By site editor Dan Chung:
Movcam are now selling their new bracket designed specifically for the Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q recorder, which can be used with many different cameras and setups. Movcam are not the first to make a 7Q bracket – that honour likely goes to the Solid Camera for their extremely versatile setup we saw at NAB earlier in the year. The new Movcam doesn’t have quite as many mounting options but is considerably cheaper. I want to look at how it does things a little differently:
Surely the most common combination out there is with the Sony FS700. The Movcam bracket should make the FS700/Odyssey 7Q combination a very tight package. The key to this is the integration of Arri style rosettes which can be used to attach the 7Q securely to a suitable rig, such as Movcam’s own for the FS700. Attached as shown in the picture above it allows the monitor to be articulated at any angle and also moved to a better position for handheld and interview shooting than most setups I’ve seen (most setups I’ve seen just have the 7Q on the rear of their rig).
The same rosettes can also be used to attach handles to the side of the recorder if you want to use it as a handheld monitor instead.
Another unique feature of the Movcam is the optional battery plate and power distribution box that sits on the rear of the 7Q. Using custom lemo cables you can not only run the 7Q, but also a plethora of other accessories at different voltages all from the same V-lock or Anton Bauer type battery. You can even get a cable to power the FS700 negating the need for an internal battery or second battery power plate. In this case I’m not sure I would mount the 7Q in a forward off centre position though, as the extra weight of the battery will unbalance the rig too much. Instead I would securely mount the 7Q/bracket/battery setup in the more typical position at the rear of the camera.
The FS700/7Q combo is always going to be more unwieldy than a camera like the Sony F55 but with a Movcam bracket it is certainly more ‘together’ than before. If you are in the market for a 7Q mounting solution then it is certainly worth considering as an alternative to the Solid Camera option – especially as the price includes the power distribution option.
CVP in the UK is selling the monitor bracket alone for £99 + tax and complete with the battery plate for £199 + tax.
