Rob Hess

Thanks for all the advice and links, everyone. These are super helpful.

The ARRI follow focus units seem to be pretty nice (haven't used one myself), but I notice they aren't typically mentioned in the same league as the Bartech or Preston units. Have the ARRI units not been around as long, or is there another reason for this?

Thanks Robert. I was primarily referring to the Tiffen manufactured rigs from the original post (Zephyr V, Archer SP-V), but that's helpful info too.

Anyone who went to NAB get any word on pricing and availability of these rigs (that is, the two larger ones)?

Thank you all for the responses! Very, very helpful. The cheese plate was exactly what I was wondering about...I figured there was some type of mounting option, but didn't know what it was called. Thanks again! How do you mount accessories within a horizontal plate? Is the accessory itself (like a converter box or transmitter) typically secured vertically? Can you describe more about the "CG sitting at the same axis as the center post"? Are you referring to positioning the CG of the accessories to ensure there's a good side-to-side balance? Sorry, I'm such a newbie. :) Here's my long answer to your short question about the rig: I currently don't own a rig, and I'm looking at getting back into Steadicam work again (temporarily borrowed an SK some time ago...did a workshop and a couple projects with pretty basic camera setups, no accessories). For the future, I'm seriously considering the Zephyr (or Zephyr V for convenience, since I'd like to pick up some live work eventually). Most of my current work would be DSLR, but I want the flexibility for some heavier setups. I don't expect to be doing any setups that would require a big rig anytime soon.

Thanks! Great to know. Where do you generally put the "rig side" adhesive, particularly in cases where a camera itself may be too small (DSLR, for example)?

Hi everyone, This might sound like a super-newbie question, but I haven't been able to find any information on it on these forums. What are some of the best ways to securely mount accessories to the camera body/cage/rods? I've noticed a lot of accessories aren't built (by default) with mounting options—essentially a plain box. So how do you mount them so that they are both secure and easily balanced? Thanks! Rob