by Bill Pryor
To quote Steve Earle, "The revolution is...Now!"
He wasn't talking about video cameras but the sentiment works. Almost overnight thousands of us have switched to or at least purchased as a second camera a DSLR for shooting video. Mine is the Canon 7D, which may already be outselling the 5DMKII as the most popular hybrid camera available today.
None of the hybrids has a handle on top, and that's a little awkward. You need a better way to carry the camera, especially if you've got it mounted on rails or a shoulder brace and/or with a mattebox, a sound recorder and who knows what else hanging off the beast. The big names in pimping out your HDSLR are Zacuto and Redrock. They make a wide range of gadgetry, including enough rods and handles and brackets so a person has to hunt to even find the camera hidden away somewhere. All those items are expensive, some are very nice to have if you do a lot of handheld work.
In my case, I like to keep it simple. My original reason for abandoning broadcast style 2/3" chip video cameras over three years ago was that I liked the small size and maneuverability of cameras such as the Canon XH A1, the Sony Z1/Z5, etc. When you start adding too much to the camera, you lose the beauty of the small and compact form.
But, the DSLR really needs a handle. Two enterprising guys are making affordable and practical attachments that work out very well for people like me. One is IDCPhotography.com, in California; the other is MarkWatkins.com in Georgia. I have purchased items from both companies. From IDC I got the Hoodman viewer package with their very well built and clever modification to turn it into something that feels about as solid as the camera itself.
The above photo shows the markwatkins.com lower bracket and handle, with cold shoe on top.
(Sorry about the shallow depth of field there, only the quick release in the center is in focus.)
The handle and lower bracket are rock solid but not overly heavy.
This photo might be a better angle, but still a shallow depth of field. I was wide open with an
f1.8 lens on my old 20D. The two red thumb screws under the Hoodman release it easily from
the bracket if you want to take it off. IDC recently introduced a quick release so the holes for
those thumbscrews are slots and you don't have to remove them entirely. Since I never take it
off, I'm happy with this arrangement.
The lower plate of the IDC/Hoodman bracket is attached to a Manfrotto quick release, which is in turn attached to the MarkWatkins.com lower bracket/handle. The Libec tripod head quick release plate is attached to the bracket. So, I can quickly and easily pull the camera off the handle/bracket, and just as quickly pull the whole thing off the tripod if I need the handle/bracket for a hand held shot.
One reason I got the MarkWatkins device was so I could mount a small monitor on the cold shoe on top of the handle, which works out quite nicely. The monitor is at my office, so I don't have a photo of it. I tried mounting the monitor on the camera's hotshoe, but it's a bit heavy. It feels a lot better on the handle. Also, a Zoom H4N sound recorder will be attached to the camera hotshoe soon and will most likely stay there permanently.
The silver knob at the bottom of the handle is a thumb screw that allows you to take everything apart. The handle mounts to a small cube, about 1" x 1" with 1/4" threaded sockets on all sides. If you want, you can mount the handle going down instead of up, straight out in front or back, or even out to the side. The company also sells a full rectangular cage to go all the way around the camera, with a top handle. It's possibly I might add more items like that in the future, but for now I'm trying to keep the add-ons as simple as possible.
One interesting thing I discovered about the handle--when doing a hand held shot, holding the camera with my left hand on the handle, right hand in the usual spot on the camera, I'm significantly steadier than when simply hand holding the camera by itself. This is especially noticeable when using a short and lightweight lens such as the 50mm. Presumably a full cage with handles on both sides might be even steadier.
This photo shows the Manfrotto quick release mounted on the MarkWatkins.com handle.
It's a nice combination and both are solid and well built.
The MarkWatkins handle is not quite as stylish as the more expensive IDC, but it looks good and is well made and I'm a happy camper. While the price of the 7D body is very reasonable for the incredible HD quality it provides, you can nickel and dime yourself into the poor house if you go overboard on accessories. I like quality accessories that do the job but don't overdo it to the point of financial ridiculousness. I've got to save my real money for lenses. This handle/bracket arrangement delivers as promised and I can easily recommend it.
The MarkWatkins products look a lot better in person than on his website. Before ordering I was uncertain about something, so I emailed Mark. He responded with accurate information within an hour or two. And after I ordered the item, he emailed me back about when it would be shipped and when I could expect it. It arrived promptly. While I appreciate B&H and Adorama, it is nice to deal with an individual who is excited about his products. I find it interesting that the best value in useful accessories comes from both MarkWatkins and IDC, and both of those guys are photographers themselves. It takes one to know one.
