[Universal] I wanted to have a rig that can be a shoulder mount when needed but can be mounted back to the tripod without having too many steps in between. I ultimately decided to go to the VCT-14 route. So far, that’s the setup I’ve seen that can give you that tripod-to-shoulder flexibility.

The best pair that I’ve seen that will do the job is the Axler VCT-14 mount and this 8Sinn Universal Shoulder Base Plate. There are a lot of VCT base plates out there, some camera specific, but are either too expensive or if not, the quality is sub par.

The 8Sinn being universal means that I am not limited to just one camera and is transferable if I’m upgrading.

The product looks very sturdy and seems like it will outlive any camera that you will attach it to.

[Single Handgrip] The heaviness to it is nice. When you move it, it feels solid and not shaky. Goes in your backpack or luggage very easily. There are negatives but if you aware of them before buying you can make a workflow work for you. If you plan on shooting an external audio mic on top of the camera, be aware that it may pickup the gear wheel sound in the slider. If shooting lav or boom for most of your videos you are gravy. It also helps to by a tabletop tripod so you can use the slider on the ground or tables when a tripod is not necessary. I like this slider for the price, and a good stand-in until you can upgrade to the Edelkrone motion kit.

[Single Handgrip] It's well build and well thought through piece of gear. It's one of the smallest and lightest VCT shoulder plates I've tried. The only drawback for me is the design of front rods adapter. You have to take the plate off the VCT adapter and then use allen wrench to tight them in. I guess it's the sacrifice for being so small (locking levers don't stick out, which is the benefit compare to other brands).

[Waist Support] Very smooth and rigid considering the design... much easier to bring on shoots than a traditional rail slider.

[Waist Support] Thank God for this should support for camera people like me who shoots news and run & gun stuff. It literally saves my shoulder from the heavy camera gear.

[Single Handgrip] This is the among the best tool besides my camera that I use. I’ve gone from about 5-10 minutes before my hand starts to numb to about an hour without any serious discomfort. The harness balances the weight across both shoulders and it seriously makes a significant difference in how long I can go handheld. It also makes my shots more...steady.


It's expensive, but if you lug a full-size ENG camera around, (Mine weighs about 22lbs fully loaded,) and you consider how much you pay for your tripod and other support gear, it's really worth every cent.

[Waist Support] I will admit that the price point on this product is high very high but ease-of-use and ability to distribute the weight of a fully built C300 Mark ii Tilta rig w/28 to 300, IDX battery, Teradek bolt 1000, Lectrosonics SR unit is amazing.
Can’t really describe how it takes the fatigue off of your shooting shoulder arm and wrist and even at the end of that lens provides an extremely sturdy platform ... you just have to strap it on and try it yourself .
Also very easy to move the rig to your waist or pop it off completely and get down on a cinesaddle on the ground
makes it so much better than an easy rig

[Universal] Maybe the perfect shoulder pad. To have a manfrotto 501 style plate offers the option, to switch between tripod and shoulder configuration very quickly - withhout an VCT tripodplate. This plate is very well made and feels good on the shoulder, even with a heavy set up.

[Universal] Fits tight on my Smallrig VCT plate

[Universal] The stands are extremely heavy duty, and also a little heavy to boot. Quality is better than I expected and we should get many years of good service out of these. The only drawback is the aluminum bracket that slides up and down with a locking pin has some very sharp edges and burrs. It would be a good idea to take a little Dremel with a grinding wheel and round off a lot of these edges to keep from slicing your hand open. That is the only minor drawback that I can find with these. Get them you will not be disappointed.