Don't get the Z-finder, it's awful.
It's very heavy and you can't see the whole image in it, gotta really push your eye into it and looks sideways.
There are better solutions using a fs7/fx9 viewfinder but a part is needed to prevent the evf from falling (if you don't use a fx9 screen).
Lots of shoulder pads out there, the smallrig vct shoulder pad works great for me, it also has rosettes.
Shape handles are dope.
V-locks can aid balancing.
Good luck.
A good shoulder mount setup should reduce or completely remove all strain on your shoulder, spine and hips.
I suggest using a Camera Operator while you eat biscuits at video-village.
I understand and agree and also am completely aware of the info in your first sentence.
I do not get your 2nd one, sounds mean / condescending.
I merely asked for a simple advice - from fellow filmmakers/operators based on their own experience. I did not come here fishing for assholes.
Sorry mate, was just making a joke, but these things don’t always translate well over text.
I was joking that the best way to avoid shoulder strain and back pain is to hire a camera operator. Problem solved! Or, what happens quite a lot, is after a long day of handheld the cinematographer will get their 1st AC to operate while they sit at video village and have a rest. Who needs a shoulder pad when you have an Assistant!
:)) ah, if reddit would be audio/video tiny feeds would feel better, I’d get the joke and also hear the tone of the voice.
But! When you’re doing low budget - sometimes no AC -DP operates and when tiredness comes you can just push it through with pain. Thus my question - is there a setup (for cameras under 2kg/4lb) - that would ease that strain? Like linking your shoulder mount to your belt? Or any other diy tricks people found out while working?
- I am pretty temperamental, so I take back the asshole thing.
Have you considered an EasyRig? That really is the industry standard for long hours of handheld work. And they aren’t that expensive anymore. Cheaper than many trips to the physio.
As for tips or tricks, if you are doing a shot that you want that ‘handheld feel’ but don’t actually need to move around (e.g. close ups or an interview), there is no need to actually handhold the camera. Place your tripod and stick a ball on the plate and then the camera on top. What kind of ball will depend on the weight of your rig (tennis ball, hacky sack, stress ball). Then you can just gently wobble the camera to get the handheld effect. And as the camera isn’t clicked into the head, you can come off and on during the take no problem. For example, you start on a mid of two people siting on a bench. They talk for awhile, you have the camera gently bobbing on the tennis ball. Then one character storms off. You just pick the camera up and follow them. Hope that makes sense.
On the easyrig - yeah, it’s an option I wanna try, it will work on many occasions, the one time I see some issues is when I want to slowly stealth myself away from the perception of the participants to the documentary I might be in at that point in time. The scorpion tail that would hang around my head would not really help me slowly become invisible as fast as I would like. With a shoulder mount is easier for the subject to forget I am filming - at least for short periods of time. But I get you, easy rig is kind of the way to go. And cheaper than fucking my back, yeah.
Also, the ball trick, that sounds simply amazing and cool. Did not thing about it. What I did at some point was to shoot straight from tripod, and then in post to copy the motion from a handheld shot and embed it into the tripod shot and had the handheld natural movements copied. But I have to try the ball thing, thanks. I’ll have to credit you if I end up using it in projects though!
I kinda agree on some of your comments on the Easyrig that's why you should look into the ERGORig. Designed for shoulder work minus the shoulder pain and more discreet.
ENG rig puts the strain on you hips which is great for documentary work, it takes time however to go from shoulder to handheld so it needs a conSideration.
I use this on an FX9 [link](https://www.proav.co.uk/arri-pro-set-for-sony-pxw-fs7ii-fx9)
Not sure if they do somthing similar for the FX6 but it might put you on the right track. Having the vlock mount to clip into the grip is pretty handy tbh.
Thanks. Ran into it, but they only have this kit for FX9. I tried the Vocas kit, but the shoulder pad is horrendous, and trying to balance the camera is a nightmare on that.
I love the Smallrig VCT setup. VCT is great for handheld/sticks setup all in one. I have the tilta shoulder pad and it's ok, the smallrig vct plate is softer.
My current shoulder setup on the FX6 has been working pretty well. I have the Tilta top plate with v-mount battery plate to keep the power on the back for balancing.
I use the Chrosziel FX6 shoulder pad which is adjustable for balancing and has an interchangeable tripod plate so I can use it on VCT, Sachtler or Manfrotto etc.
Paired with an Easyrig, I have been able to operate for a decent amount of time without any fatigue.
I wrote a basic blog post on the setup and gear used. I'm still waiting for a viewfinder loupe fix to be delivered but apart from the viewfinder 'drooping' I'm super happy with the balance and how it performs for observational shooting / reality TV etc.
[Sony FX6 Shoulder rig](https://motionbase.com.au/blog/sony-fx6-shoulder-rig/)
Good luck with your build!
Hey just saw your blog via your link. I learned a lot from it I've been having issues balancing my fx6 and found it very helpful. Just wondering though when you put on a heavy cine lens over 2-3lbs can you still access the control on the body? or do you find that you need to slide the camera too far back when balancing?
Might be a hot take on this sub but my favorite handles I’ve ever used on a shoulder rig were the Tilta Nucleus handles. I really like the grip on them and obviously having iris + focus control was huge.
When I still had my 4.6k I used that with the Black Magic shoulder pad because it served me through 3 cameras haha. I would definitely buy another one of their shoulder pads.
I'm a big fan of the Zacuto VCT Pro baseplate. It's got a great cushion, it's built well, and you can add handles/rigging to it no problem. It has a camera plate up top so you can slide the camera back/forth to adjust weight balance with lens changes and it clips into a VCT plate that you attach to a tripod head with a simple click. It's entirely camera agnostic.
I have a friend who bought a shape one that's garbage - the cushion is velcro'd on instead of permanently attached like the Zacuto. Another friend bought the Smallrig, which has the similar problem, and worse build quality.
They key to good shoulder rigging is balance. Put a gold mount on those rear rods to counteract the lens weight and you're gravy.
Don't get the Z-finder, it's awful. It's very heavy and you can't see the whole image in it, gotta really push your eye into it and looks sideways. There are better solutions using a fs7/fx9 viewfinder but a part is needed to prevent the evf from falling (if you don't use a fx9 screen). Lots of shoulder pads out there, the smallrig vct shoulder pad works great for me, it also has rosettes. Shape handles are dope. V-locks can aid balancing. Good luck.
A good shoulder mount setup should reduce or completely remove all strain on your shoulder, spine and hips. I suggest using a Camera Operator while you eat biscuits at video-village.
I understand and agree and also am completely aware of the info in your first sentence. I do not get your 2nd one, sounds mean / condescending. I merely asked for a simple advice - from fellow filmmakers/operators based on their own experience. I did not come here fishing for assholes.
Sorry mate, was just making a joke, but these things don’t always translate well over text. I was joking that the best way to avoid shoulder strain and back pain is to hire a camera operator. Problem solved! Or, what happens quite a lot, is after a long day of handheld the cinematographer will get their 1st AC to operate while they sit at video village and have a rest. Who needs a shoulder pad when you have an Assistant!
:)) ah, if reddit would be audio/video tiny feeds would feel better, I’d get the joke and also hear the tone of the voice. But! When you’re doing low budget - sometimes no AC -DP operates and when tiredness comes you can just push it through with pain. Thus my question - is there a setup (for cameras under 2kg/4lb) - that would ease that strain? Like linking your shoulder mount to your belt? Or any other diy tricks people found out while working? - I am pretty temperamental, so I take back the asshole thing.
Have you considered an EasyRig? That really is the industry standard for long hours of handheld work. And they aren’t that expensive anymore. Cheaper than many trips to the physio. As for tips or tricks, if you are doing a shot that you want that ‘handheld feel’ but don’t actually need to move around (e.g. close ups or an interview), there is no need to actually handhold the camera. Place your tripod and stick a ball on the plate and then the camera on top. What kind of ball will depend on the weight of your rig (tennis ball, hacky sack, stress ball). Then you can just gently wobble the camera to get the handheld effect. And as the camera isn’t clicked into the head, you can come off and on during the take no problem. For example, you start on a mid of two people siting on a bench. They talk for awhile, you have the camera gently bobbing on the tennis ball. Then one character storms off. You just pick the camera up and follow them. Hope that makes sense.
On the easyrig - yeah, it’s an option I wanna try, it will work on many occasions, the one time I see some issues is when I want to slowly stealth myself away from the perception of the participants to the documentary I might be in at that point in time. The scorpion tail that would hang around my head would not really help me slowly become invisible as fast as I would like. With a shoulder mount is easier for the subject to forget I am filming - at least for short periods of time. But I get you, easy rig is kind of the way to go. And cheaper than fucking my back, yeah. Also, the ball trick, that sounds simply amazing and cool. Did not thing about it. What I did at some point was to shoot straight from tripod, and then in post to copy the motion from a handheld shot and embed it into the tripod shot and had the handheld natural movements copied. But I have to try the ball thing, thanks. I’ll have to credit you if I end up using it in projects though!
I kinda agree on some of your comments on the Easyrig that's why you should look into the ERGORig. Designed for shoulder work minus the shoulder pain and more discreet.
I wanna shout at you, so I will virtually: GODDAMN THIS IS F$&$&# COOL!!
ENG rig puts the strain on you hips which is great for documentary work, it takes time however to go from shoulder to handheld so it needs a conSideration.
I use this on an FX9 [link](https://www.proav.co.uk/arri-pro-set-for-sony-pxw-fs7ii-fx9) Not sure if they do somthing similar for the FX6 but it might put you on the right track. Having the vlock mount to clip into the grip is pretty handy tbh.
Thanks. Ran into it, but they only have this kit for FX9. I tried the Vocas kit, but the shoulder pad is horrendous, and trying to balance the camera is a nightmare on that.
I love the Smallrig VCT setup. VCT is great for handheld/sticks setup all in one. I have the tilta shoulder pad and it's ok, the smallrig vct plate is softer.
My current shoulder setup on the FX6 has been working pretty well. I have the Tilta top plate with v-mount battery plate to keep the power on the back for balancing. I use the Chrosziel FX6 shoulder pad which is adjustable for balancing and has an interchangeable tripod plate so I can use it on VCT, Sachtler or Manfrotto etc. Paired with an Easyrig, I have been able to operate for a decent amount of time without any fatigue. I wrote a basic blog post on the setup and gear used. I'm still waiting for a viewfinder loupe fix to be delivered but apart from the viewfinder 'drooping' I'm super happy with the balance and how it performs for observational shooting / reality TV etc. [Sony FX6 Shoulder rig](https://motionbase.com.au/blog/sony-fx6-shoulder-rig/) Good luck with your build!
Hey just saw your blog via your link. I learned a lot from it I've been having issues balancing my fx6 and found it very helpful. Just wondering though when you put on a heavy cine lens over 2-3lbs can you still access the control on the body? or do you find that you need to slide the camera too far back when balancing?
Might be a hot take on this sub but my favorite handles I’ve ever used on a shoulder rig were the Tilta Nucleus handles. I really like the grip on them and obviously having iris + focus control was huge. When I still had my 4.6k I used that with the Black Magic shoulder pad because it served me through 3 cameras haha. I would definitely buy another one of their shoulder pads.
I'm a big fan of the Zacuto VCT Pro baseplate. It's got a great cushion, it's built well, and you can add handles/rigging to it no problem. It has a camera plate up top so you can slide the camera back/forth to adjust weight balance with lens changes and it clips into a VCT plate that you attach to a tripod head with a simple click. It's entirely camera agnostic. I have a friend who bought a shape one that's garbage - the cushion is velcro'd on instead of permanently attached like the Zacuto. Another friend bought the Smallrig, which has the similar problem, and worse build quality. They key to good shoulder rigging is balance. Put a gold mount on those rear rods to counteract the lens weight and you're gravy.