Reddit reviews Neewer Portable FilmMaker System With Camera/Camcorder Mount Slider, Soft Rubber Shoulder Pad and Dual-hand Handgrip For All DSLR Video Cameras and DV Camcorders

Lumix g7

25mm 1.7

Shoulder Rig (raids are from it as well)

Variable ND

Matte Box

Cage

I bought this Neewer rig last week. There is so little written about this brand of rig so me buying it was a big shot in the dark. However, my initial reaction was that it was pretty damn decent for the price range. I think that I will create a video review for it to hopefully elucidate the pros and cons for future buyers.

I'll disclaim that not only am I a film making rookie (only doing corporate film making for about half a year now) but I am also using an incredibly light - not to mention outdated - GH2 setup. Also, at the time of writing I have used this rig in a pro capacity only once, so I only have one point of data to base it's professional performance on. Therefore take my opinion with the caveat that I have never experienced any other rigs, but also that it may not be a suitable rig for much heavier cameras. With that in mind, I can't help but feel that the rig was worth the £60 I paid for it.

I forgot to buy a counterweight for the job I was working on and so I wasn't really using the product as intended. But just the unbalanced rig alone seemed to reduce excess camera movement to a satisfying level. One thing that did turn out to be a bit challenging is that the rig did make the camera significantly heavier, so in shots that required me to film for more than a few minutes my arms got tired and a little bit more shake started to come into frame. I imagine that this will be solved when I pick up a counterweight, but I can't be sure until I test it.

Another of my big concerns pre-purchase was build quality. I made sure to prioritise the Aluminium build for strength and it seems sturdy and well fitted. There were some comments on the Amazon article about the thumb screws not tightening firmly enough but I found that they fitted quite snugly. People also talked about the loose handle bars sliding out of position and - while they aren't immovable - they certainly don't move unless I make them. Once again, this may be different under the weight of a heavier camera. I also made sure to prioritise the model featuring aluminium thumbscrews for reasons that I am sure are obvious.

The model I went for had a different shoulder pad; moulded out of a single foam block that is shaped to fit on your shoulder. I went for this version over the shoulder pad that is featured in your link because I wanted to make sure that I could fit a counterweight to my build and I wasn't sure if this was possible with the model you linked. This is definitely something to consider.

I also looked at other models, but the [next affordable shoulder rig] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005RQK4B2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005RQK4B2&linkCode=as2&tag=drippingdawn-20) was significantly more expensive and seemed to ultimately be the same product. It even was missing some of the features of the Neewer shoulder rig like the height-adjustable camera mount and quick release plate.

Oh! That's another thing, the quick release plate is pretty decent in some regards and a bit iffy in others. It is solid enough, and the QR system works fine, but the screws on the plate get in the way of my GH2's flip-out screen unless you slightly unscrew them before attaching the camera. This doesn't affect stability or structural integrity but it does mean you could lose the larger screw if you aren't careful. I would consider sticking it down with tape. One other factor in the base plate is that the 1/4" screw isn't a thumbscrew. You might want to look into buying a replacement screw on ebay or Amazon (or whatever) to replace it with. I'm sorry I didn't do this when I bought the rig. On my last job I had to carry around a 2 pence piece to unscrew the camera from the base plate in order to change the battery. This was obviously a big faff and because the battery switch took so long I actually missed some useful footage. I'm now looking into an external battery setup so that I can dodge this problem in the future. Hopefully the external battery doubles as a counterweight as well.

In conclusion it seems like a decent bit of kit. Not something that would service you for your entire professional career but definitely an acceptable starting rig, especially for the price range. One of the biggest advantages to using the unbalanced rig on a corporate job was that nobody mistook me for a stills photographer. Which is normally a big pain.

If I have missed anything feel free to ask.

You can't get a professional setup for $10k. However, you can get close and this is what I would recommend to do so.

• $2k Build a custom editing computer (I can put together a specific part list if you want). This is because you can get a far higher value for the money if you build it yourself.
  
• $500 on peripherals (Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor) (Again I can give specifics if you want)
  
• $3k Sony a7S II. This camera is an amazing low light cam. If you use this, you can focus a lot less on lighting.
  
• $2k on various prime lenses. Again, if you go with primes, you can get a larger aperture for less cash and end up focusing on lighting less. I would go for a 30-ishmm, a 50-ishmm, and a 80-ishmm depending on the pricing.
  
• $500 various stablizing systems. A tripod, this shoulder mount,
  
• $1k on sound gear. A Zoom H4n, Rode NTG4, and boompole
  
• $500 on lighting gear. In that budget, I would go for a couple of C-stands, can lights, and some sort of portable LED system.
  
  That leaves a $500 buffer for anything else you want to buy.

I mean, I'm not sure if it's worth investing in anything for an XL1-- i'd seriously look for a new camera once youve gotten the feel for things-- but shoulder rigs are good for basically any cam: https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-FilmMaker-Camcorder-Dual-hand-Camcorders/dp/B00GTMBA7K/ref=sr_1_5?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1466655726&sr=1-5&keywords=shoulder+rig

Gonna try to give you a good answer here, but understand that you get what you pay for. The a7sii is a great camera but if you load it up with a bunch of shit accessories you should expect sub par performance.

1. Get more batteries, and buy a better brand if you can afford them. Wasabi batteries do wonky things sometimes, I wouldn't use them on stuff I was being paid to do.
   
   
2. Neewer makes a lot of consumer level production gear. This will get you started but you can expect this thing to fall apart or break within a year or two, they're not built to last (whereas my Zacuto gear is going strong after three years of abuse, and will last for many years to come with proper maintenance).
   
   
3. You're out of luck on this one. There are some good DIY options but nothing (that I know of) that is going to look professional enough to use for weddings. The glidecam is the accepted entry point into steady cam work, so if you're not interested in that the next best thing would be to get a good lens with OIS and practice smooth moves with the shoulder rig (though steady cam and handheld are two very different styles and looks).
   
   
4. You're not going to get all those features for less than $500 - $1000, and even those monitors are questionable. I have never used this monitor, it's just the first link on amazon that has decent reviews. I would expect at that price point it's going to look like shit, don't expect accurate color, focus peaking, or any other features to be accurate, if the monitor has them at all. This will literally only serve as a reference monitor to give you a bigger screen to look at.
   
   
5. I really can't comment on this, I'm unfamiliar with Sony's lineup and don't have a ton of experience using lens adapters (though in my little bit of experience you usually sacrifice a good bit of sharpness).
   
   
6. I have been using this little guy for conferences and events for the past two years or so and absolutely love it. It eats through the 2000mah batteries pretty quickly so you'll want some 4000s.
   
   I've bought a ton of gear over the years for both myself and for my company and it really comes down to you get what you pay for. You can spend $1000 finishing out your kit and expect that to get you a year or two of decent use. Or you could invest in better equipment that will last you for many years to come, and perform better while doing it. There's nothing more frustrating than a cheap piece of gear that you're always fighting only to have it break anyway.

I use this with BMPCC. Its inexpensive leaving you money for accessories.

Its not huge and its built to interchange anything from the rails, shoulder pad, and even add a weight, Follow Focus, and Matte Box.

To each his own but it works for me! Hope i helped.

Film City rigs are decent for their price. I had one a few years ago and then upgraded to a VariZoom rig.

This one looks promising:

Neewer Portable FilmMaker System With Camera/Camcorder Mount Slider, Soft Rubber Shoulder Pad and Dual-hand Handgrip For All DSLR Video Cameras and DV Camcorders https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GTMBA7K/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_iazPwbWHDGHJH

Absolutely. I started with a Neewer stabilizer, I've yet to invest in a motorized gimbal myself, as those go for upwards of $600 for a decent one. For short docs I find myself using a shoulder rig the most, and for a shoulder rig I started with the Neewer brand as well. This brand was my best friend starting out lol. The stabilizer/glidecam will take a tinsy bit of practice but this particular one has served me very well personally. YouTube search the gear you're eyeballin, see what others say, and you'll surely make the best choice suited for you. Cheers!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NJKJ1IA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0tLLzbKA1ZE19

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GTMBA7K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_IzLLzbHH9G1YM

IMHO I'd stay away from cheap follow focus/matte boxes and go with just the shoulder system.

I just got the PR-1, quality seems pretty decent. There's also Neewer and Polaroid rigs that are very affordable.

https://www.amazon.ca/Neewer-FilmMaker-Camcorder-Dual-hand-Camcorders/dp/B00GTMBA7K/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1487655901&sr=8-6&keywords=shoulder+rig

I used this for a bit, not the exact model but essentially the same, but I bought 4" rods to put on the back end and attached a weight to it, helped with the balance.

As for the movements... looked like a lot of moves were initiated with the knees and sometimes added a dutch tilt in there, and then I also noticed what I think is a lot of medium range lenses (85mm?) with jerky pans and tilts.

Shooting jerky video is easy, editing it to match the look your going for might be the tricky part.

/u/GoorillaInTheRing - sadly, you're probably not going to find a DSLR-capable gimbal in your price range, but there are a couple of shoulder rigs below $200 you might want to consider [Referral Links]:

• If you can stretch your budget by $35, I recommend the [$185 Kamerar Socom] (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575034783&toolid=10001&campid=5337235943&customid=&icep_item=191817346744&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg). This is a high quality rig and a very good value for your money (it costs [$30 more at Amazon] (http://www.amazon.com/Socom-Video-Shoulder-Rig-Kamerar/dp/B00EZB53D4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20))
  
  
• Alternatively, you might want to try the highly-rated [$79.99 Neewer dual handle shoulder rig] (http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-FilmMaker-Camcorder-Dual-hand-Camcorders/dp/B00GTMBA7K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20). The price for the Neewer is amazing - it actually costs less than what I paid for the parts to put together my [single handle DIY rig] (https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNLbQA8Lyjh9B2CIH5vtnwc0JOF2XY2MMBFKTwqOcIIm6l74m_YyWNBb6tqz2IpkA/photo/AF1QipOcP6eH2ZRBBex9aPCLE1u6NT-YNcztI2zfY6a9?key=anNHS2J4NmduX041TEtrNHU5TUlDdjRSSXdoQWJB).
  
  Hope this is helpful and good luck with your web series!

I purchased a Neewer Shoulder Rig a while ago and was surprised how good its build quality actually is. Worth picking up for the price in my opinion.

Thanks man, I know that took a lot to write out. I'm definitely interested in a nicer Gimbal but it would have to be in the future.

So I'm liking the idea of a smaller setup shoulder rig/stabilizer but under $200 that I could use comfortably on hikes.

Should I be looking at something like the [Roxant Pro](Thanks for the insight. If I went monopod, wouldn't it be the same stress though of holding that around for 20-40 minutes at a time? Or maybe I'm missing something on how to work with them.

What about something like this Roxant Pro or The Neewer Shoulder Rig?

Any other suggestions?

Camera: canon t6 refurbished $350
audio: rode ntg2, an xlr cable, cheap boom pole
You can get the mic used for about $200, spend another $200 for a tascam dr-60

A 5 in 1 reflector kit from neewer for another $20

A few clamp lights and 3200/5600k bulbs


An okay tripod for now

And a cheap shoulder rig

That all should come out to around $1000 and should definitely be enough to get you started. Some of the stuff is a bit cheaper and you’ll need to replace as you move on and understand your needs better but there’s not much quality equipment to be bought if you need a whole package for around $1000