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Getting a handheld look

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this is the easiest type of shot to get.. you could attach a camera to a plank of wood and hold it on each end and get this shot. just use a wide lens to prevent it from getting too shaky. 20mm should do fine
 
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Any kind of rig will get you this look. The trick is too find a good balance of weight for your camera operator. If the camera is too light you'll get tiny jittery shakes that look bad. Make your rig as heavy as it can be without being so heavy that you get warn down as the hours go by!
 
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I shot a film on the FS700 a couple of years ago; used a Tilta Rig designed for a DSLR, but worked fine with the FS700. We were shooting a mockumentary, so very much that 'indie' handheld look. The needs of the rig will change depending on what lens you mount on it. We had a Fuji Cabrio on the front, which is a nice lens, but made the whole thing a tad front heavy. It wasn't too bad, but anything heavier and it might have become annoying. The camera itself sat on my shoulder, which is where I like it for handheld work (I've seen some DSLR rigs where the camera sits in front of the shoulder, which I don't like, and I can't understand how it could balance well). If you're using the news AXS recorder, that would help to balance it a bit. But then, if you're using still lenses, you might not have too much issue.

The rig we had was relatively simple - handlebars, rods for a follow focus, and an external monitor. I had a Focus Puller so I didn't have to worry about pulling focus myself.

It was pretty light - I wasn't handheld all day every day, but I could've without too much drama. I tend to like a heavier rig though, as a lighter rig is a lot less precise (if you can have precise handheld). That often comes down to the camera though - I quite like my operating when handholding a stripped down Alexa.
 
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Hi thanks everyone, if I were to use a Zeiss lens like the 25mm would that work. I know that the lenses don't have image stabilization built in so would it give me that ugly unstable look or would it work for the smoother handheld look im going for?
 
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mcfly2015 said:
Hi thanks everyone, if I were to use a Zeiss lens like the 25mm would that work. I know that the lenses don't have image stabilization built in so would it give me that ugly unstable look or would it work for the smoother handheld look im going for?
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25mm is relatively wide, so you'll have better luck having smoother operation with that than anything tighter.
 
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