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Light and good handles for rig
  • I want to make my rig more back heavy and more front light.

    I currently have Gini handles and Gini follow focus.

    While I think them are both top notch build quality, them are betty heavy. I want to have more balanced rig.

    Any suggestions especially for good and light front handles? I would appreciate if you could give the weight of the handles.

    I'm especially interested about weight of Tilta and Lanparte handles.

  • 5 Replies sorted by
  • Instead of switching out the handles, I would look into adding weight in the back to counterbalance the rig.

    You'll be able to dial in the proper weight by adding/removing weights in the back rather than trying to figure out much different a slightly lighter set of handles will make. Plus, you get to keep using the well-made Gini handles (I have them too and would not want to swap them out for anything).

    Some have used scuba (diving) weights, or you could use a sack with lead balls in it to really dial in the proper counterbalance.

  • I already have heavy counterbalance. The whole system is pretty heavy. A little bit too heavy I would say.

  • @tonalt

    Try to move same weight further back, as if it rest on your shoulder it is mostly useless.

  • I use the Lanparte 2-piece "basic" handles. High quality typical of Lanparte stuff. Very light and easy to adjust. I paid around 100 Euros for the pair. Frankly, I don't understand all this counterweight nonsense. The GH2's a lightweight DSLR, not a frakin' heavy duty ENG camera. My friends in the sports and news gathering biz just laugh at all the silly DSLR twits trying to pretend they're in a warzone working for a TV network!

  • Either way, your arms will ache after 20 minutes. The tried-and-true solution is the ENG camera, despite the weight.

    Or, as @Roberto says, get your DSLR onto the shoulder somehow. The weight's off your arms, your hands are freed up for the job and everything gets steadied-up.

    image

    (Hardware-hacking the GH2 has suddenly got a little cheaper!) http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/2555/gh2-hardware-modifications-not-for-the-faint-hearted/p1