Long Valley Equipment Red Rods

[Michael Tien]

Has anyone tried out the Long Valley Equipment's RED camera lightweight rods?

 

http://www.longvalleyequip.com/rodsupport.php

 

Cheers

Michael Tien

[Alfeo Dixon SOC]

nice find, but I'm not investing another single penny into supporting that camera. Every single time I work with a RED its like opening a Cracker Jacks box and lets see what the surprise is today!

 

I've been around #0043 since it hit Atlanta and probably one of the first few of us to fly it. Now its just an annoyance that we get no prep and the "package" they are getting is a mystery itself.

 

-Alfeo "ruff start this morning" Dixon

[Jess Haas SOC]

Another company makes a very similar bracket. Looked a little more refined(black anodized) but i have no clue who it was.

 

I believe to install both of them you have to remove the screws on the front that hold the camera together. Probably not a huge deal but might get some weird looks from all the owners out there when you show up on set and start dismantling their camera.

 

Also with the screw in rods if not using a matte box that mounts to them you may want to add a dog bone or something in order to keep them from being able to loosen when just a motor is attached.

 

~Jess

[Charles Papert]

They really should update the pix on the site--the production model is of course anodized, so it's probably the same one you've used, Jess.

 

Alfeo, I feel your pain but this is actually a piece that can save you a lot of frustration with the RED, in that it could avoid you having to fly a baseplate in order to use a mattebox. I gave up on my idea of assembling the Red First Aid Kit which would have a selection of bits to make any RED Steadicam-friendly but this was due to be in it. Back in the day we used to have to own brackets specific to a given camera, anything from low mode pieces to eyepiece taps, so it's not unreasonable to have to invest in stuff for the RED especially when it will make your life easier, and remove the mystery from a prep. Knowing that the next generation is coming just down the pipe, it's probably not the best time to start doing so for RED One though.

[Jess Haas SOC]

They really should update the pix on the site--the production model is of course anodized, so it's probably the same one you've used, Jess.

The other one used a clamping mechanism and not screw in rods. Could have been made by the same people of course.

 

Knowing that the next generation is coming just down the pipe, it's probably not the best time to start doing so for RED One though.

Of course as soon as these pieces start being available for the new cameras they will most likely go and announce the next round of cameras.....

 

~Jess

[Alfeo Dixon SOC]

Alfeo, I feel your pain but this is actually a piece that can save you a lot of frustration with the RED, in that it could avoid you having to fly a baseplate in order to use a mattebox... Knowing that the next generation is coming just down the pipe, it's probably not the best time to start doing so for RED One though.

Sure your right Chuck! Now IF those geniuses at RED keep the front of the cameras the same, I will gladly add one, 30% of my jobs are RED.

[Peter Hoare]

Felix Forrest has one of those, we stuck it on our Red last time we flew it. Its nice, requires a bit of unscrewing, but its worth it. Means you can get rid of the dodgy red rod plate thing and bolt straight to the bottom of the camera body.

[Thomas English]

All I have for the RED are 2 x long Aluminium 19mm bars. I like mounting motors from the top anyway (Using the 19mm top holes) and these bars go all the way back to mount the cradle on as well. I also always have a Petroff clipon Mattbox ready for any lens. The thing is both these items are useful with any camera. I don't see the need for anything else apart from a power cable if you should so desire. I have one and nearly never use it. I like the camera to look after itself up there and the weight is good with a battery on.

 

Its a nice idea having 15mm rods but its too camera specific for my money. Not that useful as I don't have a 15mm studio Matt Box nor will one come in the kit on a RED job. I agree Charles that you used to have Brackets for every camera before my day but back then Cameras lasted for years, in fact we are still shooting some of those cameras regularly. Nowadays a lot of cameras are only around for 2 to 6 years max. Still though you have a good point which I agree with as I spunk money all the time on bits outside of my remit to make life easier.

 

Felix's RED camera looks awful bottom heavy in that AR rig. I would be thinking of putting a Steel bar or two on top as well as top mounting the motors to "up" that center of gravity anyway.

 

RED camera, 15mm bars.... No...

[Charles Papert]

15mm is universal here in LA--I don't remember the last time I saw 19mm before RED came around. So that makes for a different set of needs.

 

Unlike a film camera or many HD cameras, REDs can be stripped down significantly so it leaves open the possibility of going into a super-light mode for running, stairs or longform shooting like concerts. Having the right parts for that is key (including the power cable). May be a sign of advancing age but I've found it well within myself to get used to shooting with a light rig rather than weighing everything down to 35 to get that "ocean liner" feel.

 

The other piece of kit that is often a bone of contention is a downconverter--as we all know, privately owned rigs have a tendency not to come equipped with that. Thankfully the Decimator is a relatively low-cost way to solve that puzzle, and of course it works for any HD camera. Even with an HD monitor now I'm still glad I'm covered (in case I have to revert to SD backup monitor, or have need to transmit in SD).

 

One thing that has puzzled me a bit is that many operators feel it unnecessary to get a run cable for the RED, citing "you can just push the run button on the camera". Well, we could do that with any camera, yet we still have cables for those. Of course in low-mode, the last thing you want to do is have to fuss around down there to run the camera--I would think.

[Thomas English]

15mm is universal here in LA--I don't remember the last time I saw 19mm before RED came around. So that makes for a different set of needs.

 

Wow! I was always told it was the other way around. That 19mm was a US thing. Over here 15mm has been a super16 thing whilst 19mm a 35mm thing. Do you always power your REDs? I have three consecutive days coming up with different productions on the RED starting this friday and they all promise to be toughies (16 hour day buy outs) so I shall be powering and trying my best to remove that ocean liner feeling that I love and covers up my delirium tremors.