Sony Z1U & Wireless mic mount

[Skipcam]

I have a Sony Z1U that I'm starting to get some calls for. I have used it several times in DVCAM mode (essentially in place of a PD170) but am having problems. I would love to use my lectro wirelesses or even my Zaxcom stereo unit with this camera, but it is such a bear to find someplace to mount anything. Has anyone else had occasion to try and mount a wireless on this beast? (I have seen the Bebob Coco converter shown on www.16x9inc and it might be a solution, but at 300 bucks I would hate to be wrong!) Any ideas?

[Flaca Productions]

www.bracket1.com

i have one for my dvx100 - check their site and see what they say for the Z1U

edit - yes they do - the same model. nice piece.

[Lensmith]

I have to ask...why does everyone insist on mounting a wireless mic on the mini DV camera itself?

I put both of mine on my belt and run a couple of short cables up to the camera. Much easier and, by the way, cheaper.;)

It does remind me a little bit of days long gone with a TK-76 and a battery belt...but much, much lighter.

[Skipcam]

Flaca, thanks very much, this may be the ticket! The people at viewfindergadgets have a 1/4 x 20 mount that mounts on the handle that lookes promising also. (www.vfgadgets.com) There is a company in chicago called Zacuto www.zacuto.com that has some really interesting acessories for the HVX200 and Z1 and similar sized cameras, but quite pricey. I guess you get what you pay for. Lensmith, As for why not put the wireless in a pouch or belt holder and cable up...for me it is because you have to put it in a belt holder and cable up. It is not a very "neat" solution. It will work but you have all the cables to catch on things, and when you want to set the rig down between shots, you have the hassel of the cables. I also like to rig it so the on board accessories and powered from one master source, instead of multiple 9v batteries. The design of these small cameras seems to me to be a step backward. Reminds me of putting a 16mm camera on a shoulder brace, then bolting power, audio and a camera light and battery belt to get the whole thing to work. I thought we had moved on from that!

[dinosaur]

This may be worth a look, especially if you are using one Zaxcom reciever: http://www.higheroctave.tv/page10.html

[Southern DP]

Try http://www.jimmybox.com

[Todio]

As for why not put the wireless in a pouch or belt holder and cable up...for me it is because you have to put it in a belt holder and cable up. It is not a very "neat" solution. It will work but you have all the cables to catch on things, and when you want to set the rig down between shots, you have the hassel of the cables.

Amen to that bruthuh! I offer a wireless camera link for clients who will pay for it and if hey are shooting with one of the smaller cameras I put it in a belt pouch. The other day we were waiting for a subje ct to arrive and the shooter walked away from the camera on it's sticks (but still attached via the cable to the belt pack!)

BOOM! Down went the camera right on the lens. Fortunately no glass was broken but the lens appeared to be permanently jammed in macro. Fortunately we had a lot of time on our hands and some tools so we disassembled the lens mount and found out where it was jammed, reassembled it and went on with the shoot. That little unit would have saved our bacon. Mind you, it WAS because of inattentiveness but it might not have happened with that unit. For $90 bucks I think I'll pick one up myself!

[Lensmith]

Lensmith, As for why not put the wireless in a pouch or belt holder and cable up...for me it is because you have to put it in a belt holder and cable up. It is not a very "neat" solution. It will work but you have all the cables to catch on things, and when you want to set the rig down between shots, you have the hassel of the cables. I also like to rig it so the on board accessories and powered from one master source, instead of multiple 9v batteries.

The cables don't bother me because I had them made at just the right length, for me, to stand and still put the camera on the ground if need be. I have the two cables joined together so it's more like a single cable up to the camera and, for me, it doesn't get in the way, nor affect the balance of the camera.

I've seen so many pricey brackets that don't do much more than expand the space the camera takes up and take a bigger than justified bite out of my wallet.

My Betacam is "self contained" when it comes to mounting and powering both wireless mics and the on-board light. The little camera...I like to keep as small as possible. That was the point of me getting the smaller camera in the first place to compliment my "full-size" rig.

I'm curious. How are people powering their wireless off of their little camera without using a dedicated battery? I can't find anything on my DVX-100a which would allow me to power both wireless mics, and the little top light. Maybe it depends on the model of camera...or maybe it's a matter of buying yet another expensive doodad to hang off the camera.

Or maybe...I'm just too cheap for my own good.;)

[freedom]

For my DVX 100a, I put an NP-50 battery in a fanny pouch with 2 Lectro receivers to feed camera. I also can run power for a camera light if need be. No way would I want to hand hold the DVX with 2 receivers and a sungun and power for the sungun all on the camera. The 2 audio and power cables are just long enough to allow me to hold the camera at ground level or over my head.
There is an AB shoulder brace that allows you to attach a brick and wireless. This brace sits on your shoulder with a bracket that extends forward to the camera. The AB brick sits over the back of your shoulder.

[Skipcam]

Thanks for all the great ideas! I hope they help someone else as much as it did for me.

[Miles]

You could also check out the BEC group...

http://www.thebecgroup.com/

They might have something that will work.

[Flaca Productions]

their 'solution' for small cameras is $200.....

[2000lux]

I keep my Lectro' reciever in a fanny pack and use a coiled cable to attach it to the camera. That way I can move around and not have to wory about the leignth of the cable. When I put the camera down I disconnect the cable just so I don't accidentally drag that camera around.

Vari-Zoom (http://www.varizoom.com/accessoriesindex.html#led) makes a light that you can power off one of your existing camera batteries for your little camera. They make one for Sony, and another for Panasonic batteries. That way you don't have to power it off a brick. I'm thinking about getting one but they're kind of pricey.

[Nino]

I made my own (of course). I looked at many at NAB but I still concluded that mine was the most flexible (and cheaper). I used a camera (still) flash mounting bracket. That’s the bracket for those who want to use larger flash units off the camera; B&H has pages fill with them. Make sure that it has a flat upper bracket not a round one. Put Velcro on both side of the upper (flat) bracket and also Velcro on the receivers. Mount one receiver on each side of the bracket and strap them for safety. I use two short coiled XLR cables. The brackets can be positioned 360 degrees around the camera and also have a nice handle to hold and carry the camera. And for about $50 you can't go wrong.

[cameragod]

We got one from the BEC group. Their first sale to New Zealand :) They were fantastic to deal with and I felt we got more than our moneys worth for a neat solution that can be rigged on a variety of cameras. Actually in the end they sent us enough stuff to outfit two cameras. Well worth it.

[Frenchdub]

Hi there
I've found the cheapest and easiest way of fixing a receiver to a Z1 is to mount it on the battery with extra strong Velcro. Using the high capacity batteries, which stick out of the back of the body enough I can get a Sennhieser receiver there no problems. With the Vecro it is easy to swap it out when I change batteries...
In two years shooting this way it has never fallen off... this extra strong Velcro is powerful stuff....I used to use it to attach flash batteries to my Canon Eos 1 when I was in the stills news business, and those cameras get some abuse in push and shove assignments.

Regards
Gareth