Reddit reviews ePhotoinc RL01 DSLR Rig Movie Kit Shoulder Rig Mount Video Camcorder Camera DV DSLR Cameras

http://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Camcorder-DSR-PD198p-ePhotoInc-RL01/dp/B005NJCF7E/

I bought this awhile ago and really enjoy it. Although, the DIY ones posted around seem to a good deal on the cheap too

Here's is my honest impression.

1. It seriously drags. Work on pacing in both script and editing. Try to say stuff without saying it; show, don't tell.
   
   
2. I know it's only 3 days, but something could've been done to the footage to make it look less crappy digital. Bump up the contrast, crush your blues... just... do something.
   
   
3. The shots where the camera is on a tripod are really bad. Like, not even level. You might want to dump the sticks and invest in a shoulder rig. At the very least turn on the rule of 3rds grid on your camera.

Noob here too,

I just purchased This Shoulder kit, full basic kit

and This one too, thanks Film Riot

• Extra batteries (a battery grip if you're on DSLRs, V-Mounts even).
  
  
• Hard Drives (maybe a smidgen over $50)
  
  
• A cheap & portable shoulder rig can be handy for small budget sets, especially when you can fit them in your camerabag easily.

If you are able to invest in something to help stabilize more definitely do it! I used to shoot music festivals and live music a lot and those little shoulder rig things really make a difference and can be found for cheap, one of my buddies always used this $40 one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NJCF7E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005NJCF7E&linkCode=as2&tag=tomantfilan05-20

Review:

https://youtu.be/KwMFcWcHjOk

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Your handheld idea is the best way to get a variety of shots like you did, however I would suggest holding shots a little longer, making sure you nail the focus, and either slowly moving to the next subject each time, or doing a quick 'whip pan' to minimize transition time. I tend to like shooting on a tripod with a big zoom lens so shots are stabilized, but i can still get some variety.

I bought one of these

http://www.amazon.com/ePhoto-Camcorder-DSR-PD198p-ePhotoInc-RL01/dp/B005NJCF7E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347037668&sr=8-1&keywords=dslr+shoulder

and its works pretty well, it can adjust to a variety of positions and it helps alot with shooting off the sticks.

Also shooting wide helps, I have a t2i and mainly use a tamron 17-50 2.8 for video, it gets very wobbly when at 50 however.

Also, if you already have a tripod this is a simple and easy way to get some stability if you need to do over the shoulder

using a tripod or monopod as a counterweight can help

And some plain ol' walking around with the camera and being mindful of how you are walking, try to learn what muscles to use to better steady a shot while moving around

My new years resolutions:

1 - Shoot every day. I have done 365 projects in the past and while they can have days when it is more pressure than fun, the net is very positive. It really forces you to FIND beauty and keep your mind open. I need to do that again.

2 - Use the gear I have instead of buying more. Another project I did was a personal "One Lens Challenge" - go shoot with just one lens and solve the problem of getting an image without being able to dig into a bag. It teaches you the capabilities of the gear you already have and forces you to see the image that each lens is capable of producing. It also teaches you what gear you are not using and could probably get rid of.

3 - Shoot with strobes again. I think I have used my strobes 10 times in the last 4 years. Thats not a good thing. I used to use them almost every shoot. I did a shoot as part of Help Portrait in early December and the first day was painful because I had forgotten what I needed to do. Creating light with strobes is a perishable skill and mine is on its death bed.

4 - Shoot with models again. I think one of the things that frustrates a lot of photographers as they are getting started is dealing with people who say "I don't like my picture taken" or who immediately shy away from the camera. The best antidotes for this, IMHO, are theater kids and models. Its so much more fun when the person in front of the camera WANTS to be there. Nice thing about this task is that it almost requires me to do task #3, aids in task #1 and puts a stress on task #2.

5 - Learn to shoot video. This is my number one skill I want to acquire this year because frankly I have none. Im just looking for baby steps here. I got a shoulder rig for Christmas and now I need to learn how to use it.

So those are mine. Five things I want to do this year. Some are multi part tasks but really its just 5 things. Compared to Coach Bill Snyder's 16 goals its pretty reasonable :)

Does anyone have any experience with budget shoulder rigs for filming with a DSLR? I need something for a video I'm making, but I almost never record video with my camera, so I only really need a basic one for this one project. Nothing fancy or professional.

I've looked at this one, it looks decent and at £32 it's within my budget. But would I be able to manually focus the lens when using this design, or would I need both hands on the handles at all times? My camera's live view autofocus will hunt all over the place, so I need to be able to focus manually.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005NJCF7E/ref=twister_B016ZBA282?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

There are alternatives by the same company where I could have a follow focus, but they're a little more expensive. £60 is probably the furthest I could stretch my budget. Any other suggestions welcome.

If you are allowed to use a shoulder rig and it's a DSLR, I use this and it works great for not a lot of cash:

Shoulder Rig Mount- http://amzn.com/B005NJCF7E

I also have a 650D and was looking around for a shoulder rig, possibly a matte box in the future.

Either way i found this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwMFcWcHjOk

Here is link for US:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NJCF7E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005NJCF7E&linkCode=as2&tag=tomant-20

Here is link for UK & rest:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CLXY3XO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It looks good, highly customisable and cheap.

Try out different stabilizers. I got a cheap shoulder mount on amazon. I've had it for about a couple of years now, used mostly weddings. It does the job & it's great for the price!

You can also trim out 30-40 seconds off the edit. I know its tough to cut out your own shots and or edit. You get the point across 40 seconds into the show anyway.

great job on certain rack focus and framing. Keep at it! You did a wonderful piece for this venue!

I use this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NJCF7E/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_6Vvlub16YQ81V

Its incredibly versatile, I've recently been using it in combination with a tripod as a mini-jib!

I found probably the same items that /u/sternefoifi listed on amazon.com for cheaper and with Prime shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E5OO4T0/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NJCF7E/

Just a heads up for you. :)

Gift card please? Saving up for this baby

fortissimo

Will you be mounting mics, batteries, matte boxes or follow focuses to your camera? If not then there's no need to buy a real rig. Just buy any of the many cheap rigs that will give you a top handle and attach your monitor to the rig or one of the 1/4" on the cam. Then save up for when you can afford a rig worth while with accessories.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NJCF7E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KbzKxb2DE3G7B