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Opteka CXS rigs
  • The ratings for it seems pretty good, although only from 6 people. I wonder if this is a good, budget-friendly alternatives to some of the more pro-quality rigs out there. I believe I've seen something similar to this rig from another company. Does it look familiar to anyone, too?

    What do you think of this quality for this Opteka rig? I have a GH2, do you think it'll be a good combination, along with a good follow focus?

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005RQK4B2/
  • 7 Replies sorted by
  • It is very simple straight rig. Cheap. Can be useful.
    Check if you need one. Check that you don't need height adjustment of camera (to mount MB, etc).
    Check that such handles will be ok.
  • The review seems to be pretty good for it, even the one review on Youtube:


    There are accessories that can be put on this to adjust the height, right? Seems that maybe the camera plate being so low may get in the way with the follow focus
  • Another Opteka rig

  • Just saw this thread and if anyone cares, yes, the first rig is impossible to use with newer cine lenses and a FF, for example, and Rokinon cine, Tokina 11-16,12-24 or 28-70. That baseplate is pretty useless. On another note, I do use the rods, handles and shoulder pad on my current setup and think they were more than worth the purchase. Not sure how much it is now though.

    Oh yeah, I also use a offset riser to drop the whole front part down from the pad and battery mount portion and it sits pretty good for me.

  • I just bought an Opteka CXS-2 (the one in the second video) and am fairly pleased with it. It's my first shoulder rig, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but it adds quite a bit of stability for a low price. The shoulder pad is comfortable, and I've shot for 4+ hours with very little fatigue.

    The only thing I'm not happy with is that you can't really upgrade it. The rails are the wrong distance apart to add a follow focus or matte box. The most you can do is put a quick-release plate on it.

    As long as you don't need a matte box and don't mind using the lens to focus, it's a pretty decent starter rig, but do realize that it's a bit of a dead-end as far as upgrade paths go. The rods are 15mm, and the weight can be used on anything, but those are the only parts I would cannibalize for another rig.

    Even with all of these caveats, it was super-cheap. So I definitely don't regret the purchase. I'd recommend it for anyone that wants to get stable shots on the cheap.

  • Their more simple solution