SR in low mode

[Tom Petropoulos]

If I wanted to fly a Arri SR in low mode could I attach the dovetail plate to the SR handle with a standard screw? Would the handle stread be strong enough to suppoet the weight if the camera?

 

Thanks,

Tom

[Brad Grimmett]

You can attach the plate to the handle. It's strong enough to hold the weight. The problem is the movement in the handle. Once, in a pinch, I used a mini Cartellini to hold the handle in place so that it couldn't move. It actually worked great, but it's obviously better to have a low mode bracket if possible. If this is the only option you have, try to get a mini cartellini and attach it to the front of the handle, on the lens side, to keep the handle from moving while you're operating. It works great, but it's a pain when you need to reload because you need to remove the cartellini every time in order to get the mag off.

Good luck.

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

Which vintage of SR? SR 1&2 are more or less the same (for low mode purposes), but Lots of changes from the the SR2 to SR3 and again for the advanced.

[Mitch Gross]

On the old SR-1 & 2 you should use a slightly longer screw (perhaps 1") and attach a compression washer and nut underneath. The shape of the handle gets in the way of mating a nice flat surface and you can get vibration or even have some rotation. It's a good safety practice as well since you'll be transferring the weight to a solid nut from those thin little threads.

[TJ Williams]

A. Of course the handle moves slightly so it is not ideal

B. The slightest bump will break the handle which is expensive.

 

if this is going to video or dig. intermediate, then just reverse the monitor left to right and top to bottom, and turn the camera upside down! This is very quick an solid.

 

Otherwise renting of a good low mode bracket is really the right way.

 

TJ

[Brant S. Fagan SOC]

Gents--

 

Years ago, Peter Abraham and I made some SR 1 & 2 low mode brackets which REPLACE the handle with a VERY light open cube-type bracket for low mode. Allows easy mag changes and is absolutely rigid.

 

Let me know if you need this type of attachment.

 

Best,

 

Brant S. Fagan, SOC

[Lars Erik]

Hey there,

 

just read the 235 low-mode topic. I'm doing a shoot on the SR2. Will I need a special low-mode bracket? I know that there's a low-mode bracket for the SR3.

 

LE

[Stephen Murphy]

Ive always considered the SR2 handle too flimsy to use as an attachment point for a dovetail plate.

Derrick whitehouse makes a nice SR2 low mode plate which replaces the sr2 handle.

Alternativey there was an older type SR bracket which used the rosettes to mount but i dont think its being manufactured anymore. Derrick is prob. your best bet.

[Gordon Li-Ron]

I just did one of my first film jobs not too long ago. I was flying a borrowed masters series with a g-50( NICE ARM! ). We were shooting with an SR3 and I did ask the DP if he wanted low mode and he said no. He didn't want to wait for the conversion. Instead, he wanted me to flip the sled since they were going straight to video. It was definitely quick but because the rig was borrowed, I didn't know that the monitor didn't have a flip switch like my green screen on my 3A. The 1st AC velcrowed an LCD to the bottom and I was ready to go.

 

I wonder if the're is anything really wrong with this for projects that go straight to video or even just video projects where you can flip the image.

 

 

 

gordon

[Brad Grimmett]

I almost always prefer to shoot with the camera upside down if the project isn't going to print. It's quicker than switching to real low mode, and depending on the bracket it can be much more stable.

I own a Master Series and I can flip the X and Y axis. I thought all of the Master's monitors had this feature.

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

Derrick whitehouse makes a nice SR2 low mode plate which replaces the sr2 handle.

 

 

No I made it Derrick Just sells it

[chris fawcett]

Instead, he wanted me to flip the sled since they were going straight to video. It was definitely quick but because the rig was borrowed, I didn't know that the monitor didn't have a flip switch like my green screen on my 3A. The 1st AC velcrowed an LCD to the bottom and I was ready to go.

Why would you need to flip the monitor in this configuration?

 

Chris

[Brad Grimmett]

Why would you need to flip the monitor in this configuration?

 

Chris

Since the camera is upside down, your X and Y axis' will be flipped, so that left is right, right is left, and up is down, and down is up. You need to invert and reverse the image or else you'll be operating completely backwards.

[Erwin Landau]

I do the upside down thing all the time with video... I'm still very ire with film. As actually it should not cause any problems, I had a couple of run ins that were not so pleasant.

 

I broke of the mag adaptor (and lost the mag) on a G2 when flipping it over while doing low-mode.

I lost a battery on a SR-3 while flying. (I like the additional weight of the onboard battery).

A SR-2 mag disengaged while my AC was calibrating the lens.

An Ultracam would not turn over while upside down. (There is no low-mode bracket in existence for that camera).

 

Even as every rental house has there own design (like the Panavision cage monstrosity, or the 10 versions that Clairmont makes), I only know of 2 commercially available low-mode brackets on the market.

 

Jerry Hill used to make a L shaped bracket for the SR-1/2. But as these cameras were replaced by the SR-3, and were restricting depending on the Video tap, he stopped making them. It attaches with one screw to the carrying handle and by a Kipp handle to the rosette on the New York side of the camera. He made 2 versions where the newer one was considerably beefier.

 

Ron Baldwin had his SR Bracket modified to fit the IVS on the SR-3, he was flying it on the "Division".

 

Derrick Whitehouse sells the Carrying Handle replacement Low-mode bracket. It screws in, in place of the Handle by the 4 original allen screws. It looks scary, but does the job very nicely.

 

Fly safe,

 

 

Erwin "low-mode? Suuuure!" Landau

[Erwin Landau]

Oh I totally forgot...

 

The Hill L-Bracket also worked for the Arri 35-3 and not only the SR-1&2.

 

 

Erwin "Mush brain" Landau