I have slowly been getting to grips with shooting video on my Canon DSLR but recently I think there has been a significant improvement in the rope shoots I’m doing. Apart from beginning to make sense of the massive expansion of the already baffling array of features offered by the amazing Magic Lantern firmware upgrade, I have been addressing a couple of points of annoyance. Firstly, I was finding accurate focus difficult on a tiny fixed screen, due to my eyes not being as sharp as they once were, and the manual focus ring fiddly, albeit a quantum leaf forward from the on on my HV20 DV cam. A partial solution was the DSLR Controller app for Android tablets which turns them into a monitor with a whole range of controls including auto, manual and rack focus on-screen. This has meant my 8″ Asus tablet now provides a pretty good picture and control, although not full HD or all the Magic Lantern features. That said, the LCD on the camera still gives all the ML info so no big deal. Given that ML is free and DSLR Controller, plus the required OTG cable, is under a tenner, they are a no-brainer. Of course, if you want to be really flash, you can go wireless with the latter for not a lot more.
I made a couple of Heath Robinson type attempts to mount the camera and tablet but concluded that I needed to get serious to achieve stability and reliability. My first thought was to add a mounting for the tablet to a basic shoulder-mount but before long I got sucked into gadgetry after seeing ridiculously cheap professional-looking set-ups on eBay. Not being entirely wet behind the ears, a little voice reminded me that “If it seems to good to be true, it probably is”. A spot of Googling confirmed my suspicions that these rigs might look pro but are made from metal with all the structural strength of cheese. Tales of stripped threads, knobs that come off in your hand and twisting rails abounded about dubious Indian kit, although one Korean manufacturer shone above all the dross, Gini. The opinion seemed almost unanimous that these rigs were near the same quality as top dollar pro kit for barely more than the toy ones from India. When I found the Gini Extreme 17 (as pictured above) on offer complete with follow-focus for under £250 shipped and duty paid, I bit the bullet and ordered one, even though it was many times the budget I originally had in mind. The follow-focus alone fetches £100+ used on eBay, so it really is a bargain!
It arrived in under a week. The quality is stunning and it is so beautiful you could call it a work of art! As it isn’t supplied with lens gear (£5-£10 for a cheap one), I have yet to try the follow focus. However, I have shot a couple of sessions with it as is. The only downside is weight but this can easily be solved with a monopod or some other means when it might become an issue. The big bonus is the stability whilst having the tablet securely mounted with all the camera controls easily accessible. There’s still plenty of attachment options for a light, mic or what ever.
If you fancy one of these rigs, the manufacturer sells on eBay as gini778. Be aware that prices fluctuate wildly for some reason and models seem to vary slightly, e.g. £457 for the same rig with a counter-weight from the same seller. Gini have their own web site and sell via Amazon too.
I am editing up some video I shot of Nina doing some sessions with MaYa, which I will upload in the next 24 hours. I’m very pleased with the results but I’m sure it can only get better as I learn more about the kit. Today’s shoot was an improvement on yesterday’s. I will have a 28mm prime lens soon and I plan to makes some changes to the lighting, so we’ll see what difference that makes.