So I decided to get a new hand held rig for my Epic on a feature that had loads of hand held. Ryan at x hooked me up with the following: Leather Handgrips, Crosspiece and 19mm and 15mm Tiny Versal. In short it's their hand held handles and cross piece that mounts to 19mm and 15mm rods instead of dovetail / bridgeplate set up. The whole thing came to about 900.00. I did not get the extensions as I prefer to have my handles short. I feel I get more direct control and I don't do mega long takes such as in live performance. I also opted out of the dovetail / shoulder pad as I prefer using strap on pads (House of Power) instead. I find them lower, lighter, more convenient and quicker to switch out from sticks. So in that regard, if you're looking for the full blown rig, my review may be somewhat limited.
Build: Excellent build. Nothing loose. Never have to overcrank to secure any of the positioning. Rosette knobs ratchet. No soft metals. Very precise fit on all the threading. Real class stuff. All machined. I'd put the build on par with ET, OC and Arri. They made it that good. Seems like something that'll be in my kit far longer than my camera.
Adjustability: Quick and convenient. Easily slid fore / aft along rods. Adjusting position of handles while the camera was on my shoulder was quite easy.
Performance: I prefer very direct control over my camera when doing handheld. Which means I hate flex. This system had none that affected the way I work. It could easily handle a much heavier rig. I also, love the feel of the leather handles. They cnform to my hands but are hard enough to not effect control. However, if you have small hands, you may want to consider some of their other handles. Also, in the winter, the leather will help to keep your hands from freezing.
The cross bar is offset to the left. This is a feature that should be standard on all hand held rigs. Cameras usually rest on your right shoulder, so your cross piece should be longer on the oppoosite side so your arms can be straight in front of you. Even some of the most expensive rigs out there haven't figured this one out. Also the cross piece is wider than most rigs (which are usually not much wider than the rod spacing). This gives much better leverage and control.
My only gripe and it's somewhat minor, I wish x made 3 to 4" extensions. Their current extensions are much too long for my uses and perhaps other operators too. I feel long extensions are great for real long takes but sacrifice more direct control and handling. Ronford Moosebars offers short, medium and long extensions. I may try them out on my WC rig. Should work being standard rosettes on both. I opted out of Moosbars because I feel the foam handles are cheap and wear through quickly and the crosspiece is centered and not that wide.
Features:
The cross piece has 1/4" and 3/8" holes for mounting accessories. This can be cool if you want to go with a small monitor instead of an eyepiece (as in their publicity pics). Problem with this is the operator's side FF wheel will get in the way. Works great if it's on the dumbside or you are using a remote FF like a bartech or Preston. It also adds weight the front of an already front heavy rig (Epic).
Last note:
We used ours on an Epic and ran the Bomb off WC's EVF holder. Their EVF holder worked great in that it's quite easy to move way forward allowing me to put more weight behind me. I also recommend to fly your battery as far back on your rods as possible to further help the balance. We use an AB Matrix plate for that.
In all, for what it is, it's a top quality piece of kit for a good price. It's simple and not over engineered or complicated like many rigs that seem to be coming out every week. No one has time to wait on configuring your camera, so we just leave our handles on all the time (adds another carrying handle). Doesn't impede anything when on sticks and I can throw it on my shoulder literally in seconds.
Originally Posted by Jason Diamond
