Alexa bracket mounting options for back-heavy camera

[nick franco]

Does Mike Skipp have a website?

I know Tom Gleason sells some of his stuff but it sounds like there is more available.

Thank you, nick

[Jens Piotrowski SOC]

Does Mike Skipp have a website?

I know Tom Gleason sells some of his stuff but it sounds like there is more available.

Thank you, nick

 

 

no website, here's the info

 

http://www.manta.com/c/mmsd3tz/skipp-s-engineering-ents

[Osvaldo Silvera SOC]

Anyone see the XCS Alexa plate and the XCS/BPA plate?

Looks like the Bees Knees!

Just ordered a set.

With the XCS/BPA plate you have 11 3/8"-16 tpi Mounting points.

 

 

 

 

 

Talk about options!

I'll post photo's of my set when I get them and put them on an Alexa here in town.

Ozzie

[brooksrobinson]

Thanks to everyone that chimed in with excellent advice. It looks like there are a lot of great options for back-heavy Alexa’s.

 

I’m looking specifically at Greg Bubb’s because I own quite a few of his products and have had terrific luck with them. His bracket can be purchased as a one piece design (utilizing Arri’s BPA-1), or by buying both his bracket and his BPA. While it is a bit more expensive to go this route, I know I’d always be covered. The other thing I know is that this bracket will be extremely rigid and flex-free, and will allow great flexibility in mounting a dovetail plate, for many balancing options.

 

I’m also looking at something Jason Ellson turned me on to:

 

camera accessory solutions Alexa bracket

 

This bracket allows you to attach your dovetail plate to multiple mounting points and is a one piece design (which is nice). Jason says it is very rigid, and he has been very happy with it on multiple jobs.

 

Again, thank you to everyone who responded for taking the time to express your thoughts, and give the steadicam community a sense of what is available.

 

Brooks

[Twojay Dhillon]

Here's the link to Sal's website and contact info:

 

http://www.cinematicprecision.com/

 

 

price for the plate is $475

 

 

Sal's plate is absolutely rock-solid! Unfortunately for me, the Alexa package that I was working with inexplicably had no baseplate adaptor, so I was unable to use it on last night's shoot. Sal's plate -- at this moment in time -- doesn't include a BPA, so make sure that the Alexa package you are using has one. And, no, Matthias' adapter block will not work for this plate as the holes for the cheeseplate screws are centered (on Matthias' block) and not offset as per Arri standard (and per Sal's plate).

 

The setup I was running sounds identical to the one which gave Brooks some concern: Alexa, transmitter, on-board, small primes (super-speeds), and a clip-on running naked.

 

I mentioned to Sal that with the above package (and especially if you're running a shark-fin w/ 2 on-boards, or, a Hytron 140) the camera needs to come quite far forward in the DBox; he's considering adapting the plate so that it can be moved even farther forward to accommodate this need.

 

Big thumbs-up to Sal for making a kick-ass product! B)

[Benjamin Treplin]

 

I’m also looking at something Jason Ellson turned me on to:

 

camera accessory solutions Alexa bracket

 

 

I like this design! It is straight forward, one piece and gives 2 mounting points. Alone the two threaded holes at the front seem to have a odd spacing.

[Spencer Combs]

Here is a plate I used on a Panavision show the other day. It needs a BPA but was kind of like what I believe you guys were talking about. Is this similar to the one Sal makes because this one rocked and I would like to get one like it. Very light weight, stiff, with two mounting points up front and one on the back.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Spencer Combs

[Osvaldo Silvera SOC]

Hi folks,

I received my set from XCS and here are the stats. The long Alexa plate is 7oz.

The Beefy Multi point XCS-BPA is just under 5oz.

You can use a regular BPA either supplied by the rental house or your own, and then use the long plate for fore and aft attachment points.

Or use the XCS-BPA and then attach your camera plate straight to that if your not going with a rear attachment point.

 

 

Here are the pics.

XCS-Alexa long plate.

 

7oz.

 

XCS-BPA and my other BPA

 

XCS-BPA attached.

 

 

XCS-BPA attached side view.

 

 

XCS-BPA and XCS Alexa plate attached side view.

 

 

XCS Alexa plate aligned with XCS-BPA.

 

 

Plates secured. this shows all the options still available to secure your dovetail plate to this XCS Alexa plate.

 

 

Secured to the XCS plate., I did not take a picture of the underside, but you can attach one screw up front and up to 4 in the rear of the dovetail if you wished! It really matches up well with the XCS camera plates.

 

 

Non Op side of the system attached to the plates.

 

 

another view.

 

So there you have it.

Hope you enjoyed the photos. If you have any specific questions on this plate, contact Greg Bubb, All I know is I like this set up.

Ozzie

[RonBaldwin]

That looks really nice and probably rock solid as all of Greg's stuff, but it really raises the camera a significant amount (an inch with one of the thinker plates?). That will require many inches of post extension which is significant for thos of us with...ahem...shorter posts.

[Jens Piotrowski SOC]

That looks really nice and probably rock solid as all of Greg's stuff, but it really raises the camera a significant amount (an inch with one of the thinker plates?). That will require many inches of post extension which is significant for thos of us with...ahem...shorter posts.

 

you can use Greg's Alexa plate with the PRO camera plate as well...

[RonBaldwin]

That looks really nice and probably rock solid as all of Greg's stuff, but it really raises the camera a significant amount (an inch with one of the thinker plates?). That will require many inches of post extension which is significant for thos of us with...ahem...shorter posts.

 

you can use Greg's Alexa plate with the PRO camera plate as well...

 

Yeah, i will take a peek at one. Seems like it wouldn't be a big deal to make one that doesn't raise the camera at all...or at least very little. I made one to get by when the sexy steadi adapter plates were sold out and I think it raises the camera less than 1/8", but it does not have the rear support which seems really cool.

[Lawrence Karman]

I'm in agreement with Ron on this one; .75 lb just to get to the point of mounting a camera plate and an inch or two of additional camera height is too much of a trade off for me.

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

As much as I love all things XCS, I still think the best choice is the Baer-Bel/Cam-Tech plate:

 

http://www.baer-bel.de/Product%20Highlights.html

 

You can remove the quick release part if you wish via four screws and then screw it to the little adapter wedge we all use. This plate drops right into a PRO D-Box so there are no extra pates. I have not used it with a Codex unit yet but I don't see why it would not work. Anyone know for sure? If not, it is very light and you can still screw a PRO plate to it.

[Ken Nguyen]

Why buying too many brackets?

It isn't cheap!

 

I fly it almost every week with my old trusty Sony video camera tripod plate VCT-14 (slightly modified to rid off vibration).

The V wedge adapter comes with the camera. Or you just need to request it from rental with no extra charge.

 

Cheers,

 

Ken Nguyen.

[RonBaldwin]

good point about owning so much stuff -- but it's fun to spend money on manly brackets instead of booze and chippies at Jumbos! uh...wait, reverse that.

 

This does not necessarily address the issue of back heaviness (I have shaved the safety catch/edges of a few of my camera plates to go farther forward to help with that) but will give an idea of the height issue Some are concerned about.

 

I made this little adaptor when I was in a pinch and there were none available. I could take more height out of it to lower the camera more if I had the right equip but I am too lazy and it works well enough. I do not have an exact measurement but it raises the Alexa no more than 1/8th inch (could easily be less with afore mentioned missing equip or a trip to a machinist) above whatever camera dovetail plate you mount it to.

 

A lower profile adaptor such as this (shaved down so the Alexa sits flush...or at least very near flush) used with Greg Bubb's plate will raise the camera only 1/4". Maybe another trip to industrial metal is in order!