Sam Morgan Moore

but a non-adjustable iris during the shot, and a "Slippage" problems here and there unless you attach an external motor... Remote FF isn't going anywhere. It does seem though, that Red is incorporating this very thing into their new series as they can fully control Nikon or Canon lens functions, I don't know if they're putting it into the redmote for the Scarlett, or if it's just on the body like a traditional SLR. I think the redmote is removable, dont know if it is wireless on dslrs the cameras have controlled the iris and focus for years you can control focus on a canon via a laptop (on a wire) so its all there in terms of the hardware on the cameras all that is missing is the wireless interface and software (http://magiclantern.wikia.com/wiki/Magic_Lantern_0.1.6_User_Manual) of course a $4000 RFF makes sense on a $100k rig and camera - it is less apealing to someone enjoying a $3000 rig and $2000 camera :) S

Im always scared of posting outside of the newbie area - Im not a newb at spending christmas by a frozen swedish lake though :) Have had a lot of fun with a kicksled.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kicksled the brilliant thing about these is that as the 'driver' twists the handlebars the sled rails bend and describe an arc so the sled turns the drverr wears a spiked shoe hence the device being nicknames a spike or spark in sweden S

CP I love the way you seem to be moving with the times would people even attempt such shots with a bigger rig ? On the FF thing : I think we can be only months from the cameras being controlable (using canon lenses which have their own motors) by some cheap simple wireless device - this is one reason Im not ponying up for a RemoteFF yet, it could end up as a nice doorstop With a compact like a G10 you could mount them in lowmode and normal mode at the same time ! S

I posted this topic.. http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=11208 Questioning the concept of DSLR and light rigs making for some interesting shots that may be dangerous/hard with larger rigs S

Hi watch (it gets going at 45 seconds) NOT shot by me As a newb operator and also a user of DSLRs I wonder what you big rig operators think ? Im particularly interested in if this sort of stuff can be done with a big rig or if mastering super light (1.5lb camera only) can bring a new dimension to the art It seems most here putting DSLRs on regular rigs and adding some mass but this is a different approach no? he is using a sub $1000 glidecam S

The car sequence is.. handheld in the car, one holding the camera out of the window a a sticks shot (400 2.8) then using my vito van (doors allround) shots - just me standing in the back (safety last) side on the car with 105mm lens on the blackbird looking at the driver tight out of the back of the van 105 lens on the blackbird looking at the driver wide 24mm out of the back of the van canon 5dmk2 24-105 zoom lens ill do the 'shop if Im free S

Near the bottom of the M32 near the cricket ground - Idont know what its called Ive got camping straps round my Pilot vest I have camping straps round many things in my life My issue with the vest is that I feel it is maybe too short (a question for a workshop) - I am 6'5 (yes I know GB is that size) and wish the top straps were longer - the top of the back plate digs into my neck which feels like a fast ticket to the back quack I will try for that workshop if it is for pilots - Im not that interested in a workshop for heavy rigs (put heads down for abuse!) because I think there is a different skillset for low inertia rigs and my main interest is working with a small footprint - ie mainly canon5 and 7 and only the Ex1 where those cams are not appropriate for some reason defo up for some practice - the first two shots of my reel are pilot/ex1 the other 'steady' shots are merlin or blackbird on with canon DSLRs S

Yo Paul Im learning steadicam and from Cornwall with buddies in bristol pilot, EX1, 5 and 7d etc Always up for meeting, tips, gear chat and 'aligning costs' ! S

Of course it is important to back up your spreadsheet/pics - they can be lost too ! Even photographs of receipts if you are really keen e-mailing them to yourself with a Gmail account is a good start it you dont have more formal BU procedures in place S

A little about that vid.. http://reduser.net/forum/showpost.php?p=52...amp;postcount=8 S

http://www.protodojo.com/content/2009/01/m...zer-flip-float/ And I moan about flying something as light as a 7d! S

Im scared to step out of the newbie locker please dont judge my stedi shot (although Im doing don with no view of the monitor!) This is my 5d effort in terms of moving the camera.. handheld, shoulder with FF, steadi and sticks, just a test http://www.vimeo.com/5799415 those interested the rig a bit more can visit www.halfinchrails.com to me the excitement is.. price weight primes - check the 14mm flare use in enclosed space speedy setup SMM Syndey - I dont spose you care to elaborate on whatyouknow that canonknow - 25p is my pal dream

Can you make any comment on frame rate.. -artificial light flicker ? - final output a 24/25p ? S

Yeah its the first thing I'll be doing once I get the rig. For me this was getting the merlin for the price of the arm/vest. Would like to move up to the pilot sled but the price difference is pretty substantial for now. In the meantime, I've actually been considering selling the merlin and using a Blackbird. Anyone have any thoughts about this? The BB handle hole is the same diameter as the merlin/pilot - it works I think the bottom offset mass and additional length increases stability over the merlin both handheld stabilisers are kind of flawed by a lack of monitor making 'don juan' tricky unless you have flip LCD and also it can be a hazard not to see your feet moving over rough ground IMHO .. For the pilot arm to perform best it needs to be near max load which is over the spec of either handheld solution S

I think this must be a very interesting time for 'your' industry My 'lead' profession as press photographer has moved wildly over the last 10 years When I started you need a magic $100k machine to do the magic of sending pictures down the telephone - It was really only possible to enter the industry by apprenticing for an established 'operator' And during that apprenticship you kind of learned the code of the brotherhood Focus pulling sports photography in the pre autofocus era was an art that one had to be dedicated to to learn too So you had an industry that had a high cost of entry in terms of both cash and skill and was populated by a happy bunch of well paid individuals who made the grade and stuck to the code I was able to go freelance when the entry kit reduced in cost to about $10k with early digitisation in 1995, but I took 'the code' with me into my freelance business Now of course the cost of entry to 'my industry' is $800 digicam and $500 laptop Us 'old farts' talk about the way 'my industry' has all 'gone wrong' - in fact it has 'gone wrong' to an extent where I cant see a future without widening my skillset into making web shorts on top of my core offer of still photography - hence arriving at steadicam The next 5d (or whatever) next year will have the bugs ironed out . Add a Pilot and there will be an industry changing combination that you Pros must most likely have a really good think about the implications of - it is more than just this board that could implode In terms of the board it is very hard to create a situation that is welcoming to serious people who are new in the game while filtering out the chaf of those that will just walk away after a year having hammered a couple of nails into the coffin by operating at a loss and driving down the percieved correct price structure (my quotes are often 3X more than my newb 'rivals' - when Im giving a big discount and showing the client the difference in value, which is there, is a my greatest challenge) Good luck in interesting times.. S

Off (this dodgy) topic - but would be very interested to hear your report on the camera S

You can get little T shaped levels from DIY stores $5 or less - I have two - one on the stage for setup and a second taped to the top of the monitor (horizon only) My pilot monitor is poor in the sun - im flying an EX1 and balance it with its own monitor sticking out - that on camera monitor has a small but deep DIY shade on it, so I can look at that when the 'proper' monitor goes invisible - at that point one loses view of the ground and compromises proper operational posture however I had to dig in the menu to activate both monitors Efforts at DIYing a shade for the larger monitor have not worked for me - you end up building a sail that cant be packed away S

You can buy the same 10-AA battery holder that comes with the Pilot on ebay for $5. With shipping, I paid $14 for 2 of these. No need for shims. No need to solder extra wires. http://cgi.ebay.com/10-AA-Plastic-Battery-...%3A1%7C294%3A50 Can you recharge without unloading the batteries from the cage? That is what was annoying me 30 (*2) movements to recharge three packs of batteries compared to my 'system' where you recharge the pack(s) S

I found AAs very annoying read my thread.. http://hbsboard.com/index.php/topic,3898.0.html To conclude .. I got some nicad AA packs made up by http://www.overlander.co.uk Cost £40 per pack and £80ish for a charger and £10ish on gold banana connectors The packs 10AAs fit into the Pilot AA battery cage with the adition of a 2mm shim I made from plastic in 5mins - the shim is taped onto the pack, not the cage I had to make set of connectors from the battery to the monitor input leaving the standard pilot AA wires in place so I can switch to regular AAs in reserve I used the gold banana plugs and a 12 input plug nicked from my junk box So £1000 saved for a days work Steadicam should sell such packs with the correct wires in place IMO rather than quoting £65 for empty battery cages that cost £1 from RadioSpares this rig now relies on my soldering skills which is not very professional : I didnt want to go 'homebuilt' but the cost savings are too attractive ---------- I also have added some $5 bubble levels to both the monitor and the stage - handy IMO S

Im being unclear If you have the rig on - everything horizontal - and a conventional wide lens you frame a shot of the big hotel foyer (or whatever) Your shot will contain too much floor and not enough height to show the room properly You must tilt the rig up to create a pleasing composition - ie one where the elements of the image fill the frame - BUT you now have leaning verticals in the composition and a tilted rig You then have to operate tilted - horrid And if you pan all the uprights in the shot lean - even more horrid If you slap on a PC lens you keep the rig flat and use upshift to compose a pleasant shot that is easy to operate - Conversly if you want to do a full length walkie of someone who is the same height as you get the same problem With a flat rig sitting above waist height and conventional lens you must tilt forward to frame them head to foot - giving them a big head, small feet and losing verticals in the composition With a little lens PC down shift you can create a pleasing composition and keep the rig flat At 6'5 Im taller than most people and find a little downshift is very helpful to operating The nikkor 28/3.5 PC manual lens is the one to test - it has many attributes like a non click Iris and great focus that make it moddable for use with a Steadicam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_control_lens S

As a professional stills shooter and a steadi newb a PC lens makes perfect sence to me ignoring any jitter or FF issues Keeping the lens perpendicular to the ground keeps the buildings standing straight the PC is then used to adjust the headroom of the shot I find a tilted pan (sticks or steadi) around a building/room with all those leaning verticals changing during the pan most unnapealing very sensible imo S

Worth considering is the CMR black bird - its a handheld rig that is simliar to the merlin but a lot bigger and more stable a bit more like a real rig its the only non Steadicam item worth considering IMO - just because SC doesnt offer a 'serious' handheld product IMO the advantage of the BB over the pilot is you can use it without a vest if you have minimal time to suit up and are using one camera also if none of the rigs can do the big cameras then by not buying a pilot you have some money left in your proper big rig fund of course the pilot holds value I would assume and would have value as a trade up to a bigger rig S

Im only a couple of months in so pinch of salt required.. the arm at flat is correct do you have weights added (see the other thread) you might want to reconfigue - I reckon none at the top and some at the bottom enough to make the springs require full tension but not so much wight to cause the arm to sag other think different Maybe you have a big battery that could go Walking you start with it kind of at 45degrees to your body and it just kind of ends up sitting next to you - youll kick the sled and knacker your back following it - set it going befor you move your feet - very gently Focus I would go manual if your shot is sustaining a fairly consistent ditance or AF if you are going to vary the composition S

My theory is that the weights at the bottom far from the gimbal aid pan and tilt more - because they are away vertically from the gimbal, they also increase rotational inertia more because they are more distant from the post - so provide best 'inertial value per unit mass' My rig is virtually the same as your pic BTW, just 6 at the bottom rather than four and none at the top, my camera/mic must be heavier because it sits about the same height from the gimbal if not less as yours S

It was my guess that being further from the gimbal (and requiring therefore more force to displace through an angle) adding weights at the bottom improves (adds) inertia in all axis (axees?) gaining more inertia 'for the added wieght' - like lifting a see-saw is harder if the fat guy is sitting near the end ! You are correct that the lens of course deviates more with a higher camera due to the 'pencil effect' Also weights at the bottom are further from the post centreline so give more resistance to pan too I find that a resistance to panning helps isolate the rig from my body - and keep the camera flying straight which is generally my intention I am aware however that there seems to be a difficulty in controlling rigs where the pan force and tilt/roll force are disparate - which maybe your point The photos of GBrown (B+H) video and CPapaert (DVi review) show the camera 3 inches or more above the gimbal CPapert has no weights at the bottom though (in the pics) - showing that probably either of those guys could fly the rig in almost any configuration although we dont see any GB footage - some of his 'shots' are bizzare in the extreme I will try it S