The Ultimate FX6 Documentary Setup

[@JessonPartners]

Authentic review of a setup based upon experience.

[@jonathanrichards7733]

Thanks Peter. I've just bought all the same accessories and I'm really pleased with them so far.

[@BillParis-uf7wb]

The best FX6 build out I've seen.... love the way you incorporated the 15mm rail adapters that come with the system as a wireless transmitter mount as well as your super inexpensive should pad rig. Very clever adaptations all around with the flexibility to go small when needed. Thanks for sharing your rig and explaining the various benefits of each part.... well done!

[@WinstonMcfarlane]

agreed

[@peterfordDOP]

Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated!

[@zebrazone]

Thank you very much for that amazing insight, from real field use, your setup is really neat, looking forward to seeing more videos ! Video is very enjoyable to watch with very nice shots too

[@peterfordDOP]

Thanks for the kind words, really appreciate it!

[@sportactionfilms9]

A balanced FX-6 Doc Setup......FINALLY!!!!! Why has NOBODY else done this?????? Thank You @Peter Ford.

[@butcherfest]

That shoulder pad cutout is a game changer. So simple but it makes so much sense.

[@Concise_Focus]

Love that rod system for your transmitter. I gotta try that out

[@relaxwithme3266]

Really nice setup. I went through a phase like this. Eventually it all pissed me off so much I ripped it all apart and now just use the base camera.

[@ClicStudio]

Thank you so much for making these videos I love the quality and effectiveness of your videos! Super informative and fun to watch as well! I was wondering if you’d make a video on how you got into the industry and started getting jobs in the cinema/film/tv industry. I’m a current cinema student in college who’s thinking of going to university to continue learning and your videos and what you strive to share to the world seems very interesting to me :)) Thanks again for making these videos they’re awesome

[@peterfordDOP]

Thanks - that's a good idea for an episode, I'll add that to my list for sure

[@Tommy_Beal]

This is a really nice setup man! If I had an FX6, I think I would just copy your setup here! Also, how great is Vocas!!! I bought a nato rail from them and instantly became a fan!!! Really thoughtfully made products!

[@rpace]

24-105 is my go to. Nice video!

[@ZiconMast]

Great work man

[@twoowlsregenerativemedia159]

Love that shoulder pad setup, overall very sleek setup!

[@thebakerycreativeagency]

Hey Peter, thanks for the video. You’ve got some great ideas there and looks like they’re all real world solutions. I run an FX6 for corporate doco work and I just love the Sony 28-135 f4 zoom from the FX9 kit. Sure it’s not faster but it’s a bloody Swiss Army knife of a lens! I only compliment that with a fast prime for b-roll or macros. I love the Tilta gear too.

[@peterfordDOP]

Thanks for the kind words! - yup, that 28-135 is impressive for what it does. I find 28mm generally a little not quite wide enough for a lot of what I shoot, but that lens has an impressive zoom range - I've used them a few times in studio and live work, they're unbeatable for those kinds of jobs

[@WhoIsOlton]

Learned so much from this.

[@tedcoats4148]

You win! Great rig!

[@KeshenMac]

What a fantastic video!

[@romanwilliwildlife]

Amazing rig! I am looking for the parts of your left handle with the arri extender etc. but haven't found them online. Help would be greatly appreciated!

[@80cr3n]

Great information! Which 1 1/4 inch red screw do you have at the bottom of your transmitter?

[@westdoc]

Great video. Just what I need.

[@danbrockettDOP]

Nice build and great video. A couple of observations. I have VCT mounts and full shoulder rigs for my other cameras but for my FX6, my goal was to try to keep it streamlined, smaller and lighter since its such a small and light camera. I too went with an Arri dovetail plate but then switched that out and went to EasyRig. My fully rigged setup similar to yours is only about 11lbs so it is within the weight limit of the EasyRig Mini Max. I will never go back to shoulder mount because I can shoot interviews off of my shoulder, shoot at waist level or even zip down to ground level, quickly and effortlessly. I am now pretty much wedded to the EasyRig, it keeps all of the feel and advantage of handheld but it's much easier on my body and much more versatile. The MiniMax is the small one so I never hit doorways or other obstacles that I think I might hit if I was using one of the larger EasyRigs with the much larger arm over my head. I fully agree with you about the 24-105mm being an ideal FF documentary lens but I went with the Sony version. My other cameras are Canons and I have the EF24-105 f/4.0 IS II, which is a great all arounder lens but as you noted, Canon lenses don't work very well with Sony's AF so I went with the Sony FE 24-105 f/4.0 OSS and its a pretty great documentary lens. I bought it used, barely used off of Ebay for less than $600, great deal. I went with the CAME TV V mount plate which also integrates a top plate much like the Tilta and it has a hardwired 19.5V DC out for the camera. Because of the EasyRig and most of my shooting is interiors, I skipped the loupe and am running an Osee T5+ on some EVF extensions that are mounted to the CAME TV top plate. Kondor Blue has a very nice swivel friction fitting that let's me move around and position the Osee like the stock LCD screen, which I have moved to the rear of the handle as I still need the stock LCD for touch focus and menus. The Osee is kind of functioning as a larger abnd brighter LCD and I just use the stock LCD here and there for touch AF and menus. FX6 is a great documentary camera. It has its flaws and weak points, the build quality is really poor for a pro camera, it's very fragile. Seeing your AT-875r (I use the same mic on my FX6) hanging up there off the stock mic mount made me cringe, the Sony forums on social media show literally dozens of users have accidentally hit their shotgun mic against a doorway and snapped the mount off of the handle, it breaks away REALLY easily and a new handle cost over $1,000 if you do break it off. I would highly suggest you move to a Rycote Lyre suspension mount screwed into a 1/4" 20 on your top plate and remove the stock mic mount, it's a real point of failure on the FX6 and it's not hard to break that mic mount off. I ended up using a 3D printed mic mount from cliffandkajun.com/ and I love it because it's a breakaway mount, part of their mount will snap off if you accidentally bump the mic hard but it can just be popped back into the base, genius!

[@Eschada]

Hi, I am not sure why most of your videos/shorts have comments turned off, but I just found you through shorts. I have no previous interest or experience in this channels topics, but I enjoy watching the few videos you already have. Nice to see that you just started KZbin

[@peterfordDOP]

Hi there! I had no idea comments were off on the shorts, thanks for letting me know 👍

[@ClicStudio]

@@peterfordDOPthey’re also off on the introduction to your channel! It reduces the chances of reaching your audience! You should look into the presets you can have on your uploads and if they’re for your already subscribed fans or if they’re for reaching a new audience, that’s a thing I recently learned about and i heard it helps a lot to reach the audience needed for the video!

[@peterfordDOP]

@@ClicStudio Oh thanks for spotting that too, will also change that one and look into the default settings

[@robainscough]

Ended up buying the FX6 since I have a lot of Sony GM II lenses already from my Sony A7VR. Did you post a list of all the components in your setup?

[@Michal_Kedzierski]

Love this set up, the only thing for me is I didn't enjoy the experience of using the Tilta doveplate. I sold quickly after I bought for the smallrig VCT system because of how long it would take and how awkward it was to remount the camera on the doveplate.

[@A.Lewisfilms]

Great video! What LANC cable Did you get for the handle extension? I bought one from shape and it just straight up did not work. Any suggestions?

[@mantovatv2007]

Total weight of full setup (without tripod) ?

[@josehnegrete]

You didn’t say where you got the shoulder pad from?

[@robainscough]

Would this setup be too heavy for a DJI Ronin?

[@TexpatOTG]

FX6 is nearly a camera I would like to have. Just a few things that keep me away. It might be different in the next interation. Audio handle and lack of 3.5mm on body. Also the monitor sucks. I am not in a hurry for a new video camera, will wait to see what comes out in the 12 mo or so.

[@Deceptive_Lights]

What is that velcro on the top handle for?

[@willvazquez3218]

Cool video. What do you do about the sagging of the viewfinder because of the weight and the flex of the handle? Do you have a bracket to keep the handle stiff? I use the zacuto finder with my FX6 and I have problems with the horizon being off because of this. Bright tangerine is the only one that makes a bracket to keep the handle straight, but you have to use their system, which is really elaborate.

[@peterfordDOP]

I use a bracket made by Vocas - the LCD screen slides into the bracket, then the bracket attaches to the camera. I recommend it, it works really well. It supports the weight of the screen and a loupe, but its also a friction based system, so you can alter the angle of the loupe without having to undo anything. It's called "vocas FX6 support bracket" if you wanted to look into it

[@willvazquez3218]

@@peterfordDOP thanks but this does not prevent the plastic handle from flexing from the weight. You need a bracket front the body to the handle like bright tangerine.

[@peterfordDOP]

Ah, I see what you mean. Can't say I've noticed my handle flexing, but maybe the zacuto finder is heavier?

[@부영-j7n]

Can you tell me where to buy shoulder pads?

[@manuelbustamante2664]

it's still front heavy. You should be able to let your hands go and still balance it on your shoulder. It's not doable on your set-up. I'd go forward.

[@vladimirtalijan]

This couldn't be more opposite to a documentary rig. You need to move around quick and sometimes to walk/drive great distances with your camera on a shoot day. Lighter/simpler is better, and you couldn't have made it more heavy and complicated :) This shouldn't exist on youtube unless it's a behind the scenes Hollywood film, but somehow youtube is full of it :)

[@Beatrix1138]

what would you recommend instead?

I just don’t use the shoulder 😅 I don’t liked