Used Zacuto Z-DER Enforcer Foldable Camera Rig

2017-01-17T19:00:00

Back in my DSLR days I physically could not get steady footage when shooting handheld. My solution was the old Zacuto Rapid Fire + Z-Finder combo and the results were game changing. My handheld footage could be as smooth as I wanted to be with a very tiny footprint and I could shoot forever with that rig. Then for some reason when I upgraded to a C100MK2 and it came with better ergonomics for handheld shooting I just started using it bare - true "handheld". While this was super convenient, my cinematography was suffering. I didn't notice it at first because I was no longer seeing the jello or jitters that you see with DLSRs, but edit after edit I was really unhappy with my handheld footage, ESPECIALLY any documentary footage where I'm walking and filming at the same time. After my last project that I edited, I was so mad at my handheld stuff and then I remembered the Rapid Fire and wondered if it would work on a C100MK2. After some searching I found the new version - the Enforcer - and was intrigued. I searched high and low across the internet to see if anyone was using it with a bigger camera like a C100 and couldn't find anything, so I thought it was worth a try and ordered it. When I received it, I figured out how to use it pretty quickly and did some tests and was blown away by how steady my handheld stuff became. Then the true test was walking with it while filming and I'll be darned if it wasn't almost as smooth as when it's on my Ronin. I immediately felt stoked on the footage I'll be able to get now, while at the same time I was kicking myself for not buying this, oh, like 3 years ago!! While Zacuto doesn't advertise this rig for use outside of DSLRs, I can tell you that it absolutely works for the C100. In a perfect world it would be a little shorter so all the weight of a larger camera isn't so far out in front of you - I can see this causing some stamina issues on longer doc shoots, but it does the trick and the improved quality of shots is well worth it. Instead of doing several takes to get the shot I can see this allowing me to get smooth shots first take which should offset the stamina issues.

cafranci

Originally posted at

2015-06-22T21:00:00

Ok, ok, ok, I knew going into this purchase that it was going to be heavy. That didn't scare me since my usual walk around setup is a Canon 6D with a grip and a 70-200 f/2.8L lens. I actually prefer some weight. However, given the awkwardness of the Enforcer, the camera/lens and a Zacuto Z Finder . . . it was just too much for my usual outing. After an hour or so of walking around with this in the blistering sun I had to rethink my setup. I immediatlely went home and removed the grip and put on my 50mm f/1.4. It's much more doable in this configuration if I am going to use it for any length of time. I've since put on a 24-70 f/2.8L lens to get more real estate in the lens and although it is noticeably heavier, it isn't too bad. All in all, it's a great tool but you better have some arm strength or short shoots!

CJ M.