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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 :)

Which 19mm bridgeplate?

Nils J. Nesse

Nils J. Nesse

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I've been using 15mm LW with my Epic, and I love the small form factor. But I also want to add a 19mm arri-style bridge plate to my arsenal, e.g. for those situations when I want to put rented 19mm accs on there.

I know the Element Technica is the "standard" for Red users... But let's take a look at alternatives out there. The ET Hybrid 19mm is $900... Let's say I want to spend less. But want professional quality.

Wooden Camera Bridgeplate 19mm - The Wooden products are popular around here, but I haven't seen any discussion on the bridgeplate. The price is right. ($499) It looks very much like the 1st version ET, which I had for my Red One, and always liked.

Denz BP-multi - Looks like a very solid product from a reputable German company.

ActionProducts BridgePlate - I like the simplicity of this, and these Swiss guys seem to be making quality products.

Movcam 19mm Bridge Base Plate - Don't know much about Movcam, but they've been getting some attention lately. Is the quality up to par?

If you have experience with any of these, or know of other alternatives that I've missed, I'd like to hear!
 
I went with the RED quick release platform, highly recommend it. But would go with wooden camera bridge plate also, very well made.
 
I've been using the the ET Hybrid 19mm on my Epic-M for almost a year and like it a lot. Its never going to let me down, that's for sure. If I were making the decision now, I would be very swayed by Action Product's. I've got their Blade shoulder pad and really like the solid-but-not-overbuilt design.
 
I like the RED quick release system, but I already have a Viewfactor FMJ system (with the bottom plate) on my camera, that I want to keep. (It has my name engraved on it! :) )
 
Just got the WC Bridgeplate in and it's really solid just like the rest of their stuff. Using it with their shoulder mount and it's the bees knees!

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I really like the cheeseplate design that allows you to adapt it to whatever spacing you may need.
 
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Thanks Jon, Doug and Paul.

I'm leaning towards the Wooden Camera one. Is there any reason to pay more for the others?
 
Handheld and Ablecine both uses the Wooden Camera bridge plate for their EPICS.
 
I was very tempted by many of the ALLSTAR accessories but always found something that suited my needs just a bit better from other vendors. That said, you will not find better customer support than WC, and while their products are far from cheap, they are less expensive than some and extremely well made.

My only concern regarding the WC bridge plate I posted about in this thread that (so far) no one has replied to. If you use a 19mm rail support bracket for a matte box, be aware that it MAY snag on the front of the dovetail plate when you mount/dismount the camera. After reworking some parts on my bracket, I was able to get it to where it only snags on the small screws that serve as safety stops on the new WC safety dovetail plate (the one that ships with the handheld rig). I'm still pursuing alternatives to having to screw/unscrew that screw when mounting the camera, and I'm not even certain that WC's plate poses a unique problem in this area. Could be that every other Arri style base plate would do the same thing. But it could also be that the ports on the baseplate for the 19mm rails should have been placed slightly higher vis-a-vis the level of the top of the dovetail slot on the baseplate so that there is greater clearance of the rails themselves over the dovetail plate. I'm not talking about the distance between rail centers and optical center on the camera, which must be 120mm to be standard, but about distance from rail centers to, essentially, the level of the baseplate that comes in contact with the dovetail plate.

I also would prefer a positive "snap" on the lever that locks the baseplate to the dovetail plate, but once you engage that thing, it's not going to come loose without purposive movement, so this is a minor complaint.
 
I have the 19mm WC baseplate.. Love it and it works really good with the WC hand held rig which is based on a long dovetail.
 
Elizabeth Lowrey said:
I was very tempted by many of the ALLSTAR accessories but always found something that suited my needs just a bit better from other vendors. That said, you will not find better customer support than WC, and while their products are far from cheap, they are less expensive than some and extremely well made.
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Hi, Elizabeth,
Thank you for your comment. We care about making good products for customers, don't care too much about the sale. For instance, all of our baseplate and dovetail has hard-coating, although it does not look as good as black coating, and it costs much, but it can offer very strong appearance for longer lifespan.
Our dual Bridge plate has special design for handheld, and it can use on various cameras, not only for DSMC.
 
ALLSTAR said:
Hi, Elizabeth,
Thank you for your comment. We care about making good products for customers, don't care too much about the sale. For instance, all of our baseplate and dovetail has hard-coating, although it does not look as good as black coating, and it costs much, but it can offer very strong appearance for longer lifespan.
Our dual Bridge plate has special design for handheld, and it can use on various cameras, not only for DSMC.
Click to expand...

Hi Allstar,

That's interesting about your coatings and the longevity it gives the appearance. I think they look very nice, although I agree about there being something "sexy" about staying all black, too.:-) I really love the thought that went into your top-mount 19mm rail bracket with the built in hot shoe and slot for reversible handle. I almost went with it but ultimately pulled the trigger on RED's DSMC top mount and sliding top handle combo. Your products and customer service have certainly been praised in these forums, so it made my accessory decisions very tough.:-)
 
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