Oconner pro handgrips offer great control over heavy cameras. Featuring a thick skin of rubber covering an articulated armature of machined stainless steel,
the OConnor O-Grips, introduced this past year at the NAB Show, offer operators a comfortable, heavy-duty option for handheld work.
Each O-Grip module has a 3/8ths male screw on top and a 3/8ths female receptacle on the bottom. The stainless steel ball joint is adjustable and lockable in a full hemisphere via single-handed operation, even while shouldering larger camera systems. Multiple modules may be employed for custom setups, and the grips can also be rotated above the camera for a "low-mode" configuration that may be useful for certain shots.
Modular O-Grips are infinitely stackable for custom applications and can be configured to create double or even multi-joint handles. Each grip is fully adjustable and is capable of a half sphere of stepless articulation. In addition, by combining two grips, the range can be extended to a complete sphere.
Unlike other handgrips that are covered with relatively soft foam, the rubberized O-Grips feel like an extension of your hand — the silicone giving just enough to engage comfortably. The ball-jointed arms move smoothly for positioning but lock up easily — and solidly — with a mere twist of the wrist. And they are designed to carry a 44 lb. load, which makes them perfect for a fully loaded RED One MX, which is what I used for testing them.
While the O-Grips themselves at first seem hefty, they truly help balance out the camera, especially one weighed down in the back with a pair of onboard IDX batteries. This moves the camera's center of gravity directly over the shoulder, so there is no need to shift your body or pull unnecessarily on the grips themselves to keep fine control. The integral Rod Bridge fits all three common rod systems (Studio 15mm, 19mm and Studio LWS 15mm) and features two thumb locks to tighten the unit to the rods. While these locks work well — and offer tool-less functionality — they are a bit short. A bit longer and they would allow better leverage. Also, I found I would sometimes have to put the camera on an apple box to lock them down properly.
I also tried out the O-Grips while operating with a lightweight Canon 7D setup, with just a battery and small monitor onboard. While the weight of the O-Grips became an issue — with far too much mass up front, over my center of gravity — they were still easy to use and adjustable enough to allow for shooting in the cramped confines of a car's back seat. One necessary addition would be a rosette to allow the attachment of a Micro Force (or similar) zoom control on the grip module, as the use of short, lightweight zooms has become so popular, and releasing the O-Grip with one hand to manipulate the lens kind of defeats the purpose.
OConnor's new O-Box mattebox features mounting points for the O-Grips as well, so while this would be an extravagant purchase for many, the product's quality and versatility make it a great addition to any pro kit if you're going to be doing extensive handheld work with larger cameras such as the RED.
Price: $1,200 (single-jointed set); $2,000 (double-jointed set)
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