Recently, we had the unique opportunity to meet up with Ross Grasse, VP of Dealer Relations, of ikan corp at Showcase Photo & Video in Atlanta. Ross was in town to exhibit some of ikan’s hottest products at the Showcase open house event. The event was packed with video production professionals eager to get their hands on all of the latest gear that was on display.
As you can see from the video, Ross is a super nice guy who knows his stuff. We really enjoyed spending some time asking him questions and sharing our positive experiences using ikan gear.
The first rig that Ross showed us was the ikan Flyweight Offset DSLR Shoulder Rig. Offset rigs are nice because it brings the camera in front of you for a more comfortable grip and a better view of the monitor. The offset can be fine tuned both horizontally and vertically so you can get the perfect positioning of your camera. Ikan’s rigs are made of durable, light weight aluminum, with plenty of adjustable knobs to configure it precisely to fit your body. The handles are adjustable and very comfortable to hold due to the rubberized grips. It’s also cool how it comes with the soft weight bag to give it a nice counterweight. My favorite feature is how ikan designs the shoulder pad for their rigs. I love how the shoulder pad wraps around your chest and shoulder to give it more points of contact. Having the pad on your chest helps tremendously with anchoring the rig to your body and distributing the weight of the rig to make it feel lighter. The padding is nice and thick so it will remain comfortable on long takes. With this offset shoulder rig, you you will be able to attach many accessories and get really steady shots. Another convenience is that ikan rigs have a tripod mounting plate underneath so you can attach the rig to your tripod and save yourself the hassle of dissembling your rig to get it on sticks.
Next, Ross showed us the ikan Cinefly Cinema Camera Shoulder Rig. It’s very similar to the offset DSLR shoulder rig except it is not offset and the baseplate has exhaust holes specifically for the Blackmagic Cinema Camera in order to keep the camera from overheating. The handles are an upgrade over the offset rig because they have an adaptable rossette system that enables more articulation and greater customization. If you are a Blackmagic Cinema Camera owner, then this is the rig to get. If you own a BMCC and you want to add some nice accessories to this rig, then I recommend picking up ikan’s Blackmagic adjustable top handle and the BMC Over/Under Pro Battery Rail Kit. The top handle will allow you to shoot low angle shots more easily and to transport the rig more efficiently. The Pro Battery Rail kit allows you to power the BMCC with a high capacity Anton Bauer mount or V-mount battery so you don’t have to rely on the BMCC’s non removable internal battery that only lasts about 1.5 hours. Ikan’s rig and accessories for the BMCC offer a lot more value for the money than Blackmagic’s own Cinema Camera Handles. I would much rather buy ikan’s Cinefly Shoulder Rig for $549 than spend $195 just to get handles for the BMCC.
Lastly, Ross showed us the ikan Follow Focus Cine-Kit. This kit is quite the value since it comes with the follow focus, crank, 17″ whip, and 2 lens gears, all for $449. As Ross says in the video above, “we sell everything in the box, you take it out, and you’re ready to start your career as a focus puller.” The follow focus has nice action and I like how it has a quick release rail mount so you don’t have to slide it on and off the rails. The lens gears are nice too because they can tightened on the lens by using a standard phillips screw driver and loosened so you can remove it or put it on a different lens. Some zip gears require you to cut them to remove them from the lens so it’s nice not to have to do that with ikan’s lens gears.
Thanks for taking the time to demonstrate your great products, Ross. We hope to meet up with you again soon.
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