Transformer technology
A rig from engineering expert Vocas can change your basic camera into a full production-ready filmmaking tool
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When it comes to turning your camera into a serious production-ready filmmaking machine, especially when shooting handheld for the ultimate in free-form shooting, then the heart of the system has to be a shoulder high kit that offers the flexibility to set it up just as you like. And, of course, the precision engineering quality to keep your equipment locked firmly into place.
That’s where Dutch firm Vocas comes in with the Handheld kit: well-designed, built from top-quality materials to last for decades and packed with features filmmakers need. Unlike many lesser rigs, the Vocas unit is designed by professionals with real experience in making gear for people who actually use it every day.
There are lots of different combinations from Vocas to cover just about every camera and accessory you could need. But the base of a spectacularly good system is the Vocas Handheld kit Pro type P, which has rails, shoulder support, counterweight, leather-covered handgrips and an adjustable camera clamp. It’s so good and well respected, it’s been voted a winner in the Rig category by thousands of filmmakers in the Pro Moviemaker Gear of the Year awards. For more than 30 years, Dutch firm Vocas has made equipment that is trusted by professionals all over the world.
Well-designed, built from top-quality materials to last for decades and packed with features
The handheld kit Pro type P is a compact, handheld shoulder rig ideal for shooting with compact cinema cameras or camcorders while using an external viewfinder to LCD screen at the front of the camera. And it also works for DSLR or mirrorless cameras if you have an external EVF or a separate monitor, as it’s just too close to your eyes to see the camera’s LCD screen without. This flexibility means it’s a workable solution for the vast majority of cameras used by filmmakers today, and you can use it on all the different cameras you might end up filming with.
The rig turns a mirrorless camera, DSLR or camcorder into a fully workable professional shoulder rig with rails, so you can attach all the professional accessories you might need, such as a top-quality matte box to take full-size pro filters and a geared follow focus, or other accessories that can bolt to standard 15mm rails, like an external battery. Vocas makes a huge range of accessories like this, so you can fully customise the rig to your precise needs.
The system is very flexible and quickly adjustable to accept different cameras, lenses and accessory combinations. High-quality lock levers make it very easy to adjust the rear counterweight, shoulder pad, camera mount and grips without the need for tools. So it’s fast and straightforward to adjust the rig to fit different lens and camera combinations.
Once you get the balance right and everything adjusted as you like it, then there is very little strain on your shoulders and the handgrips and any other controls are easy to use. And it really is surprising how steady you can keep the camera, especially if your camera has some form of built-in image stabilisation.
It’s a professional bit of kit that will give great service for years – the stability when shooting handheld will really give a noticeable improvement to the quality of your work.
Click here to visit the Vocas website.
