In-Sync Publications

26 4 1/4" x 7 3/4" cheese plate. The cheese plate adds some weight, which aids stability, and protects the threads when parking the rig on dirt, for example, as well as allowing fitting the unit to the shoulder mount. Need a very stable support, yet still operator-held? Enter the Cam Caddie shoulder-mount. I'd seen a similar one years ago. Reputed to have been tried by the George Lucas crew, it didn't handle their traditional weighty, over-the-shoulder cameras. But who uses such dinosaurian cameras now? Not many of us. The Cam Caddie shoulder-mount is like a caliper with a locking knob at the junction of the two halves. Slacken the knob, open the 'calipers' and one rubber padded arm stabilizes against the chest, the other behind the shoulder. I was using 135 mm of telephoto on a Canon EOS 70D (equivalent to 216 mm on 35 mm still full frame) before I realized I had left the image stabilizer off. The shoulder mount is that steady! Did I mention affordable? I'm rather keen on low budget moviemaking wherever possible, and the Cam Caddie Scorpion EX kit bundled with the shoulder mount certainly qualifies. The kit comprises Scorpion EX, shoulder brace, cheeseplate, and a couple of accessory shoe mounts that slide onto the Scorpion's tail. These are for mounting a mic, monitor, etc. The kit retails for $165. Quite a bargain. The cheeseplate has a profusion of threaded and straight-through holes. Need more? Drill a few holes; tap where necessary. An auto machine shop should be able to oblige for a few dollars if you can't do it yourself. Check out the Cam Caddie website for other Scorpion models, kits, and useful accessories, including metal bars for positioning mics, monitors, etc, off to the side, or for using two such items at the same time. Everything is available separately. The Cam Caddie company also has accessory lenses for the iPhone, lights, and small field monitors for mounting on the Scorpion. Any downside to the Scorpion EX and shoulder mount kit? Not really. I'd like to see a quick release between camera and Scorpion, and another from the cheeseplate to the shoulder mount, but it would add to the very reasonable cost of the Cam Caddie kit. Bogen make a range, available from your local camera store, $50 to $80 or so. I got my quick release unit from Adolph Gasser Photography in San Francisco. Another great use of the Cam Caddie Scorpion: it serves as a hand-grip (half cage) when the camera is mounted parallel, instead of at 90%, to the base. I really like this, because I often use the Canon EOS HD with that wonderful swing-out LCD, and I'm most protective of that screen. Scorpion does a splendid job in keeping that LCD panel safe. From ground-level 'doggy cam' to as high as your arms reach (in any direction up, down, sideways, back- wards, maybe even behind your back if you're an accomplished yogi (grin), the Cam Caddie Scorpion is so versatile you may want extra kits on a shoot with multiple cameras. Same with the shoulder mount; on multi- camera hand-held shoots, like a live music performance, you could use several kits. I do. Like I said earlier, I'm enthusiastic enough about Cam Caddie to even sell them locally. Some folk might object to a reviewer writing about a product that they sell, but it's a measure of my enthusiasm. We at InSync Publications need to be sure we're recommending gear that is beneficial to you, our readers; Cam Caddie Scorpion EX and the shoulder mount definitely qualify. By the way, my reviews are called 'Rendered' based on my middle name, and because one meaning (like ren- der asunder) means to take apart. Then in moviemaking, we 'dissect' our footage for the best stuff, edit it all together, and render everything to create our final product; and that's what I do with my hands-on reviews. See what the product is all about, try it, and see if it lives up to the manufacturer's claim. Cam Caddie Scorpion sure does, and it is recommended by this reviewer. w w w . c a m c a d d i e . c o m / w w w . r o n v i d o r . c o m

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