Steel, aluminum, or carbon rods?

[Joel Kaye]

I would take the battery of the top mount, this cradle is horrible it is in the way to the round control panel, yes you can top mount it but still.
So I would think of having the battery with a cable just next to the camera like most of film cameras has and you can plug it to a heavy load 12V brick battery that will last much longer than the Red batteries.

Pretty much how I have my camera set up now. I haven't adapted to a marine battery yet but I easily could. One cable away. There's just no reason to have the battery on the camera. I hang it from the tripod or my belt. My interface area is clear.

I just wish I could lighten that EVF up somehow. It's almost as big as an EX1 all by itself.

[Jorge Díaz-Amador]

To avoid unnecessary strain on the PL mount, I would recommend using support rods with the RED 300 at all times.

I would *defintely* second what Gibby had said regarding this. The RED PL mount is particularly sensitive to this because it is made of multiple threaded parts. It's basically built like a prime lens.

Remember, it's not just the weight it's the leverage. I'm sure the RED PL mount can hold the 300mm without damage just sitting there on the head. But cameras that shoot, are cameras that move around and get bumped. And when that happens much greater forces that the weight of that lens are going to bear on the PL mount's threads. At the very least you risk throwing off the FFD, even worse, throwing off the flatness.

An lens that has an interface for a lens support *should* be used with a lens support. Usually anything longer than a 180mm prime needs to be supported.

Regarding CF rods, I like them, they are "trick" and light and strong. But an impact that would not damage a steel rod will crack a CF rod. It's happened to me. Anybody want to buy *one* ARRI 15mm CF rod?

I think the potential for damage to the roundness of the rod is much greater because the resin holding the carbon fibers together is nowhere near as hard as stainless steel.

Aluminum is about halfway between the two (Steel and CF) in terms of hardness and less stiff than either. Aluminum rods should always be hard coat anodized. They can't be effectively ground so they are not as round as steel rods.

[Mark Pedersen]

Thanks much, guys. . .

I guess I'll break down and try them. . . maybe ET's first. . . see if they are stiff enough for me. I'd love to save money. After all, I'm one of the ones using the Nikons.

Stephen

You'll be very happy with the ET rods. Every bit as strong and rigid as steel rods IMHO. And a whole lot lighter.

M

[Ernesto Lomeli]

I love my ET rods,
I own 2 sets of 12" and 2 sets of 18"
and as much as i do love em, they do not support a zoom lens.
My Cooke 20-100 is flexing the hell out of the 18" ET rods.
So much that my mattbox no longer aligns properly.

They easily have more then 1" inch of travel. Dont get me wrong,
I love the weight of them, but the reality is that they just cannot hold as well
as steel rods, its just physics.

[zak forrest]

Ditch the cradle. Get ET rods.

I have all those rods including Carbon X. I am not into the Carbon X only because I like putting my Microforce cable THROUGH the rods, and the Carbon X rods have covers on their ends =]