Zacuto Canon C100 Z-Finder User manual

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C100 Zacuto Rig System
Setup Guide

Contents
You will need – [Page 1]
Part 1: Setting up the Camera (The Basic Setup) – [Page 2 – 4]
1. Setting up the Zacuto plate
2. Attaching the Zacuto top mount to the C100
3. Attaching the Zacuto camera mount and camera plate to the C100
Part 2: Building the rig – [Page 4 – 7]
1. Connecting the camera to the tripod
2. Connecting the Follow Focus motor to the Smallrig rods
3. Attatching the Smallrig bracket to the rig and opening out the handle arm
4. Setting up the zacuto arm on to the rig
5. Attatching the V-lock Battery Mount
Part 3: Setting up the Follow focus – [Page 7 – 9]
1. Attaching the focus ring to the lens
2. Follow focus setup and calibration
3. Attatching the Follow focus bluetooth remote to the smallrig handle
Part 4: The Ikan Viewfinder – [Page 9 – 11]
1. Setting up the Viewfinder
2. Connecting the C100 handle

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You will need…

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Things to check/know:
•Before taking the kit, or when packing it away, make sure you have all the pieces required to
set up the rig. If anything is missing please contact the film technicians.
•Be Aware: Parts of this rig may come in a separate bag, its good to know where each section
is beforehand
•If starting from instruction 1 you will need two screwdrivers (flat head and Philips). If starting
with the basic setup only a flat head will be needed. A flat head screwdriver is provided as
part of this kit and MUST be returned with the camera.
•If you do not have a screwdriver, please let the film technicians know.
•This tutorial starts from the camera without any part of the rig. If you ask a technician for
the ‘basic setup’, you can skip “Part 1, Setting up the camera”.
Part 1: Setting up the camera (The Basic Setup)
The Zacuto plate
What you need: C100 camera, Zacuto tripod plate, screwdriver (Flat head).
Remove the plate from the bottom section of the C100,
this can be done with a screwdriver or coin, then attach
this plate to the bottom of the Zacuto tripod plate.
Try and have it more towards the front end of the plate than the back.
Attach the Zacuto tripod plate to the tripod the same way you attach the camera to the tripod, make
sure the plate is on the correct way.
Back of plate Front of plate

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Setting up the Zacuto top mount
What you will need: C100 camera, Zacuto top mount kit, screwdriver (flat and Philips), C100 handle
On the top of the C100 camera body is a hot-
shoe (female) mount.
There is also a screw on its left hand (non-handle)
side by the on/off switch. Remove this screw and
put it to one side.
The Mounting Plate
The mounting plate, from the Zacuto top mount
kit, has a male cold-shoe mount at its base which
slides into the C100’s hot-shoe mount and then
screws in place.
Once done, you should notice two screw
thread holes on the side of the mounting
plate, the lower of which lines up with
the location of the screw removed from
the C100 previously.
The screw piece removed from the C100 previously then screws into
the top screw thread of the mounting plate.
Rod arm adapter
The rod arm adapter attaches into the screw threads on
the top of the mounting plate, make sure these are tight
and the arm doesn’t move.
The Zacuto Handle Adapter
The top of the Zacuto handle adapter has a female hot-
shoe mount, which contains a female screw and stopper
rivet. The C100 handle has a corresponding male hot-
shoe on the bottom. The handle should catch on the
rivet and then screw in place with the screw on the
handle. Tighten further with the right-hand side ratchet
levers on the adapter.
For now, place the C100 handle to one side, it will not be
needed till later.
Mounting plate
Rod arm adapter

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Attaching the Zacuto camera mount and camera plate to the C100
What you will need: C100, Zacuto Shoulder mount, Zacuto Camera Plate, Screwdriver (Flat head)
The red Zacuto camera plate will already be attached to the Zacuto shoulder mount upon receiving
the kit.
To separate them unscrew the
ratcheting lever on the side of the
shoulder mount (shown) and then
press in the red button on the
opposite side. The plate should then
slide off.
Be aware: The small screw on the Zacuto plate can accidently fall off during this process. Be careful
this does not happen.
The plate will then need to be
attached to the C100 Camera.
At the bottom of the C100 Camera
there should be 2 screw sections,
one large and one small, as shown.
These correspond with matching
screws on the Zacuto plate. Using a screwdriver attach this plate to the camera.
Now, with the Zacuto plate attached to the camera, reattach the plate to the shoulder mount. Hold
the button down, slide the C100 on, then tighten the ratchet lever on the side.
Part 2: Building up the Rig
Connecting the camera to the tripod.
What you will need: Zacuto Shoulder mount (As assembled up to Part 1), Zacuto tripod plate
The bottom section of the shoulder mount has
a v-lock bracket, that locks into the
corresponding female section of the Zacuto
tripod plate.
With the plate already set on the tripod you
can place the rig onto it and push, you should
here a click that indicates it is locked it in
place. If it won’t go on you may need to pull
the red and black lever on the side of the
Zacuto plate to unlock it.
Ratcheting lever

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Connecting the Follow Focus motor to the Smallrig rods
What you will need: Smallrig rods and bracket, follow focus motor
First, loosen the tightening screw on the
slide of the follow focus motor and attach it
to the left rod, the handle side, of the Small
rig rods and bracket. Then tighten in place
when about halfway down.
In the Follow focus case, on the top right
hand side, you will also notice some small
aerials. One of these attaches to the top
section of the follow focus, shown.
Attatching the Smallrig bracket to the rig and opening out the handle arm
What you will need: Zacuto shoulder mount (assembled up to part 2), Smallrig rods with follow focus
motor attatched
On the front section of the shoulder mount you should see 2
holes into which rods go, as well as a ratcheting lever on the side.
Place the rods, from the Smallrig rods and bracket, into these
holes until they can go no further, then tighten them in place with
the ratcheting lever. If done correctly, the logo on the front of the
bracket section should be the right way up.
The bracket section has
two rosette mounts, one of
which the Smallrig handle
arm is connected to. If not,
the teeth of both sections
should line up and then
screw in place with the
lever on the arm. The arm must be connected on the left
side, the same side as the follow focus motor.
By loosening the levers on the arm, you should be able to open it out and move it to a more
comfortable position.

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Setting up the zacuto arm on to the rig
What you will need: Zacuto shoulder mount (As assembled with the smallrig arm bracket), Zacuto
arm
On the right side of the shoulder mount you should
see a rosette mount (shown).
The Zacuto arm has a corresponding section that
connects to this and then tightens in place with the
circular screw lever. By loosening the remaining
levers on this handle, you should be able to move it
to a position comfortable for you.
Now you need to connect the C100 side handle to this
arm. First, remove the C100 side handle from the camera
by turning the mount ring on the handle, shown.
With this section completely loose and unscrewed you will
notice a connection cable which needs to be unplugged.
On the handle end of the Zacuto arm there is a similar
connector for this cable, plug it in and then screw the side
handle onto the arm.
The arm’s cable should now plug into the C100 where its side handle was previously connected.
The rig should now look something
like this.
Handle end
Rosette end

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Attatching the V-lock Battery mount
What you will need: Zacuto shoulder mount (As assembled up to instruction 1-8), 8sinn V-lock
mount, V-Lock Battery
On the back section of the shoulder mount you should
see 2 holes into which rods go, as well as a ratcheting
lever on the side.
Place the rods from the V-lock Battery mount, into these
holes until they can go no further, then tighten them in
place with the ratcheting lever. The V-lock section
should be facing
outwards.
Finally, get the large
V-lock battery and attatch it to this mount. The battery should
slide in from the top and lock down. You should hear it click.
Make sure this is firmly in place before continuing.
Part 3: Setting up the follow focus
Attaching the focus ring to the lens
What you will need: EOS Lens, flexible gear ring, screwdriver (Flat head)
Using the screwdriver provided open out the gear ring.
Place this over the focus ring of the lens.
Make sure it is placed on straight,
otherwise the follow focus motor could
slip when in use. Then tighten in place.
You may notice some stoppers on the gear
ring, make sure these are placed to one of
the ends of the ring, they are not needed for the type of lenses we use.
At this point you can add the lens to the camera.

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Follow focus setup and calibration
What you will need: Zacuto shoulder mount (As assembled up to Part 3), Follow focus remotes
With the lens lens attached, line up the gear ring with the motor until they connect.
To do this you may need to move the motor position or shift the
whole camera forwards or back.
To shift the
camera, use the
ratcheting lever at
the side of the
shoulder mount.
With these lined up, the follow focus can now be calibrated.
1. At the top of the lens you will see a focus dial. Set the focus to the
infinity end point, shown.
2. Plug the power cable into the follow focus motor next to the arial.
Then plug the red end into the side of the V-Lock battery mount.
3. When on, at the bottom of the follow
focus motor is a silver button, press this 4
times. When changing lens press 4 times to
recalibrate.
4. Turn the focus ring of the lens to is opposing endpoint, hold for half a
second, then back to infinity, and hold once more for about half a second,
then finally move it slightly back and it should kick in. It will move to its last focus point and then
stop.
5. To connect the Bluetooth remote: Press the on button on the side of
the remote a light should come on. The remote may take a few seconds
to connect, eventually the Bluetooth logo should be clear on the motor
screen. The motor should suddenly move to the focus point of the
remote. Once connected if you turn the wheel you should see the focus
wheel of the lens turn as well.
To connect the main remote: Press and hold the power button on the side, the remote may take a
few seconds to connect. The light on the front should be a red colour, if not press the power button
twice until the light changes, the colours are red, green and blue. Once connected the motor should
suddenly move to the focus point of the remote, if you turn the wheel you should see the focus
wheel of the lens turn as well. If any issues arise, please contact one of the film technicians.
Ratcheting lever

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Attatching the Follow focus bluetooth remote to the smallrig handle
What you will need: Zacuto shoulder rig (As assembled up to part 3 with
the follow focus calibrated fully), Follow focus Bluetooth remote, smallrig
handle
The screw on the reverse side of the Bluetooth remote can be loosened to
open up the grip.
Once opened fully, place it on the smallrig handle and tighten in place. Its
good practice to put it in a position where your thumb can comfortably
access it while holding the handle.
Part 4: The Ikan Viewfinder
Setting up the Viewfinder
What you will need: Zacuto shoulder mount (As assembled up to part 4), Zacuto top mount kit,
adjustable arm grip, Zacuto rod
The Zacuto rod has two ends. One taped, one not.
There is a corresponding rod hole on the Zacuto Top
mount. Using the ratcheting lever, unscrew until you
can put the untapped end through the adapter. The
taped end of the rod should be on the left-hand side
of the camera.
Tighten the lever so that the rod cannot move.
The arm grip has a screw thread at one end, an
adjustable clamp at the other, and in the middle, there
is an adjustable screw lever.
To loosen the arm grip, you need to loosen the screw
lever, doing this will make every part of the arm loose.
The tighter the lever is the more tension there will be
on the arm.
To open the clamp, turn the ratcheting lever until the
clamp fits over the taped section of the Zacuto rod, then retighten.
Make sure you have the clamp mounted on top of the rod and the main arm at an angle with the
thread facing out and to the side; (see image on next page).
The Ikan viewfinder should come set up in its casing. If not please refer to the Ikan case setup guide.
Screw lever
Clamp with
ratcheting lever

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With the eyepiece of the Ikan facing the back of the C100 you should see a female screw hole on its
side, this attaches into the screw thread of the adjustable arm grip. You may find it easier to loosen
the arm slightly to give
room for you to screw the
Ikan in place. Make sure
the Ikan is tightly on
before relocking.
On the side of the Ikan are
some HDMI ports, using
the cable provided plug
the ikan into the camera.
When using the rig, you
can adjust the location of
the ikan using the screw
lever of the arm to bring it
back or forward.
Clamp mounted
on top of taped
section.
Screw thread
facing to the side

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Connecting the C100 handle
What you will need: Zacuto shoulder mount (Fully assembled with the ikan viewfinder), C100 handle
(As assembled from part 1)
Finally, it is now time to attach the C100 handle.
Using the ratchet lever, on the left-hand side of the handle (shown), it should open and be able to
slide onto the rod arm adapter. Place this into a position where it does not conflict with the
viewfinder, you should be able to slide it forwards or backwards, then tighten in place.
Finally, to remove the rig from the tripod, push down on the small red clip and pull the release lever.
Doing this you should here another click, which indicates it is now released, then holding the top
handle of the C100, along with one of the Zacuto handle arms it should lift off.
Red clip on
side of plate