It’s no secret that we here at FreshDV are fans of Zacuto’s line of camera and rod accessories. They offer proven solutions for both handheld and studio use, providing excellent configurability and all the arcane attachment, mount, and flip options DP’s need to build out their rigs. In my opinion they are the best camcorder 15mm rod and baseplate solution on the market. For a review of Zacuto’s HVX handheld/shoulder rig, read this article by FreshDV editor Kendal Miller in DV Magazine.

So I was very excited to learn that Zacuto has announced specific configurations for RED ONE Digital Cinema camera users. The new line of handheld and studio rigs will include a new “Z-Riser” design and standard 19mm rods and connections to fit cine camera accessories that RED natively supports. Existing Zacuto customers will be happy to note that most of the components are interchangeable with existing configurations. And of course, all the hardware and knobs are Zacuto red in color (for those that may care about matching). There is some discussion on this new line of RED accessories over at Reduser. Full press release details follow…

Chicago, IL - Zacuto is announcing the release several camera configurations for the RED ONE CINEMA camera. They have created both a lightweight handheld as well as Tripod setups. These configurations integrate Zacuto products with RED products such as the RED LCD Screen and RED camera handle. All setups are of course balanced and completely quick-releasable (Zacuto trademark) for quick setup and fast company moves.

Z-grips give you that Zacuto low hand position that DP’s say is much less fatiguing when shooting for many hours. Plus, the handgrips themselves fully articulate for further comfort. The Zamerican arms allow you to quickly remove the articulating arm or monitor and move it in seconds. The Z-Mount allows you to attach The Zamerican arm to any 15mm rod anywhere.

All these and more features, makes the Zacuto’s lightweight setup more desirable then the RED brand accessories which use traditional screw on, screw off techniques, 19mmm studio rods and are very heavy. Using lightweight 15mm camera accessories vs. Studio 19mm can cut the cost of the Matte Box and Follow Focus by as much as $10,000.

Existing Zacuto customers should have all the pieces necessary to create these Zacuto RED ONE setups excluding one new part the Z-Riser, which will raise/lower their rods in front of the Zacuto Baseplate to reach camera accessories.

The Z-Riser can also be used on small HD camera systems using 35mm DOF adapters that have “flip” modules which will require the lenses to be mounted lower/higher, left/right relative to the camera and the adapter.

The setups are beautiful and a natural for RED ONE camera users considering Zacuto products are already red. For more information about the Zacuto Accessories for Red One Cinema Cameras visit http://www.zacuto.com/RED.htm