Over at NAB 2014 I stopped at the SHAPE booth to talk with Kirk Neff. I admit there's a bit of brown nosing on my end, but if you ever get the chance to chat with Kirk, it's inspiring to hear about the equipment (or lack of) he chooses to work with. He's a down-to-earth shooter not obsessed with RAW video or 4K cameras. No need for external HDMI ProRes recorders or 'Cine Style' lenses. His workflow is about being fast and functional with minimal gear.
I've got a lot of respect for this guy, as he's out there traveling the world, shooting long content news / documentary pieces for broadcast television and winning awards that are shot entirely from Nikon D800 DSLR cameras with Nikon auto focus lenses. So it's interesting to see the bundle that he decided to put together with SHAPE, and the pieces he personally feels are important for getting the job done.
Sold as a complete bundle so you don't need to fiddle, the Kirk Neff 2.0 Rig comes with an oversized DSLR Video Cage 2.0 with Quick release base, adjustable SHAPE shoulder rig, mini composite Shoulder Pad, Rear back pad, 'Swing Away' Matte Box with (2) 4x4 rotating filter trays, Telescopic push-button Adjustable Handles (Arri rossette), Follow Focus with both friction wheel and Gear, and on the website it also shows the expensive Cineroid EVF4RVW with Retina Display as part of this bundle. I'm sure i'm missing a few items, but you can find out more about this entire Kirk Neff 2.0 Shoulder Rig Kit over at the SHAPEWLB.com website (click here).
SHAPE Kirk Neff 2.0 DSLR Video Shoulder Rig Bundle
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Emm
Post author@Danny - I'm using several different products. I pretty much just build something depending on the project. As much as possible I try to use tripods, monopod, or some other type of stabilizer. For me shoulder rigs can get heavy and are hard to keep the horizon level.
Danny
Hi Emm,
Are you still on the Gini rig? Have you evolved into a lighter shoulder rig? The Gini seems heavy these days, but still a great value.
Scott
Okay, so 3000$ for a matte box, a few 15mm rails, a top handle, and a follow focus? Yeah, nope.avi.
As much as I'm proud he's Canadian, that ain't competin' with anyone.
I'd rather see some new innovations out of a Canadian company, rather than trying to make a shinier version of what you can either order cheap from china, or well made and polished from the US.
As much as we have resources as a country, we're not a manufacturing centre. We should be innovating.
Emm
Post author@Apostolos - The Cineroid Retina EVF alone is over $1200 US bucks. Add up the little pieces and it starts to make sense.
Apostolos
I'm guessing it must be gold-plated, if it's 4,000 (okay, Canadian, but still....)