Totally blatant plug for one of my site affiliates and I apologise for that, but I have had countless emails from frustrated people who have had huge difficulty in getting hold of Zacuto Z-Finders and rigs directly from them as there has been long wait times. So I just wanted to pass on the info that they have FINALLY caught up with demand and now have just about everything in stock now for fast dispatch. It shows you how nuts the whole DSLR thing has been.
Z-Finder wise. I really don’t recommend the Jr. For the extra cash get the Pro, it’s worth it for the diopter and anti fog. I am generally torn between the 2.5x and the 3x. If you shoot a lot of handheld go with the 3x. If you shoot a mixture of tripod and handheld then go with the 2.5x. Simply because the 3x is better for focusing with it right up to your eye but if it’s on a tripod you have to push into it to see the whole image. With the 2.5x you can peer in…I also recommend the $6 stick on frame still over the gorilla plate as I don’t like adding extra bulk to my camera. Although a lot of people love the Gorilla plate. It comes with it so you decide. It’s also worth getting the additional anti fog protectors to make sure your Z-finder stays in tip top nick!
Handheld rig, the basic Target Shooter is awesome and works a treat. I use the top of the line Cross Fire, but it costs a bit as it comes with their awesome follow focus.
Yes, Zacuto products can be expensive, but for build quality, lifetime accidental damage warranty and flexibility they simply can’t be beaten. I chose them as my affiliate as they are the rigs I use. The only affiliates I have are with companies whose products I use and recommend that is why I have only 2 main DSLR affiliates. Kessler and Zacuto. All products bought through these affiliate links help support my site and keep it running and I am incredibly grateful. Click on any of the links or images to be taken to the store. Thanks so much!
Zacuto’s DSLR Gorilla Kits from steve weiss on Vimeo.
Gorilla Kits are simply “points of contact” kits. These rigs have been developed to be lightweight for a more “on the go” gorilla shooter. We recommend the Gorilla kits for journalists as well as event and indie shooters who might be doing a combination of still photography and small clips of high definition video. Gorilla kits are extremely light weight. These kits are not necessarily designed for long periods of shooting, for that, we recommend our shoulder mounted kits in our Cinema line.
The Gorilla Kits are easy and light to handle because they do not have accessory rods built into the Gorilla baseplate, therefore you cannot mount any film accessories like a matte box or follow focus. The Gorilla Kits give you just the stability needed to shoot small segments of HD video and keeping your overall rig compact, light and small.
The Gorilla kits have a unique design, by attaching your tripod plate to the bottom of the Gorilla plate you can go from the tripod to handheld just by hitting your tripods quick-release button. The Zacuto accessory port with red locking lever allows you to remove or install the entire Gorilla mounting system. Speed is the name of the game if you are a Gorilla shooter and these kits have it. The Gorilla line kits are compromised of the Target Shooter and The Striker. Visit http://www.zacuto.com/dslr-kits for more information and product specs.
15 comments
cool
Can I ask where does one get one of these?
“I also recommend the $6 stick on frame still over the gorilla plate as I don’t like adding extra bulk to my camera…”
the zacuto store somewhere!
Philip there is no doubt that you a very talented and your website has been an invaluable resource to me in the past.
But recently It feels like this website has become one big advertisement. It feels like something like 8 out of 10 updates are product related and its become very frustrating. I dont think I will be checking back in so often.
count the blogs Peter. Which are adverts and which are info. I think you will find the overwhelming majority is pure info like my latest blog and come on I couldn’t be more up front about this blog if I tried!
I greatly disagree with Peter Kelly’s comment. I love all the product blogs. because I love knowing what good products are verses the bad products. I’m always trying to upgrade and add new gear to my kit, so all the info you give out is very valuable. And I know you only post stuff that you actually use.
Thanks for all the free knowledge and information! your the best Philip!
Business is good! Must be nice to have such supply problems.
riding the edge Phil…
Phillip thanks again. Love the website, even though one person may not but all the info u provided me has made me better shooter. So for that i will continue to buy from your links to show you my appreciation for your hard work. And thanks for coming to chicago. Your the best.
Advert or no Advert, i don’t think Phil just shoot bullshit.
I’ve used both crossfire and pro z-finders and they work great. they’re costly but works fine. I bought Z-finder pro over Jr because i thought Jr was nonsence crap garbage. but thats just me.
I use 2.5 one and theyre great. i use stick-on frame also. not a fan of gorilla plate. if Zacuto can offer their viewfinder without them for lower price they really should since i know i’m not alone on not loving the gorilla plate. adding bulk thing, sure but for me it’s when you place them on a table, shit dont balance.
i don’t think there’s a whole lotta advertisement on this site but i don’t understand the problem even if there was. what is it, some ethic betray shit? it’s a free site. no one is paying the guy to run it. if he makes few bucks through advertisement who gives a shit. we all live life and it cost cash.
Appreciate the support. I am taking time off from shooting to run the site so I need to make some money as you say. Thanks again!
I don’t care as long as he’s frank and honest about the products.
It’s not like a celebrity who gets paid to tell lies in front of a camera about how great brand xxx facelifting crème is. 😉
Yes, Zacuto is expensive, but you’re not obliged to buy it and also looking at it makes you happy; pure quality and craftmenship!
Btw, Philip is so well-known and appreciated because of his clear info and good advices, so I never expect him to sell his name to a piece of crap. 😉
thanks Jaap
I agree that the Z finder is THE accessory for the 5D. I put it off and put it off (helped somewhat by the lack of product here in Australia) and purchased one a few weeks ago. I went with the 3X and it has transformed the camera for hand held shooting and shooting in bright outdoor light. I agree with your take on the 2.5 x and 3x. The 3x definitely offers greater control with focus but the apparently the 2.5 is the ‘safe option’ if you are unsure. Next step = getting a lightweight rig.
Hi Philip,
Probably a good time to remind readers of what I commented a while back (long after the blog the posting) regarding the problems on the customer service with regards to QA on how they are differentiating on the packaging the 3x Zacuto viewfinder from the 2.5x. I hope you don’t mind, but rather than write it all over again, here’s what I previously concluded:
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“Just to close the loop here, I did return both the alleged 2.5x and the alleged 3x, and then re-ordered the 2.5x. A great deal of work, but at the end of the day I was able to determine that I was incorrectly sent a 3x instead of a 2.5x the first time around. With the re-ordered 2.5x I was able to see a difference in magnification between what I now have, and what I was able to remember from the original two I received. I have decided to keep the 2.5x as I have found the differences in attaining critical focus with one vs. the other to be minimal.
A little disturbing as there is no serial number on the product itself to more officially ID which product should be in hand. All one has to go on is what is magic markered with an X on the paper sleeve inside the packaging, which in this case proved to be wrong.
A great product, but in this instance Zacuto was not very helpful on the support level, as I had to figure this out on my own.
Phil, thanks for your feedback and suggestion I might indeed not have in hand what I had ordered… Turned out to be the case.”
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All this is to say that with Zacuto’s ability to catch up on fulfillment, maybe they can put some energy into providing serial numbers on their Z-Finder products to help keep such mistakes from occurring. Perhaps the error made on my order was unique, but what’s troublesome is any customer not really knowing if he has received what was ordered… without ordering both to compare. But then, perhaps it doesn’t matter if he likes what he gets.