Sony PMW-F3 and Tilta Shoulder Mount Baseplate Modification
The great thing about the F3 and the Tilta Shoulder mount base plate is the transition from tripod to shoulder in seconds!
As a few colleagues have discovered, it's tricking lining up the new Tilta Shoulder mount with an F3 camera. So I took my F3 to Hague Camera Supports who are based just half a mile from my home and explained the issue of lining up the Tilta BS-T03 Shoulder Mount bars with a matte box. I wanted to mount the camera directly onto the Tilta shoulder mount without using the supplied sliding plate. Without the sliding plate, the bars would line up with the matte box and remove any flex/wobble.
Hague made a few measurements then took the shoulder mount into their factory to be modified. Ten minutes later the job was complete.
Everything now lines up correctly and the shoulder mount is fastened to the bottom of the F3 with 3 x ¼-inch screws; it’s very secure and wobble free.
Basically they opened the front base plate hole to ¼-inch then drilled a second ¼-inch hole and by chance the third hole lined up perfectly.
Hague told me that they are quite happy to carry this mod for anyone that’s interested.
Rock steady modification.
F3 mounted to a Standard Sony quick release tripod plate.
I tried the camera mounted further back 'over the raised tailpiece' of the shoulder mount, but found that moving the camera back 2.5-inches obviously made the front stick out 2.5-inches which then interfered with the positioning of the follow focus, especially with lenses shorter than my CP.2s.
Additionally; I felt the shoulder pad was then uncomfortably to far forward. By chance, the gap over the raised tailpiece allowed easy removal of SxS cards; no need to move the battery plate for card removal. Obviously lots of ways to achieve the same goal but this camera position suits my needs; whatever works.
Kit used: O'Conner O-Box WM Matte box, Cinevate Durus Follow Focus 15mm and Zacuto Zwiss plate with IDX V battery mount and an Alphatronic EVF.