RobinThwaites

Guys

Your scaring me!!

Robin

Hi Thomas

You may give yourself more options by re-tapping the little stainless steel locking piece with a metric thread.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Hi Rob

The focus action is firm because of the tight tolrances involved in the lens design, looser focus could show up problems like focus shift HOWEVER not having seen the lens I can't tell whether it is tighter than normal.

We have not tried it with a Panspheron, you will probably need to change the collimation but with that size chip it may well work. The optical guys are going to play and let me know. Failing that do you have access to a 4mm?

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Hi Thomas

In this situation you are putting the lower rod end under a compression load as opposed to no load when it is screwed in tight. The top one is always under tension. Also there is a downward vertical component load which will bear against the underside of the rod end where it leaves the connector, I am not saying it can or can't take it but it is something to be aware of.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Hi Rob

What adaptor did you use for the lens, was it our simple PL to XL?

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Hi Nikk

Look at the battery in the pic of Melanie, the one on the sled is a NiMH or Lithium (light!) and there is another on a battery carrier on the camera which is probably a good move for an XL-1/2.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Hi Stephen

Do they need component HD out? If you can get away with fitting a Miranda (small and neat) or Evertz (big and heavy) down converter you can revert to thin single coax. What are you using for your monitoring signal? If your sled is DA'd you could split s coax off from there or transmit.

Failing that they could use the Sony SDI output back (CA-901) for the F-900 and get a nice clean SDI signal though a single (although thicker) BNC.

Good luck

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Hi Andrea

It is not unusual for the focus pot to be at one end but if you still can't get focus it may be defective. Since the focus changes as the unit warms up it suggests another problem, possibly the h.v. trippler. With a III there are too many possibilities without seeing it but it is unlikely to be the CRT.

Good luck

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

UK

Hi Brett

Please note that the Varicam SDI is not the same as standard Sony style HDSDI as it is 720 and not all monitors will read it or converters read it.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

UK

Hi Thomas

I'll probably get hung drawn an quartered for this because it sounds like a commercial but James' lights are brilliant (literally B) ) and we are getting good responses from anyone who needs an on-camera light (not just news).

The Kisslight is also an excellent design and really well thought out including filter trays etc. and light too. We will have both at IBC for those interested.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Hi Nikk

As previously mentioned the frame line generator electronically generates marker lines of some type to show you a safe area for framing. This can be matched to the programme output area of a monitor for video as opposed to the underscan area or alternatively show safe area for transmission as opposed to the camera full scan. Typically TV compaies may transmit over here in 14x9 of 15x9 as opposed to 16x9.

It can also help you frame for 4x3 transmission when shooting widescreen although you will get dead (no action) areas at the sides when viewed in the original format. Many TV cameras generate these lines internally but they may not be adjustable and you will need to know your way around the camera menu to assign it to the monitoring output.

Most importantly it allows you to overlay the electronic lines on the ground glass markers of a film camera which can be impossible to see on the Steadicam monitor depending on the background (especially with a green screen monitor).

If you can afford it it is worth getting in my opinion.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Glad to have been of service but since I only see you as Kes on the forum I don't know who your brother is, maybe you could let me know and satify my frustrated curiosity!

By the way with regard to the screw holes, the dovetail plate has imperial hole centres (inches) whereas the Sony plate has metric which is why they don't match. If the spacing is just slightly out for your chosen holes (assuming you are using TWO screws), push the screws through until the unthreaded section it in the hole before you screw them in and the screw in each one a bit at a time. Be careful not to lock them up though.

Better still get hold of a Chrosziel quick-lock plate for the Sony which is a much better device than the Sony one and has sliding threaded bosses to screw into.

Robin

Hi Kes

You need to do the balance on the rod thing before you attach the dovetail and then contrive to mount the dovetail in such a way as to get the most available adjustment. If the Sony screw holes don't line up try turning the dovetail plate back to front, I have balanced this combo many times and never had a problem, you should not need a longer plate.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

I also knew Floris a long time, this is very sad, thanks Ruben for letting us know.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Hi Thomas

The version you were playing with was the lower cost option which does use an Allen screw to tighten the gimbal however the Artemis is available with a lever locking gimbal as an option.

Robin

OpTex

Hi Thomas

I don't recall that conversation but you would need an entire upper post assembly and need to be sure of the diameter compatability; then you wuould need the tilt arcs and on top of that you would need the stage itself, this is before even thinking about wiring!

Purchased this way the stage would arrive as a box of parts which means that you would need someone with the jigs and knowledge to assemble it. The cost of the parts AND work involved would have to be looked into very carefully.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Hello Joe

Defininitely a job better done in the workshop, I can't add much to James's comments.

Robin

OpTex

Hi Nikk

SDX-900 (one piece camcorder) 6.7kg, P&S Pro35 1.7kg, that is 8.4kg so far, an SKII is rated to 8.6kg and you still need to allow for the lens - Cooke S4's (which work well with the Pro 35) are between 1.5kg and 2.45kg. This is without focus, matte box/shade etc.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex UK

I don't have any picytures but look at http://www.hovercam.co.uk/equipment/steadimount.htm

Robin

Hi Constantine

For your info Steffan (from Polecam) and I have tried mounting a Polecam on a Steadicam Master arm and I can honestly say it was one of the strangest and most uncontrolable things I have done. It seemed like there were far too many variables although your gyro system may help. Also you may find it better not using an IsoElastic arm as you need too many hands.

Incidently although Polecam was conceived as a body mounted unit, it most often gets used on a stand.

Another combination of body mount and stabiliser that I have seen was a russian Steadicam copy (all made of stainless steel - weighed a ton!) with a small gyro ball device on the top. The operational problem was that it was configured so that the camera was not controlled by the wearer but by another guy with a radio control system.

Sorry I did not mean this to sound negative - keep experimenting!

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Hi Thomas

I have seen these in outdoor shops and even John Lewis but make sure you get good ones like "Fastex" or similar as there are some very cheap brittle plastic versions around.

Robin

Hi Thomas

It sounds like it needs one of our standard mods, feel free to give us a call.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

Hi Guys

Cable crossing is often caused by either wear or lack of lubrication on the adjuster screws (the screw can actually get bent as well). The worst result will be the pulley wheels cutting into the plastic coating of the cables and maybe even damaging the steel cable strands so check this regularly.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex

I'll reiterate Mr. McNally's earlier question in the hope that Mr. Thwaites will notice - is it possible to use 12V Master-style batteries on an Ultra in a 12V situation?

Hi Phil

I have been talking to Joe off board on this issue. The short answer is not without modification to the sled and dependant on which monitor is in use.

Robin

Tiffen is selling the Ultra Elite which is a 12 Volt system. I'm not sure if you can on the 24 Volt Ultra. But I guess as they are almost the same in design, it could be possibel to modify... but then again just go with the 24 Volt Ultra, it has 12 Volt out and in a pinch you also have 24 Volts...

Hi Erwin

Actually the Ultra Elite is a 24v system but it comes with 2 batteries and leaves out some of the extra features like the motorised stage, hard vest case etc.

Robin Thwaites

OpTex