Vocas FX6 LCD Support Bracket – Brilliant!

A common complaint with the FX6 is that the pivots on the LCD screen are quite weak. So if you add a heavier sun shade or a magnifier loupe the screen tends to tilt and flop around. Vocas have come up with a really rather brilliant LCD support bracket that works in tandem with the existing LCD mount to turn it into a beautiful fluid damped  system.

The support bracket fits on the supplied 15mm rod normally used for the LCD screen and the the LCD screen assembly slides into the support system. It takes only seconds to fit and remove and no tools are needed so if you do want to take it off at any time you can.

Once fitted you can then add a loupe such as the FX9 loupe or another 3rd party magnifier. The support bracket incorporates a fluid damped pivot that takes the weight of the LCD and stops it sagging or drooping but at the same time allows you to adjust the angle of the screen easily. If you do need to lock it in place there is a locking screw, but normally you don’t need to use this as the fluid damping holds the screen in place very nicely.

You should note that the screen will only tilt up and down when you use the support bracket, so you can no longer fold it flat against the side of the camera, but if you are using a loupe, you can’t do that anyway.

I really like this bracket. I does add a little bit of weight, but if you are using a loupe it really adds a quality feel to the way the LCD screen moves. If you are working handheld without a loupe then it takes seconds to remove it.

For more details take a look at the video.

 

26 thoughts on “Vocas FX6 LCD Support Bracket – Brilliant!”

  1. I ordered it, som weeks ago 🙂 with the loupe . great, and smart solution. Great people at Vocas, really. They always respond, and always pronto 🙂 thx

  2. Thanks for the review! I’m trying to decide between this and the FX6 VF mod by CVP. With the Vocas part it looks like the LCD gets positioned quite far from the camera (sideways), meaning that you would have to hold your head in a weird position while operating on the shoulder, or use the left eye. The mod by CVP looks like a solution where the viewfinder would be closer to the camera. Any thoughts?

    1. If you want to use a loupe the LCD needs to be further from the camera body. On the standard mount it’s much too close to the body for comfortable use. The Vocas bracket adds about 20mm to the width. The CVP mod also moves the LCD further from the camera body. If you look at an FS7 or FX9 the VF’s are mounted on a much longer rod than the little one used on the FX6 so that you can get your eye to the VF.

      I’m not a fan of the CVP mod because they are using the old round rod mounting system from the original FS7 which was always considered weak because the round rods allow the VF to tilt horizontally (which is why this system was abandoned and replaced with square rods on the FS7 II and FX9). That mounting system is one of the very first things that most FS7 owners replace. The CVP mod replaces one bit of poor design with another.

      1. Thanks for the insights. I have been using my FS7 with a long, round rod for five years with a generic 90 degree rod clamp. Never had an issue as the clamp tightens very nicely. Also, it allows me to flip the lcd+loupe over the lens during transportation. Never had any issues with the loupe being too close to the camera body. But maybe I’m just weird 😛

        I now have the Shape vf extension for the FX6, and it works decently, but does nothing to fix «the flop».

        Here’s a comparison of the two rigs:
        https://postimg.cc/PLJSWk4b

        I go a lot from shoulder to gimbal, so I need to quickly go from lcd on handle to lcd on body (shape top plate).

        Any thoughts on this design:
        https://fullframecamera.co/store/Flop-Stop-Sony-FX6-monitor-fix-p320547341
        ?

        BTW, I bought the Chrosziel base plate after your recommendation, really happy with that!

        1. The flop stop appears to give you the option to have the axis either locked or free, but doesn’t appear to give you a nice smoothly adjustable axis, unless you release the thumb screw. It’s a solution and a bit cheaper.

          I hated the round rods on my FS7. They only have to bite you once with the VF slightly tilted and then your footage ending up with a wonky horizon as a result for you to never want to see round rods on a VF mount again.

          The whole VF + Vocas support comes off the camera as a single unit so it would swap from camera to gimbal just as quickly as the LCD on it’s own.

  3. This seems like an excellent solution. Of the optical finders available–the Zacuto or FX9 finder–any thought or recommendations between them?

    1. Pick your poison. The shorter Zacutos have to use higher magnification and this greatly increases the risk of the sun burning the LCD if you accidentally point it at the sun. But the FX9 (or FS7 loupe as it will fit) is longer and not everyone likes that.

    1. I sold my F5 last year and can’t say I’m missing it or have any regrets. It was a great camera and it paid for itself over and over, but I’m very happy with my FX9 and FX6. Just be aware the FX6 is essentially a Full Frame camera, so make sure your lenses will work with it and understand that S35 is only for HD.

  4. Alister, you used Your fx9 vf on Your fx6. Have you Changed to this solution insted?

    Or does the fx9 vf come closer to the camerabody (Width) than vocas?
    You wrote that vocas add 20mm.
    How much add fx9?

    1. As I may be using both cameras on some shoots I need a solution for the FX6 that doesn’t tie up my FX9 VF, when I want a monocular on both.

      I’ve measured it again and the Vocus mount adds 12mm to the distance between the side of the LCD screen and the camera mount. This means the closest the LCD can be to the supplied mounting spud is 45mm, normally it is 33mm. If you use the FX9 VF mount and assembly the side of the LCD panel is approx 35mm from the mounting spud.

      But you do need to remember that if you are mounting off the handle this is inset relative to the side of the camera by 25mm, so you need at least 25mm offset just to clear the side of the camera. And given that the average persons eyes are between 30 to 40mm from the sides of their face, the optimum distance you want from the spud is around 40mm to 50mm. Note that on the FX9 the VF assembly sits on the end of a transverse 15mm rod that extends 45mm from the handle to ensure there is enough distance out from the camera for the VF to be comfortable.

      The extra 12mm the Vocus mount adds makes the use of a loupe more comfortable, not less as it better positions the loupe. Without it, it’s too close to the camera body unless you use an alternative mounting bracket.

  5. I’ve ordered this following your review Alister – seems like the perfect solution and I’m fast becoming a fan of Vocas. For Brits buying direct from Vocas in Hilversum, just remember that following Brexit, you’ll have import fees to pay now. This added another £65 to the purchase which I had forgotten about. This is in addition to shipping fees.

  6. Looks fantastic Alister. Thanks for the review. Like you, I sold my F5 and now have the FX9 and FX6. I bought an additional FX9 loupe when I bought the FX6, but sold it becasue it flopped too easily. This looks great. I don’t use the FX6 for shoulder work, but I do some handheld work with it. Would the version without the extension work okay in this scenario? I want to keep the camera as compact as possible, but it also has to be practical.

  7. Hi Alister, could you list the items you used in this kit, specifically the piece that allows for the forward and aft movement of the vf asembly. After looking on their website, I couldnt figure it out exactly.
    I sent an email to Vocas, their response was: “It looks like Alistar is using a combination of 0700-0100 and 0735-1110. We’re going to add the 15 mm side-ways bracket as a separate product. I’m not sure why it isn’t a separate product already, but it’s coming now. I expect in a week or 2.”
    Thank you
    Alan

  8. Do you think Sony will ever release some sort of audio or MIS adapter for the data port on the camera that the handlebar uses to allow for audio in without the handlebar? Removing the XLR port that was on the bottom of the FS5 is a big disappointment for some.

  9. Hi Alister,

    thanks for a great review. In your review you unclipped a sunhood before putting the loupe on the fx6. Can you tell me the make of the sunhood you were using and perhaps post a link to where I can get one? Thanks

  10. Hi Alister – thanks for this. Please could you advise – In your opinion is the NATO rail you have on your support kit necessary? And what length NATO rail did you go for?

    The Vocas monitor support kit just comes with a bracket – not a rail – and I’m not sure whether to go with that as it looks like it’d be harder to adjust the position of the monitor ifI found it was too close to my face. The NATO rail system does add another £200, which means we’re starting to get into the territory where it starts to make more sense to buy a third party EVF.
    https://www.vocas.com/vocas-lcd-monitor-support-kit-for-sony-fx6.html

    I think on your “Rigging the FX6” video you said you’d go with a longer NATO rail, but didn’t specify how long…would be great to have your thoughts. Thanks

    1. The short Nato rail is useful but not essential. The FX6 was never intended to be used on your shoulder so getting the VF far enough forwards is an issue whatever you do. I mostly work on a tripod or other grip/support systems and almost never use the FX6 on my shoulder.

      Even if you go the 3rd party VF route you will still need to buy a mounting system for it.

  11. Thank you for show this off. I have upgraded my FX6 to use the Vocas support bracket. It works so well when using the FX9 loupe! Thanks for the great tip!!

  12. Can anyone provide the part number (US) for the FX9 (FS7?) loupe?
    Sony Parts department lists an eyepiece which I think is correct, but have not been able to verify with the Parts dept or our sales rep.

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