complete quick release plate system designed for a DSLR which I removed and now have as a spare for the 5D... It is all built really well and solid and once I mounted the unit to the bottom of the Red One (with a little bit of modification to the Tilta) It is super tight and when attached to the tripod plate there is no wiggle at all. I ordered it from Canada and it was about $280.


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Garrett Smith said:
Good find, Jason. I've been looking for a long VCT plate. I only wish I'd seen the one w/ the rod extension threads before I built my own bridge plate. I may have to pick up the Varavon ENG from B & H.
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I wish I could build my own bridge plate. lol Glad you found it useful. The Varavon is definitely on my short list. I'd be curious to see what you've come up with.
 
Chris Pyle said:
Hey Jason, That Varavon looks really good. Very low profile and light weight. I ended up going with the Tilta shoulder mount. It has the VTC-14 mount hardware built in. I had an old Sony plate from long time ago anyways so I was looking for a way to mount the camera with that system. I love being able to quickly pull the camera off the tripod since I mostly do doc work and one-man-band type shooting. The advantage of the Tilta is that it has a shoulder mount built in as well as forward and aft 15mm rod support. It even comes with a couple short rods. Also it comes with a complete quick release plate system designed for a DSLR which I removed and now have as a spare for the 5D... It is all built really well and solid and once I mounted the unit to the bottom of the Red One (with a little bit of modification to the Tilta) It is super tight and when attached to the tripod plate there is no wiggle at all. I ordered it from Canada and it was about $280.
Click to expand...

Wow! I may need to look into Tilta more. I do recognize that shoulder piece. How do you like it?

I've run across a few parts from them several times, but the proaim stuff just looked way undervalued compared to everything else. Also, I don't think I've seen any of their (Tilta) gear from the bottom as is depicted in your photo.

Now that I'm even aware of what the VCT-U14 is, the sony style parts on your rig stand out quite a bit. Only ~$280 for what's attached to the bottom of your Red One? If so, that's awesome.

And I'm already convinced about the DP4 EVF you've got there. Can't find anything close to it in the price range. Might order one before my first project in January.
 
I have not had a chance to use the Tilta (or the Red) in any practical situation since I don't have a lens mount yet but I do like how solid and well built it is. I'm not crazy about the shoulder pad, it is kind of hard. I might replace it with another one that I salvaged from on old Sony DSR-400 that is way softer. Also, keep in mind that the Tilta needs some modification to make it work. I first removed the DSLR quick release unit that comes with it, then I had to drill out a couple of the holes in the base of the Tilta to fit larger bolts. (one 3/8 and one 1/4-20). Also, I had to level the platform by adding a piece of flat plastic on top since the Tilta has a raised-up portion towards the back that gets in the way otherwise. In the photo, the plastic is the white stripe between the bottom of the camera and the Tilta. If you end up going that route, I can take some better pictures of what I did.


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Do you know the exact height of the white plastic spacer you're using, Chris? I'm really starting to consider this option.
 
Hi Jason,
The height or thickness is about 7/32" It is really just a cutting board from Target that I cut up. In the future, I may have a machine shop make one out of aluminum and have it powder coated, but this works for now.
In the first pic you can see the problem with the Tilta having that back plate that is raised up from the rest of the unit. It gets in the way but can't be moved. In the second picture, the plastic piece fills in the gap and makes a level surface to mount the R1.

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By the way, the shoulder pad is not the Tilta one (it was kind of hard) I removed it and used an old one from a Sony camera. That required some more drilling on the Tilta unit. (As did mounting the R1. - I had to drill out a couple holes to accommodate the larger 3/8 and 1/4-20 bolt sizes) But that wasn't a big deal. I am NOT a machinist by any stretch.


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The completed unit in action with a pretty heavy load. There is no wiggle anywhere. Solid as a rock. I love the Sony tripod mounting system.


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Ah, yes. Much better visual here. Thanks for posting pics.

I wasn't sure how wide or long the r1 was compared to any of the plates I've considered until now. It's looking like either this or a used red bottom plate with the Varavon ENG plate attached. If it wasn't for the missing 3/8 and 1/4-20 holes, I'd pull the trigger on this.
 
Nice!

Chris Pyle said:
The completed unit in action with a pretty heavy load. There is no wiggle anywhere. Solid as a rock. I love the Sony tripod mounting system.


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Click to expand...
 
The holes were not difficult to drill out. they were already there and lined up perfectly. They were just too small. All I had to do was drill them out to make them bigger. I didn't have to re-tap threads or anything like that. What was more difficult was modifying the shoulder pad to fit. for that I had to drill some new holes and tap them. But that's a different story. The shoulder pad that comes with the Tilta is adequate, I just had this much softer and bigger one, so I thought I'd see if I could make it work.
Good luck. Post what you end up doing...
 
Awesome! Sounded like more trouble than I though I guess. I have to make a decision soon because my camera is on it's way any day now. They've got my money as of a few minutes ago so I need something. Will post!!!

Chris Pyle said:
The holes were not difficult to drill out. they were already there and lined up perfectly. They were just too small. All I had to do was drill them out to make them bigger. I didn't have to re-tap threads or anything like that. What was more difficult was modifying the shoulder pad to fit. for that I had to drill some new holes and tap them. But that's a different story. The shoulder pad that comes with the Tilta is adequate, I just had this much softer and bigger one, so I thought I'd see if I could make it work.
Good luck. Post what you end up doing...
Click to expand...
 
Congrats! Exciting times! Once they charged my account, it was only two or three days before my camera was ready to be picked up.
 
Ahhhhhhhh... Look Awesome

Chris Pyle said:
The completed unit in action with a pretty heavy load. There is no wiggle anywhere. Solid as a rock. I love the Sony tripod mounting system.


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Click to expand...
 
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