Reminds me of my friend who was fat. He would just lean a bit back and put the camera on his belly and footage actually will look more stable than my work.

I've been shooting like this for 20yrs. ProTip: Get a gel padded guitar stap attachement. Shoulder bliss - stops the strap from knifing into your traps :)

Have had my Cinesaddle for nearly 30 years - pretty indestructible. One feature not covered is how great this is to rig to vehicles. Have rigged everything from a 5D2 to a fully rigged fs7 onto the door or bonnet (sorry hood!) of a car for steady shots of the driver from the passenger side or through the windscreen - polariser essential or out of the vehicle for P.O.V shots. Makes a very comfortable seat or pillow, strap your camera on and lash it to your car seat with a seatbelt for safe travel and of course - no batteries to go flat. Expensive, but great value in my experience. Great review and have to agree that probably a good tripod should be a first investment that is camera agnostic and will last longer than any camera, but this is a close second for grip.

I've got a couple tripods and a monopod that I'm pretty satisfied with, but this seems to have it's own benefits. Might have to add it to my wishlist...

I have both large cinesaddle and large bag from FocusRat. The price is nearly the same, but with focus rat bag the large size bag is larger than the biggest cinesaddle, the focus rat bag COMES with a gel shoulder pad and you can even customize it by putting your logo or text on the bag! I'd recommend focus rat instead of the Cinesaddle.

As Documentary Videographer for Netflix I have been using a Domke Camera Sling bag just like this for the past 14 years lol. Products like this are just one more thing to waste money on and carry around, especially if you are shooting documentary. Last thing I want to carry on the airport is 400$ bean bag lol

Very helpful. I really enjoyed watching this. I bought a Cinesaddle earlier this year and will start to use it more. Thanks.

Whats weird is that they put cine into any product name, and suddenly it costs 400$ (10x more) 😊 looks definitely interesting, but the price is insane.

Good review - the cinesaddle is great for a putting a big rig in tight spaces at awkward angles, in my experience - that can save a huge amount of time on a short film, for example.

THANKS, Austin, Awesome Review!! Instant subscribe from me, and wishing you a Great Rest of the Year, my Brother. 😎

Gotta have the right equipment🙌! Great video and review👍

I had read some DPs talking about this before. Then I saw a picture of Christopher Doyle with a huge cushion strapped to his chest. After seeing your video, I got the CineSaddle Mini and it's frickin' awesome. The other thing that helped was getting a cage around my rig to get more weight. But man, the stability and the best part is how the motion looks natural. Someone wrote that pans aren't natural because our experience of turning our head is actually mini-fragments of time. This gives me that sense of motion and I can slow it down or speed it up depending on the requirements. I've been practicing, because hand-held requires practice, but it's getting better. It feels good and the Mini fits in my checked bag as extra padding for my tripod. Your video was super helpful in coming to this decision. Reading about it I was thinking, but $400! But people spend crazy amounts on all sorts of ridiculous crap they don't need to make films. I consider this to be the adjunct to my tripod.

I also got a cinesaddle last summer, and I'm very happy with it so far. It is not an easyrig or a gimbal. It's a totally different tool and I really like it. My setup is very heavy, and it is another key thing that helps me get stable shots. I got the big version, the pockets are also nice to fill with some cine stuff. It does get heavy when I'm shooting for a long time with it, this is my biggest con. Also, it looks funny but who cares as long as I get the shot. There are lots of different ways to use it. I also listened to the advice of a very established DP, and I'm very happy about it.

As a fellow Left Eyed Guy, I’m surprised to hear about the challenges of kitting out a shoulder rig…like can’t the camera just go on the left shoulder and the EVF ? In any case I, too, think Shoulder rigs are crazy expensive and I don’t much like the perspective, or rather how it becomes impossible to get a low angle. As a tall guy I’m just generally given to shooting at chest height anyway to get closer to the perspective of my audience and to leave myself open to detail shots of stuff like hands. Shoulder rigs have their place, there’s some kind of magical realism pulling on childhood memories of photojournalists running after tanks and protesters…but I think even that may fall away, as so much of raw event video comes out of phones, which most people hold at chest height.

Left-eyed filmmakers FTW! Finally. FINALLY another left-eyed camera operator! I had begun thinking I must be the only one left! Left. Haha! It’s been years since the last time I was THIS excited to have come across a ‘KZfaqr’. After watching so many videos of yours this week, I’m noticing MANY similarities in the style of shooting. Of course, I am nowhere near your level, but 20TB of footage in my hard disks is the proof I have shot quite a lot. This comment wouldn’t be a comment without a question, though! I see you’re holding your FX6 with the side grip. I’m holding it EXACTLY the same way (resting it on my hand on the side) and I am always worried it might snap, as a single point of contact. You’re the first I’ve seen doing this, so: is it safe to do so? I see you almost never hold it from the top handle (again, that’s what I also don’t do!). And finally, care to share in a comment or in a video your custom button layout for the FX6? Given I’m seeing myself in you, I bet your menu/button setup will work for me! Thanks, Austin! You’ve been a great inspiration! 😍

Great helpful content! Subscribed!

I configured a gimbal to resemble a handheld look and feel.

For me the idea of a Cinesaddle is good but the camera angle is very low, just above the waist.

Got the original for a larger rig and needed a strap extension. I contacted them and got one made and sent to me with no issues. Good investment.

Have y’all tried the cinesaddle before?

Thanks for the tipps! I got a nice one with padded shoulder straps from Focus Rat

Great input and worthy advices

Dope review, Austin. I agree with your sentiment about having a smaller footprint. A Cinesaddle wouldn't have been beneficial while filming a documentary in Cuba. What travel bag/case do you place the saddle into?

Do the beans in the saddle create a lot of noise when you’re moving around?

They also sell a smaller one for DSLR sized camera. Cinesaddle - TinySaddle. $95

You must have been so smug at that student presentation when the video guy beside you was dying without a saddle😂😂

I had Cinesaddle and sold it. If you have a super light camera like fx6, with light lens it can make sense. But if you have a heavy rig, like Red Raptor around 5-6 kg, you will add so much pressure on your neck and will see very quickly how uncomfortable it is. Only one scenario use to work for me when you put Cinesaddle on the ground and camera on it for tripod like shot. And another con it is a hot weather, it's uncomfortable to wear Cinnesaddle when temperature is high around you.

This was really good review

Thanks for the nice review! I still feel a monopod would be a better solution, like an iFootage Cobra 3. Much easier on the road with a backpack, and at least as stable while it takes all the weight of the camera too. The saddle is very bulky, and seems to me it could have been half the volume while retaining the same functionality. If you have to carry this saddle next to a backpack with film gear, it would get in your way. If you drive everywhere with a car, maybe.

When I bought my saddle some days ago, I found the "styropor-bubbles" made a lot of noise, when holding the camera or focusing. You could hear the sound in the recording. Thats why I changed the bubbles and put clothes in. Now there is no distracting sound anymore. Is it the same with your saddle???

Ok definitely not for me. Haha. Thank you for the honest review and pov. I was struggling to understand what the cinesaddle actually was and I finally understood its uses and all. Thank you for the video 🙏🏻

30 dollar shoulder harness. Philip blooms fx6 review calls it el cheapo been around for a decade. I have three.

Great video!!! I’m shooting on the canon R5C with a monitor, microphone, top handle and a battery pack on the back for longer battery life. Which size do you think would be best for me? I’m also 6’2 250 pounds if that matters… Thanks again!

never heard of this before, but I see the appeal if you shoot handheld a lot with larger cameras. I’m shocked about the price though! You could buy an FX3 for that price. Or you could pick up a nice light and an entry level cinema lens for $4000. Do you think it was worth it?

Great Video:D!

It seems like a gym bag full of old underwear would work too.

Gotta give your arms some more credit, they’re pretty strong!

Easy Rig is good. No one feels intimidated. I've used one for over 5 years.

This strap is really shameful for a such price!!

It's a miniture bing bag

how does it compare to the Sakk? 400 is a lot of money

do you find the stabilisation similar to using a camera strap?

Gotta get one I just broke my arm badly but I can’t not shoot a project I’ve been planning maybe this will help

Looks like a shooting bag for the range with a strap attached

Cool

Where does the Fig Rig fit in these days?

That’s an expensive duffle bag!

😂 it’s like a lunchbox

400 bucks huh?

Hell naw.

Should have changed the title to "i got paid to do a review of this product"