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DSLR Rig : Buy or Build?
Hey everyone, I am in a bit of an argument with myself and I am not here to deliberate if that is a good reason to go to the hospital or not but rather here to ask the cow community the pros and cons to buying a fully put together rig like the ones redrock, cinevate, and cavision make based on the 15mm rails or ebay all the parts needed to build my own rig based on 15mm rails.
A couple of notes I really don’t mind putting together my own rig if it means saving a little more cash, I am just starting out and don’t really need a top of the line rig, I just need something that works. At the same time though if slapping together your own rig has turned out to cost just as much or became an entire s*** show to work with then please let me know. My ideal rig would be tripod mounted possibly with the option to slap on a shoulder support and room for a follow focus, matte box, monitor.
My obvious go to was to price out the parts needed to build a replica of one the above mentioned companies make but either my google skills have fallen short today or there isn’t much out there in the way of tutorials on how to buid your own rig based on 15mm rails, so if you know of any that would be a great help to my pricing venture.
Thanks!
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3 Replies
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You might find my comprehensive guide to rigging useful: https://wolfcrow.com/blog/comprehensive-guide-to-rigging-any-camera-1-introduction-to-rigging/
I prefer custom rigs always. A good rig can last through many cameras and setups.
https://www.wolfcrow.com – Workflow information and support for filmmakers, photographers, audiographers and videographers.
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Thank you Sareesh,I will definitely will check out your guide. After some more research I think I am going to buy a rig with the most basic of setups then buy the parts I need to customize it.
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Remember to think long term. If you are going to build a rig, build it well. A camera rig (like a tripod, c-stand etc,) should have a very long life span. I know too many people who have opted for a cheap alternative, and then ended up buying that piece of gear over and over again costing them more than if they would have went for the higher quality option to start with.
For me, my professional needs and my budget I have found that buying high quality but used gear is a good bang for buck choice. A year ago I bought a used Redrock setup (follow focus, rails, really everything but the matte box) for $700. I have lugged that thing around a bunch and it is still working great for me and probably will for 10 more years.
John Young
Surrounding Media
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