Tommy Rorvik

Thanks :-) Will look into it. Noticed that it includes the large socket block worth 400 alone so that's probably the reason for the price. But will ask him.

Thanks a lot to both of you for the answers. It has been very very helpful. Upgrading just the vest is a great idea. Cant believe I didn't think about that. So have now decided to upgrade to a flyer vest instead of the whole Scout rig. So might look for a used one first and if I don't find a good deal I will just buy a new one when I go to LA on vacation in june. The price for just the vest is well within what I can justify spending and still save a bit to spend on a later replacement or upgrade for the pilot. The pilot vest is the one thing I have been most unhappy about my rig. Have always felt it was a bit uncomfortable to wear and despite several attempts at adjusting it I have always felt that it did not sit right and influenced my work in a bad way. So a better vest that I feel comfortable in might even help me relax and concentrate more so the work gets better. So thanks again for being helpful.

I have been using my Pilot for a few years now doing every possible news/magazine/reality story (mayby not the most common type of steadicam work...but its so much more fun with a steadicam) I can with it (and a HVX200) and have been really happy with it, and still am. The rig is still working fine, but sooner or later I will have to start replacing parts of it or the whole rig. So am thinking about upgrading to a Scout system. But since I will have to pay for it myself (my tv station shows little interest in sponsoring it) I am unsure. Will have to sacrifice a lot of other stuff to do so. The thing is that the pilot rig supports the HVX200 with wireless sound and everything I need without problems. And I will soon probably be upgrading to an AF100 (which actually weighs less even with lens) which should work fine with the pilot (and give me some more creative toys to play with like deapth of field). And I don't see the need to fly our bigger shoulder Panasonic cameras. So I do not need a bigger rig to support heavier equipment. So my question is....if I upgrade to a Scout system and put a lot of weights on it to make it much heavier then I can make the pilot, will my shots be significantly more stable just from the fact that I am flying a heavier rig, or will the experience be similar to flying the pilot? And will keeping a level horizon be a little bit easier with a heavier rig? or is it just based on skill? Hope someone who have worked with both systems (or similar) can say a little about how different they feel to help me make up my mind if it's worth it, or if I should just go on with my pilot and some day replace it with a new when it gets worn out. Here are a few samples of the type of work I need to do daily (this is from a while back, the first stuff I did with the rig): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHwZDNrffNc

Thanks for posting the pictures of the backpack. It was hard to understand from other pics I have found on the net how the vest fitted in it. But now I know :-) The size of it doesn't sound too bad. I almost got all the information I need now to buy but have one last question. I guess the weight limit of the flyer depends on the arm, not the vest or sled? If I get one of the older Flyer systems, is it possible to exchange just the arm with a newer more solid Flyer arm or LE-arm later to be able to carry more weight? Or are they completly different so I would have to buy a complete new system?

Really cool picture :-) Your being very helpful. Thanks :-) Am starting to lean towards getting a Flyer since I figured out that our "large" camera with everything I need for a standard news-story (minus battery) weighs just a little bit over 15lbs. Can you power both the monitor and the camera from the battery (Anton Bauer or other) that is at the sled? Is there some kind of split cable, with one for the monitor and one for the camera? Or is that something you would have to buy seperatly? From what I have understood the weight limit of each steadicam model is the camera and other equipment you put on top of it? The battery, monitor and weights at the bottom doesn't count toward the weight limit? Am i right?

Thanks for making me aware of that :-) One of our "big" Hd camcorders comes in just right over the 15lbs limit. Between 15 and 16 lbs. So if I get a Flyer it would be nice to at least try it out and see if it will work. Didn't know that any of the "regular" flyers could take 18lbs officiallty. Anyway the most important thing to me is to get a lot of practice and experience in working with a steadicam system. I know that potential future employers aleready have Steadicams to use. So having worked with the pilot or flyer a lot might strengthen my chance of being chosen before others that haven't worked with stadicams before.

Hold on there. Big HD cameras or Studio cameras are all MUCH heavier than 16 or 17lbs. The Flyer-LE won't fly them either. I checked the weight of our cameras and our HD camcorders for field work are Panasonic HPX2100E which should be 9.92 lbs, and they have Fujinon HD lenses which weigh 4.37 lbs. So that should be around 14 lbs total. But the wireless mic system, and a small Anton Bauer battery would bring the weigh up to over 15 lbs. I would guess a total of around 16-17 lbs. Which should work fine within the 19lbs limit of the Flyer-LE. Or have i forgot to include something important here? Our HD studio-cameras are Grass Valley LDK8000 which are 11lbs (with 2'' viewfinder which I wount need) and have Fujinon HD lenses that weigh 3.64 lbs. Which should bring the total under 15 lbs. But I would guess you need some wireless CCU and video transmitter to be mounted to the camera (anyone know if it is possible to operate a camera on steadicam when it has a CCU cable conected?). Have never tried this, but if this does not weigh more than 5 lbs that should work to? Right? As is obvious I have never worked with a steadicam so there might be aspects that I haven't thought about that would bring the weight up.

Thanks :-) If I get one for 3100$ that would be OK. Saw one on ebay around that price recently. But that didn't have the Anton Bauer mount (any idea how much it would cost to change the battery mount, haven't found that as as spare part in any listings)? Is it complicated to change between different battery mounts? Is the backpack or any other carrying case usually included when you buy one new or used? I found out that The Flyer sadly wount be able to carry any of out big HD camcorders or studio cameras. They all come in around 16-17lbs. And that would be over it's limit. So i found out that the flyer wount have any advantages to me over the pilot, since the Pilot carries our HVX200's just fine. But if I like my experience with the Pilot I will start saving for a Flyer-LE. That one will be able to carry all our cameras.

Thanks for all the good advice :-) I think I'll forget about the FS PRO and stick to Tiffen products. Both the quality, the level of support, the amount of users, all add up to a feeling that your making a safe investment. And from all the information on the different boards it seems like the Merlin is just too different in the way it works to give me "real" experience I can take with me when moving on to bigger rigs later. So it seems like I might just go for the "pilot" as some of you suggested. Either a new package or 2nd hand. I haven't found any 2nd hand Pilots on the marked yet, so I guess there are not many of them available as second hand. But I have until september to find one (am traveling from Europe to Los Angeles to visit my brother in september and am planning on picking one up when I am over there). And if I don't find a second hand one I will just have to buy a new set. Does anyone know if this is something you can expect to find in stock in stores in the Los Angeles area at any given time, or do I have to pre-order one to be sure? Anyone know any dealers in the San Clemente area? (couldnt find any listed on the tiffen page). And from all the shops, forums and other web pages I have read I haven't been able to find out just how much space (and weight) a Pilot system will take. Does the vest fit into the backpack or any case that comes with the system so it will be easy to get it with me unharmed on my flight back home?

Stavanger is in Norway (Europe). Not any steadicam workshops or dealers available here as far as I know. But can apply to get some funds from the place i work to travel to one. So think I should do that. London might be the nearest I guess?

Hi! I have worked as a cameraman at a TV station for 13 years now and have always wanted to be a steadicam operator. But my station just wount prioritize getting the equipment needed for it. And I really feel the need to develop in my career beyond normal handheld photo. Am very good at handheld, but want to evolve my skills. So I have decided to buy a camera stabilizing rig with my own money. I want to spend max 3000$ to get started and start practising. I will just play around with the rig and use it as often as possible at work on the more advanced news stores to get better at it. Realise it will take some time to get good at it, but am willing to spend the time it takes. I am not going to take on paid assignments outside my job, so don't need a rig that will fit others needs. Was thinking about getting a candadion rig called the FS PRO that will handle 21 lbs of equipment. It looks good to an untrained eye, but they use ages to answer mails and is not too good with their communication. So I've become doubtful about that rig. Have searched out every other cheap rig availabe on the net, but they all seem to have their problems. Except the ones form Tiffen. But they are expensive. Would really have liked to get a Steadicam Flyer. But although i might be able to afford one sooner or later I don't know it I want to use that much money on a rig before I know for sure that this is something I will work with in the long term and not get tired of doing. So for now it comes down to choosing between a Steadicam Merlin with arm and vest, and the FS PRO. The station I work at have a lot of hvx200 cameras (which the Merlin should handle fine) and 3 Panasonic AJ-HPX3000 HD cameras (that the FS PRO will be able to work with). Plus 6 studio cameras (which also only the FS PRO will handle). So I am asking for some advice on what to get. If I go for the Merlin with arm and vest and get good at balancing and working with that with the HVX200, will that help me adapt faster to a Steadicam Flyer if I get that later? Is the experience working with the Merlin valuable and comparable to working with bigger rigs? Or is it totally different to the other steadicams and really just a toy? Should I just get the bigger rig FS PRO that is probably of lower quality and just hope for the best? The price difference isn't that big although the FS PRO is a bit more expensive. And if I get a Flyer later will that be able to handle something like the Panasonic AJ-HPX3000 with a HD lens and a battery? Hope someone can give some advice. Thanks :-)