Kenn Ferro SOC

I can hear it now, "Don't have anything with bigger screen" I can barely see the action" It probably is a cool gadget to own though, But the big question is can you get a rental for it? BTW if you a need a list of the local GA (Gadgeteers Anonymous) chapters in your area, I can forward it to you.:D

Or if people at work start commenting on your shiny coat... sorry couldn't resist

Afton, Sounds like you moved to the next level. A great operator once told me, "That I have been doing this so long that I know how the day is going to end before it starts. I know when they are going to start cutting shots, pulling pages, etc." The more time you do steadicam the more things go into your "bag of tricks". You start to see the pitfalls before they become unfixable due to time pressures. Or at very least you can point them out to the "powers that be" so they know what you are up against. The process never ends though, sometimes you have to learn a lesson several times over the years to finally make it stick. The important thing as an ambassador of Steadicam, is to always work towards improvement. All the best, Kenn Ferro

Rob, Good point, I will report back as soon as it arrives. All of these different standards... nothing matches up <_< Kenn

Thanks for the tip, Rob I couldn't find the brand name shown in the photograph. But I did find a ton listed on evil-bay like this one:Digital Recorder I am betting it the same thing as yours. Plus it says it is switchable between Pal/NTSC. Based on your report I picked one up to play with. I like the idea of solid state recording. Besides, if I don't like it. I have a ten year old who will. :rolleyes:

I'd have to agree with Neal, I found the back mounted vest to be heavy and uncomfortable. I wanted to like it really, I did. Seemed like a great idea. It wasn't a question of getting used to it or of cost either. It just made operating a chore. Even if small minority use the front mounted vest (which seems like bit of an overstatement) I will still use the same vest I have had since 1991. That is, till I find a replacement that works better for me. Kenn

As I recall back when we did the Rockport workshops for CP. We had these cute little break apart steel C stands from matthews that fit nicely into the vest bag. Prolly not the beefest solution, but sure is better than nothing. Kenn

Well the transmitter arrived on Tues as promised. Emery emailed me with updates all during the week so it was no surprise that it arrived when promised. First impressions: Well it comes in a nice little pelican case that holds all the cables, antenna, and the transmitter itself. Nice touch, nothing is worse than dropping a load of cash of a piece of gear, then to have them say, "oh by the way, the case is extra" It is like buying a 100,000 dollar car and then being charged for the floormats. Anyway, the transmitter is larger than the modulus by a fair margin it it also much more solid in feel. It gives you the sense that there is not much wasted space inside the case. The weight is not a deal breaker for me, I will gladly trade a few ounces for increased reliability and functionality.To that end, the fit and finish is excellent. The user menu seemd fairly easy to navigate. I was able to dial down the power, change channels, shut of the audio, and adjust the display brightness all without reading the manual. The display is very easy to read and gives you feedback as to the battery voltage and wether or not you have a signal on the video line. Suffice it to say, I had the the unit up and running in a matter of minutes. My initial tests showed that where my modulus was starting to breakup, canatrans was quite clear. In fact, at about 20 feet away I had to bring the wattage to below an 1/8 of a watt to keep the picture from rolling. Furthermore the modulus was on the top of the rig and the canatrans was on the bottom. At this point, I don't claim the results to be anything more than anectdotal at best. But, I expect that with 7/8ths of the power still available to me, I will be able to "get out" in more challenging situations than ever before. I will post more as I can do a liitle more testing with the two transmitters side by each. But I have sent the modulus off to Cramped Attic to get it tuned up. Oh and one more thing Emery called the day it arrived in case I had any questions or feedback. Talk about customer service. So far, I am very pleased with the product. Stay tuned for the next installment- Where Kenn tries his particular brand of neglect and abuse on the Cantranas.

I have just discovered this thread a few days ago so please forgive the lateness of the post. I am hoping contibute more info as it becomes availible. On set the other day, the modulus crapped out (first time in 13 years) No biggy, went to one of my three backups(single channel units)... nope, of them could cut it. Apparently, the hill we were on had so much rf hash that the only thing that would slice through it was the Moduluses (Moudulie?)on the other two cameras. The A camera 1st was kind enough to loan me his 2000 and it worked just fine. Okay, so the stage is set: happy Modulus owner needs to get unit fixed so I ask members of the camera crew for options. The response is the same from four different crew members who all have dealt with CIT. Run away do not walk run! So here I am without a credible transmitter. I get on the Steadicamforum to see what is new in the world of video and lo the the name Canatrans comes up. I read Larry's review and others and the decision is made: I call CIT (hey I am cheap). I get a machine so I leave a meassage tp call me back right away I need to get this solved. 3 days go by....guess what nothing! So I call Lentequip, talk to Emery and buy one on the spot. I like this guy. He says all the right things; fast turnaround, he understands the urgency of a Steadicam operators situation, and so on. I am sold, I sent a check off that day. This morning I get an email from Emery the the transmitter is built and will be sent out as soon as the funds are recieved. He even included a photo of the unit with my name and number on the display. Very cool. The reviews are so positive that I doubt I can add much to the disccusion of the video quality. But I will update you all on the the first impressions, setup and so on. Till then... Kenn Ferro