My IndiRailsPro20 Review (upside down / Shrigg rig)

[dsynthuhsize]

Okay guys, so I just got the IniRailsPro20 in today via Fedex.

Ordering/Shipping
My ordering and shipping experience is excellent. Tim received my order via Money Order on May 6th- on the same day, I received an email notification that my order had been shipped- with a tracking number!

I placed my order with overnight shipping, and Fedex didn't screw up- so I received it @ 10:30 AM on May 7th.

Unboxing

Now, I don't have pictures of my un-boxing, because I was in such a rush just to look at the unit. First, the unit was well packed, they had a IndiFocus sticker on the side of the box, giving it a professional appearance. It was well taped up, on all edges of the box, for water protection (I assume).

When I opened the box, there was packing paper keeping the unit in place, which was wrapped by bubble wrap.

The Unit-

All I can say is wow- for $109.00- the quality is top notch.

THIS IS THE BASE UNIT- With HV20 , Worley 35mm Adapter, Nikkor 28 F2.0, and Hood





It feels solid. This unit blows away a Cavision or Cinevate rails rig IMHO. Even @ 300.00, this unit would still be a good deal.

It is MADE for the HV20- these guys thought about everything. I didn't have to make any adjustments out of the box. Everything down to the length of the camera screw in, to the out of the box depth from the 35mm adapter holder- this unit is well planned and NOT a beta unit. These guys looked this over with a fine tooth comb.

Enough words- more pics:

[dsynthuhsize]

For full resolution pictures of this setup-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/separatethis/

[orchidsofwrath]

thats sweeeeet. very cool. The photos you took look pretty pro to with that plain white background!

[FLIMACKGOD]

where did you buy for $109??? i must have now

[koolpenguin89]

Oh man, thats sooo beautiful. I just payed for mine, i cant wait. Hows the weight. I know shrigg said it weighs about as much as an HV20, but how would you feel, weight wise, about going shoulder mounted with it? (I ask because i also ordered handles and the shoulder mount). Thanks for the awesome pics!

Dylan

[Flyingsheep]

Whoa now, where did you guys find this? I don't even see the IndiRailsPro20 on the IndiFocus website.

[dsynthuhsize]

Guys thanks for the complements on the pic- its really just a good looking unit.

For ordering information, please read this (whole) thread:

http://hv20.com/showthread.php?t=8827

[Ian Lim]

Nice rig but I dont understand, what's the function of the rails/rods?

[David]

Originally Posted by Ian Lim

Nice rig but I dont understand, what's the function of the rails/rods?

It does look odd in the photos but I believe that the box rig is actually attached to the rods. IOW, while it appears that the boxy part of the unit is attached to the tripod, I think it's on a block that slides along the rods themselves.

I don't have mine yet so I can't say for sure and maybe things have changed, but in the original setup, the boxy part was definitely mounted to the rods themselves, as can be seen in this photo:



Of course, the rods also provide a place to attach your mattebox, but I think your question is based around the fact that the photos make the rods look like they're not necessary at all.

[Flyingsheep]

Dang, that thing is a blessing. I'd love to get that (I'm building a 35mm adapter) but for me mounting the camera upside down is pretty pointless when I can easily flip it in post while simultaneously doing 24p pulldown removal. I don't want to get an external monitor or do the LCD flip hack, so I guess I'm going to have to teach my brain to adjust to the flipped image. It can't be impossible. Also, I wouldn't be able to mount any mics without buying some ridiculously overpriced adapter for the top ($50-$100, anyone?).

Anyway, it's kind of a pull between that and this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ht_Weight.html

As nice as the Shrigg rig looks (and I'm sure it's beautifully crafted), upside down rigs always looked funny to me, and I'm a very self-conscious person with cameras... the Canvision looks more "normal" but still professional, but it also wouldn't be as sturdy I'm sure. Ugh, decisions.

[David]

Hey dsynthuhsize, what's the kleenex looking stuff you have shoved between the Shrigg-rig and your tripod?

[dsynthuhsize]

@David - haha. you noticed- I think it has something to do with the Matthews m25 tripod. The support rod next to the screw whole, doesnt fit in right (it doesn't on my HV20 as well, so its not the Shrigg Rig), so it wiggled a bit- I put a piece of grip foam in between to make sure that it didn't.

@FlyingSheep - all good points- You are right, no big point to the upside down (I actually thought it would fix the LCD inverse, but you are actually just flipping the whole unit PLUS the footage- so it was still upside down- haha). HOWEVER, stability/portability is huge with this rig, It pretty much has a built in handle, and it keeps your lens rock solid. I was swinging my rig everywhere while doing some test footage this afternoon.

[toxotis70]

If you dont want to put it in a tripod , is there any handle or shoulder mount for those rails ?

[mwhales]

Originally Posted by toxotis70

If you dont want to put it in a tripod , is there any handle or shoulder mount for those rails ?

Yes there is. The IndiRailsProXVsm is a shoulder mount option, you can check it out at http://www.indifocus.com/products_indirailspro.htm. You can buy the whole item at once, or just upgrade parts as needed.

[Mr. Kubrick]

well i'm so glad i ordered mine last week, I received the tracking number yesterday, so maybe it arrives tomorrow. soo yoooohoooo , I love the rig, and those photos.. nice work dsynthuhsize ...

[dsynthuhsize]

Originally Posted by koolpenguin89

Oh man, thats sooo beautiful. I just payed for mine, i cant wait. Hows the weight. I know shrigg said it weighs about as much as an HV20, but how would you feel, weight wise, about going shoulder mounted with it? (I ask because i also ordered handles and the shoulder mount). Thanks for the awesome pics!

Dylan

Hey man- thanks for the complements! As far as the weight, I don't have a shipping weigh or anything but I stepped on my scale, and then stepped back on it with the rig only, and it seems to be a little over 2 pounds.

[dsynthuhsize]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kubrick

well i'm so glad i ordered mine last week, I received the tracking number yesterday, so maybe it arrives tomorrow. soo yoooohoooo , I love the rig, and those photos.. nice work dsynthuhsize ...

Thanks! Send pics of your rig when you get it in!

[Flyingsheep]

Originally Posted by dsynthuhsize

@FlyingSheep - all good points- You are right, no big point to the upside down (I actually thought it would fix the LCD inverse, but you are actually just flipping the whole unit PLUS the footage- so it was still upside down- haha). HOWEVER, stability/portability is huge with this rig, It pretty much has a built in handle, and it keeps your lens rock solid. I was swinging my rig everywhere while doing some test footage this afternoon.

Yeah, that's a good point. It definitely allows for easy hand-held work with a 35mm adapter. I used to think that an upside down rig would flip the LCD too until I tried flipping my HV20 and figured it out...

Can you upload some of that test footage? I'd love to see the difference with this rig.

[FLIMACKGOD]

All I Wonna Know Is Where To Buy This!!!

[koolpenguin89]

Originally Posted by FLIMACKGOD

All I Wonna Know Is Where To Buy This!!!

Read through the last 4 or 5 pages of this thread. The rig isnt up on the website (indifocus.com) but you can order it from tim, his contact info is in that thread.

Dylan

[Shrigg]

Originally Posted by koolpenguin89

Read through the last 4 or 5 pages of this thread. The rig isnt up on the website (indifocus.com) but you can order it from tim, his contact info is in that thread.

Dylan

If you want to order a Shrigg just send an email to timovel@hotmail.com requesting an invoice he will send you a paypal invoice for $109+$15 shipping.
Anything else can of course be added to that same invoice, just tell him what else you want off the website (http://indifocus.com/products.htm). All of his prices are unbelievably low.

I'm glad everone's happy with this rig, I got the idea for it and started designing it with Tim two months ago. Pretty amazing that he actually got it to market this fast, really!

-Shrigg

[Shrigg]

Originally Posted by David

It does look odd in the photos but I believe that the box rig is actually attached to the rods. IOW, while it appears that the boxy part of the unit is attached to the tripod, I think it's on a block that slides along the rods themselves.

I don't have mine yet so I can't say for sure and maybe things have changed, but in the original setup, the boxy part was definitely mounted to the rods themselves, as can be seen in this photo:



Of course, the rods also provide a place to attach your mattebox, but I think your question is based around the fact that the photos make the rods look like they're not necessary at all.

That picture is OLD, it is the first prototype which we changed. So don't look at it too closely...

-Shrigg

[Shrigg]

Originally Posted by Flyingsheep

Dang, that thing is a blessing. I'd love to get that (I'm building a 35mm adapter) but for me mounting the camera upside down is pretty pointless when I can easily flip it in post while simultaneously doing 24p pulldown removal. I don't want to get an external monitor or do the LCD flip hack, so I guess I'm going to have to teach my brain to adjust to the flipped image. It can't be impossible. Also, I wouldn't be able to mount any mics without buying some ridiculously overpriced adapter for the top ($50-$100, anyone?).

Anyway, it's kind of a pull between that and this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ht_Weight.html

As nice as the Shrigg rig looks (and I'm sure it's beautifully crafted), upside down rigs always looked funny to me, and I'm a very self-conscious person with cameras... the Canvision looks more "normal" but still professional, but it also wouldn't be as sturdy I'm sure. Ugh, decisions.

The Shrigg is just the frame to hold everything together the right way. It does function as a nice handle and makes everything look bigger, taking away the dreaded "small camera inferiority complex." Everyone that sees the Rig assumes it's a pro camera, especially with the mattebox (picture).

As far as mounting microphones, there are holes right on top for 1/4-20 and 3/8 threaded accessories (picture). The ball head I have mounted for my 12.1 LCD monitor is 3/8 thread.

-Shrigg

[booggerg]

You'd still need to mirror the image right?

[Flyingsheep]

Originally Posted by Shrigg

The Shrigg is just the frame to hold everything together the right way. It does function as a nice handle and makes everything look bigger, taking away the dreaded "small camera inferiority complex." Everyone that sees the Rig assumes it's a pro camera, especially with the mattebox (picture).

As far as mounting microphones, there are holes right on top for 1/4-20 and 3/8 threaded accessories (picture). The ball head I have mounted for my 12.1 LCD monitor is 3/8 thread.

-Shrigg

All good points. It definitely looks even better with a mattebox, but unfortunately I can't afford to spend any more than I already have spent. How long will the Shrigg rig be around for? I don't want to miss out on this thing but I don't think I can settle on getting one right away due to a limited budget (I wash dishes for a living ).

Oh, also, did you mount that 3/8 ball head with a screw like this?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...crew_3_8_.html