Out With The Old
One of the problems when working with the Ikonoskop is that it really does throw a lot of industry standards out the window. The HD-SDI output uses a very odd, very rare plug called SMB. Even the Wikipedia Entry on SMB is light on information. And just look at the breakout box on the bottom for timecode, audio, power.. it’s ALL Lemo connectors of some flavor. This can be frustrating if you need a cable last minute since most camera houses don’t stock anything but the standard cables. But cables and connectors can be custom ordered if you can find the right places. Bellow I’ll put a list of places I’ve bought cables.
Another issue is the standard height typically used for centering fixed matte boxes. In theory most cameras, and thus most fixed matte boxes, have a standard height from mount to center-of-lens of 85mm. In reality a large number of digital video cameras are placing form over standards. Since the A-Cam was designed as a low-profile, compact camera it has a much smaller height from mount to center of camera.
In With The New
As I mentioned, there have been plenty of other cameras messing with the standards in past years. Most notably the HDSLR’s that so many filmmakers are using. Because of this many support manufacturers have come up with adjustable rail mounts that make their standard matte boxes work with shorter or taller mount-to-center heights.
The other option support manufacturers have come up with is adjustable height mounts and adapter plates. Since many cameras come with their own mounting issues - like a lack of centering pin hole - many support manufacturers have taken this route to make their universal mounts conform to specific cameras and to raise or lower those cameras to match the 85mm height of their matte boxes.
On a side note, I didn’t find out about this issue until I tried to mount my Ikonoskop up to a fixed Genus matte box. The lens ended up sitting inside the 105mm hole of the matte box, but was far lower than center which prevented me from using the donut.
In With The REALLY New
I’m really excited to see more support manufacturers creating custom plates and solutions for the dII. First was Arri with an adapter plate that mates the Ikonoskop to their Mini Baseplates.
Just today I’ve found out that Vocas has jumped in to support the dII with an adapter plate for their 15mm Rail Mount systems.
In reality, the dII would have worked just fine with the DSLR Rail Mount system as you can see in the photo. You’d simply have to ensure the mounting screw was on nice and tight to keep the camera from spinning. What Vocas has done is created a mounting plate that is custom designed to fit the dII and use both the 3/8 and 1/4 screw mounts to keep the camera centered at all times. The plate can also be mounted to the DSLR Rail Mount system with two 1/4 20 screws (they even include the extra in the plate kit, how thoughtful). They claim that the mounting plate can also be used with the Pro Rail Mount, but that may require the use of an adjustable mount for the matte box as it looks like the Pro model doesn’t have as much of a rise built in.
Fully built up the Vocas should mount and hand grip look to be a perfect fit with the Ikonoskop A-Cam dII - compact and with everything in just the right place for very stable support without a lot of extra bars or links. The equipment has had a lot of positive reviews online (planet5D, Cinema5D) and if it weren’t just a little over my price range right now I’d have a lot of it in my kit. Unfortunately for a full setup as shown above you’re looking at about $3,000. If I find myself doing more handheld work, especially with the need to add on V-mount batteries or external recorders, there’s a good chance I’ll be revisiting Vocas
My solution for mounting has been Red Rock Micro and Really Right Stuff. I’ve always been interested in the 15mm rail adapter RRM has made for the RRS quick release clamp. My goal when out shooting on the trail is to always have equipment I can setup and strike quickly. Thanks to the guys over at RRS I found the MPR-73 multi-use rail which features two 1/4 screws. With a 3/8 reducer I can mount the plate securely to the dII. Used in conjunction with the B2 LR II quick release clamp I can get the camera on and off the rails quickly and it is very securely. Unfortunately the adapters don’t address the mount to lens-center issue, so I’ve been forced to use the adjustable height rail adapter for my matte box. Really though, its a small price to pay for speed. I may even enlist a local machinist to CNC an appropriately sized spacer to be placed between the RRM rail mount and the RRS clamp to bring it back into standard.
Here’s where I’ve picked up cables needed for the Ikonoskop A-Cam dII:
- Lemo-5 to Lemo-5 Timecode: B&H Photo Video - $75
SMB to BNC 75Ohm cable: Citrus Cable - Price depends on lengthIt seems the dII requires a custom cable direct from Ikonoskop for the HD-SDI output. Not positive on this but that’s what I sem to have been told directly from them. We’ll see once I get my camera back.- Lemo-5 to 2 XLR: Pro-Sound.com - Contact Richard Topham, he has the pin configuration already.
