Shoulder Support vs Zacuto Marauder for BMPCC

So I'm contemplating either purchasing a Tilta BMPCC cage then adding an offset should pad to the back and lanparte handles to the front but am also considering the Zacuto Marauder. Both would be used with the zacuto z-finder for the bmpcc. I have a budget of around $700. I am looking for something that I can easily use for narrative and documentary filmmaking. I'd like it to be stable enough to walk with. Is there a benefit of having the support system sit on my shoulder as opposed to being pressed up against it? Give me your opinions thanks.

I can't post the photo, but I saw this rig on instagram today and it looks pretty ideal… I have the cowboy studio mini rig which is really similar to this.

Benefit of over the shoulder would be, you won't get tired holding after long periods of time, and the added stability. I think a small rig like the one below is perfect. I have the RedRock at work and that thing is overkill, especially with a camera this small...

http://instagram.com/p/iyVzjTTAfB/

If your focus is documentary get the Marauder, its more incognito..

So would you say the Marauder does the same job in terms of stabilization as say a ikan Recoil Reloaded or similar rig but is 7x the price?

I can't say, I'm sure it should be better.. but worth the price???

I have the Polaroid rig that some here suggested (single grip).. I get pretty stable shots, but it's certainly not something I would use for mission critical work. Just as a hobby it's fine however.

My suggestion was based on the attention you would receive when walking around with a shoulder rig for certain documentaries you might be working on.

My Polaroid rig is nice and stable, however, If I need to be even more discrete, I can remove components to simplify it down to a pistol grip!! But I would never use it for mission critical work as I said before, it's just not that reliable.. I'm sure the Marauder would be much better.

I'm pretty torn between the two options. I like the idea of building a rig out of the cage and rods but see the benefit of having the small marauder with just the camera on it. Anybody who owns the Marauder do you think putting something like the Tilta cage on the Marauder would be a stable rig? Could I potentially have both the Tilta cage rig with follow focus mounted on the Marauder with a z-finder or would the camera now be too high because of the height of the cage?

I can't post the photo, but I saw this rig on instagram today and it looks pretty ideal… I have the cowboy studio mini rig which is really similar to this.

Benefit of over the shoulder would be, you won't get tired holding after long periods of time, and the added stability. I think a small rig like the one below is perfect. I have the RedRock at work and that thing is overkill, especially with a camera this small...

This is actually my set-up (link removed as I'm not allowed URL's). I came across this topic whilst scanning the forums, so I figured I'd chip in.

So I'm contemplating either purchasing a Tilta BMPCC cage then adding an offset should pad to the back and lanparte handles to the front but am also considering the Zacuto Marauder. Both would be used with the zacuto z-finder for the bmpcc. I have a budget of around $700. I am looking for something that I can easily use for narrative and documentary filmmaking. I'd like it to be stable enough to walk with. Is there a benefit of having the support system sit on my shoulder as opposed to being pressed up against it? Give me your opinions thanks.

There are a couple of advantages to my rig:

1. The price; £27.99 (Amazon) versus £565.14 (CVP).

2. You can build it up, as seen in my Instagram photo, or strip it down to just the shoulder mount, camera, and loupe. With the money you'll save on the shoulder mount the Zacuto Z-Finder will seem like a steal.

3. It just works. I've used it on a few very long days of shooting, normally with a Mark II and heavy zoom lens, and find the weight distribution has really helped me running/gunning, the design allows me to keep my hands on the camera so I can still get to all the buttons I need, and with my current set-up I can lean into it without any play making it really stable.

If you need a second opinion, Caleb Pike on DSLR Video Shooter loves the rig too, though you'll have to google it yourself (again, I'm not allowed URL's).

Do you ever use a follow focus with this setup? If so does it work well in terms of holding and operating it precisely.

I´m using the Edelkrone Pocket Rig with two handles from Smallrig.
The cage is a D|Focus.



Advantages: The price is below 700€ and you can mount the small and light rig on a tripod.
The shoulder support can be folded up and hides underneath the camera. You´ve got rails that you can swing out and mount useful things on them, like a lens support or handles.

A Marauder would probably be a bit lighter than the Pocket Rig with handles.
But a Marauder is really only a rund&gun tool. An overpriced one, if you ask me.

Do you ever use a follow focus with this setup? If so does it work well in terms of holding and operating it precisely.

I don't, I personally prefer to focus off the barrel, but with two small rods coming out of the front of the Movcam base that holds the BMPCC you could quite easily attach one without any problems. Plus the BMPCC can move forward or back on the base plate so you can really dial in the position for use with a follow focus.

As an extra bit to this assembly I recently had my GoPro hanging off a rod on the front for a recent run and gun shoot, didn't have any problems there so yeah, very versatile set-up.