Brad Grimmett

Is that news about the 4000 official? I know it's been in development for a long time. Is it finally ready?

Well, there's one good reason for a DP (with the urging of a producer) to use this camera......money. Panavision has always been good with the deals, and I'm sure that's the case with the Elaine. Anyhow, as far as steadicam is concerned it's not bad at all. That 48 pitch focus gear sure is weird though. I had to double check to make sure I wasn't trying to connect my focus motor to the iris ring. A quick switch of my motor gear solved that in 2 seconds though.

You should call Greg Bubb to find out exactly what sled's it will work with. I know that it works with the Master, Ultra, Pro, and Ultimate. Other than those I'm not sure.

Mitch, I think most of your points deal more with conventional use than they do with steadicam. Although your point about the lenses is a good one. They were quite stiff and the focus thread was an odd size. But other than than it wasn't a bad camera to fly at all. I'd certainly take an SR3 over and Elaine too if I had a choice, especially if I was doing a lot of conventional operating as well.

Get yourself an XCS plate. It's got inserts built in for your rods and it's very rigid. Works great with all the cameras you mentioned. I love mine.

It flew really well. Nice weight, although a bit heavy for a 16mm camera. We had a lot of jamming problems and the camera blew a fuse at one point, but otherwise it was pretty good. The optics weren't great, but it worked out. I did a little bit of squinting when I did some conventional operating, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. Overall it was pretty good. I'd do another job with that camera with no problem.

That's a good idea. When I first moved to LA I was using an old friend of mine from Florida, who is a CPA, to prepare my taxes. He did it for me for cheap (basically free) and I thought I was getting a good deal. The problem was that he wasn't familiar with the specifics of this industry, so I was missing a lot of the write-offs that I should have been claiming. I'm now using an accountant who deals pretty much exclusively with people who work in the entertainment business. I pay him more than I paid my friend, but he's opened my eyes to a lot of things that my friend was unaware of, and I get a bigger tax return than I did before, so it's a better deal. So make sure you get someone that is familiar with the business. It makes a huge difference and you'll no longer be uncertain about what you can write off and what you can't. You may actually be able to write off some of that TV, or even your guard dog, but at least you'll be certain that what you're doing is legal before you actually do it.

Writing stuff off is easy. I can write off every dollar I spend if I want. The real issue is whether it's legal or not. You can lie and pretend you're operating within the law, but if you get audited you could be in very serious trouble. If you can honestly say, "Yes, this is for business purposes", then write it off. If not, then don't. Of course talking to an accountant is a good idea, but you're the only one who knows what you're really using for business and what you're not. It's just a simple matter of honesty. If people are writing off their guard dogs they're probably going to owe a lot of money to the government when they get caught. I can't imagine the cost of dog food being worth prison time.....but that's just me.

Glad you worked it out. Sorry for the wake up call this morning. So much for being helpful.... :unsure:

Hmm, it's a "b" camera/steadi gig, so I guess I'll find out for myself just how good the optics are for myself. Or if it's anything like a lot of my jobs lately every shot will be steadicam every day I work. I'll have my squinty face ready though in case we go into conventional mode.

Thanks for the info guys. Sounds like no problem.

I've got a job coming up with an Elaine. I've never flown this camera and I'm wondering what connector they use for power. Is it the same as the GII or the XL? Also, is it 24v or 12v. I'm assuming 24v, but just want to have my bases covered before the job. Anything funky or different about this camera that I should know about? How's the weight? I've heard it's on the heavy side in comparison to other 16mm cameras. Any info is appreciated. Thanks.

Chupap, Your name came up in conversation with a 1st the other day. Only good words were spoken of course! When your name came up he said, "Oh yeah, I know Chupap!" I knew the name from your posts, but had never heard someone refer to you that way. So I guess it really has taken on a life as it's own. You're like Cher! One name is all you need. I can see your new business card now...."Chupap.....for all your steadicam/operating/directing/lighting/Exec. Producing needs!" You're a one name-one stop shop.

How silly of you Chip.....the beer's at the bar of course. Moscow sounds cool. Have fun! Unfortunately, I haven't been there, so I'm pretty useless to you.

You should be able to get a downconverter from "who knows where", unless it's a private owner that doesn't own one. Call around to some rental houses...you'll have one very quickly.

Thanks for the quick replies guys. They ended up bringing the camera over to see if the green out would work and when it didn't the job went bye bye. They had very little money anyway and it was a fly to San Fran-work-fly back to LA day that I was suppossed to have, which would have been a pain in the ass, so I'm not that upset. I'll just know what to tell other people when they call and want that camera....."get a 900".

I'm not sure of the exact model #, but the camera is the HD camera that pre-dates the F900. I have a job with this camera tommorrow and the rental house is telling the guy checking the camera out that there isn't a downconverter for this camera. They apparently tried it with a downconverter (don't know which one) and the picture was very unstable and B&W. I'm wondering if anyone has a solution. Surely there's something that works! They said plugging into the G channel didn't work either. What the hell? I don't know what to tell this guy as I haven't flown this camera before or had this kind of problem before. Anyone have a solution? Thanks.

D'oh!

Damn, I'm always behind the curve! Next thing you know, I'll buy the flashlight 2.0 and they'll come out with the upgraded 2.1.

Boy, I just wouldn't do it. The BL4 is a beast in regular mode. I've never flown it in low mode and wouldn't. It's hard on the gear and the body. I came very close to blowing out my knee (for the second time) while flying the BL4. It's time the BL4 was put to rest for steadicam, but if you have to do it, don't do it in low mode. There's just no reason these days.

So you're even powering your docking bracket now? Jeez man, I feel like a caveman compared to you. That light IS cool though. I've been using a rediculous old system called a 'flashlight'! I'm sure you've never seen one but they're very dated.

It's YOU selling it right? Not your friend. You posted your website that has pictures of you with the rig on. Why the BS now?

It means the camera is converted to steadicam mode with the eyepiece and eyepiece optics removed and the steadicam optics put on. It has nothing to do with the lens or mattebox.

Funny, in the other thread about the Handsfree people were complaining about the price possibly being $10,000, and now the complaining reaches $20,000! Nothing is stopping you from doing whatever you want.....the problem is that you might kill yourself trying to save money. Why is it that every time something new is introduced, within days there are people (that haven't yet used the device) talking about how THEY would do it differently, and how THEY could make it for less? No offense to you personally Thomas, but I'm a bit sick of hearing this stuff. You have no idea how they've made this thing work, yet you think you can do it better and cheaper......I doubt it. You're welcome to try, but I don't think you want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on R&D to do it. You talk about spending $7000 to modify a Segway yourself. Well, go ahead, but be careful. You can also build your own stablilizer, but that doesn't mean you own a Steadicam, or that they even do the same things.

Both of my parents are still having repairs done to their houses from the series of storms last year. Maybe Wilma will just sit in the gulf and fizzle out.....