About 9.Solutions
Have you ever had a rigging issue on set, and found yourself thinking, “I just need this one little thing” to fix it, but don’t know what that “little thing” is? Perhaps you’re one clamp short of the perfect camera rig, or simply need a couple of extra rods to hold a light in a hard-to-reach place? Here at Dragon Image, we are always looking for new and innovative gear to help you on your next shoot, and our research has led us to 9.Solutions! For those who don’t know, 9.Solutions are innovators in grip gear for photo, broadcasting, film and staging, with a wide range of clamps, rods, screws and mounting plates that are as versatile as they are rugged, expanding the possibilities available to you when it comes to rigging cameras, lights and audio on set.
9.Solutions has derived their name from the “Nine Dots Puzzle”, which is where the phrase “thinking outside the box” originates from (their arrow-shaped logo is a depiction of the solution to this puzzle!). As such, it is the philosophy of 9.Solutions to always “think outside the box” when it comes to designing their innovative support gear. With that said, here are just a few reasons why you should consider investing in a bit of 9.Solutions gear for your next shoot!
Versatility and Ruggedness
The great advantage of 9.Solutions is how compatible everything is with each other. This is due to the ingenious design that goes into each screw, clamp and rod to ensure they can be combined for a multitude of uses. Not only that, but these products are engineered to withstand large payloads, as well as extreme conditions. Take the 9.Solutions El-Bo Arm for example, which can hold 6kg of weight at a 45 degree angle with ease.
It’s this heavy-duty ruggedness, paired with the innovative versatility of these products that 9.Solutions prides themselves on, and just one of the many reasons why they’re worth buying.
Camera Mounting Accessories
9.Solutions has a wide range of gear that allows you to mount your camera for any type of shoot. Whether it be a large cinema camera, small and compact action camera, or even just a DSLR, there is something suitable for any kind of shoot.
With a unique “cheese block” incorporated into its design, the 9.Solutions suction cup has multiple ¼” and ⅜” female threads at all angles. Additionally, the kit contains two ⅜” rod clamps, opening up the wide range of possibilities with how you can rig various configurations. With enough of these, you’d be able to easily mount an Arri Alexa securely onto the bonnet of a car for those tricky driving scenes.
If you use action cameras such as GoPro, DJI Osmo, Kaiser etc. for action sports videos or even just to shoot from hard-to-reach places, then 9.Solutions has the mounting accessories to allow you to do just that, whether it’s a bicycle handle, golf club, or even a musical instrument. Additionally, with the ⅜” rods, ⅜” gags and python clamps, you can create a triangulated rigging system that securely mounts your action camera onto an all-terrain vehicle for some incredible action shots out in the desert!
The Brilliance of the C-Pan Arm
Now we arrive at 9.Solutions’ flagship product for film and video production - the C-Pan Arm series. The C-Pan Arm is a uniquely versatile and robust camera arm system that has the capability for performing just about camera move possible. Whether it’s a straight pan, curved pan, horizontal, vertical or diagonal tilts, or even backwards movement, the C-Pan arm can do it all.
The brilliance lies in the design, whereas the camera is designed to move in conjunction with the arm. For example, if the arm is set to move in an outward curve, the camera will stay focused on the centre of the curve as it moves, creating a seamless and effective camera movement.
In addition, if you are using the arm to make a straight pan, it functions as a traditional camera slider (minus the tracks of course), where it can pan up to 3.5 times it’s folded length of 55cm, which calculates to almost 2m. This alone gives you great range and flexibility with what you can achieve with your camera. Whilst we don’t have these available from Dragon Image just yet, we are aiming to have them available in the future when a new model is released, so please stay tuned for that!
How does it stack up against other brands?
While brands like Matthews, Manfrotto and Avenger are world-renowned for their grip gear and accessories, 9.Solutions are a company that’s on the way up in the market and releasing innovative products that perform different tasks that you might not be able to do with other brands. Like we’ve seen, 9.Solutions not only provide gripping solutions for traditional photography and video production, but also broadcast and stage production, as well as providing turnkey solutions for action camera rigging. In addition to that, I don’t think you’d be able to find a panning arm as versatile and flexible as the 9.Solutions C-Pan Arm anywhere else!
There is such a wide range of accessories that can perform many tasks, and each of which, at some point or another, will most likely get you out of trouble on set. You never know when you’ll run into a problem that would require a few bits and pieces and some creativity to overcome, so why don’t you invest in some 9.Solutions gear today! As always, if you have any more questions, please contact your local Dragon Image store and we will be able to give you the advice you need.
