by Mark Scotton Issue 98 - February 2015
Shoulder rigs are more commonly used these days than ever before and have become a great solution during the DSLR boom. Providing you with the option to adjust your kit, depending upon the set-up required, the rail system rigs are both practical and adjustable with the option to add matte boxes, viewing monitors and different lenses. With a vast array now on the market you are spoilt for choice when trying to find your ideal solution.
These great rigs do come with problems though and one of the biggest problems is the weight once fully loaded. Not only can the camera set-up be quite heavy but all that weight is hanging out the front off a single shoulder. Some rigs have counterbalance weights on the back to try and help but this further increases the total weight on the user.
Another problem is the handle set-up which often requires you to hold two handles for greater support but when you remove one hand, for example to adjust focus, the front heavy rig then becomes unbalanced to the side as well. Although it\'s possible to operate like this it\'s not an ideal set-up and can affect the shot.
Then there is the single shoulder balance effect. Although it can be nice to work off a single shoulder it can at times be less stable and more difficult. It might be the common set-up but at times working on one shoulder can cause problems with both the weight of the rig and the stability it provides.
So our favourite little support could just do with a little bit of help to make it into the rig we crave it to be. Step forward the new Hague DSR Dual Shoulder Support Rig. Designed and manufactured in Nottingham, England this intriguing support system has tried to tackle the common problems we face with most rigs and has provided us with an interesting solution.
Designed around the standard 15mm x 60mm pitch rod system the Hague DSR Rig is therefore compatible with parts from other systems. This ensures that matte boxes, a follow focus and other accessories you may already have should be compatible with the new system. It is supplied with two 300mm long rods and a quick release camera plate as standard but additional accessories are also available.
The DSR has been designed to rest across two shoulders to provide additional stability and to help support the camera weight but it also has the ability to be quickly changed to single shoulder operation if required. The fact that you can use it either way is a bonus and being able to quickly alter between the two without taking things off is extremely beneficial. When used across the two shoulders it gives much greater stability and it also really helps support the weight of the camera.
Standard operation of the Hague DSR would again see you utilising a twin handgrip set-up but this rig has the ability to quickly change to a single hand operation as well. When using the single hand operation the handgrip is moved central to avoid the problem of it being unbalanced to the side. Your spare hand is then free to operate the camera and for focusing.
The Hague Dual Shoulder Support has not been designed to be just another rail type shoulder support, it has been specifically designed as a solution to common problems that people experience with these devices. Maintaining the aspects that we like about these rigs, whilst nullifying the problems we experience using them, Hague have developed a system that just provides the cameraman with a more complete solution.
