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  • @artiswar , Cinevate focus gears are the all made of metal ?

  • First pic is the cheaply made foam stickon for the shoulder support. Next 2 pics are my solutions to a better support system using the oversized rubber grip for some back support! (I jammed it into one of the longer rod clamps and it stays pretty well! And it's actually more comfortable than the original) The horizontal bottom handle lets me balance the rig with my right hand and pull focus with my left via FDFF. The top handle can be either vertical or horizontal.

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  • @feha - Not mine. Mine are hard plastic. Best gears I've used though.

  • What lens gear does everyone prefer to use with the ifocus? I notice most people are using redrock type lens gears that increase the diameter of contact like this:

    http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/lensgears/microLensGearKitBlack

    vs zacuto type legs gears which are very close to the lens.

    Is this because of the ifocus large size and short lenses? I have an ifocus but still deciding on lens gear, thanks for your time.

  • @antuc - For me, the heavy use of LOMOs dictated the Cinevate gears, which are seamless. I feel these are most versatile as LOMO and many other vintage cinema lenses are going to be long pull and spin forever. This plus a crank whip or arm is heaven. Plus, 3 for $100 isn't a bad deal. http://www.lcd4video.com/cinevate-follow-focus-gear-ring-kit-for-14-lenses/

  • @artiswar thank you for your input. Those look like a great deal and I would probably get them however I wonder if the spokes ever slip? Especially when removing and transporting? Or do they hold well when set? I ask because I'll probably be switching them from lens to lens often. Thank for your time.

  • @antcuc , I'm uploading a video review about Cinematics Lens Gear Rings, they are excellent ... but if you need a 360 degree rotation than Cinevate is way to go.

  • Also remember about magnetic rings from Indiesystem.

  • Gini doesn't have much item to sell on ebay lately. Must be busy watching Olympics.

  • @antcuc - hold decent enough for me. If you transport in a hard case you'll be fine. I have a dslr backpack and they do decent. Occasional slippage but nothing awful.

  • Here is a short video for my new rig extreme 17 from Gini-Rigs

  • Mine took one week from the time I ordered to arrive, but because of needing to sign with DHL and the weekend I didn't get it to this week.

    Haven't really put it to the test yet but first impressions are that it's extremely well constructed. The Extreme 17 allows for a lot of different configurations.

    I may need another counter weight to really balance the whole rig. The shoulder pad thing does unstick quickly but it's fairly easy to re-attatch or stick better and it's not as uncomfortable as many people seem to say.

    My only real concern is that sometimes a rod seems to slip in a clamp. They seem to be able to be tightened completely without damaging anything, however, just takes some effort. I think I can adjust them more precisely with an allen wrench to get the correct tensions for the various areas of the rigs, so I'm not concerned.

    Overall I couldn't be happier. I paid $399+84 shipping for the extreme 17. Waiting on lens gears but the follow focus is buttery smooth. Footage is immediately more stable and the camera feels well protected.

  • Thank you to @artiswar for the input and @feha for the review, both were very helpful.

  • Looks like there's now slider from Gini: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Slider-for-Dslr-/251138780270 image

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  • I'm looking to purchase my first shoulder rig. I've got about $500-$600 to spend and feel like a Gini rig might be the way to go for that price range. However, a lot of people have reported scams/resellers on the forum.

    Can anyone point me to the real Gini? Is the quality still high for the price?

    I'm shooting with a GH3. Any suggestions on which Gini setup? I have no cage for the GH3 and am looking at the Extreme 17

    Thanks!

  • I was happy with my extreme 17" and now I've added a Shape shoulder pad and some carbon fiber rods and it works really well. Not sure about all the weird knockoff sites but some googling should help you find whomever is currently legit.

  • I love the Metal Gini lens gears. I haven't seen them sell any in a while. I wonder if they stopped selling them.

  • @kellar42 thanks for the heads up on the rig.

    I'm going to pick up the extreme 17 from http://www.ginirigs-usa.com.

    Comes with one of the sliders for $600 and some change. Seems like a solid deal.

  • Yeah, looks good.

  • Thanks @kellar42. It looks like they have the lens gears on Amazon as well. I can't recommend those les gears enough. They are on 3 of my lenses, 5 others are Cinevate gears, and one more is an old Shoot35 gear. All go 360 degrees and are great. The Gini ones I like the best. Highly highly recommend.

  • @Brian202020 Are the gears absolutely necessary, or can I get by without? As stated before I'm only starting to build up my equipment and this will be my first rig. I'm kind of going over budget a little bit with the combo I found on the gini site as it is...

    I'm only starting to work on my glass as well. That is, I've got some old pentax lenses (helios 44m, takumar 50/1.4, mr1b) and an SLR magic 35mm t1.4 so far.

    I'll dive into some better glass as money starts to come in, but right now stabilization has been the issue.

    Regardless, $638 dollars for an extreme 17 with the new g8 slider and an extra counterweight is too good of a deal to pass up on.

    Thanks!

  • I use cheap ziptie gears from Amazon, though I'd like to try the Genis.

  • @theshittywizard Not necessary, so if your on a budget, get cheap lens gears for now. I'd eventually upgrade at some point tho. 360 degree lens gears make it so you can mount your follow focus basically anywhere (top, bottom, left, right, etc) that makes sense for the shot without having to adjust the lens gear. Plus some lenses, like my Nikon 135 f2.8, rotate almost 360 degrees, so any gear that doesn't go 360 degrees is an issue. You either sacrifice infinity or close focus.