Best lens support (rails) for Twoneil DOF adapter

Have just received my achromat add-on for the Twoneil DOF adapter. It adds about 2 inches to the barrell of the adapter, which means that my adapter + 50mm lens is now officially longer than my HV30. It also means that, as Twoneil suggests on his website, it’s time to buy some lens support for when I use it with a tripod.

So the search begins again!  First I did an initial product search for a suitable lens support system for the twoneil and came up with a couple of options:

• Cavision 15mm rod support – approx US$159
• Manfrotto telephoto lens support – approx US$69
• indiRAIL Pro 18mm rod support -approx US$129

There is a lot of useful discussion on which of the above lens support systems is best over at hv20.com. It seems there is a general consensus that the Cavision support is working for most people, however the 12mm rails might be a bit too short for longer lenses. For people who want to play it safe, it seems the indiRAIL 18mm model is the way to go.

However, digging a little deeper I discovered a more customised HV30 + Twoneil lens support system out there called the Shrigg Rig which was developed in consultation with a hv20.com veteran called “Shrigg”.

The Shrigg Rig supports long and short lenses and holds the HV20/30 upside down to negate the need to flip in post production (doesn’t of course correct the viewfinder). This is also available through indiSYSTEMS at just $109, the downside being that the rods are only 12mm, which may be too short for those using something like a 70-200mm lens (interested in owners feedback on this point). There is some useful discussion on the Shrigg Rig at hv20.com.

indiSYSTEMS Shrigg Rigg

As for the much cheaper Manfrotto, it seems the main disadvantage is that it is made for still cameras and doesn’t really offer too much flexibility for hv30 owners wanting to pimp their rigs in the future with matte boxes and the like.

For me, it looks like the best way to go is the Shrigg Rig, mostly because it looks to be the product of a Hv20/30 love affair between manufacturer and consumer. It also will shave some time off my “flip” post production process by holding my dear Hv30 upside down while shooting.

If anyone has any impressions of the Shrigg Rig they’d like to share, or any other suggestions for lens support systems, leave a comment below. Happy shooting.