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Mounting a 4k Recorder

Discussion in 'ALTA' started by Ben Robert, Sep 10, 2016.

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  1. Ben Robert

    Ben Robert New Member

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    With the design of the Alta 6 being weather resistant, is there a good (or proper) way to mount a 4k recorder for an A7s? Ideally a video devices pix e5, for it's compact nature.
     
  2. Lane Wooder

    Lane Wooder New Member

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    I would recommend mounting it to your gimbal. I am not sure the size of the pix e5 (or weight) but some good places are on the back of the gimbal (where the "brains" are) or below the pan motor (might be too tight). You could also mount a camera plate big enough to hold the camera and recorder to the gimbal camera plate as long as it allows the cage to move freely, then you don't have to run a lot of video cable between camera and recorder. I would not recommend mounting it to the ALTA (as I have seen in videos released by Atomos) as it will limit the ability of your gimbal to pan infinitely in any direction.
     
  3. Ben Robert

    Ben Robert New Member

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    Here are the details for the pix e5

    • Power Source EXT DC (10-34V), (optional) 2x Sony L-mount batteries
    • Weight 1 lb (16 oz)
    • Dimensions (WxHxD) 5.4 in x 3.4 in x 1.6 in (137.1 mm x 86.3 mm x 40.6 mm)

    I'll check with the Movi board about mounting it inside the gimbal
     
  4. Graham Futerfas

    Graham Futerfas Well-Known Member

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    Hi Ben, I use a lot of velcro, 3M dual lock, and Bongo ties to attach things to my Movi. I'm not sure how the E5 will affect the weight limits of your M5 and your Alta, but you could certainly power it off of a Lipo battery instead of those Sony L's.

    I typically mount accessories onto the top of the Movi Cage. Usually there's some space there, and typically I'm mounting a Follow Focus receiver and a video transmitter, but I suppose you could mount a Pix. I have an M15 that I won't allow on a Multirotor, and I'm not used to the smaller size of the M5, so you can take this advice with a grain of salt.

    I keep a couple of mounting options in my kit, and I'm attaching some pics for you. Maybe they'll inspire you to come up with something. I took some large washers and #8 bolts and nuts to build some quick velcro mounting points to the top of the cage, for the times when I need to add odd accessories.


    Note the Bongo Ties holding the Receiver and Transmitter on the top of the cage:
    IMG_2598.jpg

    An L-Bracket mount with Velcro:
    IMG_3659.jpg


    A small bolt and some flat washers to 'clamp' to the top of the cage:
    IMG_3669.jpg


    3M Dual Lock on the Washer on top of the cage:
    IMG_3674.jpg
     
    Lane Wooder likes this.
  5. Lane Wooder

    Lane Wooder New Member

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    Which MoVI will you be using? Thanks to Graham's detailed post (BTW Graham, very nice/smart rigging) you can see the M15 has plenty of room to mount things inside or on top of the cage, especially if the camera you are using is as small as the a7s. If you have the M5, I highly recommend mounting inside the cage if possible, or to the back of the MoVI. If you can find a long camera plate you can mount to the MoVI camera plate and then to both the camera and recorder you will be in business. If you don't use too heavy of a lens you will probably find the center of balance in a good place to avoid anything hitting the roll bar or bottom of pan motor during extreme tilt downs. Also, Graham's suggestion to power the recorder via LIPO vs the Sony batteries is a good one and makes your charging situation simpler. One last thing to consider, if your whole goal is to be able to capture 4K video from a small full-frame camera, maybe consider a different camera? If you go with the new 5D Mark IV or a7s Mark II (which I am not the biggest fan of for several reasons) you avoid a lot of extra weight and additional batteries to manage. Trust me when I say that when you get in the field and you have to manage ALTA, MoVI, and camera batteries, the last thing you want to do is add more batteries to handle. Keep us updated how you fare.
     
    Graham Futerfas likes this.

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