Firstly, I want to express my delight that the world of photo accessories is much, MUCH more civilised than the world of smartphones or computer peripherals. In fact, it makes sense, because SmallRig, Tilta and Ulanzi can sell three camera grips that are almost identical.
And that’s okay, because the shape of the handle is not patented, just like the cold boot in the front, or back, or sides. And in most accessories, the difference will be a single 1/4-inch hole. However, this is the problem. How do you choose something for your camera? After all, there are so many different companies, and the range is always huge and very similar?
In fact, this material will help you to ground yourself, calm down and look at each of the companies… through my eyes. Through the eyes of a person who has worked with them and can isolate the most important and unique things. Without taking into account the opinions of the companies. Only an outsider’s view. It will be as honest as possible. So let’s start with… Tilta.
Tilta stands for precision
This is a company with whose representative I communicated a lot during the active phase of the war, so I have incredibly warm feelings for it. At the same time, it is the only company whose products I have never had a chance to buy. And it is definitely not the cheapest.
Tilta has an incredible amount of everything in the world, from screw sets to compendiums, or matte boxes. One of which, the Tilta Mirage, is considered the best in the company and almost the best in the world.
However, if we were to describe Tilta more generally, it would be a symbol of precision. Precision in movements thanks to the incredibly powerful Armorman 3.0 gimbal, a variety of accessories for DJI stabilisers, including the Tilta Float gimbal for DJI Ronin 3.
And also focus accuracy thanks to the legendary Tilta Nuclear fall-focuses, from the cheap Mini to the wireless Nucleus-M. That is, if you need a vest harness, or a car mount, or even a helmet mount. If you need focus control for an assistant cameraman. Or if you want to use a stabiliser that’s not the most expensive in the world to shoot a full-frame film. Then Tilta is for you.
Actually, I will choose the Tilta Armorman 3.0 as my priority model. It’s an exoskeleton body kit that can be used with either $500 hybrids or Arri Alexa on a Hollywood action film set. I would also like to mention Tilta Float, but it is also expensive and less versatile.
The price of accessories, as you can see, is very solid: $3000 for a full exo kit, $1300 for a Ronin kit, $700 for a Nucleus-M kit without additional accessories. And there are a lot of them. However, it’s worth overpaying for quality, and you won’t find anything better than Tilta for this price.
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SmallRig is all about flexibility
And when I say “flexibility”, I mean everything. Flexibility in price, flexibility in magic hands, flexibility in absolutely unique accessories, in all sorts of camera stuff. In fact, in terms of the number of things I’ve ordered for my Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, SmallRig is at the top of the list.
Here you can find immortal magic hands for a miserable $3, sets of screws, handles for NATO clamps, platforms with slits, dozens of camera cages, and dozens of smartphone cages! Table mounts, tripods, lights, batteries for V-mounts, even wheels for tripods!
But there is one thing you should have 100% if your camera supports Type-C recording. This is the SmallRig SD-01 3479 with the 3478 mount. No other selector has an analogue of this accessory. And I don’t understand why. But the fact is the fact.
If you write to NVMe SSDs, this is the only thing you should have. And just a reminder – they have magic hands for $3! Well, actually $4, and if you take it in bulk, and they don’t have many degrees of freedom, but it’s still a bargain, not a price. And the quality is impeccable.
SmallRig has the most extensive catalogue of lights. Most of them are spot video lights, but there are also RGB LED panels and the absolutely mimicry 3469 set for lighting miniatures. The trick is that it comes with a gate, a softbox, and a floor lamp. Therefore, in terms of teaching light directionality, this set is invaluable!
In terms of price, SmallRig is flexible. Just three bucks for a cheap foot, 50 for an SSD case, 20 for a case mount. There are magic hands for $90, inexpensive fall-focuses, compendiums, accessories for stabilisers, and LED lighting. Actually, you’ve already understood – the SmallRig catalogue is… FLEXIBLE.
Ulanzi is about speed
This company has been working with me since before the war and has been deep in the heart of my studio for a long time. In fact, I’ve done two massive reviews of the Ulanzi Claw quick-release system, the 1st and 2nd generations.
Despite the fact that Ulanzi has perhaps the widest catalogue of mobile accessories, including the Ulanzi UT-30 selfie MIRROR, which I also bought for myself. Despite the fact that the company even offers anamorphic lenses, compact RGB lights and tripods for smartphones in incredible quantities…
Ulanzi is the king of quick-release platforms. For a budget price, it’s perfect for blogger productions, small films at most. But in this respect, Ulanzi is simply unbeatable. In fact, apart from the Claw 2, which is compatible with Arca-Swiss and is incredibly top-notch for cameras, I would like to mention the Falcam F22.
This is an invaluable system that is compact, durable and versatile. It clamps on in less than a second, fits like a glove, comes off in a second, is tiny in size and has an incredible amount of accessories. The only thing that bothers me is that I was looking for the maximum load for a very long time.
And indeed I did! It will be in the platform review, the link is here. I’m also looking forward to working with Ulanzi and Falcam F38. But you should understand that the quick-release platforms are Ulanzi.
The price is much higher than average, about $20 for a set of a platform and a base of any system, other accessories will be more expensive. Given the all-metal construction, this is not surprising – but it is trivial because of the number of platforms… It can cost you a pretty penny at the Tilta level.
On the other hand, such things do not age, do not rust and will be useful even when the LED light dies, the handles are worn off, and the fallout tricks are forever sad. There is nothing to break here. And that’s a good thing.
Conclusions
Actually, I would like to express my gratitude to all the companies I work with. I’m going to do the lights next, but please tell me in the comments which company was the most pleasant discovery for you? And were you surprised by my “priority” choice of models?
Videos about Tilta, SmallRig and Ulanzi
Read also:
- Ulanzi Coman Zero Y Review: The Ultimate Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod
- PortKeys PT5 Review: King Of Budget On-Camera Monitors
- What Is Arca-Swiss And How It Changed The World? ft. Ulanzi Claw Generation II
Where to buy
- Official Tilta store (AliExpress)
- Official SmallRig store (AliExpress)
- Official Ulanzi store (AliExpress)