Jason R. Johnston | Cinematographer

Category: Camera Modding

  • Modding Sony α6400 for Video

    Modding Sony α6400 for Video

    Having purchased a Sony a6400, I knew it would require accessories to maximize its potential as a video camera to compliment my Sony FS7 M2 as a B-camera.

    I had been interested in an a6300 in 2016, but then the 2019-released a6400 really spoke to me as it had been upgraded from the a6300 to do video really well without overheating, but it also didn’t have a bunch of bells and whistles I didn’t need like the a6600 does. The a6400 also has a very nice flip-screen which is only helping to entice me to create my own YouTube channel vlog. However, once I was comfortable enough to buy one a month ago, I was saddened to see that a6400 body-only was not in stock anywhere, including B&H. However, I was very pleased to find it in stock at Precision Camera during my recent trip to Austin. I got the 6400L kit which includes a Sony E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens at the same price as the body by itself. Score.

    • Front
    • Rear
    • Underneath

    I already had a few items for the camera in my B&H wishlist, so the first item I purchased was the SmallRig 2310 (not 2310B) cage. The 2310 does not have built-in cold shoes like the 2310B does, however, the 2310 does have mounting points to support lens mount adapters such as those made by Metabones. It sucks using lens mount adapters on a body that doesn’t have a positive lock, so affixing the adapter to body via the cage will eliminate unwanted lens rotation during focus pulls or manual zooms.

    • It sucked removing these from the camera.
    • One of them got me.

    To install the cage, I first had to remove the little metal triangles and plastic protectors that are intended for the camera’s neck strap. That was a gigantic PITA at first and I eventually had to use a small screwdriver as crowbar. Unfortunately, one of the metal bits got me under a fingernail and I bled a bit. Nothing crazy, but it was not a gentle experience. Once they were off, I could mate the camera to its cage.

    The SmallRig kit comes with this tiny hex screw and a tiny hex key. Fitting the a6400 into the cage and taking care of this screw was a breeze.

    The a6400 is now ready to be buried underneath a bunch of videography equipment that it wasn’t really intended for! Next on my list of add-ons is a top handle for run-and-gun work, an offset cold shoe for mounting a mic for vlogging, and an adapter to affix to lens mount adapters as mentioned earlier. Of course the camera looks a little silly riding on the back of a lens like the Sony FE PZ 28-135 F4 G OSS, but the potential for capturing very nice Slog3 8-bit 4:2:0 video with this camera is a real possibility, and this sturdy little cage from SmallRig not only enhances it’s moddability for any situation I might need it, but it also protects the camera itself.

    How have you modded your a6400 for video? Let me know in the comments below.

  • Modding FS7’s Top Handle

    Modding FS7’s Top Handle

    One of the worst things about tiny little screws is they’re easy to strip or get stuck, but very hard to remove. And they’re usually inside something very expensive so you don’t want to use too much force or you might break something you’ll regret.

    I love my FS7, and I love how easy it is to mod depending on what I need of it. For example, — depending on the job — I tend to adjust or swap the monitor rod more than most users probably do, so the head of the little screw in the top handle that holds the monitor rod is starting to strip. That screw requires a bit of tightening to keep the rod in place or else the weight of the EVF will make it tip onto the lens. One day, it will strip, and a stripped screw is no fun to remove. Me no likey. Thankfully, the thoughtful geniuses at SmallRig have come up with a solution for this exact problem.

    You may recall the last time I modded my FS7 with the SmallRig rosette handgrip. This operation is much more simple!

    The SmallRig playset comes with everything you see here. Batteries not included. GI Joe action figures sold separately.

    I purchased the “SmallRig SONY FX9/FS7/FS7 MK2 Top Handle Special Screw 2844” kit via B&H and it arrived in a tiny little box. It comes with the special screw and a hex key. First, you remove the Sony screw from the top handle.

    Look how bare the head has become!

    Next, you simply replace the Sony screw with the SmallRig special screw. Done!

    I wish it were black.

    Very straightforward. The special screw also has the same hex receiver for when you need some more torque.

    Apparently, the hex key is sometimes called a spanner. Must be a European thing.

    Easy peasy. Now I no longer have to worry about one day stripping that little Sony screw. I just wish the new screw was black so it doesn’t stick out on my all-black rig.

    Next project: painting the SmallRig special screw!

  • Modding FS7’s Handgrip

    Modding FS7’s Handgrip

    One of the reasons I love my Sony FS7 Mark II is the fact that, other than a media card, it shipped with everything in the box I needed in a camera kit. I love that the supplied LCD came with both a collapsible shade and a loupe which effectively turns it into an EVF, and a LANC smart handgrip with extending arm, and a few other things. But, there’s always room for improvement.

    What I don’t love so much about the handgrip is that it’s not intended to be removed from the arm. Attached to the body via the arm’s Arri rosette, I can only position the handgrip so close or so far away from the body, and even at it’s closest, I still wind up jabbing the handgrip into a mattebox. I also can not angle the arm positive when extended forward which means the handgrip will always be in the negative and cause the entire rig to roll to port when sitting it on a flat surface. It can never rest flush with a flat surface with the handgrip/arm assembly attached.

    The handgrip is intended to be positioned about chest-level in shoulder-mount mode, but I find that method of operating uncomfortable and unresponsive. I am not a human tripod…even though sometimes I have to be. Because the handgrip is affixed to the arm, my options are limited. I don’t like that. I need to be able to position the handgrip wherever I want.

    After a bit of research I discovered that I wasn’t the only FS7 owner/operator who felt the same way. We love the handgrip, but hate being stuck with the arm. Thankfully, there are a few solutions. The one I settled on is from Chinese third-party manufacturer of camera accessories, SmallRig. Their “Handgrip Rosette Adapter for Sony PXW-FS7/FS7II 1887” kit converts the base of the connection between the handgrip and the arm into an Arri rosette so you can mount it anywhere, including directly to the body of the FS7.

    • SmallRig Handgrip Rosette Adapter for Sony PXW-FS7/FS7II 1887
    • It comes with 4 tiny, two bigger screws, one tightening thumb screw, and hex keys.

    Assembly is straight forward. First, I needed to remove the handgrip from the arm by gently removing the four hex screws from the assembly. They’re glued in so you have to make sure you don’t break the head off or strip them. Thankfully, the process went without issue.

    • The handgrip removed from the arm.
    • The four Sony hex screws and one of the SmallRig replacements.

    Next, I needed to align the first part of the adapter assembly to the two locking pins and attach it with either the four replacement screws or the OEM ones. I decided to use SmallRig’s.

    After the first part of the assembly was affixed, I then needed to attach the final part containing the thumb screw via the two larger hex screws.

    • The completed assembly. Piece of cake.

    Now I needed something to attach the handgrip to. I had considered this when ordering the parts and thought the SmallRig 15mm Dual Rod Clamp with Rosette would work well.

    • SmallRig 15mm Dual Rod Clamp with Rosette (M6, 31.8mm) for Camera Shoulder Support 1898
    • The FS7M2 handgrip with SmallRig’s Rosette Adapter attached to their Dual Rod Clamp.

    Wanting to continue to keep the spirit of a low camera profile, I wanted the ability to operate the FS7 either with it’s built-in shoulder pad, or on a VCT-14 shoulder pad, but without having to disassemble anything. With this in mind, I also purchased a SmallRig Camera Base Plate with Rod Rail Clamp for Sony FS7, and Manfrotto 501-style dovetail.

    • SmallRig Camera Base Plate with Rod Rail Clamp for Sony FS7, Sony A7 Series, for Canon C100/C300/C500, for Panasonic GH5 1674
    • SmallRig Quick Dovetail Base for Manfrotto Standard for for Manfrotto 577, 501, 504, 701,etc. 1280

    I attached the base plate to the bottom of the FS7.

    Then attached the dovetail using the provided 1/4″-20 screw, and an additional one I had laying around. I made sure to keep the aft parts flush with each other so they don’t potentially dig into my shoulder if positioned underneath the shoulder pad.

    I was pretty happy with both assemblies and decided to keep building out my rig to see how it all fit together.

    • The new bits on my FS7, and all of that on a SmallRig VCT-14 shoulder mount baseplate. Those are 9″ aluminum 15mm LWS rods and way too long for most of my lenses, so I ordered a pair of 6″ aluminum ones painted black, also from SmallRig

    It’s a very tight setup. I really like being able to position the handgrip wherever I want, and in tandem with a left-hand grip for extra support. I found this method much easier to support various front-heavy lens weights as I can extend the handgrip wherever I need it to accommodate whatever the situation. The best part is the handgrip can be positioned right at the mattebox which is where I like to put my hands to be able to kinetically operate the camera as organically as possible while shoulder-mounted.

    Sure, I could have just used any handgrip, but the ability to have the Sony smart handgrip is huge for being able to have LANC control over the camera and certain lenses. Why buy an expensive new LANC handgrip controller when I can just slightly mod the one that came with the camera and save a lot of money? In the end, the entire endeavor cost about $155, shipped (free shipping with Amazon Prime). I order everything on Tuesday, and it all arrived today except for the 6″ rods which arrive Monday. I can’t wait to try out the new equipment on my next shoot.

    What do you think of my modding exercise? Have you tried modding your FS7 handgrip? What are your experiences with modding your FS7? I want to know in the comments below!