Various camera setups

I don't take that many pictures of my camera setups. But I do have a bunch of notes and I'll write even more, as I'm working often as a 1AC since last year.

• 1x Alexa Mini with a rehoused Angenieux 70-210, an Abracam and some filters;
• 3x CForce Mini with an LCube;
• 1x CineRT;
• 1x Teradek Bolt LT 1500 Transmitter.

A fearly simple setup. Everithing is powered by the Ronin 2. I had a tiny problem, though : twice, the camera shut down for no reason. It kinda looked like a power surge, but it seemed strange to me. Actually, the fans were in low-noise mode: when I switched back to normal mode, everything was fine! Reminder for the future, always nice to check this setting.

We used the DJI Master Wheels to control the Ronin 2. Easy. On the other hand, I had 3 wireless systems, one for each motors : the ZMU-1 for the zoom, one SXU for the iris and my WCU-4 for the focus. I had a couple of issues with my hand-unit which were resolved as soon as I turned off the SXU.

• 1x Alexa Mini with an Angenieux 15-40 (also had a serie of Zeiss Super Speed TLS), a LMB 4×5;
• 3x CForce Mini;
• 1x Teradek Bolt LT 1500 Transmitter;
• Also had a SmallHD Ultra 7 onboard, only for handheld / tripod.

Nothing much to say, the picture speaks for itself. No issues and the switch between zoom and prime was efficient. The only notable thing is that I didn't use an Arri RMB-8 bracket for my side rode, but a small personal item that could have been better.

Nowadays, commercials often need to be social network ready… For this one, I was asked to be able to switch from landscape to portrait quickly.

• 1x Alexa Mini LF with an Angenieux EZ-1 45-135, a LMB 4×5;
• 3x CForce Mini;
• 1x Teradek Bolt LT 1500 Transmitter;
• 1x SmallHD Ultra 7 (not on the picture);
• 1x Denz DCB-90 (the “L” bracket).

Camera-wise, it was really straightforward. The “L” thing was quite fun to prep and all my monitors could also be easily rotated… I couldn't wait to try it out in production but in the end we shot in portrait. Well, that's life.

• 1x Arri Alexa 35 with one Panavision Primo 19-90, a LMB 4×5;
• 2x CForce Mini;
• 1x Cinetape;
• 1x Teradek Bolt 300 Transmitter;

To get the 35, we made a few concessions. Especially with the Bolt 300. But well : it's old but cheap and it works very well, imho. 3 motors would have been better but the zoom wasn't used much (and eventually, I changed the position of the motors for the final configuration, as we can see in the second photo). And I remember that I had some trouble with my Cinetape but nothing terrible.

The worst thing about this setup was the battery plate. The 35 requires a 24-volt power supply: therefore, this plate cannot be used for hot-swapping. Every time the battery needed changing, we had to bring another V98 dual battery pack to connect to the camera. Such a drag… But, we had no choice but to use the micro V98. There we go.

• Red Gemini / Cooke Varotal 18-100 / Zeiss Super Speed (also used the Varo-Panchro 20-60);
• 1x Arri MB-29 (4×5,6) for primes and the 20-60;
• 1x Chrosziel MB-602 (6×6) for 18-100;
• 1x Chrosziel manual follow-focus;
• 2x Nucleus-M motors (Iris and Zoom with the Tilta handle);
• 1x Teradek Bolt 300 Transmitter;
• 1x SmallHD 502 onboard.

For Say It’s True, Everyone Will Believe You, I wanted to use the Red Gemini with the Cooke Varotal 18-100. But I also needed a lighter setup, with Zeiss primes, that I could operate on my own. Finaly, one of the strangest setups I've ever used. The Gemini body is kinda weird… And the handle was so tiny it became a nightmare on its own. Also, the viewfinder at the end of a magic arm seems odd but it was quite useful, actually.

It worked fine, at the end of the day. And it was even nice to use, especially on the shoulder: it was very well balanced, despite the weight. We still had our share of issues: several time, the camera turned off instead of starting to record (same button for two crucial but opposite actions ) or the Tilta zoom handle acted funny from time to time, resulting in unexpected zoom-crashes…

A little monstrous, i'd say. I made this setup with a few odds and ends I had lying around… Well, it worked.

This one was actually quite fun and interesting to make… But I don't have a lot of good pictures of it, obviously

Sorry, the pictures aren't great. I ran the tests for my assistant, who wasn't available, which is why there are a few notes on the images.

• 1x Sony FX9 / Cooke Varo-Panchro 20-60 / Cooke Varotal 20-100 / Angenieux 25-250 HR / Zeiss Super Speed, a Tilta Mattebox;
• 2x Nucleus-M motors;
• 1x Hollyland Cosmo 4K Transmitter;

This setup was conceived for a 3 week shot, with only one AC and, obvioulsy, a very tight budget (which explains the choice of the Hollyland transmitter. Not the best one…). We were lucky enough to have several high-quality lenses at our disposal, though. I felt in love with this camera, so convenient for small teams and very nice to operate handheld, with an easy-rig (especially with the 20-60 mounted).

I wish I had a better video system, there was too much of a delay with the Cosmo. Ok for a director monitor. Pain in the ass for focus. And, yeah, the Nucleus-M works. Wasn't my problem in a way but I wish I could have given something a bit more practical to my AC.