LanParte BMCC Cage! ETA: 20 Days!

Posted this on the BMCU side, but wanted to spread the word here. I'm a big fan of their products, so just a heads up! Ctr C + V!

I was speaking with Jerry @ LanParte over Skype about a possible universal donut for the MB-01 Matte Box, when he told me they were super busy getting ready for the release of LanParte's new BMCC Cage. Naturally, I was really excited to hear about it, so Jerry was very kind enough to send me the following photos. He said they'd be priced very competitively (as Lanparte always is!) and will ship out in 20 days!

If you're not familiar with LanParte, they make high end, professional grade gear at very reasonable costs. No compromise in quality, anyone who's used their v2 Follow Focus can attest to that, and now they're releasing this cage with optional geared locks which can stably hold magic arms.

Of course, if interested get in contact with your LanParte dealer, or contact them directly.

WANT

price?

Jerry didn't give specifics on their price, but he said to expect it to be priced very well, as all their gear is.

I love the gear of other companies like Zacuto or Wooden, but their prices..... I mean... really? Obviously aimed at what the high end of the market can bear.

Dannnng...just ordered a Wooden Camera set up too! I'd really dig this rig tho I hate that top handle! Chits weak!

I like.

I see a few problems with this rig just from those few pics,
but you know what I'm not saying, I'll let the people who buy it figure it out.

I see a few problems with this rig just from those few pics,
but you know what I'm not saying, I'll let the people who buy it figure it out.

vent

I see a few problems with this rig just from those few pics,
but you know what I'm not saying, I'll let the people who buy it figure it out.

vent

No venting looks fine,
but I agree that this rigs cage would be hard to mount things on without removing the camera first,
And look how close the cage is to the front of the camera, how can you mount anything?
it looks like anything you try and mount to it may scratch the front of the camera,
and are the green knobs able to re adjust?
View Image Below Knobs look like they hit each other, that makes it difficult to tighten them.


and the handle looks like it would make mounting anything on the upper rods difficult.

I have, use and like a Lanparte rig for my 5D.

It works well but I frequently think to myself that it must have been designed by people who never use cameras!

What DGFilms says is true of my rig - knobs bind, parts scratch the camera, mounting points are too finicky to ever actually mount anything to. But overall I'm happy with the rig, which in reality, is just a way to attach a top handle, matte box, follow focus and v mount battery. On the job, that rig stays atop my tripod and I can get the camera in and out of the rig quite easily to stick it on a slider or a jib as a lightweight bare camera.

This one though looks like once you're mounted to those rails, you're taking them everywhere with you. And having used a BMCC in a rig (I forget the manufacturer!) from which you could easily remove it (an added bonus being that the internal battery of the BMCC kicks in the moment you remove the v mount battery) means the camera truly is versatile. I don't think I'd like a rig that inhibits that versatility.

One thing that has become more apparent since the BMCC came out and trying to find a suitable rig is exactly how shockingly bad the ergonomics and design of the body are -- form over function has never been a great guideline for our industry.

With that being said, I'm really excited for LPT's cage in adding a semblance of usability to the mix.
I'm in talks with them about pricing but as has been echoed here, it's definitely going to be competitive
If there's interest in a group buy then that's something that we can certainly arrange.

The ETA is still on target for about 15 days, but the final pre-production samples haven't even come back to the workshop so the date could push out slightly.

John, I'll be getting a sample in as soon as I can -- want to grab a coffee and have a play?

--

RE: knobs; by default they are adjustable with a set of Allen keys.

Edit: actually, this can come down to the size of the knob. Smaller ones may not be adjustable!! Larger ones on the baseplate are usually adjustable.
Definitely aware of the ergonomics behind it and it's something that I've brought up quite a few times with their engineers.

I still prefer the nice spring-loaded ones from guys like Skier, so you can always swap them around after-market like I have as long as you don't mind paying $6 a pop!

Looks very similar to the Bebob Universal Cage:
http://www.bebob.de/Rigs-and-Cages/PRO-CAGE-BM.html

One thing that has become more apparent since the BMCC came out and trying to find a suitable rig is exactly how shockingly bad the ergonomics and design of the body are -- form over function has never been a great guideline for our industry.

What I want to see is a BMCC in the form of a Braun Nizo 6080. Now those were some great ergonomics

One thing that has become more apparent since the BMCC came out and trying to find a suitable rig is exactly how shockingly bad the ergonomics and design of the body are -- form over function has never been a great guideline for our industry.

What I want to see is a BMCC in the form of a Braun Nizo 6080. Now those were some great ergonomics

Good point!
I'm curious to see what sort of accessories will be out there for the rosettes.
Might even have to draw up a couple myself

--

For anyone interested, I just received the pricing info back from LPT today;

Minimum advertised price on everything is:

Everything (Top Handle, Cage Support, Magic Arm, Dovetail Baseplate): $869
Top Handle, Cage Support and the Plate to go underneath: $499
Top Handle Standalone (with rods and attachment plate): $298
Dovetail Baseplate Kit (The actual Baseplate + the Plate it slides along): $336

Actual Retail prices will vary across dealers depending on their overhead, local taxes, customer service (or lack thereof) etc. but these are the lowest you will find advertised.

I'm not too sure what you'd be looking at for shipping for the kits; maybe around $60 via DHL with a global 3 day delivery?

No doubt the Chinese dealers will offer free delivery but god help you if you ever go with them and expect to actually receive any semblance of reasonable turnaround time.

--

I'll be waiting until I get a sample on hand before I can fully endorse it and feel confident to put it in our store, but at less than 1/2 the price of the Bebob cage and with intimate knowledge of the quality LanParte aim for, I can't see why it would be anything but awesome.

If anyone in Melbourne wants to volunteer to be our first victi-- uh, tester, we have an office in Richmond that you're more than welcome to drop by when it all comes through... I'd be curious to get some other feedback on it all.

I will probably get in contact with them to review it as well, but I would need the BMCC first to do so!