2008Cameras (Film/Video/HD) forum
Stability issues with RED camera standard plate and practical solutions
18 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- The standard RED camera plate supplied with the camera exhibited significant interlocking looseness that made it unsuitable even for basic tripod work.
- The manufacturer acknowledged the plate was not designed for full stability but intended for handheld use, and suggested the thicker cheeseplate model as an alternative for solid mounting.
- A business card placed at the plate interlock point was recommended by the manufacturer to improve stability, but proved ineffective in practice.
- Paper tape applied to the edges of the camera plate provided acceptable stability improvement.
- Alternative mounting solutions such as the Element Technica dovetail system offered better compatibility with standard tripod interfaces.
- Early production versions of the camera were front-heavy when mounted directly to the plate without lower rails, requiring top-mounted batteries for balance.
- The camera body required very front-heavy rigging that limited practical Steadicam operation without significant accessory accommodation challenges.
- Early alpha units used only flash cards for storage with lengthy reload times between takes, and included a loose PL mount that rotated freely if not secured.
Depends on
- Discussion involves early production and alpha versions of the RED camera from 2008, which underwent significant design changes.
- Some participants reported different results with identical rigging setups, suggesting variables in technique or equipment configuration.
- Early versions had different storage and power delivery systems than later production units.
- Test configurations described were temporary and not representative of final production rigging choices.
- The business card fix was tested but the underlying cause of plate looseness remained unresolved by that solution.