I think we’ve all done it: That never ending presser’s finally come to an end and your reporter gives you the nod to get ready to grab some quick interviews. Crammed at the back amongst a sea of gear - whilst simultaneously trying to keep an eye on your reporter, the potential interviewee’s and your other colleagues - you begin to make a move.
In the rush, you release the camera from the tripod and almost get it shouldered when… Yank! Looking down at your remote zoom cable you realise the one thing you overlooked. Again.
For a while now cameramen in Germany have been able to avoid this situation all together with the help of a company called bebob, who manufacture a tripod plate with one unique selling point. Which is this; you can connect your remote zoom, remote focus and video-out cables directly into the tripod plates connectors, attach the camera adapter and its corresponding tails into your lens and video-out sockets, as a result making it possible to release (and mount) your camera from the tripod plate without the need to unplug (or plug in) any of your ancillary cables.
This is all possible due to a contact strip on the tripod plate itself (fig.1) which corresponds with another set of contacts on the camera adapter (fig.2) which, when the camera is mounted, between them transfer the signals from the servo controllers into the lens and in reverse from the camera for video-out.
Figure 1
|
Figure 2
|
The theory sounds great but, to be honest, I wasn’t that struck with the thought of actually going out and using it; too much of a gimmick really, I thought. However, my first impressions were optimistic. Reading Made in Germany etched on the side as I unpacked it at least meant it was going to be well made. Which it was of course, and it looked good too with its immaculate blue and black finish. The model I was going to be using - Leo - featured 8pin (servo zoom) and BNC (video-out) connectors and setting it up was straight forward enough. Simply mount the camera adapter underneath the camera (fig.2) and plug in the tails, then fix the tripod plate to the tripod, prime the rear locking mechanism (fig.3) and mount the camera (fig.4 & fig.5).
Figure 3
|
Figure 4
|
Figure 5
|
Figure 6
|
Having set it up the first thing I found was that the servo and BNC tails from the camera adapter were a bit long, so they were tidied out of the way (although these can be properly tailored to suit your own set up). I also tie-wrapped the cable from my remote zoom along the pan bar up to the tripod plate so it could be left permanently plugged in. The mounting system took quite a bit of getting used to but once the camera was mounted, with a reassuring click, it was all very solid. All the ancillary controls functioned well, and there was no loss of servo speed or break up of the video-out signal. Weight wise, the bebob came in at 850gms, a touch lighter than Sony at 888gms - a positive weight difference but really not that noticeable when in use.
Out on assignment using a tripod, one really useful feature is the ability to be able to rebalance the camera (say, because of a lens change) without having either the slide-plate sticking out of the tripod head or having to re-mount it completely. You simply rebalance by loosening the central clamping screw and sliding the tripod plate along a small built-in track, either forwards or backwards up to 14cm to attain the correct balance (fig.6).
Shooting handheld with the attached camera adapter didn’t raise any problems and it’s far too light to affect overall balance on the shoulder. I became concerned about catching the extra cables from the adapter but didn’t experience any actual problems with this on assignment. One benefit I found with having the adapter attached is that it makes the front end sit up by about 10cms (fig.7) which is great when getting wide low angle shots and you need just a bit of front end lift – no more wedging of tape boxes, fingers, note pads...
The main feature of bebob, the transfer of servo and video signals directly, performed really well, as it should. I didn’t experience any loss of power or ‘stuttering’ on zooms and no break-up or loss of signal on video-out. In addition, I worked with the system in steady rain but again didn’t experience any problems. Like any new kit, using the bebob system took a little getting used to, but I must admit even after two weeks I still found the mounting system awkward and, to be honest, nowhere near as straight forward as Sony’s, and the higher I set the tripod the more physically difficult I found it became mounting the camera.
Regardless of any personal likes or dislikes, to really benefit from the systems greatest strength you almost have to forget you’re using it. Because essentially what it’s doing is taking a conscious process out of your hands allowing you to focus on the assignment in hand. And for this I feel you need to use it for long enough to essentially forget about it - one limitation of this kind of review is only being able to use the system for a short while and most of the time I was too conscious of using it to really obtain what I feel is the key benefit. I would catch myself automatically going to unplug my remote zoom and video-out cables only to realise that...
From my standpoint of covering news, which is a fairly harsh environment for any kit, the tripod plate could end up getting very knocked around. And I did wonder about just how vulnerable the connectors are to knocks and how exposed the contact strips could be. Although bebob say they are ‘moisture resistant’ I wonder how they’d fairy after a day getting lashed with rain outside the Old Bailey, something I didn’t experience (fortunately) whilst using it. However, one benefit of having the cables plugged in the whole time should be in the reduction of wear and tear.
I quite enjoyed the novelty of using the system but at times missed my old beaten up Sony tripod plate. My real dislike had to be the mounting system but like so many things relating to the kit we use, what it comes down to is very much a case of personal preference. It really is a bit of kit which benefits from hands-on use, and these kind of reviews are limited in many ways, and I think we too often make equipment choices based on the safety of cynicism.
Overall, the bebob system performed really well and was, on the whole, an enjoyable piece of kit to use. I think the system is a great idea (which incidentally works with all camera and lens manufacturers, and most lens models are supported). The tripod plate is a very well manufactured and produced piece of kit and if you get the opportunity is well worth trying out for yourself.
Prisma Europe have kindly donated a bebob Leo to tvcameramen.com so look out for further reviews and follow ups in future updates
For further information on the full range of bebob tripod plates visit www.bebob.de
Maybe I’m Amazed © Matt Kime 2001 All images © bebob 2001
