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D-Focus GH2 Cage
  • 36 Replies sorted by
  • The QR plate mounting will benefit if it was first attached to a custom intermediate plate bolted to the bottom of the cage via those 4 threaded holes (see second picture) to increase the contact area. Although an access hole (for a screwdriver/allen wrench) would be required to remove the camera from the cage otherwise the QR mount plate would require removal first. Not so good.

    As stability is one of the main reasons for a cage I would probably not fit a QR directly between the cage and the rig as it only allows for another point of movement.

    My current setup allows the camera to be removed from the rest of the rig using a QR and this is most likely also contributing to some of the camera movement when operating the follow focus. So I plan to bolt the cage to the rig once I check out any battery/power access issues.

  • Here's something that may help.

    Though another plate on the top like the bottom plate bolted directly to the cage may work pretty well.

    image

    tripod-mounting-plate-2-15mm-railblock.jpg
    500 x 500 - 82K
  • @peaceonearth thanks for letting me know. That's a real shame, and very frustrating! I had my heart set on one. Looks like i'll have to go with a D|Cage instead. Shame as I much preferred the design of the Rewo :(

    Does anyone have one they want to sell?

  • @platicated - I'd check out the gini cage as well. Very happy with mine

  • @mrbill it looks very large. I liked the low profile of the Rewo cage as it conformed to the shape of the GH2, rather than creating cube shape like the others. It was also a single piece of metal.

    It seems the options are limited, especially as the D|Focus cage is now showing as out of stock.

    I'm serious about purchasing a second hand Rewo so if anyone has a used one I'll be willing to pay full retail price for it.

  • Someone's already got their hands on one :) Looks good and conforming to the GH2's body shape. Only question is if it holds stable as I remember reading something finicky about how it is held. Maybe they have improved it since NAB 2012?

  • Mine arrived two days ago. No complaints so far. Camera seems well locked down. Accessibility to the camera is good. Will post some pics soon. The main issue now is to get rid of any movement in the lens and adapter.

  • Good Lord, I loathe "unboxing" vids!

  • @rockroadpix "Good Lord, I loathe "unboxing" vids!

    He he! I thought the topic of unboxing videos deserves its own thread so I posted something in the 'Off Topic' section. Take a look and you may get a laugh! ;>)

    Here... http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/3893/lets-end-unboxing-videos#Item_1

  • @pundit do you have a follow focus on your rig? Do you still get that awful "wobble" when racking focus with the camera installed in the cage?

  • @plasticated Yes I have a follow focus fitted to my rig and was still having some issues with lens wobble but this was no longer caused by camera body movement. Normally the longer the lens, the more obvious the wobble. But it also depends on the tolerances within the lens.

    When I ordered the GH2 D-Cage from Jag35 I also ordered the D-Support which is a lens stabilizer. It was $50 and to be frank there's hardly anything to it ($5 worth of parts?) but my Rokinon (Samyang) 85mm F1.4 is now rock solid when I rack focus.

    http://dfocussystem.com/dsupport.php

    The fact that Rokinon focuses internally so the front of the lens doesn't extend or rotate is a major plus compared to many non-cinema camera lens. This is critical in order to be able to attach the D-Support to the very front of the lens where it is most effective. If the lens changes length or rotates while focusing then the D-Support can't be used at the front and mounting it closer to the camera body means it won't be as effective in reducing movement.

    The other bonus with the Rokinon 85mm is it has almost no perceivable focus breathing and the focus ring rotates about 320 degrees which is quite a wide range. (nice for focusing)

    As far as I'm aware both the Rokinon 35mm and 24 lenses also focus internally. That alone almost makes them worth the price of admission as it means they can be well and truly tied down with something like the D-Support or similar. The only real down side is that the 35mm is suppose to focus breath quite a bit.

    Once you lock down the GH2's body in a cage ideally the lens adapter should also be fixed to the rig if possible to eliminate any movement. The reality is most non-cinema lenses are likely to have some kind of movement issues when rack focusing. So I guess the real answer is the cage alone will not totally cure movement. You just have to determine in which areas you have some movement and work out the best method of eliminating it while still maintaining focus/zoom control over the lens.