By technical editor Matt Allard:
Movcam Odyssey 7/7Q Cage Review from Matthew Allard ACS on Vimeo.
Movcam are now selling their new bracket designed specifically for the highly versatile Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q external recorder. Movcam are not the first to make a 7Q bracket – that honour likely goes to the Solid Camera for their extremely configurable setup we saw at the NAB show earlier in the year. The new Movcam doesn’t have quite as many mounting options but is considerably cheaper. In this review I’m going to look at how the Movcam does things a little differently.
The most common Odyssey setup out there is in combination with the Sony FS700R. The Movcam bracket makes the FS700/Odyssey 7Q combination a much tighter package when combined with a suitable rig. The key to this is the addition on the bracket of Arri style rosettes which can be used to attach the recorder securely to a matching mount on your rig. Several manufacturers make these and Movcam also do their own for the FS700 which allows the monitor to be articulated at any angle. The Movcam cage/rig combo can also optionally position the Odyssey 7 at the front of the camera for handheld and interview shooting – many competing setups just have the recorder 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 field monitor.
There are actually two versions of the Odyssey bracket – one is simply a mounting bracket, the second comes complete with a non-removable battery plate/power distribution box that sits on the rear of the unit. 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.
