Jason Torbitt

My thoughts exactly. My sled normally starts the day perfectly balanced on the stand. That is, however, probably the only time it is in perfect DB - unless I'm working on a live show of some sort, or music concerts - in which case I view DB as being crucial - as is having a short sled with a close to neutral drop time.

Hi Andy, I have 3 kits - give me a call if you're stuck and we'll see if it's possible to get one of them to you somehow.... Cheers J

The £150 "one off" payment for kit rental is a complete and utter insult... as for the rest of it - somebody will take it, for sure........ And it's a fair bet that the actual Steadicam days vs. B Cam days is a good 90% / 10% split too - whoever ends up on this will inevitably be flogged slowly and torturously to death.

Same here - black paper tape or electrical tape. Top or bottom of the monitor. Thought about velcro but dismissed it as there's no way it'd do the job (nor keep level!)

Is there any update from Mr. Eubank re: pCam?

Yes - spoke to them early in the new year and they are promising mid to late February - so nearly there. I've done some extensive testing with the IDX kit. It performs very well, even in sub-zero temperatures. As stated elsewhere, when it does drop out and goes to black, it can take as long as 10 seconds + to pick the signal back up again...not ideal. It also drops out when you get very close to the RX, which is interesting - almost as if there is a minimum distance that the TX should be away from the RX. Aside from this, I've used the link on Steadicam, handheld and even with minicams, and it has performed every time. When The Boxx unit arrives, I'll do a side by side test and will be happy to post my findings here. The biggest selling point for me, aside from the range, HD compatability and stability of signal, is that it also goes SD and composite - so ideal for film and regular video work, in addition to broadcast/live events and HD drama/feature/promo work. It also increases the scope of the kit and attractiveness for hire (and hence hire cost). The bottom line is that we can now offer directors a wireless HD signal with no visible latency.

It's an interesting little device. It's basic, but it can be calibrated. It gives a basic visual aid - LEDs are plenty bright enough, too. Interesting little tool.

Hi Rob, Sounds interesting. I'd like to know more details /spec if you are considering manufacturing a batch... Thanks J.

Yes please! That would be much appreciated... jason'at'steadicam-facilities.co.uk

It might be worth double checking the connector info before ordering. I'm not well up on Fiber, but there's an issue with Triax (the Triax standards for US vs. UK/Europe are different...) - so might be worth checking connector details and making sure it's correct before spending! Cheers

Received my unit today - any operators this side of the pond who'd like to borrow / test, let me know.

I have Rob VG's weight cage. Great design. I use it occasionally for additional weight for HDV type cameras. The only pointer I'd give - if making your own, make the risers removable. You can then use it as one or two stackable weight plates. It also helps with some of the oddly-shaped cameras that are on the market nowadays. Also, it's a nice idea to fit a quick release shoe to the base, to enable you to get cameras in and out with the minimum of fuss.

Hello all, Just been looking through the archives on Phantom info, as it looks like I'll be doing some Steadicam sequences with it for a music promo. Thanks to all for the info that has been posted already - great stuff. Just wondering if anyone has flown one more recently, and if anything has changed since these posts? Tether-free is good...anything else to watch out for?

I saw the word 'Transporter' and thought we were talking about vans... Unique. I like it.

The specs seem fine - it handles all formats / frame rates we need it to. Communication also gets a thumbs-up too; I've had a very helpful email from them pointing me in the direction of a UK distributor, too. Hopefully the product will do the job!

Hi Job, A quick question, if you don't mind me asking - how are you getting tally into your monitor? Are you using a photocell into the Tally connector on the J-Box, or did you get a cable made that plugs directly into the camera? Some of the wireless cameras over here have Tally on a breakout box with a Lemo connector. Just wondering. That Transvideo monitor is great, btw! On screen Tally is very useful!

Oh my word. All I can say is - if you don't own one of these Transvideo Cinemonitor HD6 SBL's yet - buy one. It is out of this world. I don't even know where to begin with a write-up of it. Highlights for me are the various styles / positions of the Electronic Level, the on-screen Tally (fantastic - absolutely fantastic), the flexible Framelines and Borders; the Memory function - it just goes on and on. The sheer quality of the LCD panel is mind-boggling. And the fact that it's capable of HD-SDI / SDI, and all the functions including the digital level are HD compatible, then this monitor, quite simply, does it all. It is just amazing. This week I'm using it as my Steadicam monitor. Next week I'm doing an HD drama and will be using it off the rig too - so a nice opportunity to fully test out the waveform / histogram / vectorscope. I can't say enough about how good it is - I'm blown away by it. How so many features can be crammed into such a small space, and how it can be so Steadicam friendly is quite incredible. Great work from Transvideo.

I'd second Mike's question - any details on connectors etc? I'm in the UK but would be interested if possible - maybe a demo sending over and I'll buy if happy?

That's a nice tidy bit of work, with the stepoff. Very neat. Must be just as difficult to think 'outside the box' as it is with the Handsfree. Nice work.

Hi Matteo, Do a search of the forums - this question has been addressed many times already. Lots of useful info for you there. Cheers J.

I think the Baer-bel plates are great - give Joe a call and see if he has any. They're bomb-proof and come with the motor rods / attachments for them, and the new ones have non-slip material built into the tops of them. They do the trick nicely :)

It was only a matter of time before someone started this topic! Amando and others - do you know, if you hit the 'home' button at the same time as pressing the 'lock' button on top, the iPhone takes a screen grab (you can then view it in the usual photo gallery) - useful for screen grabs... Another one to look at is Vicinity, or AroundMe - if you work away from home a lot, it's always good to know what's nearby...

Fascinating...a very insightful interview with the man himself. Fascinating! [it takes some work to mentally block out the terrible lighting and below-par camerawork, but a great interview content-wise!]

Customer service at its best - needed some repair work doing, and Marell turned it around and got it back to me, all in the space of 24 hours. Fantastic, ultra-quick service, and a high quality of workmanship. Just what we all need - great stuff.

Hi Norbert, One of the cameramen I work with from time to time has this Libec controller - I'd written it off for Steadicam work though, as when I tried it with his setup on the sticks, it didn't seem to feather as nicely as I wanted it to, and the cable was horrible - too thick and chunky for my liking. Have you had yours modified, or are you happy with it? I do like the Zoe - the newest model is auto sensing on 8-pin Canon/Fuji lenses - the pinout is available by doing a forum search here. The zoom pot is just reversed on the pins between the two lens types.