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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKwcsTevhMA&w=627&h=383]

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Joey Anderson Productions Episode 1: $15 DIY CFL Bulb Case, A Monkey and a Bloody Short Film.

In this show I will show you how to make a killer looking and very heavy duty carying case for your Photography and Video Light bulbs. It will cost…

DIY Camera Rig: Two

Film By: Jamie O'Mara & Hardeep Rayatt

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What kind of DSLR rig can you get for $350? B&H list 54 items, only a few of which are (a) complete systems and (b) shoulder supported. None have room for accessories.

Pop on over to Cheesycam and you can read about Gini rigs from Korea. Sold through an eBay store, there are a variety out there. I ended up with a DSL-17 MAGIC plus for $335 + $19 shipping. It looks like this (picture from eBay auction):

I paid for it on Saturday and it arrive on Tuesday from Korea. Talk about being surprised! I thought I'd walk through what I received as well as provide weights and pictures of each item.

Inside the completely taped up box were individually bubble wrapped pieces:

Lay them all out and they look like this:

Here's what we have:

2 grips (284g/0.6lbs each)

Articulated arm (270g/0.6lbs)

Offset bar (150g/0.3lbs)

Shoulder pad and rod assembly (662g/1.5lbs)

Counterbalance weight (1240g/2.7lbs)

Rail assembly including front mount and camera mount (614g/1.3lbs)

4 90 degree clamps (56g/0.1lbs)

Tube (64g/0.1lbs)

The total weight is 3,792g or 8.3lbs, which includes the 2.7lb counterbalance. Interestingly, the airbill said 2kg...

Obviously, you don't have to have everything hanging off this since the whole point is that the components are modular.

I've taken pictures of each component on my kitchen table. They are all aluminum, finished in flat black with red metal knobs. The overall look and feel is quality.

Shoulder pad and rod assembly. The pad is heavy (presumably solid metal) with a nice soft coating. Not sure how it would feel on one's shoulder for an extended period of time.

Cross section of shoulder pad showing a slight nod to ergonomics.

Counterbalance weight. It might look like there are a number of weights that can be separated, but it is actually one unit.

Rail assembly showing front mount (for a matte box I assume) and the camera mount. The camera screw is a nice big red wheel. The front mount can be raised and lowered.

Bottom view of camera mount showing tripod thread. I mounted a Manfrotto QR plate on it.

One of four 90 degree clamps/fasteners.

One of two handgrips showing the ball joint. The knob adjusts the friction of the joint. Lock it down and the handle won't move. The rod connects to one of the 90 degree fasteners, which in turn attaches a rod. There is plenty of adjustment here. Best to try all this out before you mount anything valuable on the rig though...

Offset bar so that the camera is in front of your face with the shoulder pad on your shoulder.

Articulated arm, which attaches to a rod and has two ball joints (at each end of the long red piece). The top (far left) is a standard 1/4" tripod screw. You can use this for directly attaching to a Zoom H4n or monitor for example.

Extra knobs.

The assembled rig per the eBay picture. Without that picture I would not have known where to start!

My 7D, Rode Videomic, Marshall monitor and Zoom H4n in position. There's also a Manfrotto QR plate under the camera mount.

Note that I moved the right grip closer to the center of the rig so that can be supported with one hand without tipping to the left. Not sure how I'd be able to focus without doing this.

Rear view.