rig options for shooting straight down

i am seeking some guidance and advice on what setups everyone uses to shoot straight down on an object. will be shooting tethered with remote control. mainly for animation, stop motion, some macro work. no limit budget

i will be getting a third tripod for this rig, most likely manfrotto, brand is not set in stone yet. most likely i will be getting multiple heads as i do a variety of work and will likely get a fluid and ball head for my new sticks. i have no idea what options are out there.

gear being used will likely be 7D or 5D3 with light to heavy glass ranging from a 100mm f2.8 non-L macro, to a 70-200 f2.8 mkI non-IS and the new 24-70 f2.8 mkII

greatly appreciate ideas, suggestions, solutions, anything.

Thanks!

Brian_R wrote in post #17627822
... shoot straight down on an object.

Maybe you could tell us WHAT objects, or at least give us an idea of their sizes?

for stop motion and macro. we are not talking large objects. i dont specialize in one specific size object. will be mostly table top work nothing likely to be bigger than the size of a standard action figure maybe. im looking for the most all purpose option. i have plenty of access to gear, heavy duty tripods. i dont truly think the object size is that crucial as i am hoping there is a solution to rig on a tripod or even mount to a table to float a camera above but i am unfamiliar with options available to make shooting straight down easier.

i have looked at copy stands and those are too small and prohibitive if that helps

i am looking at lateral arms and have no idea if that is the only option or if there is something better out there

There is something better out there, below, but if "prohibitive" refers to cost, then I have nothing for you.

http://www.petergowlan​d.com/camera/stands/

no limit budget as state in the OP, thanks for reading and comprehending that. that link isnt helpful as it is... prohibitive... in the sense that its limited in its ability to hold a camera over the scene which is why the word space was also used in the same sentence as prohibitive. if you look up lateral arms that would have been a guide to knowing that what you linked isnt quite what im looking for. ill wait for someone with more experience in this type of setup to contribute. thanks for trying, i do appreciate the attempt at being helpful

also i work in an office environment. this will be stored in the office

Brian_R wrote in post #17627897
no limit budget as state in the OP, thanks for reading and comprehending that. that link isnt helpful as it is... prohibitive... in the sense that its limited in its ability to hold a camera over the scene which is why the word space was also used in the same sentence as prohibitive. if you look up lateral arms that would have been a guide to knowing that what you linked isnt quite what im looking for. ill wait for someone with more experience in this type of setup to contribute. thanks for trying, i do appreciate the attempt at being helpful

also i work in an office environment. this will be stored in the office

actually it wasn't.

Brian_R wrote in post #17627848
i have looked at copy stands and those are too small and prohibitive if that helps

thanks for comprehending that people miss things sometimes, even when it is their own words.

I use a c-stand and grip arm which is enough stability for my uses and for camera safety, but you can also use two c-stands for additional stability and span the grip arm between them.

see now you suggestion is actually productive and you included some extra sarcasm that is greatly appreciated

he just linked something, stated this is it and if price is an issue then i cant help. i consider this to be lazy as they probably just googled something and dropped that link as a suggestion rather than really trying to see what i am looking for because i think i did at least an adequate job describing what im looking for

Brian_R wrote in post #17627952
see now you suggestion is actually productive and you included some extra sarcasm that is greatly appreciated

he just linked something, stated this is it and if price is an issue then i cant help. i consider this to be lazy as they probably just googled something and dropped that link as a suggestion rather than really trying to see what i am looking for because i think i did at least an adequate job describing what im looking for

my point, that i too did an adequate job describing yet you missed, is that you were wrong about something in your own post, words that you actually typed out, while he simply missed or misunderstood something you were trying to convey. Then you have the audacity to call him lazy and essentially try to rip him a new one? I wanted to help thinking that your first post was maybe just before you'd had enough coffee to be in a rational state of mind. but the above post kind of confirms that you don't want to be civil.


you have proven twice that it is easy to misunderstand someone's comments, even if they are your own, yet you don't want to show the civility and understanding that other's might not fully get what you are trying to say. Good luck taking pictures of your dolls.

lol ok then. had a feeling potn was still the condescending ultra correctness festival. but i gave it a second shot and got what i expected which was nothing lol

thank you for being civil while calling me hostile

good to know that the person who has the sarcasm warning in their sig is the one being uncivil

Brian_R wrote in post #17627952
he just linked something, stated this is it and if price is an issue then i cant help. i consider this to be lazy as they probably just googled something and dropped that link as a suggestion rather than really trying to see what i am looking for because i think i did at least an adequate job describing what im looking for

I linked a possible solution that I've used in a studio. If that's lazy in your opinion, then I can understand why you "had a feeling potn was still the condescending ultra correctness festival.", & I'm pretty sure that the root of the problem is not us.

my sarcasm is most often self deprecating, but yeah, i'm more than capable of dishing out the insults.

difference is that like i teach my young kids, i wait until someone else throws the first punch.

Or in this case, two

i had no clue we were boxing. no one rang a bell haha

i never dished out direct insults so technically you threw "punches" but hey its whatever everyone is a tough guy on the internet rofl

if yall want to keep going we can keep it trolling since thats what it seems like this thread is now

You state "i have access to gear, heavy duty tripods"

You could stick a superclamp on top of two tripods, a metal bar between them, and bolt a ballhead to a third superclamp - and clamp it on the bar.

Fairly cheap, and pretty solid.

Manfrotto 055 XproB works well for me with GH4/12-35 2.8 - although I might look at something more substantial if I was wanting to attach a 70-200 2.8...

IMAGE LINK: http://i15.photobucket​.com …15%209%2058%200​8%20am.jpg