-
Overhead Camera Mount
-
super helpful!!!
I was wondering that exact thing about the speedrail.
I love your idea of DIYing it!!
Gonna give it a whirl!!
Thanks again!!! -
Hey Todd.
Can I trouble you for a bit more advice about c-stands?
I was getting ready to buy, but I’m not sure which type to get.I thought the 40″ riser made the most sense overall. Would you say?
And I thought the boom would come in handy.
What about Turtle based vs one piece?
And “Rocky Mountain” double sliding leg?
Any other options/thoughts?And what do you suggest for sandbags?
Thanks again, Todd!!
-
okay… I just talked to a very helpful person at Matthews and I think I’m all set. Just realized though that I’m not sure the best way to hook the camera to the Mafer clamp. Do I need a special screw (1/4-20?).
Thanks again!!
-
Hey Dad…
Glad Matthews is fixing you up. They are good people.
Yes, you’ll need a way to attach your camera to your Mafer clamp. Depend on what you buy, the clamp will probably come with a “baby pin” inserted into it, which is a straight stud 5/8″ in diameter. What you’ll want to do it to take out that pin and replace with with a baby pin that terminates in a 1/4″ threaded nub.
Like this one…
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1245793-REG/innovative_dimmers_803509_bp_baby_pin_to_1_4.htmlThere are many others, probably some cheaper, that was just the first one I ran across.
For more flexibility you could also put a little ball head in there to make positioning the camera easier…
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/687361-REG/Oben_BD_0_BD_0_TABLE_TOP_BALL.htmlAs for your other questions…
The tall 40″ riser sounds like it would be the most useful one for you.
As for the boom, you won’t need the grip arm/head for this application, but you might want to buy one if you think it will come in handy for other uses.
Turtle base vs. one piece… well to be honest, I didn’t know there were any C-stands that were not turtle bases. Turtle base is the norm.
You don’t need a Rocky Mountain leg for this usage. You’ll use that when shooting on uneven surfaces, outdoors on location, negotiating stairs and steps, etc. If you are ever going to be in these situations, then yes the adjustable leg can help and you might want to buy that. If you are always going to be in that same setup on a flat stage floor, then you don’t.
Sandbags… I think most of our sandbags came from FilmTools. Sandbags are heavy to ship, obviously, so most of our were purchased empty. We fill them up here and sew them shut. Sandbag canvas is super heavy-duty though, so we took some of them to an upholstery shop to sew them up.
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
-
Hi Todd.
Okay I got my stands and Mafer clamps, and then when I set everything up, I felt like the Canon c100 would be easier to use than the Nikon DSLR D810. Do you think it’s okay to use the c100? It’s just the camera and the 24-105 lens as shown:
Worried about stressing out the female/camera side of the 1/4-20 in that perpendicular angle.
(I have a ninja on a separate Mafer clamp)
Thanks again!!!
-Dan
-
Yeah, with a DSLR I think that would be fine, but the C100 is a different animal.
I think technically it should work, but I too would be a little concerned about all that weight on just the little 1/4″ receiver on the camera. If you were using the 3/8″ receiver, I’d feel a little bit better about it, but not a great deal. I use a Zacuto base plate with my similarly-sized C300 and have no qualms about pointing it straight down on a tripod head… but I’m attaching to the plate with both the 1/4″ and 3/8″ receivers simultaneously.
You could attach the camera using both mounting holes to a plate, what they call a “cheese plate” as it has bunches of holes in it, and then attach the cheese plate to the Mafer clamp… or even two Mafter clamps on the same rail. My other concern is sometimes you’ll find baby pins made of brass, and those are kinda soft and I’d almost be worried about the threaded part of the pin shearing off, especially the quarter-inch version. If yours is made of steel, stainless or otherwise, it’s probably fine.
Honestly what I would do myself is not a very elegant solution, but it’s dirt cheap and would work about as well or better than anything else. I’d put a hook or screw eye in the ceiling right above the camera, and run a safety line or cord down from the ceiling to the camera handle, just to take some of the weight and stress off of it. With a setup like that, I wouldn’t worry about the camera one bit.
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
-
Phew! Glad I asked you.
So, I actually do have the bronze pins. Do you think the D810 (full frame DSLR) is okay with the Bronze?
I’m going to try to avoid putting holes in my ceiling ☺The pin you suggested from B&H is on backorder, and I was hoping to shoot this weekend.
How about this one from Adorama that seems to be in stock?
https://www.adorama.com/fv1qmbp.html
-
Couldn’t make a guess about the D810, not really familiar with that camera (I’m totally a Canon guy, for both stills and video). But I’m going to assume it’s a modestly-sized DSLR, so I’m sure it’s a safer bet than the C100.
That one from Adorama looks to be a steel pin… but I’ll freely admit that I purely base that on the color in the picture.
I only would be a little concerned because I did once have the threaded part on brass pin exactly like that break off… but it did have a fair bit of stress on it, I think probably more than you are putting on it. Mine was used to attach a grip head to the speed ring of a fairly large soft box. Brass is very soft, though… compared to steel.
Unlike the C300 which has both 1/4″ and 3/8″ receivers on the bottom, the C100 only has one receiver… but it can be either 1/4″ or 3/8″… it just depends on which plate you install on the bottom, your camera should have come with both. I think I’d put the 3/8″ plate on, I think it would be a little more reliable combo in that position.
If you swap that to the 3/8″ plate, you can use a 3/8″ to baby pin like this…
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/644304-REG/Arri_570113_Baby_Pin_5_8_with.html
I’ll admit though that pin has very long threads on it… it might bottom out before it fully seats in the camera. Instead I’d go with this dual pin that has both 1/4″ and 3/8″ threads, I have a couple of them, I think. Plus it’s a third the price…
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1046027-REG/tether_tools_rs465_rock_solid_dual_5_8.html
It’s a special order though, 7-10 days for delivery.
Also, you can always take the top handle (and hey, even the side grip) off the camera to save a little forward weight. Not much, but every little bit will probably help.
And hey… what’s a little hole in the ceiling. You’re making art, man.
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
-
Okay, just taked to Matthews again and here’s what they recommended.
To attach camera to clamp, use this with a hex which fits the mafer better:
And then this to connect camera to pin:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=861833&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&typedValue=&Top+Nav-Search=Then I have 3/8 going into the camera.
I’m going to bet you recommend still running a line to the ceiling, right?
Todd, if I wanted to do the cheapest (solid) cheese plate option, do you have a recommendation for which parts to cobble together? Still trying to avoid, if possible, the hole in the ceiling.
Really (really) appreciate your help!!!
Thanks, Dan
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up