Premium Members Sarah Thompson Posted July 11, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Something that has been puzzling me a little, thinking as I am about what I'm going to do for a first rig, is interoperability. Looking at a lot of the posts on here, it seems that a lot of the 'full size' (for want of a better description) rigs are interoperable in terms of arms, vests and sleds. What are the limits of this? That is, what works with what? I was just wondering whether it might be feasible to up my budget a bit and look seriously at piecing together a full size rig from older parts, and since it seems that on the marketplace people generally will sell just an arm, just a vest, etc., this might be an option, but knowing what works with what would help, obviously. It also occurs to me that buying into a system that could be upgraded might make some sense longer term. This seems to me to be not crazy, but I know enough to know that I don't know anything, so I'm asking for help! (I do plan on doing a workshop, but it'll most likely be a few months before one happens somewhere I can get to. I'd love to do the 6 day workshop in October, but the dates clash with something else, unfortunately) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Alec Jarnagin SOC Posted July 11, 2012 Moderators Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Sarah, its not crazy at all, especially for someone as Tech Savvy as you. Its actually the best option, IMHO. You just need to do some more homework, have some patience, and be willing to modify stuff (on some occasions). It may take you longer and may cost a bit more up front but I bet you're a lot less likely to sell it all off and start over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Sarah Thompson Posted July 12, 2012 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Sarah, its not crazy at all, especially for someone as Tech Savvy as you. Its actually the best option, IMHO. You just need to do some more homework, have some patience, and be willing to modify stuff (on some occasions). It may take you longer and may cost a bit more up front but I bet you're a lot less likely to sell it all off and start over. Thanks -- that helps. So as it seems, the interface between various arms and sleds is effectively a pin/dowel, so machining each end to different appropriate diameters is all that is necessary. Am I right in assuming this? I have a small lathe, so I could make something like that trivially. Next question would be the connector between the vest and the arm -- how standardized is this? I could if necessary fabricate a mount, but it would be nicer not to have to! I'm something of an odd shape, so it wouldn't surprise me if I needed to modify a vest to fit me properly, so I'm expecting to have to make at least a few modifications along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Brian Freesh Posted July 12, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Basically all the big rig arms and vests are compatible. There are a few exceptions. The following is not meant to be a comprehensive list, but just off the top of my head the stuff I see and hear about the most. In theory* the following arms are all compatible with the following vests: Pro Titan/Atlas G-70(x)/50(x)/40 Master 3A/EFP/Luna Steadyrig Silverspring Sachtler Pro Vest Ultra/Ultra2/Exovest/LX/Archer Master 3A/EFP Klassen Harness Sachtler *There is some incompatibility with Tiffen/CP arms on the Pro Vest (but not vice versa). There are several easy solutions, which were discussed in a recent thread. All the Tiffen rigs smaller than an Archer have one of two smaller socket blocks (the arm/vest connector). The larger of the two (on a Zephyr for example) is interchangeable with the full size socket block. I wouldn't use a full size block on a smaller vest though, they're not designed for the weight of a full size rig. Glidecam and ActionCam have different socket blocks as well (someone correct me if I am wrong), though I think the Glidecam Gold vest/arm might be the same as the above rigs (though I wouldn't recommend them) hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Sarah Thompson Posted July 12, 2012 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Basically all the big rig arms and vests are compatible. There are a few exceptions. The following is not meant to be a comprehensive list, but just off the top of my head the stuff I see and hear about the most. In theory* the following arms are all compatible with the following vests: *snip* hope this helps Yes it does, hugely in fact! Are there any arm/sled gotchas to know about? Weight capacity is kind of obvious and easy enough to check, but things like 'don't ever use a G50 arm with a blahdeblah sled because it makes your legs turn backwards and your nose go green' would be useful to know. :) As I said, I don't care much about needing a custom made post because I can make one myself in an hour. Similarly, electrical/electronic issues don't worry me either, so picking up a half-dead sled and rewiring it from scratch would be something that wouldn't concern me over much. Thanks again, Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Eric Fletcher S.O.C. Posted July 12, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Are there any arm/sled gotchas to know about? Weight capacity is kind of obvious and easy enough to check, but things like 'don't ever use a G50 arm with a blahdeblah sled because it makes your legs turn backwards and your nose go green' would be useful to know. :) As I said, I don't care much about needing a custom made post because I can make one myself in an hour. Similarly, electrical/electronic issues don't worry me either, so picking up a half-dead sled and rewiring it from scratch would be something that wouldn't concern me over much. Two pieces of advice SEARCH WORKSHOP then come back and ask your questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Sarah Thompson Posted July 12, 2012 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Are there any arm/sled gotchas to know about? Weight capacity is kind of obvious and easy enough to check, but things like 'don't ever use a G50 arm with a blahdeblah sled because it makes your legs turn backwards and your nose go green' would be useful to know. :) As I said, I don't care much about needing a custom made post because I can make one myself in an hour. Similarly, electrical/electronic issues don't worry me either, so picking up a half-dead sled and rewiring it from scratch would be something that wouldn't concern me over much. Two pieces of advice SEARCH WORKSHOP then come back and ask your questions <3-year-old-tantrum-mode> But I wannit an I wannit NOW! </3-year-old-tantrum-mode> Good advice, thanks. Really. The workshop part won't happen until next year most likely -- it would be awesome if there was one I could get to sooner (or, listed at all currently, actually), but I'll have to wait. I am doing my homework as best I can, however -- the archives here are very useful, as is the handbook, of course. All I'm currently trying to do is piece together a rig without dropping a large amount of money on something that won't work well and/or that will end up swapped out sooner than I'd like. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Louis Puli SOC Posted July 12, 2012 Moderators Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Hi Sarah I would be contacting your local operators and going and seeing their systems and talking to them about what works /not for them as well . Eric is 100% right all will be revealed at a workshop . Louis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.