Canon C70 Rig: Adapt To ANY Scenario

[@davidmorefield]

Absolutely love the tip about mounting the tentacle under the lens. Great idea. I just started implementing timecode into some of my productions so this is great. Thanks for the video.

[@TroyMairs]

I sure appreciate the comment! Thank you so much 👍 Glad it proved helpful! I love the Tentacle Sync system and it just seemed to fit there so well💯

[@soyizzle99]

dude, kickass video. explained rigging in the simplest way ive seen

[@TroyMairs]

Hey thanks Sawyer! I really appreciate the feedback, pumped to have you here! :)

[@ShokuikuCuisine]

I just found the CH2 setting for CH1 backup from your video, thanks for sharing and subscribed.

[@TroyMairs]

Yes! That’s awesome!😁 I’m pumped someone found it helpful, that makes it worth while! Thank you so much for subscribing!

[@tamekyle]

Right on! Thanks for another C70 video for me to consider grabbing one. I have an R5 now and dream of having a dedicated cine cam.

[@TroyMairs]

Yea of course! If you have any other questions about it fire away!👍 in an age of hybrid “do-it-all” cameras I do find myself appreciating a tool that is dedicated from the ground up for one specific task! Thanks for taking a minute to comment💯 appreciate you!

[@archwaytech]

Such a sick setup! Thanks for sharing. You definitely spent a lot of time trying to make it functional but still look good and you nailed it! I’m looking at buying one in the Black Friday sales and trying to piece together a handheld rig for it. You’ve given me some great ideas. Especially love the tentacle sync placement and that side handle! Subscribed. Look forward to more C70 videos 😊

[@TroyMairs]

Thanks for the hype! I spend WAY more time then I would like to admit tweaking components of my camera rig, Lol! So I'm pumped to hear all of that time proved helpful to someone! I'm steadfast on the C70 though, so I think you'll be in good shape if you pick one up around Black Friday. If you have any burning questions about the C70 or the rig when you start putting yours together, fire away! Thanks for subscribing! :)

[@QuillPictures]

What is the Black Friday discount going to be?

[@TroyMairs]

Great question! I don't personally know myself, but I've seen Canon start to announce a few Black Friday deals for the year. The Canon R5 was $200 off if I remember correctly.

[@swissives]

Very cool rig. I‘m about to get my C70. Can’t wait to get it and rig it to my needs. Your video was very helpful.

[@TroyMairs]

Thanks for taking a moment to comment! I appreciate the kinds words! I’m pumped for you to get your C70 too! If you have any questions let me know. Better yet, if you come up with a cool new idea for how to rig yours, I’d love check it out!

[@peteranders6893]

It's good to see Alexander Gustafson (Troy Mairs) found a different way to express himself and make money after his UFC career. So anyway, Troy do you use the Canon 5C as well? Would be interesting to see the setup on that, if you do.

[@TroyMairs]

Lol! If you were to just verbally describe the two of us to a sketch artist, it would probably yield that same result :) I never really got in to the R5C, I had pretty well deemed the battery life to be unusable in my testing. I would feel a little bit trapped ALWAYS having to rig an external battery source to the camera, so for that reason I never added one to my kit. If you can work around that limitation, I think it can be a fantastic camera!

[@peteranders6893]

@@TroyMairs Yeah you really do look a little bit alike. And that's a very good point about the battery life as well. Thanks for taking the time to answer.

[@ArnieTex]

Awesome video, thanks so much for explaining. I'm rigging out a c70 now just like this and had a question - what kind of HDMI cable do you use in this set up? The only ones I seem to find with the angle are the coiled versions. Thanks again

[@TroyMairs]

Thank you so much Arnie!🤗 I appreciate you saying that! I’ve often been disappointed with cables for my rigs, so I feel your pain! Now I get my cables custom made from Alvin’s Cables (alvinscables.com). He can hook you up with a custom-length cable and a variety of different angled connectors to suite your rig👍

[@ArnieTex]

@@TroyMairs Appreciate it! I'll definitely get some from Alvin's. Looking forward to your next vids.

[@TroyMairs]

@@ArnieTex Awesome! Thanks for being a part of the conversation!😁

[@scottievee7467]

Great info. So you like that monitor? Oh, and thanks for NOT using orange and blue lights in the background. I use 2 C70's and an R5c. Canon all day!

[@TroyMairs]

This just made my DAY, lol the orange and blue lights😂 I really do like the monitor, and I’m sure the day will come where I pick up another one so I can use that as a dedicated receiver. (Im trying to limit the amount of apps I use for filmmaking, it’s getting out of hand!) I’ve been really pleased with the fit and finish of the monitor and general operation. Speaking candidly, my points of friction have been a slower boot up time in comparison to the camera and sometimes the focus peaking in-monitor doesn’t activate. I think the latter can/will be addressed with future firmware updates (it’s obviously pretty new yet) What has been your experience with the R5c in conjunction with the C70??

[@scottievee7467]

@@TroyMairs The matching between cameras is a home run. Really easy. I'm done for a while. These are my cameras. Really happy with the ease of use and file sizes. I use Shinobi and Ninja monitors. I like them. I don't love them and we've been dating for a while. Atomos is doubting my commitment. If I've been shooting for a while and wanna cool them off by shutting down for a bit, sometimes they refuse to go back on. Can't have that. I might start seeing other monitors.

[@TroyMairs]

@@scottievee7467 Scottie, I like you. I’ll keep your affair’s under wraps for the time being. 👍 In the meantime, let me know if you have any other questions i can answer to help your “search”

[@scottievee7467]

@@TroyMairs Just got that monitor. It's on my R5c. It cuts out and comes back on. Odd. That better get fixed or it's gonna get boxed.

[@TroyMairs]

@@scottievee7467 No kidding?? The video signal is cutting out or the actual monitor? I’m sorry to hear that man, especially because I recommended it! I’ve haven’t had that happen in my experience with it. You’ve probably tried testing a few different cables I’m sure?

[@kyledudgeoncreative630]

Super helpful man, thanks a bunch. I see you updated your choice for a cage to that tilta top plate. Does that cold shoe mount, which seems to be closer to the top handle than the smallrig cage, still give the mic enough room to sneak around the monitor? What about with a windscreen? Thanks in advance.

[@TroyMairs]

Thanks Kyle! Iappreciate the kind words :) Just barely, but yes! The supplied C70 mic holder offsets the center axis of the mic to allow the 416 w/ windscreen to just barely get by a 5" monitor

[@gregbyers3843]

Great rig setup! Does the cooling fan on the camera make any noise or vibration that can be picked up on your sennheisser mic, especially in a quiet situation when recording someone speaking?

[@TroyMairs]

Much appreciated! Thanks for checking out the video! I've never found the active cooling fan on the camera to cause any audio issues. That said, I'm far from an audio expert, but to my ears it is negligible on the 416. The narrow pickup pattern seems to reject any of that noise. If it did, I'd imagine id be a pretty easy thing to clean up!

[@ausdoug974]

Very helpful. I really enjoyed watching this. Thanks for creating it.

[@TroyMairs]

You’re so welcome! I really appreciate you taking a moment to comment! 😁 if there’s any other topics you’d enjoy seeing more videos on let me know!

[@ausdoug974]

Here’s something which I’d find really helpful. I don’t know if you’d find it interesting, but I think people who use older camera models would find it helpful. I’m just an amateur hobbyist, so I have an old camera (a Canon c100 mark 2). Smallrig doesn’t make cages for it anymore and they’re very difficult to find second-hand. As a result, I shoot with only a tripod. For those of us who use old models which aren’t supported by Smallrig anymore, what are our options for rigging it, other than putting it on a tripod or monopod? The current models all have lots of great options, but I’m a bit lost about what I can do for my ancient c100. Thank you.

[@TroyMairs]

@@ausdoug974 What an interesting thought! Thanks for sharing 👍 That would be frustrating for sure, let me do a little digging and see what I can come up with. Thanks again!

[@andohbytheway4609]

Good stuff. Just subscribed. I love the handheld rig but i do find myself needing to hit the camera's touch screen so often (mostly for auto focus or facial recognition choosing). When you're using your handheld rig, you just skip the camera's touchscreen and just run-and-gun without it?

[@TroyMairs]

Pumped to have you here, thanks for subscribing!! Great question, I do also use my touchscreen for autofocus and facial recognition. I would say I don't find myself needing to tap the screen all too frequently. If I'm shooting an interview I switch to "Face Only" mode and I've found that to pick up my intended subject on its own more often than not. Then I switch to "Whole Area" af (I mapped button 12 to alternate between the two on the fly) and again I find that to pick up on the area of focus I anticipated most of the time without my needing to tap the screen. If things are getting really buggy on the AF side of things then I usually just switch to MF to take back control! Hope this helped, thanks for joining the conversation!

[@gilgoncalves2304]

Great content bro! Thanks! Do you have a videos explain your audio settings? I recently bought a c70 and I'm learning how to work better the audio for documentary interviews, thank you again!

[@TroyMairs]

Appreciate you! Thanks :) I don't have any specific videos on the audio settings, but I like to have "input 1" record on channel 1 and channel 2. I then set channel 2 about 10db lower than channel 1 to act as a safety track! Hope this helps a bit, thanks for watching!

[@gilgoncalves2304]

@@TroyMairs thanks Troy it was helpful brother! Peace!

[@jacintosalz969]

Great video! Super curious, what is your battery life like with that set up? Thanks!

[@TroyMairs]

Thank you so much! I appreciate the comment :) C70 battery life running on BP batteries is second to none. I regularly get through a shoot on a single battery, especially the larger capacity ones. I'd estimate 3-4 hours, give or take how many peripherals you want to run!

[@nickdelatorre1280]

This was very helpful, I'm totally going to set up my monitor the same way, I have a couple of different pieces I can share if you are interested. Good job.

[@TroyMairs]

Thanks Nick I really appreciate that! Please share! I've love to hear how you've got your rig set up!

[@nickdelatorre1280]

@@TroyMairs I purchased 90 degree right facing HDMI cables, I haven't had an issue with HDMI cable breaking since, I put the L shaped side into the body, I also use Sprig cable management clamps on the cage, it's really helped keep my one cabe close to the camera, we use the feelworld Lut6, not the 6s because its only HDMI and it's about $100 less than the one with SDI, last I bought the Camvate cage for the monitor, affordable monitors are flimsy at the connection point, this option makes the monitor sturdy and you can flip it up and down with worrying about breaking it..

[@TroyMairs]

Love it! Thanks for sharing! I'm really curious as to which right angle HDMI cable you're using? I've tried a few options I have laying around the studio, and the HDMI port is set into the body far enough that my few right angle cables didn't have the reach to make a secure connection. I would LOVE to have a right angle option coming out of the body! Thanks for sharing! :)

[@KenFlanagan]

Much appreciated care and consideration and I’m sure it works well for the use case this operator has for the camera but I cannot see how this works at a pro level. The c70 design is tragically flawed the minute it is rigged professionally. All this operation is hip or chest but on shoulder is where a pro rig needs to be able to live and there was no consideration of this. Given the flip out screen seems bizarre to put a handle on the left like that. 15mm rods and a moose bar would make more sense maybe as a starting place. Rig didn’t really make up its mind about operator side. No idea why people think about points of contact when there are so many other ways to build in a more stable rig. Power solution seemed under powered for the camera and monitor and the shotgun so near to the monitor. Even with a 416 side rejection that seems too close. Cine doc cameras like c300iii and fx9 get away with it as they don’t have external monitors as a necessity per se. Not how I have rigged mine or any camera like that. It’s a dslr design and frankly it needs to be built out accordingly. It’s lack of handle as per the c300iii or Sonys fx6 and 9 make it a non starter for shoulder and grip control. Why shoulder. If it’s a doc camera eyeline is essential and sooner or later like any pro rig its going to end up on a shoulder. Then what? Monitor or evf? Operator side clean or not. I very pleasant demeanour but this just is not the kind of pro rig that I would have in mind and the c70 as an amazing cameras as it is and by definition capable of being used to earn money and so professionally just isn’t what a cinematographer or pro documentary filmmaker would consider pro imo. Thanks so much for the video.

[@TroyMairs]

Thank you sharing your thoughts so extensively! You seem very passionate about the topic. There are so many levels of “pro” filmmaking that each have their own requirements, so I wouldn’t really put the C70 in a comparison with an fx9 or c300iii given the fact it is half the cost. You are correct in that it isn’t really optimized as a shoulder rig, I don’t find that to be a disqualifying factor though. I’m 6’6” tall, which means shoulder rigs are kinda of out of the question for me, Lol 😂 Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, I enjoy hearing everyone’s opinions on the matter because we all approach the same topic very differently!

[@KenFlanagan]

@@TroyMairs thanks so much for your reply. I totally understand your use cases as often I use the camera myself in a similar way. The premise of your video was perfect but I would disagree about your idea that pro is a floating concept ripe for interpretation. I think that there is a well understood definition of pro which you laid out almost perfectly in that it often needs timecode and wireless monitoring if going beyond a single operator but compared to a truly pro camera the c70 is a non starter from a design standpoint. Pro cameras are designed with an operator side in mind at the very least. The c70 compromises this from the very start as it adopts a dslr design. Moronic as they do away with an evf that most dslr cameras have. So Small enough to put to our eye and get eyeline shots. Once that goes then we are looking at a monitor that has to be at least 20cm from our eye. Minimum focus of our eyes. That then places the camera away from us and hence the reliance on the hip shooting style or worse holding the camera out in front of us at eye level. The premise of my comments are that a pro camera has to be designed as such and then by its very nature is likely to be expensive. The c300ii or iii are pro cameras. With canons integrated evf they are ready to go. Pro in that sense combined with inexpensive is really an oxymoron. It doesn’t have to cost the earth but I don’t think people should believe that they are somehow buying a pro camera when they are not. If it’s affordable then it is most likely affordable and compromised and it’s about choosing which compromise hurts less. If you buy a camera without nd then expect to have to spend or rent external nd solution with a matte box. Not having a solution is not pro. Frankly not having a matte box isn’t pro either as is not having rails. I’m sure you know this and why but KZbinrs or people wanting to understand what that next jump is to being professional on set and client oriented often make fundamental mistakes. The fact that you understand the use of a filter like a polariser immediately suggests that you would understand why a matte box has multiple trays. Many people might not make the jump about how the matte box and rails protects the lens from physical damage. The difference between pro and amateur is often easily calibrated by the camera lens differential. For most amateurs the camera will be worth more than their lens. So the c70 is say 4K and the lens maybe 2k. In a professional set up that shifts and the lenses eg cine lenses will be in sets and be worth many times the cost of the camera. They need to be protected and hence the matte box is a no brainier. Even a the simplest set of canon cn-e lenses will be sound 15k and these are at the low end of professional lens sets. I know things have changed and so much professional work is for online and shot with an iPhone and if you can charge for your services then you are professional. If you can rent your rig then that is maybe a good sign that it’s perceived as a professional or at least an income earning resource. In that respect the c70 can make you a living for sure and is by some definition professional but not in the sense that many still perceive when going beyond KZbin or social media. That is a different level and I would suggest that these days even for social requirements client or beyond single operator work requires a lot more. Thanks again for your comments and time taken to response. Much appreciated.

[@TroyMairs]

Thanks again Ken! Really well-articulated thoughts here, I particularly like the consideration of camera/lens cost ratios. I’ll be thinking about that!

[@Nordbiene]

Great video. Thumbs up. Best regards, Kai the bee filmer from Germany

[@TroyMairs]

Pumped to have you here! Thanks for commenting and I’m glad you liked the video!

[@nickkasimatis]

Very cool, thanks for all of the info

[@TroyMairs]

Happy to help! Thanks for commenting!

[@boahandarrowsproductions4326]

The camera being two feet high had me laughing cuz I understand. It just feels awkward.

[@TroyMairs]

THANK YOU!! Lol I’ve never shared that thought out loud so I’m glad I’m not the only one😂

[@boahandarrowsproductions4326]

@@TroyMairs Hahaha. I'm glad you shared. I thought it was just me. Makes me leave my monitor at times when I really want to use it..

[@ryanbishop3586]

@@TroyMairs Same here. When the monitor is too high, it looks weird!

[@dirtroads3744]

Any chance you could provide the uurig monitor Mount link? The one listed goes to the smallrig link

[@TroyMairs]

Unfortunately, It doesn't look like it is in production any longer

[@JoshBirman]

Do take off the mic and mic mount every time you switch to “gimbal mode”?

[@TroyMairs]

I do take the mic/mount off for the switch. With the original canon top handle shotgun mic this is pretty easy and quick to do and I rely on the attached tentacle sync to keep my audio capabilities intact. Great question, thanks for asking! :)

[@warrensmith3471]

Great video for a new c70 owner. Question though, my 416mkh doesn’t sit tight, at all, in the c70 mic holder. Are you using an adapter?

[@TroyMairs]

Thanks for checking out the video! Great question, I wish I could remember for sure but I don't think I used an adapter. If I did, I would have likely just wrapped a bit of gaff tape around the barrel to get a tighter fit!

[@KonnorGann]

You motion graphics are minimal yet gorgeous. Super curious of if you use a plug-in or if you build from scratch!

[@TroyMairs]

I appreciate you saying that, it takes a fair bit of extra time so I'm glad it is well received! Definitely plug-ins! Lol I have a ton of respect for graphic/motion designer because I have no idea how they do it. Pulling off something that is "minimal yet gorgeous" can be a tough task! So props to the guys over at MotionVFX, I've bought and use a lot of their presets for Davinci Resolve. The one's you're seeing here are from the mKeynote pack.

[@LandryCommunications]

Great video. In the list of gear you show “updated cage” as a tilta. Did you switch to that from the SmallRig? Thanks!

[@TroyMairs]

Hey Chris! Thanks for commenting! I have since switched to the Tilta top plate, the integrated nato rail and size where the determining factors for me!

[@glenelliott2620]

@@TroyMairs does the Titla top plate still allow you to use the side of the SmallRig cage?

[@maciejeichelberger8148]

Thanks for the good content! I will take some of it for sure. But tell me what do you do when your mic needs the windscreen? There is no room for that as I can see.

[@TroyMairs]

Thanks for the kind words! I've actually been able to slip a dead cat on there without too much trouble. It's tight but I don't think it has too much of an impact on the mics functionality!

[@adrianmuys1]

Thanks for the review. Really helpful. Can you provide a link to the dtap cable you used to go into the Core SWX BP-A60 Batteries? I have a few and almost none of my dtap cables fit. The input on the batteries is just too small. Thanks!

[@TroyMairs]

Yea man ofcourse, I apologize it took so long to get back to you. I've definitely run in to this before with Dtap inputs! The one I have is from Indipro, and I'll link one below that looks like the one I'm using. (I've had it for amminuite now, so I'm not sure exactly where I got mine from) amzn.to/3SzpDYi Thanks for commenting Adrian!

[@ChristopherDorsano]

Thanks for sharing.

[@TroyMairs]

Ofcourse!! I appreciate the comment!

[@MarcDriessenMedia]

Nice Rig, cheers for sharing. One thing though, that RS2 camera plate is not compatible with Manfrotto or Sachtler clamps, so you can't move too sticks easily, that is frustrating and still forces me to rebuild for sticks / gimbal use. Or you have to start stacking plates and clamps, but that's no the most elegant solution either. How do you deal with this? Cheers again!

[@TroyMairs]

Thanks for commenting! Much appreciated! I'm sure we're all using different tripods, heads, or clamps so it's unfortunate that plate isn't going to be cross-compatible for you! I use a Manfrotto 504X Fluid head on my sticks (drop-in style retention system) and it accepts both of my RS2 plates, the one shown here from SmallRig as well as my C70 specific plate from Bright Tangerine. One thing is for sure, and that is that having to rebuild a rig between different uses is wildly frustrating! Maybe there is a plate out there that still fits into the RS2 manfrotto slot that didn't have the teeth on the bottom? You'd lose the functionality of the micro-adjustment knob on the side, but that might be worth it to gain compatability with your manfrotto clamps?

[@MarcDriessenMedia]

@@TroyMairs Thanks Troy, much appreciated, I'll research some compatible plate options. The RS2/3 plates don't fit on my Mannfrotto quick release clamps, nor the sachtler head, indeed because of those fine adjustment gears.

[@TroyMairs]

Sure thing! For what it's worth, the Bright Tangerine RS2 bottom plate for the C70 doesn't have gears on it, so you might have some luck with that one! It is a very low-profile option that hugs the C70 nicely. www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1674168-REG/bright_tangerine_b4005_1026_canon_c70_dji_dovetail.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=CjwKCAjw2OiaBhBSEiwAh2ZSP6VbSc2M5Kmw4hbDwo5tFRHlI1B9Li8AVHZrlljU_GpPDQfE3mIF3xoCFDUQAvD_BwE

[@MarcDriessenMedia]

@@TroyMairs Awesome, thanks, will check that out!

[@plantog]

Hey man great video. Can you recommend a dtap cable for use with the core nano. I bought one online and it doesn't seem to fit

[@TroyMairs]

Much appreciated Andrew! Thanks!👍 I might have a few suggestions for you! What are you looking to power off the Core Battery?

[@plantog]

@@TroyMairs hey man. Looking to power my Feelworld monitor from d tap

[@TroyMairs]

@@plantog Got it! So my recommendation to check out Alvin’s Cables (alvinscable.com) I tend to be overly obsessive about my cable management. To the point where I actually have Alvin create custom cables for me to be a specific length with the appropriate connections on either end. I wouldn’t say that is a requirement though! He also has a bunch of “standard” cables ready to go on his site that would surely fit the bill for your monitor. What I can attest to is the quality of the cable itself👍 that’s where I get my cables and it has my recommendation! Thanks for asking the question! I hope this help you and anyone else that finds this thread!