[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/15797783[/vimeo]

By: Jared Abrams

The Vocas HDSLR rig is one of the most comfortable shoulder supports I have ever used. It is also very lightweight. The top handle is a bonus and makes it very easy to carry and take on and off your shoulder. Well worth the extra dough. The soft leatherette handles are very comfortable. This is the first thing I noticed when checking out this rig. There is just something really cool about the feel. The flip lock latch system is one of the smartest ways to lock everything down. No more big knobs to mess with. There is an additional tripod mount plate for fast changes from hand held to tripod without detaching the camera from the rig. The adjustable shoulder pad is also a great feature. The Vocas system is component based and each part can be purchased separately.

The Vocas follow focus is also innovative. It is similar to a Panavision Follow Focus with the prime gear mounted under the lens. The Vocas follow focus only adjusts vertically not horizontally as most follow focus units. This should work well, however we only had the follow focus for the shoot day and did not really get to beat on it. The knob seemed a little small for use with longer throw lenses like the Zeiss CP 2’s. Vocas makes a Star Knob that works like a speed crank for longer throw lenses. The follow focus does have a three-way rotation adjustment that should compliment short throw lenses like Canon primes or Zooms. The build quality is top notch with a price to match. The complete Vocas HDSLR shoulder rig and follow focus will set you back around $3500. Manios Digital hooked us up with our demo unit.

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