Easyrig's Vario 6 - Ten Years in the Making

There's a point where a handheld camera stops being handheld and just becomes heavy. Anyone who's finished a long shooting day feeling it in their lower back knows exactly what that point feels like. That's the problem Easyrig have been solving since the 1990s: transferring the weight of your rig from your arms and shoulders down into your hips and core, so your legs do the work and your upper body stays free to actually operate.

Ten years after launching what became arguably their most popular large system, Easyrig have now introduced the Vario 6 - and it's a meaningful step forward rather than just a cosmetic refresh.

What's New
The headline change is weight. The Vario 6 is around 20% lighter than its predecessor, roughly 1 to 1.5kg depending on configuration. That might not sound dramatic on paper, but if you've worn a support rig for a full shooting day, you'll know that the cumulative difference in fatigue is significant. It also makes the system more compact on your back, which matters when you're moving through tight spaces, navigating around stands, or just trying not to clip everything behind you.

The weight range is 4–14kg (9–31lbs), which covers the majority of serious handheld setups: cinema cameras with a modest accessory build, documentary rigs, high-end broadcast configurations. It's worth being clear that this is not a replacement for the Vario 5, which remains in the range and still handles heavier rigs up to 25kg. The Vario 6 sits between the Minimax (for lighter builds) and the Vario 5 Strong (for the heaviest), occupying the sweet spot most working DPs will actually find themselves in.

The Tension Dial
The most practically significant improvement is the new self-adjust mechanism in the power pack. On previous systems, adjusting the spring tension typically required help from someone else, or at minimum taking the rig off. On the Vario 6, you can dial the tension yourself while wearing it.

This matters more than it might initially seem. On set, your rig weight changes constantly... you swap a lens, pull a battery, add or remove a matte box. Every change shifts the balance, and if your tension isn't right, the camera either drifts downward or pulls upward against you. Being able to fine-tune on the fly, without stopping and without needing another pair of hands, keeps your setup genuinely floating throughout the day.

Easyrig ambassador David Paul talks about his experience with the Vario 6.

Other Details
Height adjustment has been simplified considerably. Where the previous version required opening the back and working with four screws, the Vario 6 uses two external knobs - quick and accessible without tools. The side pouch now has a drawstring closure, a small but useful addition for keeping accessories, cables, or other bits secure. There's also a phone holder position that works well for accessing notes or monitoring apps while operating.

The Vario 6 is also fully backwards compatible. It can be retrofitted onto all previous Easyrig vests, meaning if you already own a vest you're happy with, you only need the support bar itself to upgrade. Any upper arm in the current Easyrig lineup is also compatible.

The Easyrig Vario 6, along with the rest of the Easyrig range, is available now from Pro Gear - your UK Easyrig supplier.