First pic is the cheaply made foam stickon for the shoulder support. Next 2 pics are my solutions to a better support system using the oversized rubber grip for some back support! (I jammed it into one of the longer rod clamps and it stays pretty well! And it's actually more comfortable than the original) The horizontal bottom handle lets me balance the rig with my right hand and pull focus with my left via FDFF. The top handle can be either vertical or horizontal.

What lens gear does everyone prefer to use with the ifocus? I notice most people are using redrock type lens gears that increase the diameter of contact like this:

http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/lensgears/microLensGearKitBlack

vs zacuto type legs gears which are very close to the lens.

Is this because of the ifocus large size and short lenses? I have an ifocus but still deciding on lens gear, thanks for your time.

@artiswar thank you for your input. Those look like a great deal and I would probably get them however I wonder if the spokes ever slip? Especially when removing and transporting? Or do they hold well when set? I ask because I'll probably be switching them from lens to lens often. Thank for your time.

Also remember about magnetic rings from Indiesystem.

@antcuc - hold decent enough for me. If you transport in a hard case you'll be fine. I have a dslr backpack and they do decent. Occasional slippage but nothing awful.

Mine took one week from the time I ordered to arrive, but because of needing to sign with DHL and the weekend I didn't get it to this week.

Haven't really put it to the test yet but first impressions are that it's extremely well constructed. The Extreme 17 allows for a lot of different configurations.

I may need another counter weight to really balance the whole rig. The shoulder pad thing does unstick quickly but it's fairly easy to re-attatch or stick better and it's not as uncomfortable as many people seem to say.

My only real concern is that sometimes a rod seems to slip in a clamp. They seem to be able to be tightened completely without damaging anything, however, just takes some effort. I think I can adjust them more precisely with an allen wrench to get the correct tensions for the various areas of the rigs, so I'm not concerned.

Overall I couldn't be happier. I paid $399+84 shipping for the extreme 17. Waiting on lens gears but the follow focus is buttery smooth. Footage is immediately more stable and the camera feels well protected.

Looks like there's now slider from Gini: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Slider-for-Dslr-/251138780270

I'm looking to purchase my first shoulder rig. I've got about $500-$600 to spend and feel like a Gini rig might be the way to go for that price range. However, a lot of people have reported scams/resellers on the forum.

Can anyone point me to the real Gini? Is the quality still high for the price?

I'm shooting with a GH3. Any suggestions on which Gini setup? I have no cage for the GH3 and am looking at the Extreme 17

Thanks!

I love the Metal Gini lens gears. I haven't seen them sell any in a while. I wonder if they stopped selling them.

@kellar42 thanks for the heads up on the rig.

I'm going to pick up the extreme 17 from http://www.ginirigs-usa.com.

Comes with one of the sliders for $600 and some change. Seems like a solid deal.

Thanks @kellar42. It looks like they have the lens gears on Amazon as well. I can't recommend those les gears enough. They are on 3 of my lenses, 5 others are Cinevate gears, and one more is an old Shoot35 gear. All go 360 degrees and are great. The Gini ones I like the best. Highly highly recommend.

I use cheap ziptie gears from Amazon, though I'd like to try the Genis.