Price Points are hard to define - what would make the difference for you? February 22 2013, 0 Comments
Recently a camera rig blog site threw the Dougmon up for comment and inundated the blog about the retail price of the Dougmon. The blog host had not yet used the rig but asked for feedback especially on price. Here is my response to the bloggers in case you also think the rig is out of your price range. Take a break and sit a spell - it is kind of long response, but hits some key issues I believe. Also, please know we do offer student pricing - Check with our resellers; if they can't help you with student pricing go to our website and send an email for particulars. We require proof of current enrollment and a student ID for student pricing.
From the blog:
Just wanted to comment on your community blog for your additional information when evaluating my invention. It appears none of you have had the opportunity to try the Dougmon and Slingmon.I think once you get that chance you will be much more appreciative of the design and the price point retailers are charging for it.You can try it out at B&H Photo in NYC, Mel Pierce Camera in Hollywood and TV Specialists in Salt Lake City, UT.Watch our website at Dougmon.com for new retailers as they come online.We will be at SxSW trade show during the SxSW Festival in Austin, Texas March 10-13; WPPI show in Las Vegas March 11-13th and again for NAB in April.Try it out if you can and let me know what you think about the rig after you have hands on experience.We wish the rig were available in more shops, but without a large advertising budget we are building our market slowly.
As far as the price, I wish it could be sold at a lower price point. We are USA made and want to keep it that way. We pay real wages for manufacturing which raises our cost. We have a distributor who sells the product to resellers. We and all of our distributors and resellers are charging normal margins for their cost of doing business.
The Dougmon has been granted a patent demonstrating there is nothing else like it. It is a new invention. I honed the Dougmon to its current state over the past ten years as I was using it for my work as a professional news, reality, documentary and corporate director of photography. I wanted to use small cameras off my shoulder – it seemed a shame to stay stuck to the axis of your torso when the camera could fit in your hand and go “where ever your hand could go” if you could hold it long enough to get the shot. I’ve been using various models of the current product over the years, and once I struck upon the ball head adjusting in the hand I knew it was right for me – finally I was getting the shots I wanted to get and could work with the camera all day long without getting tired. My wife (and partner) suggested we should patent the device and get it on the market. She loved using it and felt other pros would also appreciate the rig.
You can’t get a true appreciation of the Dougmon system from a photo or video. The feel of the grip, which has been ergonomically created to alleviate pressure points in the hand, makes hours of shooting a comfortable experience for the user. The ball head in the grip has been created almost as one would create a surgical steel ball joint replacement. The action of the grip is smooth like a fluid head, with loose to lock tension. The adjustable arm is made from stainless steel and aircraft aluminum to balance the weight and strength needs of a camera operator. The Dougmon arm can be adjusted for any arm length; the adjustable strap allows the rig to fit all the way from a bare arm to one dressed in heavy snow gear. The forearm support was made so it would not pinch yet fit perfectly in the crook of your elbow so as to create balance and weight control. The strap around the forearm support is made to adjust and release quickly allowing the operator to get in and out of the rig fast and effortlessly.
Once the Dougmon was designed, we started to think of all the other positions Pros could use it in the field. Check out our website dougmon.com for ways to position the Dougmon when on your arm, off your arm, in monopod mode, etc. Adding the Slingmon to the mix expands the Dougmon system even more, allowing two hands on the camera, and allows heavier camera support. I’ve been using that system with an EX3 while working on the TLC reality show Sister Wives I think you can view the show online or on demand. Although it worked well I wasn’t satisfied (the EX3 was a little too front heavy for the Dougmon with Slingmon) so with necessity being the mother of invention, I am now finishing final touches on a vest/harness system to use with the Dougmon, which allows support of a 12 lb. camera. This system will keep both hands on the camera and allow a pro to shoot that way for hours. We will introduce the new vest/harness system at SxSW and NAB this year.
As far as footage shot with the Dougmon system, please check out our website – we have a few examples there now and will get more as we can. It’s a double edge sword putting raw footage on a site, as some of the footage is obvious that it is not to be considered “usable” but is there so you can see the transitions between shots when the camera is still running. Some folks may dis the shots as “not good” without realizing those shots would never appear in a finished work. Also, the quality of the footage is dependent upon the ability of the shooter. Generally a professional documentary shooter can know the value of the instrument by the way it works for them, how it feels for them and what type of footage they need to capture. The Dougmon system is not for everyone, or every type of shooter. It is manufactured with the professional Documentary style shooter in mind.
In the next year we hope to introduce a consumer model of the Dougmon system, which will be priced for consumers and hobbyists. It will be great for GoPros and small handycams or Smart Phones. Hopefully that smaller model will make the folks on CheesyCam happier with the price point.
If you’ve made it all the way here in this comment, thank you. I’m just a cameraman shooting everyday for a living. I use the Dougmon System in my work – it heightens my creativity – it is like my paintbrush; I find it to be the perfect instrument for my shooting style.