Throwing a small camera onto your shoulder to quickly grab a shot is, maybe quite literally, one of the hardest accessory kits to find. I am picky. We are picky. We know what we want but cannot clearly state it to another shooter. Zacuto may have a very good solution for all of us picky shooters out there.
With Coronavirus keeping all of us huddled away in our homes, and NAB canceled being able to test out the new Zacuto ACT Recoil Rigs seemed damn near impossible. Yet, it is not impossible. Zacuto and PVC talk about the new ACT Recoil Rigs and the “Try and Buy” program Zacuto has for shooters to test the ACT Recoil Rigs themselves first before putting down their cash.
ACT Recoil Rigs are Arca-Swiss Compatible Mirrorless (DSLM) and DSLR Shoulder Rigs that are configurable for tripod, run and gun, cage, handheld, and shoulder-mounted video shooting. They are compatible with every mirrorless and DSLR camera on the market. All rigs are centered around a universal, Arca-Swiss compatible camera baseplate; the ACT Recoil rigs are ready-to shoot right out of the box.
Essentially, the cost of the whole ACT Recoil Rig is everything included with the ACT EVF Pro tossed in as a freebie. An entire kit consists of a Camera Cage, the ACT Baseplate, Tactical Handle, Axis Micro EVF Mount, Right Trigger Grip, and ACT EVF Pro.
Camera Cage
The Blackmagic 4K and 6K Pocket Camera Cage is our “no-cage” cage. It is lightweight and compact, and packs in a ton of features! It includes a Zacuto camera hand strap for a secure and comfortable grip on the camera. The cage also comes with strain relief clamps and right angle adapters for both the USB and HDMI connectors.
ACT Baseplate
The ACT Baseplate is an Arca-Swiss compatible baseplate. It is designed to work with all Mirrorless and DSLR cameras. It has a built-in curved shoulder pad and 15mm lightweight spaced quick-release rod ports both front and back for matte boxes, follow focus, lens supports, and other accessories.
Tactical Handle
The slim design of the Tactical Handle helps it to fit comfortably in your hand. Along the top is a Z-Rail (NATO rail), giving you multiple ¼ 20 screw holes for mounting accessories like an Atomos Recorder or small monitor with Zacuto’s Universal Monitor Mount. It also has a cold-shoe mount and a 15mm rod port for attaching additional accessories like one of the Axis Mini or Axis Micro, EVF Mounts.
Axis Micro EVF Mount
The Axis Micro EVF Mount is a simple and efficient way to add a broader range of adjustment to rosette mounted EVFs or small monitors like the ACT EVF Pro. This mount is designed to attach to the top of your camera set up, giving you plenty of room at the lens for focusing and will work with the widest of lenses. The Axis Micro has extensive articulation for use with a variety of cameras, both shoulder mounted in a Recoil configuration or tripod operating position. It is tiny and quick to install and remove.
The Right Trigger Grip is a 15mm rod-based wooden handgrip designed for your right hand. The grip attaches to any standard 15mm rod. The most crucial feature in the Right Trigger Grip is the trigger allowing you to deploy your handgrip and get to shooting right away. Our trigger grips are the most adjustable grips available. When you finish, you can quickly flip up the Right Trigger Grip out of the way to allow your camera to sit flat on the ground or in a bag or case.
ACT EVF Pro
The ACT EVF resolution sports an 800 x 480 resolution with support for input resolutions up to 1920 x 1080. The EVF has a single HDMI input with loop-through HDMI output. The HDMI loop-through allows the ability to daisy chain live displays. The ACT EVF also comes with a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack for audio monitoring. It is self-powered with an LP-E6 battery. It has a ¼ 20 thread on the top, bottom, and both sides as well as the fluid ¼ 20 rosette AKA “saucy joint.” It pairs nicely with the Axis Micro or Axis Curve. 
Software Features:
- HDMI Supported Resolutions:
- 1080p 60/59.94/50/30/29.97/25/24/23.98
- 1080PsF 24/23.98
- 1080i 60/59.94/50
- 720p 60/59.94/50/30/29/25/24/23.98
- 576p / 576i
- 480p / 480i
- Peaking focus assist (red highlight over parts of the monochrome image in focus)
- Check field (red, green, blue, and mono) assists in adjusting the camera color settings
- Pixel-to-pixel with 1:1 mapping without scaling
- Center marker
- Safe marker (80%, 85%, 90%, 93%, 96%, and 2.35:1) assists with composition
- Image flip (horizontal, vertical, and horizontal/vertical modes)
- Battery Meter
- Image freeze
- U/D and L/R zooming, and zoom-all mode
- Custom color temperature
External Specifications:
- ¼ 20 Fluid Rosette for EVF Mount
- ¼ 20 thread on the top, bottom, sides
- Flip-up eyepiece with our 1.8x anti-fog optics
- +1 and +2 drop in diopter
Power:
- Powered with LP-E6 Battery
- Power Requirements 6 to 14 VDC
- Power Consumption <3W
The ACT Recoil line of mirrorless and DSLR shoulder rigs includes a universal or camera-specific cage, shoulder rig, and a FREE LCD electronic viewfinder, the ACT EVF Pro. We offer ready-to-shoot options with Zacuto camera-specific cages for the Sony A7RIV, Panasonic S1H, Z CAM E2 Series, Blackmagic Pocket 4k/6k, Fuji X-T3, Nikon Z6/Z7.