My favorite Run and Gun rig for the Pocket Camera

One of the many beauties of the Black Magic Pocket Cinema (which I received two weeks ago and LOVE!) is its small form factor. It is the ideal run and gun, stealth camera. My objective in purchasing it was to replace my Canon 5D for everything I used it for (except for stills) while using its bigger brother (my Blackmagic Cinema MFT) and my Sony F3 for my studio and large apparatus setups.

The problem I have seen in a lot of footage to date was that hand held, the Pocket Camera doesn't perform that well since it is quite light weight. The drift and shakiness in the images tended to get in the way of the visual storytelling (for me a least).

I decided to look for an alternative design for my approach to shooting that was quick and easy, highly versatile, used the most minimal footprint for daily use but still provide a solid reliable platform. I played with a lot of components and variations until I settled on the one below.

DSC04966.JPG (138.42 KiB) Viewed 15433 times

The forum only allows three photos at a time so I will have to add in sections:

The details:

1) A Viewfactor Contineo BMPC Cage which allows me an enormous amount of rigging options.

2) A manfrotto fluid base, triple folding foot monopod. This combined with the three point support of the loupe (against my eye) and pistol grip/hand grip(for my hands) provide a truly solid shooting platform. What little waver I might get, if I want it rock solid a slight image stabilization pass in Premiere results in what appears to be a tripod shot.

DSC04961.JPG (43.89 KiB) Viewed 15433 times

3) A pistol grip flash bracket rig of of ebay for cheap. This is the heart of the platform. The pistol grip flash bracket rig comes with 3/8 X 16 tapped hole in the bottom of the handle which I adapted for my battery mount, a 360 degree rotating flash bracket on the top which obviously can hold a shotgun mic if I want to record sound. Additionally I super glued a 1/2" bubble level to the base for checking my horizon. I added a small 1/4x 20 handle for my right hand which allows my to adjust focus with a single finder on the lens strap rig.

4) A GGS Perfect 3X LCD Foldable Viewfinder Loupe (for $60 off ebay) combined with a Hoodman 4" hoodriser perfectly fits the pocket camera LCD. Additionally the loupe has an adjustable diopter and flip up viewer. To affix this to the cage rig (rock solid) I combined some velcro strips (both glue edge and sewable) to create a viewfinder that can easily flip up and out of the way when I need or flip down for sun reflection avoidance.

DSC04969.JPG (151.06 KiB) Viewed 15433 times

5) A Sony BPU 60 external battery plate and rig that I soldered the appropriate 2.35 x .7mm cable and barrel connector to. I have yet to run this battery out in use, although I have several of the Nikon internal batteries as back ups.

6) I carry only two lenses, an (original Angenieux design) Tokina 28-70mm f2.8 and a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. I also have the Metabones Speed Booster and a couple of straight micro 4/3 to nikon dummies adapters and a teleconverter . With these two lenses I have every conceivable normal lensing option I run into for 95% of my shooting needs (see this thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11294)

7) For light control I have a combination of Series 9 nd's and hot mirror, and for anything above 25mm I also use a LCW Digi pro variable ND with an 82mm hot mirror on the outer stage.

8) A lens strap rig on the barrel of the lens allows me to control focus with a single finger tip. It works beautifully.

9) I finish it off with a manfrotto sliding plate (to balance the shooting weight) and sachtler touch and go for a rapid disconnect. All of the weight of the rig rests on the tripod foot on the adapters.


more photos to follow...

close up on the pistol grip:

pistol grip

DSC04970.JPG (89.35 KiB) Viewed 15430 times

battery plate and rig

battery plate and rig

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swivel loupe with diopter adjustment

swivel loupe with diopter adjustment

DSC04984.JPG (138.83 KiB) Viewed 15430 times

Lens strap for finger tip focus control

lens strap for finger tip focus control

DSC04948.JPG (76.86 KiB) Viewed 15426 times

bubble level

bubble level

DSC04955.JPG (66.5 KiB) Viewed 15426 times

rotating cold shoe for microphone or whatever

rotating cold shoe for microphone or whatever

DSC04956.JPG (115.76 KiB) Viewed 15426 times

I see a lot of complaints on this forum about the lack of this or that on the cameras...battery life, sun reflections on the screen etc.

I love these cameras!!!! I love this company!!!!!

in my experience with just a bit of ingenuity you can create perfectly acceptable work arounds to the few challenges of the camera while enjoying the remarkable capacity of what is really there.

hope these ideas help you with your rigs!

I'm thinking along the same lines: simple and small. Good ideas there.
Looks like your Manfrotto plate is attached to the SpeedBooster. Do you have a quick method of switching to a straight adapter?
How do you like that Lens Strap? Is there flex in the handle where it joins the strap?
Do you really need that Contineo cage - or is it primarily for other set-ups?

I'm thinking along the same lines: simple and small. Good ideas there.
Looks like your Manfrotto plate is attached to the SpeedBooster. Do you have a quick method of switching to a straight adapter?

Thanks for your feedback. I actually took these photos before I included a sachtler touch and go quick release between the sliding manfrotto plate and the adapter.

sachtler touch and go

cinemasupplies_2270_551397608.jpeg (46.89 KiB) Viewed 15312 times

I simply keep the wedge connected full time to my speed booster and have extra wedges for my dumb adapters. This allows me to have quick lens changes and pull the camera in its smallest configuration when I need. I love the addition. I am constantly finding ways of refining the rig and making it as adaptable as possible.

How do you like that Lens Strap? Is there flex in the handle where it joins the strap?

I actually do like the lens strap. It has a machined aluminum handle and the connection is threaded and quite beefy. I find I am able to exercise a great amount of fine control on focus. The lens straps are adjustable for different size lens bodies or you can trim them to a specific lens as I did in the case of my Tokina 28- 70mm.

Do you really need that Contineo cage - or is it primarily for other set-ups?

The cage gives me lots of rigging options in more studio like setups. I just leave it on full time but if I really wanted to strip the camera down to the lightest configuration possible, I would just go with internal batteries and lose the cage. At this point, I don' t seem to find losing it to be of any great advantage though. And at $100 it is really a very reasonable and versatile cage. Additionally, it gives me connection points for the velcro straps for the loupe, which I think is an essential piece of gear to effective shooting, as the lcd is just too hard to view and get good focus in daylight.

Angie 15-150

Patrick, those straps look really cool. Have you had any issue with the lever on the lens straps slowly dropping down? Do they stay in place easily?

And Worzel, that's just plain awesome.

Angie 15-150

I Wouldn't call it run and gun but still very cool! But I guess it could be r&g with a tripod and that zoom

is this the hood riser?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hoodman-HRS4-Ho ... 484544a92f

Angie 15-150

I am thinking exactly along the same lines you are and have a 15-150 on the way. What are you using to attach/strap it to the rails? Also, it looks like you are using the Metabones c to M43 plate, any problems with it being tight on the BMCPC and are you getting infinity focus? Is it plausible to consider a hand held stabilizer at the wider end of the focal length or do you plan on using a tripod?

Patrick, those straps look really cool. Have you had any issue with the lever on the lens straps slowly dropping down? Do they stay in place easily?

And Worzel, that's just plain awesome.

They are called lens straps:
http://www.lensstraps.com/
and they work very well. No dropping over time. They have a ratchet style locking system on the barrel. I am very very pleased with them. As you can see from the photos I position camera body on the manfrotto slider to accommodate a finger touch control on the lens focus.

i previously had a version off ebay from another manufacturer and they were lousy...very flimsy... so if you have done the same don't mix them up with the lens strap version. They are great and quite secure.

is this the hood riser?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hoodman-HRS4-Ho ... 484544a92f

Yes Steve, the exact one.
It fits perfectly on the pocket cinema lcd. I tried several of Hoodman's mounting options, before finally designing my own with simple velcro strapping. Though the hood riser is designed for Hoodman's Hood loupe, it turns out the Perfect Loupe also fits it exactly. The only modification I made was to shave a bit of a small plastic collet off the underside of it with a sharp knife. The reason I like the Perfect Loupe more is because it is a much bigger eyepiece and far more comfortable on the eye and adds the pop up option in the viewer for those quick looks with the naked eye. I added a Blue Star oval chamois to complete the design.

how did you connect the hoodman to the viewfinder? is the hoodman covering the iris and menu buttons?

Really dig your setup! Just so I have it straight, does the riser attach to the cage or to the camera?

it looks like the riser is velcrod to the cage it self

how did you connect the hoodman to the viewfinder? is the hoodman covering the iris and menu buttons?

The hoodman hood riser has small tabs internally that catch the lip of the viewfinder and it is tapered so that it is a tight friction fit that holds it securely. I put my velcro tabs on the plastic body of the viewfinder itself (the velcro does not hold to the rubber of the riser).
it holds perfectly nestled into the grooves of the cage...although it would work without the cage but you would have to have velcro on the body of the camera which I do not particularly want. I think the cage is great, addds very little weight yet give you all kind of rigging options.

I don't use the iris button since I use all manual nikor mount glass but there is enough flex in the riser to give you access. it does not cover the menu button.

cool man, I just ordered all the parts for the view finder, already have the view factor on order (but I also ordered the back plate and wood grip) and use all nikor mount lenses with a speedbooster, looks like we will have identical rigs almost!

cool man, I just ordered all the parts for the view finder, already have the view factor on order (but I also ordered the back plate and wood grip) and use all nikor mount lenses with a speedbooster, looks like we will have identical rigs almost!

glad my rig could be of inspiration!

When it will arrive.. hopefully as soon as possible this will be mya favorite run and gun system already tested with SONY NEX7 very similar in form factor...

For me the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera nearly achieves the Holy Grail of run and gun stealth cameras. I can shoot an entire day of superior quality footage with a full camera package that fits in a small 16" x 8" sling pack. The fact that I get that and Pro Res 10 bit, 13 stop files is amazing!! Walking around with my monopod rig is nearly effortless. It even doubles as a poor man's floating stabilzer by adding an ankle weight to the feet.

sling pack

DSC04988.JPG (142.96 KiB) Viewed 14712 times

Shoot day inventory

DSC04993.JPG (138.68 KiB) Viewed 14712 times

To me, run and gun means I am not afraid to sling it on my back and go out for the day. Once my gear gets over a certain size, I find myself fatigued even at the thought of lugging it around. That is fine when you are prepared for that kind of shoot day but often many of the real surprises I find with my camera happen when I least expect them or plan for them.

sling pack

DSC04985.JPG (143.85 KiB) Viewed 14712 times

Nice rig Patrick. Thanks for sharing. Seeing lots of examples of run-and-gun rigs helps to see the possibilities. I have been looking at the Zacuto Marauder as a starting point for a portable rig, although it's a little pricey.

7) For light control I have a combination of Series 9 nd's and hot mirror, and for anything above 25mm I also use a LCW Digi pro variable ND with an 82mm hot mirror on the outer stage.

Question about this. What's the reason you use a different set of NDs for different ranges? Do you get any vignetting with the ND+hot mirror stack at the widest ranges of the Tokina (11mm + MBSB)? Thanks.

Nice rig Patrick. Thanks for sharing. Seeing lots of examples of run-and-gun rigs helps to see the possibilities. I have been looking at the Zacuto Marauder as a starting point for a portable rig, although it's a little pricey.

7) For light control I have a combination of Series 9 nd's and hot mirror, and for anything above 25mm I also use a LCW Digi pro variable ND with an 82mm hot mirror on the outer stage.

Question about this. What's the reason you use a different set of NDs for different ranges? Do you get any vignetting with the ND+hot mirror stack at the widest ranges of the Tokina (11mm + MBSB)? Thanks.

Thank you!
you are welcome! Its nice to share the discoveries as they happen
in answer to your questions:

Variable ND's, because they are essentially two polarizers reversed back to back, are subject to the same vignetting issues on wide lenses that straight up polarizers are. The general rule of thumb seems to be anything wider than 25mm you are at risk of vignetting and getting a cross hatch pattern. With the Super 16mm sensor and speed booster/ dumb adapter combinations I use, this seems to vary a bit. Even on my 28-70mm I can sometimes see a hint of vignetting at 28mm on certain combinations of adapter and lens.

For this reason I use a series 9 set of ND's with an 82mm hot mirror in the outer stage to control color casts from IR pollution when I am using my Tokina 11-16mm.

And then switch up to a light craft workshop digipro varriable ND when I am using my Tokina 28-70mm using a similar 82mm hot mirror screwed into the outer polarizer of the variable ND. (The light craft workshop Variable ND is 77mm on the narrow and and 82mm on the wide end.)

The only issue with the hot mirrors is if you are shooting cars or something where reflections can be an issue. In that case, I switch to either a 77mm hot mirror mounted directly on the lens (with the other filtration in from of it), or use some 77mm IR cut combination ND filters. I do the former selectively because in the testing I have done you can get issues with light bouncing around on any filter in front of the hot mirror if you are shooting into the near plane of any light source (like the sun).
Also from what I can tell, the hot mirror is less effective at controlling ir pollution when buried under other filters.

Tthe beauty of this camera and the filter options available is you can have a whole stack of filter in quite a small pouch. I use a wonderful little Cokin zippered filter pouch I picked up off ebay for about $7. It is so handy for these filter ranges I bought 4 of them. They are rated to take filters up to 95mm but I discovered I can just squeeze bare 4x4 filters in them for when I am using a matte box. (I use a nice little super light weight 2 stage carbon fiber matte box for run and gun at times that fixes to the end of a lens I picked up off ebay for $60).

lens mount matte box

DSC04999.JPG (148.53 KiB) Viewed 14651 times

The filter pouches even come with a neck strap so you can sling it around your neck for run and gun. That in combination with a good photo vest (mine has 20 pockets) and I can shoot for hours free of even my back pack.

Cokin filter pack

mvn9L_XFPT_aQxcLn7XxnCA.jpg (8.38 KiB) Viewed 14651 times

cokin filter pack 2

mrxcYFVMi3ulxBUU913X9bA.jpg (8.49 KiB) Viewed 14651 times

So I find its a matter of fine adjustments to lighting, lensing and technical conditions. As long as it all fits in a small sling pack I am happy with it!

Sorry, just to confirm that the riser attaches to your cage via snap fit and no adhesive? And the viewfinder attaches to the riser via snap tabs?
I'd buy all these components today but looking to see those new options from Kamerar and Kinotehnik.

Angie 15-150

Mother of god...

Sorry, just to confirm that the riser attaches to your cage via snap fit and no adhesive? And the viewfinder attaches to the riser via snap tabs?
I'd buy all these components today but looking to see those new options from Kamerar and Kinotehnik.

correction:

1)The hoodman hood riser attaches to viewfinder via a combination of tabs and tapered friction.

2)I then used adhesive backed (female) velcro tabs on the PLASTIC FLAT SECTION OF THE VIEWFINDER (top and bottom)(since the hoodman riser is some rubber composite that does not easily accept adhesives) and mating (female) adhesive tabs on the cage (top and bottom).

These are then connected to each other via sewable velcro male tabs.

velcro tabs

DSC04969.JPG (151.06 KiB) Viewed 14529 times

hope that makes sense

as you can see from the picture I put an additional female tab of velcro on the upper support. This is to lock the two tabs together when I am stowing away the viewfinder and camera in my bag

Yes, that does make more sense. Thank you for the additional detail.
I'll weigh this against the other loupes that are coming online soon.

since I got the clear back plate with my viewfactor I am thinking about doing some small magnetic strips to connect the hoop to the screen protector, anyone see any issues with this?

If some manufacturer came out with a hood+loupe that screwed into those holes for the contineo screen protector, I'd buy both products in a heartbeat.

I took my screen protector off almost straight away. I think I will only use it to transport my pocket camera.
First, it is very shiny and makes an already difficult to see screen image virtually impossible. Second, and more importantly, it attracts dust and it's impossible to clean off without removing the screen.
On my first day using it, I could see little black spots on my BMPCC screen. My heart sank, as I assumed it was either the dreaded dead pixels, or dust on the sensor. In the end, I removed the polycarbonate cover and found it was covered in dust on the inside.
I'm going to buy a stick on screen protector. I don't think an EVF would work sitting off the BMPCC screen rather than attached to it. Apart from dirt getting in, light would also seep in, between the VF protector and the pocket's screen.
As I say, I will probably attach the VF screen protector when travelling, but I wouldn't leave it on in use.

I don't think an EVF would work sitting off the BMPCC screen rather than attached to it. Apart from dirt getting in, light would also seep in, between the VF protector and the pocket's screen.

Based on my experience with my rigging my vf to the pocket that is true. You want the loupe nestled against the screen to avoid light leaks. Part of the reason I ended up with the velcro tabs after trying several rigging options.

all great info!

assuming that's what i think it is, i'm digging the upside down zoom recorder mic handle. word of caution though: the threaded part of mine broke away from the handle pretty easily, so don't hold your rig by it when you're swinging it at unruly crew members.

I just put together a rig similar to this: http://dslrvideoshooter.com/best-budget-dslr-video-rig/

Other than having to use the kamerar baseplate backwards (my lenses all hit the odd little riser in front) it works really well, and it was cheap.

One of the many beauties of the Black Magic Pocket Cinema (which I received two weeks ago and LOVE!) is its small form factor. It is the ideal run and gun, stealth camera. My objective in purchasing it was to replace my Canon 5D for everything I used it for (except for stills) while using its bigger brother (my Blackmagic Cinema MFT) and my Sony F3 for my studio and large apparatus setups.

The problem I have seen in a lot of footage to date was that hand held, the Pocket Camera doesn't perform that well since it is quite light weight. The drift and shakiness in the images tended to get in the way of the visual storytelling (for me a least).

I decided to look for an alternative design for my approach to shooting that was quick and easy, highly versatile, used the most minimal footprint for daily use but still provide a solid reliable platform. I played with a lot of components and variations until I settled on the one below.

DSC04966.JPG

The forum only allows three photos at a time so I will have to add in sections:

The details:

1) A Viewfactor Contineo BMPC Cage which allows me an enormous amount of rigging options.

2) A manfrotto fluid base, triple folding foot monopod. This combined with the three point support of the loupe (against my eye) and pistol grip/hand grip(for my hands) provide a truly solid shooting platform. What little waver I might get, if I want it rock solid a slight image stabilization pass in Premiere results in what appears to be a tripod shot.

DSC04961.JPG

3) A pistol grip flash bracket rig of of ebay for cheap. This is the heart of the platform. The pistol grip flash bracket rig comes with 3/8 X 16 tapped hole in the bottom of the handle which I adapted for my battery mount, a 360 degree rotating flash bracket on the top which obviously can hold a shotgun mic if I want to record sound. Additionally I super glued a 1/2" bubble level to the base for checking my horizon. I added a small 1/4x 20 handle for my right hand which allows my to adjust focus with a single finder on the lens strap rig.

4) A GGS Perfect 3X LCD Foldable Viewfinder Loupe (for $60 off ebay) combined with a Hoodman 4" hoodriser perfectly fits the pocket camera LCD. Additionally the loupe has an adjustable diopter and flip up viewer. To affix this to the cage rig (rock solid) I combined some velcro strips (both glue edge and sewable) to create a viewfinder that can easily flip up and out of the way when I need or flip down for sun reflection avoidance.

DSC04969.JPG

5) A Sony BPU 60 external battery plate and rig that I soldered the appropriate 2.35 x .7mm cable and barrel connector to. I have yet to run this battery out in use, although I have several of the Nikon internal batteries as back ups.

6) I carry only two lenses, an (original Angenieux design) Tokina 28-70mm f2.8 and a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. I also have the Metabones Speed Booster and a couple of straight micro 4/3 to nikon dummies adapters and a teleconverter . With these two lenses I have every conceivable normal lensing option I run into for 95% of my shooting needs (see this thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11294)

7) For light control I have a combination of Series 9 nd's and hot mirror, and for anything above 25mm I also use a LCW Digi pro variable ND with an 82mm hot mirror on the outer stage.

8) A lens strap rig on the barrel of the lens allows me to control focus with a single finger tip. It works beautifully.

9) I finish it off with a manfrotto sliding plate (to balance the shooting weight) and sachtler touch and go for a rapid disconnect. All of the weight of the rig rests on the tripod foot on the adapters.


more photos to follow...

Hello,

I recently published my blog post which lists my review of top 4 dslr shoulder rigs. You can also get a great deal of discount in there with the current lowest price on shoulder rigs and other accessories.

One of the many beauties of the Black Magic Pocket Cinema (which I received two weeks ago and LOVE!) is its small form factor. It is the ideal run and gun, stealth camera. My objective in purchasing it was to replace my Canon 5D for everything I used it for (except for stills) while using its bigger brother (my Blackmagic Cinema MFT) and my Sony F3 for my studio and large apparatus setups.

The problem I have seen in a lot of footage to date was that hand held, the Pocket Camera doesn't perform that well since it is quite light weight. The drift and shakiness in the images tended to get in the way of the visual storytelling (for me a least).

I decided to look for an alternative design for my approach to shooting that was quick and easy, highly versatile, used the most minimal footprint for daily use but still provide a solid reliable platform. I played with a lot of components and variations until I settled on the one below.

DSC04966.JPG

The forum only allows three photos at a time so I will have to add in sections:

The details:

1) A Viewfactor Contineo BMPC Cage which allows me an enormous amount of rigging options.

2) A manfrotto fluid base, triple folding foot monopod. This combined with the three point support of the loupe (against my eye) and pistol grip/hand grip(for my hands) provide a truly solid shooting platform. What little waver I might get, if I want it rock solid a slight image stabilization pass in Premiere results in what appears to be a tripod shot.

DSC04961.JPG

3) A pistol grip flash bracket rig of of ebay for cheap. This is the heart of the platform. The pistol grip flash bracket rig comes with 3/8 X 16 tapped hole in the bottom of the handle which I adapted for my battery mount, a 360 degree rotating flash bracket on the top which obviously can hold a shotgun mic if I want to record sound. Additionally I super glued a 1/2" bubble level to the base for checking my horizon. I added a small 1/4x 20 handle for my right hand which allows my to adjust focus with a single finder on the lens strap rig.

4) A GGS Perfect 3X LCD Foldable Viewfinder Loupe (for $60 off ebay) combined with a Hoodman 4" hoodriser perfectly fits the pocket camera LCD. Additionally the loupe has an adjustable diopter and flip up viewer. To affix this to the cage rig (rock solid) I combined some velcro strips (both glue edge and sewable) to create a viewfinder that can easily flip up and out of the way when I need or flip down for sun reflection avoidance.

DSC04969.JPG

5) A Sony BPU 60 external battery plate and rig that I soldered the appropriate 2.35 x .7mm cable and barrel connector to. I have yet to run this battery out in use, although I have several of the Nikon internal batteries as back ups.

6) I carry only two lenses, an (original Angenieux design) Tokina 28-70mm f2.8 and a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. I also have the Metabones Speed Booster and a couple of straight micro 4/3 to nikon dummies adapters and a teleconverter . With these two lenses I have every conceivable normal lensing option I run into for 95% of my shooting needs (see this thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11294)

7) For light control I have a combination of Series 9 nd's and hot mirror, and for anything above 25mm I also use a LCW Digi pro variable ND with an 82mm hot mirror on the outer stage.

8) A lens strap rig on the barrel of the lens allows me to control focus with a single finger tip. It works beautifully.

9) I finish it off with a manfrotto sliding plate (to balance the shooting weight) and sachtler touch and go for a rapid disconnect. All of the weight of the rig rests on the tripod foot on the adapters.


more photos to follow...

Hello,

I recently published my blog post which lists my review of top 4 dslr shoulder rigs. You can also get a great deal of discount in there with the current lowest price on shoulder rigs and other accessories.

Here the evolution of the setup with ATOMOS SAMURAI BLADE in place. Using the lanc connection I can start and stop the recording from BMPCC and SAMURAI at the same time...

I'm into this, a chest rig that I can use for 10-15 minutes without severe fatigue. After 25 minutes it starts to hurt quite a bit. It weighs around 2.7 kg. Most of the shots are 1-2 minutes anyway. I replace the Stereo Videomic with a Sennheiser wireless receiver for interviews.

I wish Worzel would tell us what that lens support is since I got the Angenieux 15-150 myself but my lens support by Smallrig doesn't extend high enough to cradle it. I've been thinking about getting something that would attach to the lens and let the camera hang off the back....