Fancier FTV-50 DSLR Video Shoulder Rig

[Abel]

Review: Fancier FTV-50 DSLR Video Shoulder Rig

The Fancier FTV-50 DSLR Video Shoulder Rig is definitely the new kid on the block as I have not seen one of these advertised here in the US until now. Once I found out that they sell for $140 (yes you read that right $140!) and not only are they now available but they are available for local pickup here in Houston, I just had to make a quick trip to pick one up.

I've been in the market of getting a video shoulder rig so that I could try my hand at doing some video work but the price tags of most shoulder rigs out there are way out of my league. Once I heard the price of $140 for this little guy it was too inexpensive NOT to try it out.


Features:

• Compact stowaway design with nylon carrying case
• Arca Swiss style clamp and camera mounting plate
• Camera plate bubble level
• Camera plate safety lock
• Adjustable for both left or right handed shooters
• Stout metal thumb screws
• Standardized 15mm diameter aluminum rails
• All aluminum/metal construction
• Soft neoprene shoulder pads
• Durable dense rubber handles
• 1 Year USA Hardware Warranty
• 7 Day Money Back Guarantee

Specifications:

Stowed Dimensions

• Width: 12 inches
• Height: 12 inches
• Depth: 3.5 inches
• Weight: 5.5 lbs

Assembled Dimensions

• Width: 12 inches
• Min Height: 7.5 inches
• Max Height: 12.5 inches (5 inches of vertical adjustability)
• Length: 21 inches
• Weight: 4.5 lbs

Summary:

I have owned my Canon 5D MKII for about 2.5 years now and have only shot a very small amount of video with it. I have recently decided that I need to change that and get out there and make myself shoot more video so that I can learn that art as well as photography.

With that being said I've been in the market for various tools and accessories in order to make the transition into shooting more video etc. I've always seen shoulder rigs and have always been turned away by the shear price of some of them. Ouch! Here recently I was told by a friend about a new inexpensive shoulder rig that will be hitting the market here in the US and that really peaked my interest. Little did I know that the Fancier FTV-50 DSLR Video Shoulder Rig was going to be selling for $140 which is by far the most inexpensive I have seen.

Here's a photo of the box itself. Please note the camera and the small magic arm are not included in the set. I am told the Friction Arm is also available for an additional $23.99 which is also a great deal. You can purchase it separately HERE.

Function:

The Fancier FTV-50 DSLR Video Shoulder Rig comes with a nice nylon carrying case which definitely makes it easy to transport and to travel with. I have heard that some photographers don't like to travel with their video rigs since they're just too large and too cumbersome to breakdown and package. This design and case eliminates that.

When opening up the bag you'll notice ALL of the components fit nicely in the padded carrying bag. I know it looks a little intimidating at first but once you assembly is the first time it becomes like second nature after that. Total setup time can be done in less than a minute. I can vouch for that, I've timed myself and I haven't even had the rig all that long.

This is the overall assembled rig. It's nice and simple and not too complex. I've seen other rigs out there on the market that look like way complex and cumbersome to break down and travel with. This Fancier FTV-50 DSLR Video Shoulder Rig is a breeze to put together and not a burden to travel with by any means.

The video rig is built using aluminum 15mm diameter rails as it's main skeleton which makes things nice since you can tweak and adjust your setup as you see fit. Not only do the rails help in that manner but you can also add on various parts and components from other rig systems that also use the standardized 15mm rail system. In the photo below the rig is setup for myself as a right handed shooter. If you're a lefty then you can easily remove one of the vertical hand grips, and swap the positions of the vertical mounting plate and the horizontal shoulder mount then simply attach the vertical hand grip back. Once this is done you won't have to do it again unless of course you're trying to change it back to a right hand shooting rig.

This rig offers the utmost adjustability in regards to left and right placement and even the up and down placement of the camera mounting plate itself. The vertical adjustment can be done by simply loosening the blue thumb screw and then locating the camera and camera plate height to how you see fit and then tighten the thumb screw back down. This vertical adjust is a great option since no matter what camera you use, you can easily set the correct height of the lcd screen to where you see fit. For example, photographers using any camera ranging from a small point and shoot to a larger Canon 5D MKII to even the pro sized bodies such as the Canon 1d MKIV will all work well with the rig because the camera mount platform has a total vertical adjust allowance of about 5".

The shoulder mount portion of the rig includes an aluminum cold shoe mount which also has 1/4" holes drilled and tapped into it on both sides in order to mount various accessories and/or magic arms for items such as monitors, audio recording devices and such. This makes the rig easily expandable when it come to adding on other gear.

The camera platform clamp and camera plate are made with the Arca Swiss style dovetail format (more details on that in a bit). The overall assembly is very sturdy and stout and held my Canon 5D MKII with 24-70 f2.8L lens without a problem. I really like the inset rubber grip pads placed on the mounting camera plate which helps secure the plate to the bottom of the camera and insures that the camera won't spin and become unscrewed. It's a nice touch.

Once you remove the camera mounting plate you'll notice a neat little bubble level. I was a bit confused and don't see a real need for it since its not quite like a tripod/ballhead where you can lock it down once you make the camera level. Since this is a shoulder rig and possibly always in motion the bubble level seems to be a feature that might not get used much. Especially since its located underneath the camera plate. Well anyways... It is there if someone finds that they need one. =)

The shoulder portion of the rig includes a nice counter weight which definitely made a noticeable difference for me when using my DSLR rig. This weight helps to keep the rig from being to front heavy which typically occurs when using any DSLR and sizable lens. I tried the rig with and without the weight attached and its amazing how much difference this little guy made.

Also you'll notice the grooved/teeth joint at the bend point of the should rig. This feature helps keep your setup form sagging and.or drooping after locking it down. I would suggest that once you find a great setup that feels good and is very comfortable to use to take a silver Sharpie and mark goby lines on the rails and on the grooved joint as to where the clamps were and how much you had the shoulder pad angled. This will make it a breeze to setup every time you take it out of the bag and give you a consistent feel with every use.

Close up view of the neoprene padded shoulder pads and grooved joint. Unfortunately the pads are not super thick but it is something I can definitely live with.

The mounting brackets and thumb screws are VERY well made and never flinched as I tightened them down into place. Every place you see a blue thumb screw means that portion can be adjusted. Nice and easy.

Rig setup for me as a right handed shooter. As mentioned earlier left handed shooters can easily swap the camera mount and the shoulder mount portions in order to accomodate your preference.

The camera plate mounting platform and plate has a cool spring loaded safety lock integrated into the design. This is a neat little feature, once you slide the supplied camera plate into place it'll snap/lock into place which means even with the clamp loosened leaving the plate able to slide back and forth, the plate (and camera) will not fall to the ground because of this nice little spring loaded locking mechanism. Unlike the bubble level mentioned earlier... this is a GREAT feature and Francier deserves some major props for including it in their design.

Okay, so now the bad part about the locking mechanism. hehe. Yes it is a Arca Swiss style mount but you can not use your own Arca Swiss style camera plates on this clamp system. What? Exactly. With every upside there is indeed a downside. I currently use a Really Right Stuff camera plate on my Canon 5D MKII since my tripod ball heads utilizes the same system. Well in the case of this video rig, I can not use my RRS camera plate because of the locking mechanism. The mechanism is specific to the supplied camera mounting plate and does not work with any other Arca Swiss style plates out there. This meant I had to attach the supplied camera plate to the bottom of the plate I already have on my camera.

I know it may not seem like a big deal but I don't want people to get the wrong impression as I did that I would be able to use my own plate with the Francier mounting clamp. This just means I'll be putting the Francier camera plate onto my RRS plate when it comes time to using this rig.

The Verdict:

I highly recommend the Fancier FTV-50 DSLR Video Shoulder Rig! Plain and simple. I mean if you're looking to get a shoulder rig for video work I would say go for this one as I have done and use the money you're going to save from other high priced rigs and use that towards other accessories. How can you go wrong with this priced at $140, 7 Day money back guarantee and a full 1 year warranty on hardware.

I am very leery at dropping $1,000 - $1,500 down on a video rig that I may or may not use so much. Since this is only $140 it's a no brainer for me to try out and even if it sat on my shelf for months without me using it I wouldn't feel the slight bit guilty about it. Hehee.


Where To Buy:

Find the lowest price on this lens from our sponsored Affiliates listed below:

Fancier FTV-50 DSLR Video Shoulder Rig

[Abel]

Review on the Friction Arm prices at $23.99 will be coming soon... You can purchase it separately HERE.

[hdctx]

Thanks for going to the effort to put this together. I'll have to pick up one of these for a second camera. My first rig is a Gini rig. I'm pretty happy with it, but after mounting a matte box, I definitely need a counterweight to reduce the load on the handles.

[Abel]

Originally Posted by hdctx

Thanks for going to the effort to put this together. I'll have to pick up one of these for a second camera. My first rig is a Gini rig. I'm pretty happy with it, but after mounting a matte box, I definitely need a counterweight to reduce the load on the handles.

Definitely... no worries! I'm glad you find it helpful. I know there are a few photogs out there that want a shoulder rig but do not want to drop a lot of money on one...

[Abel]

Item was $140 and is now on sale for $120!

Amazon.com: Fancier FTV-50 DSLR Rig Movie Kit Shoulder Rig

Amazon.com: Fancier FTV-50 DSLR Rig Movie Kit Shoulder Rig

You can pick up locally in Houston, details here:
SALE: Fancier FTV-50 DSLR Video Shoulder Rig - $119.99