William Demeritt
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Posts posted by William Demeritt
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Then don't buy one! Buy a PRO, or one of Hugo's or one of Luna's.... Nothing is forcing you to buy anything.
Respectfully, it's a piece of equipment that is the sine qua non of what we do, so as a Steadicam operator, we are forced to buy SOMETHING. Yes, nobody forced operators to buy the G-50 arm, or a G-70 arm; nobody made that purchase decision for anyone else, and we've all invested in a bum piece of gear before. However, few are the times we buy a piece of equipment that defines our operating, influences a client on our capability as an operator when looking at the monitor, etc.
Every operator does need to ask around, but how much asking do they need to do? Why is it up to the operator to investigate well beyond the due diligence expected of someone making an investment? Caveat emptor and all that stuff, I know.
I'm not siding with anyone, I'm really just curious about what happens next with this issue, because it's going to be very telling in the nature of our industry and the close relationships we have with the manufacturers of our equipment. Dean brings up an excellent point, which correlates to my original question of "How much for the upgrade? Is there a cost?"
Anyone selling their G-series arm may very likely see their going price negatively affected, along with questions of "Have you upgraded this arm yet? Does it still have the poor performance at slow speeds? Is that why you're selling it?" I concede that the manufacturers have no responsibility to protect the second-hand market, but we're looking at this equipment as investments, and part of any investment is the question of salvage value or resale.
With regards to an "air of shock and anger", I think it's because this discussion marks a delineation between a problem a few operators have heard about to a "new" product and how it's different from it's non-X family. Before this discussion, the G-series arms had a value. After this discussion, the G-50X/70X arms (which many operators own) have that value and the previous G-50/70 arms have less than "one generation old" arms due to a perceived flaw.
As a non-owner of either arm, I can appreciate the approach that newer revisions come out, more finesse, better quality. I'm at arm's length (pun intended) from the issue. However, the people who are shopping for used arms are taking notice. The operators who own a G-50/70 arm are now aware of a problem with their investment; they're unable to confidently deliver their skill to demanding clients.
I think everyone's curious to see what Tiffen's response is going to be to this grey area question. Is it an upgrade? Is it optional? Is it a flaw, a recall that needs to be addressed for free? Is it an electable fix, and priced for concerned owners for a short period? As the operators have shown, everyone has their own perspective. The only question left now is from the manufacturer? How do they perceive their product and what is the appropriate response?
I'm eager to see the answers, as I think it's the sort of thing that will invariably define or reinforce Tiffen's name in years to come.
Since everyone is into full disclosure: I own a second-hand PRO arm with my kit, learned on Tiffen sleds, also operated on a
2+ years ago with a G-50 arm where I covered about 40-50 feet over 75 seconds (double speed music, slowed down to "normal speed"), and every time I watch the video, I see my steps. Maybe I suck at slow moves? Maybe it was the arm? Understand the conflict: I SHOULD practice more to be fantastic at slow moves, but with that arm... how will I know if I am any good?People bought that arm, expecting to be limited by their ability, not some geometric flaws or poorly selected/implemented bearings.
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I've tried flying with only two canisters but live rig weight is just at that point where two blues are too weak and two blacks are too strong.
Have you tried a black canister in the back section and a blue in the fore section?
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Anyone who has done the upgrade care to chime in? What was the cost? Was there a cost?
G50X and G70X arm owners, can you weigh in as well? Have the concerns been addressed?
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Heeeeyyyyy Kevin.
Can I get your email? I'd like to show you my reel.
Can I buy you coffee? A drink? Backrub?
Sorry, your rate is a lot more than what we can afford. We have several offers from other steady-cam operators with DSLR's (so we don't even have to rent lights). Can you match their rate of $250/day?
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if im an ignorant newbie then just ignore me. If I ask a stupid question just dont waste your time and answer it
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"listen here youngin' youve got a thing or two to learn" as ive heard plenty of that from every conceivable veteran crew member ive met since starting out already....
Searching anxiously for a marlin...
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Itchy and Scratchy Land, open for business! Who are you to resist their charm??? Come oooonnn, my last check bounced!! MY KIDS NEED WINE!!
Anyway, bump.
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Appears to be just junction boxes, the specs don't seem to have any indication of power input to amplify the signal.
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Wait...your girlfriend has a husband and a two year old!?
My life is filled with girls named Rachel it seems. This one lives in New Haven, CT, and we've been friends since college. I've got a few more scattered around the country.
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Wasn't sure if this was acceptable or not, please feel free to remove if it's not cool... but it involves naked women dancing, so I think that places it fairly high on Steadicam Operator's interests...
http://helppam.chipin.com/mypages/view/id/ad4234d18b618c48
My friend Rachel is a burlesque dancer, and she was invited to compete at the World Burlesque Games in London in May, 2012. Not only is she a bad ass burlesque dancer (and former roller derby vixen), but she's also a trained opera singer. She's going to compete with her newly created act that she's coined "Operalesque", which is the reason why she was invited to compete.
She's awesome.
She could drink you all under the table.
She has one problem is: COST.
She has a nearly 2 year old daughter, Norah (who kicks all sorts of ass), so she and her husband can't really afford to just send Rachel to London on short notice, even for this once in a lifetime opportunity. So, if you can donate, please do! If you can't donate, then please share this with someone who can? Thanks!
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They want to hurt the costly investment of having a Steadicam operator because the editor doesn't want to pay $150 for a copy of PluralEyes? Makes perfect sense.
In the past, if a Comtex for camera isn't available, I put on my best grimace and when asked if I minded operating tethered, and respond "How about you give me your smallest, most compact microphone, mount it to the camera and run that into the camera's audio input? That way, you get a scratch track on the clips and the slate, and just use a cheap tool like 'PluralEyes' to sync it up for you."
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AJA HA5. HDMI to HD-SDI (yes the right direction for DSLR jobs). I have a buy it now for $425, and reserve for $400. New it's $495 plus $40 for the AC power adapter.
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You still wear pants while operating? Amateur...
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Was this question some kind of joke?
I'm finding it pretty funny.
I guess I'll just say:
1) he's not some ethereal historical figure, but rather a person many of us have the pleasure of knowing... so knowing the last name of the man who created the tool whose primary focus is the forum you're signing up for doesn't seem like a tall order?
and
2) As Nick is implying, you're on a website dedicated to Steadicam, and the hint is "Garrett's surname". So, here you go:
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Enjoy the process, read all the archives here and the current threads. It's rare that someone asks a question that has not been asked a few times before.
And quick, order some Lisigav as soon as possible.
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How about a monitor on the sled (like a return monitor) that shows a camera view in front of the wheels when going forward or reverse? Akin to the cameras in newer cars that help you back out of a parking space?
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I'm surprised and offended by your lack of reverence for the Flying Spaghetti Monster. :)
May his noodly appendage touch you this Winter season.
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If its the 7ghz Link System, I believe they sometimes use an Anton Bauer battery onboard to power, since they're pretty power hungry.
You need to post more information, or get more information from the job, before we can really contribute something substantial.
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The eyepiece currently set to ship with the F65 is not HD, which I thought was a bummer. Apparently they're working to introduce an HD eyepiece in 2012, but I don't recall a tentative release date on that.
I liked most everything I heard about the F65 except for the power consumption. I'm working with the SR-R1 on an F3 right now, and I feel like the current crop of CineAlta cameras are not friendly towards anything but studio mode (either the F3 or the SR-R1). Powering needs, operator versatility in functions, etc.
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That looks exciting, glad to see the WHDI sticks hitting the market.
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Wow, that's infuriating. The components cost MAYBE $22, but they know the cables are for RED One owners with the stupid DIN connectors, so the up charge is $10 more.
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I'd like to know where you got the 90 degree din connectors too!
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couple of points of interest:
visibility: I find the visibility incredibly good. I've operated in thick haze and still found the image clear and excellent.
brightness: I took a picture of my monitor, but it doesn't really do justice to the monitor's daylight brightness. However, let's just say I had my eye and the camera at direct angle of reflection to the sun (bright glint), and I could still see a fairly clear contour of the image it was showing. I'll attach the image in a moment if I can find it.
reflectivity: The screen is a bit reflective, but not so much that you catch lights or other glints and get confused. If anything, the reflectivity of the monitor only gets distracting when you see smudges or grime built up on the screen and then want to clean it.
weight and size: The old housing is big and cumbersome, and I cannot wait to upgrade to the new housing. However, even as big and bulky as it seems, it's still not terrifyingly wider than my sled base. It's not as narrow as my PRO gen 2 monitor was, but I hear the next housing will be. As far as weight, I wish it was a bit lighter. In my sled's current configuration, I have the monitor positioned to be coplanar with the batteries, and have the batteries and recorder set at a distance such that if you place it on the balancing post, it sits at perfect horizon. If the weight was a bit lighter, I could bring the battery module forward a bit more and make the self more compact at the base. It's not a featherweight.
viewing angles: No issues. I frequently operate off the monitor upside down (low mode), and don't have any viewing angle issues. For our discussion, let's imagine a straight line running from the bottom of the monitor (mount) to the top (vertical viewing angle). Bottom is 180 degrees and top is 0 degrees. Viewing perfectly dead on 90 degrees. Most of the time, I operate on the monitor from 90 to <180 degrees, and have never noticed a viewing angle issue. If memory serves, from 0 to 45 degrees has a few pockets where the image fails, but then significantly improves. The horizontal viewing angle is fantastic.
menu structure: I think it's a stock software, so it's fairly simple to navigate. Once they release the new housing and controller board, this whole conversation will change. However, if you're planning on operating the gen 1 for any period of time, then you it's worth mentioning that some options are not intuitively laid out in the menu, such as image rotation options. Also, many options have on screen indicators of level, such as if you go into the menu and see how far zoomed in the image is. However, the menu doesn't seem have any a section indicating percentage of LED Backlight currently on. If you turn the LED backlight down, the on screen display doesn't indicate a level of brightness currently displayed (as in a percentage or a series of columns indicating max brightness or OFF). I certainly hope the next LCD controller takes this into account.
lack of frame-lines: Hasn't really chaffed me so far, most of the cameras I use have built in frame lines, be it a ground glass or HD camera that draws on frame lines for me. I usually just make sure the camera is set up properly before I fly it.
16:9 or 4:3: I went with the 4:3 primarily because I came from operating on a PRO 2 green screen, so I was used to a 4:3 screen with a 16:9 (black spaces on top and bottom) image inside. Also, with the on screen digital level and frame line generator coming with the next gen housing and controller, I figure those black spaces are where the level will go and won't interfere with my frame.
how was the change-over from a TB-6: I had a PRO 2 green screen, but I still enjoy the upgrade. Composite analog video still comes in from the LEMO power cable to the Cinetronic monitor, for CVBS i didn't need to change or add any cables on my lower junction box.
Thanks for your time...
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After operating off a PRO green screen monitor, I went with the 4:3 monitor for the brightness but also the comfort. I'm sure we've discussed it to death, but I just feel like having a smaller image to operate from helps me compose the total image, corners and all.
Likewise, I was expecting the 4:3 monitor to display the 16:9 image with space on top and bottom later to be used by the bubble level's integration. Sounds like this is the case, in which I am pleased.
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This ought to pull the proverbial fence post out of their butts!
G50X and G70X arm
in Arms
Posted
On a side note, I've got a(/the?) prototype Ultra 1 in my office right how, rewiring it for a fellow operator.