Possible new line of camera support gear - what do you wanna see (market research)

[Halsu]

Hi folks -

In the last few months, i've been working on a new approach to grip gear (which may or may not include stuff like cranes, dollies, tracks, stabilizers etc.). I don't want to give too much away right now, but i can tell you it's a kind of a "system" instead of just bunch of separate pieces of equipment. I'm not sure where the idea originally popped to my mind from, but i wouldn't be surprised if a was at least partly inspired by the modularity of Red's new camera lines...

So far, i'm pretty happy with my progress - i'm in the prototype stage right now. At this point, i'd be interested in hearing your ideas, suggestions and comments. There are many options that can affect how the final products turn out, if at all. Here's some random questions for inspiration - i'm sure i'll have plenty more later ,-)

• What gear would you like to see - what's missing from the market right now?
  
• How important appearance is for you - are you willing to pay extra for looks, or are you after the raw functionality at as affordable a price as possible?
  
• Is supporting a HV20 -sized camera enough, or do you need something sturdier?
  
• Would you be willing to pay more for sturdier connections etc.?
  
• Would you be willing to pay more for ease of use? This could mean i.e. a handle adjusted bolt or some sort of a "quicklock" instead of using a regular hex bolt and a wrench etc.
  
• Does the idea of doing part of the assembly by yourself sound good or bad? I'm talking Ikea style, using simple (possibly included) tools - no drilling, soldering or anything like that. This could cause considerable savings in shipping and labor, making the gear more affordable to you.
  
• If the product was such that it could be disassembled for easier transport etc., but this would also mean longer than usual setup time, would this be good or bad?
  
• If the product was such that it could perform more than one task adequately, but none of them optimally, would this be good or bad?
  
• What's your monetary pain treshold for i.e. a simple, small camera jib without tripod, weights or a camera head... Would $200-$300 be already too much? If it was $600-$800, but considerably better, would you consider it? $1000-$1500, and comparable to professional name brand gear?
  
• If a piece of gear used a widely available 3rd party part, would you rather buy it yourself, or have it included in the package at somewhat higher cost due to shipping, handling etc.?
• What compatibility requirements do you find most important? I.e. support can have just a tripod screw vs. 75mm, 100mm or 150mm bowl etc.
• Do you use 15mm or 19mm rails on your camera rig?
  
• And most importantly - anything else you'd like to add?