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ORCA Bags Review


Ze Frias

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Anyone else find the boom pole loops low? I like the mechanism a LOT, always hated needing a pole real quick and having Velcro noise. I (personally) liked the Petrol position of the pole up near the handle. Maybe a little in the way of the pocket, but every time I put down the bag the pole is banging on the cement.

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Just to prove there's always others who like things different to the majority  - I personally hate multiple zips on pockets. There's 15 zips on my Petrol 614 that jingle, if that was on a piece of camera gear jingling every time they took a step near the talent i would be having words with the camera crew, so it's only fair I cut off the tabs down to the bare minimum that I need. It's easy to pass cables through to any section with the internal access slots so i prefer to keep the zips closed. We're there to capture the sound, not make more of it. 

I have a 614. I've never heard my zips jingling on any of my tracks. But I suppose there is the potential for this.

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Antenna face down

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Anyone else find the boom pole loops low? I like the mechanism a LOT, always hated needing a pole real quick and having Velcro noise. I (personally) liked the Petrol position of the pole up near the handle. Maybe a little in the way of the pocket, but every time I put down the bag the pole is banging on the cement.

I agree . I just used an 32 for a day. (14h hours day so i think its a good try..) and while the loop are great their position is not. It can t be use when the back is not on your belly...can t be put on the floor..can t even carry the bag with the handle cause the boom will rub the floor

.

Envoyé de mon GT-I8190N en utilisant Tapatalk

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  • 5 weeks later...

So - a question about the ORCA harness specifically.

 

I have been using it for a few days now and it really is a nice harness. After a full day of bag work I took it off and realized I had not a bit of fatigue or strain in either back or shoulders. Very nice indeed :).

 

My question is about the battery pack pouch and usb-cable running over the shoulder. How are you guys using this? I really don't understand it's intent.

Yes I can read "Store a battery or power pack or charge your phone". But still...

First of all - I feel storing anything there is gonna be a pain trying to sitt down and lean your back against something.
Second - When I'm working I don't need to charge my phone. Because I'm working and not playing Angry Birds. And I certainly don't need to have extra weight just for that task.
Third - Powering something in the bag from there might be tempting until I'll have to cut power to the bag if I decide to take it off.

It would be ideal to shift weight to the back but, atleast in my workflow, I really don't see how this would work. Are you guys using this feature or you skipping it?

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I have had my Orca 32 for 2 weeks now, and took delivery of harness and rain cover a week ago.

I am loving everything about the combo so far. It is all really well thought out, and very practical.

The rain cover alone has been used 2 days in the last week, and I don't think I could have survived yesterday's shoot with my sanity intact without it.

The only thing not of practical use at the moment for me is the usb pouch on the back of the harness.

However, as I am mid negotiation with a hardball producer, I am wondering if the pouch could be utilised for keeping provisions to ease the pain while being relentlessly dealt to....?

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  • 1 month later...

I have a maxx in a 30. The only issue is I wish there was a bit more height in the bag. With the face of Maxx even with the top of the bag - right angle xlr the connectors just touch the bottom of the bag. I wish there was another 1/2 inch or so clearance. Other than that I really like the bag for maxx. You can fit max and two rows of wireless in the bag.

Jack, I'd love to see photos of this setup inside the bag if you are still using the 30.

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Had OR-30 for my 633. Used it for couple of weeks with waist belt. Returned it back since it has design issues for waist belt use. (With harness it is better) Built quality and functionality was great! (also better than stingray) which I also used and returned back eventually before my Orca purchase. (P.S, I'm quiet careful with most items I purchase and almost never find myself in need to return back.)

 

Current Petrol bags are serving me better and until the next generation (?) Orca or petrol (which I heard that the name is changing) I will hold on to them.

 

Engin

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Had OR-30 for my 633. Used it for couple of weeks with waist belt. Returned it back since it has design issues for waist belt use. (With harness it is better) Built quality and functionality was great! (also better than stingray) which I also used and returned back eventually before my Orca purchase. (P.S, I'm quiet careful with most items I purchase and almost never find myself in need to return back.)

 

Do you know Kevin Hastings? He's a local NYC sound mixer who is currently using the 633 in an OR-30. There are definitely some drawbacks to this particular set-up (access to media, need of low-profile right angled connectors), but based on his feedback, he's very happy with the 633+OR-30+Waist belt combo.

 

I'm working on a specific review of the harness and the waist belt separately, as I think they deserve their own light. Spoilers: harness is the best one I've used to date (I've used petrol and versa-flex before that); waist belt, not perfect, but very useful, especially for smaller rigs (OR-30 with 633 or Maxx), and with some DIY, can be very very efficient.

 

I own the harness and the waist belt, and while the harness is what I mostly use because that is what I'm used to, I've been experimenting and tinkering with the waist belt, and it has a lot of promise to be my go to thing after some work.

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