Brett Manyluk

I had a custom coffin sewn for my sled to fit right on top of my cart. All I do is fold my monitor back and lay it right in, batteries and all. Also has room for my arm, Jerry Hill docking bracket, J-bracket, and other odds & ends. It was sewn by Ken Nemetchek of Alberta Visual Communications. Ken has sewn soft goods for years up here and has the expertise and equipment to do it properly. He also shoots and directs corporates and drama, so understands the business. He can be contacted at ken@abvc.ca. Be prepared to pay around $1000 Cnd, but it is very nicely and robustly made. Pardon the additional cheap foam in the picture, I shoved that in there. Ken cuts foam blocks with Velcro on them so you can move them around to your satisfaction.

Can anyone post pictures of what they've done for their rain covers that fit with the CamJam mount? I've made one too, but I'm always looking for ways to improve it. And light rain is one thing to design for, torrential downpour or nasty rain towers is another. Thanks!

I've heard a couple cautionary tales over the years regarding steadicam on horseback with endings like "and then we had to shoot the horse before phoning the insurance company". I advise caution and considerable research. Or better yet, alternate tools. The chance of it going sideways in a horrific way can be very high.

I had the same issues with my 8" X-SBL Transvideo. I've switched back to the Virtual Horizon 1 and it has been fine in heat and cold winter nights. Wish Transvideo could get these issues solved with VH2 & 3 as it was a big reason why many of us bought these monitors. I suspect they have had their hands full getting the much delayed Stargate line out the door. Mr. Wagner, are you able to produce new versions of your level for operators to buy? Even with an increased price point for your trouble, my guess is that you'd still sell quite a few.

I've been using the Wave for a few weeks and have found a few situations where it really shines. Had to do a low mode rig on a rover to do some car to car stuff at moderate to faster speeds. The position of the hard mount for my arm on the rover was not ideal for my body position, so I was stretched to get into a reasonable operating position. The Wave took over horizon and allowed me concentrate on framing. With all the bouncing from the road and the cramped operating position, this would have been a tough sequence to get this smooth without it. On another day, I had to shoot a running gunfight over rough ground, and the Wave allowed to me to be more aggressive with my positioning than without it. It let me focus a bit more brain power on framing and navigating because I was't also worrying about horizon. It's a great tool to have.

Yup. Demo'd it. Definitely works, Rod.

Dan, those batteries won't charge on an AB charger. You'll need to buy a VECT or similar generic gold-mount/3 stud charger. Again, they are cheap, so buy 2. And they are simultaneous, so no need to worry about lengthy sequential charge cycles. Talk to Peter An at Vect for best pricing. I just treat my chargers with some caution and make sure they are not working in excessive temperatures (sun, for example), and that they aren't, you know, on a pile of tissue paper and oily rags. Generally a good policy regardless of what charger you have.

I switched out to a brand called Vect 6 years ago from my Anton Bauers and have enjoyed the benefits of big capacities for affordable money. Now I fly dual 240's on the sled for full size Alexa and don't worry about draw. Or if I run a battery on the back of the camera, then I only change batteries on the sled every week or two depending on use. I also carry the smaller 130w (similar weight/size to a dionic) as my lightweight battery and combine sizes depend on weight and balance needs. These batteries are identical to the Batteries 4 Broadcast brand but seem to be significantly cheaper as are the chargers. I just buy a few more of everything and have additional spares on and off set. The cost savings over AB or IDX or PAG is really significant. I won't claim that they or the chargers are built to (older) AB specs of overall quality, but in my experience it is 75% of Anton Bauer build, 200+% of AB runtimes, for 25% of the cost. And they've been working on my sled and various cameras for 6 years with no disappointments save for the occasional broken stud after a good assistant fumble onto concrete. If you can use rentals constantly and not have to take the hit, groovetastic, but if you have to own a small fleet of batteries and chargers for different jobs, take a good look at these guys. My 2 cents is that they are a good sweet spot of price to performance. Not perfect, but better priced (and shaped) for the high-draw, constant turn over of certain segments of the operator market.

Not quite Steadicam equipment, but it does have value for traditional operating. Plus, I've occasionally had to throw something on the rig in a pinch and a Noga arm came in handy. So... what is the best, strongest, articulate, reliable onboard monitor arm you've worked with? I've had a collection of Noga arms over the years that work with modest payloads, but many 7" monitors can be too much for them at full extension. Looking to see links to other products that are top performers. Also, any quick release solutions for monitors on and off the camera quickly? Threading sometime takes too long when the panic starts on set. Also, I'm sure we've all had a grip pull a camera off our shoulder only to see the onboard monitor spin loose and smack the back of the camera. Some solid way to quick on/off that is positive lock would be swell. My assistant bounced my monitor off the pavement last night trying to thread the monitor arm back on. Figured there has to be a better way that the camera kids can handle reliably. How are the Zacuto's with heavy payloads? And what about those funky dinosaur bone thingamajigs? Whatever they are called? Thanks! :-)

Can always keep a bottle of athletic smell-out on the camera truck and give the vest a little spray at the end of the day. I use this hockey stuff and it works really well (also good for stinky shoes). Nothing compares to hockey stank and this stuff will actually kill off a respectable amount of that smell. There are probably other products available too, just haven't used them. Good daily when you can't do a full wash of the vest. http://www.hockeymonkey.com/elite-hockey-accessories-pro-fresh-bio-odor-control-500ml.html

Looking to hear what all of you have going for rain cover solutions for your monitor when it comes to salvaging the most viewable image available. Obviously going without a cover in light rain is preferable, but when it gets heaviest or rain towers, we all have to button up. What tricks do you have up your collective sleeves? I've always used saran wrap and just toughed it out, but it leaves a lot to be desired if you you are fighting to see with bright, overhead silks. Any particular plastics out there anyone knows of? maybe dedicated hard plastic with anti-glare on it that can be welded into a wrap around cover? Any new tech that improves this situation? Also for you Transvideo guys, how much water do you let touch the monitor before you wrap it up? Thanks!

Any feedback on the Letus Helix 1 Pro specifically? What worked? What did not?

Agreed, the DP7 level gets confused much too easily and can't be relied upon. A trusty spirt level mounted to the top (or bottom, or wherever you like) will get you much further than the SmallHD level. The Transvideo built-ins work very nicely. On the thought of the many great XCS SD units out there, someone with more technical brains than me should take a small, bright, SD LCD panel, cut into a thin, lengthy shape that mounts on top (or bottom) of your existing HD monitor and is powered by the 8pin LEMO and displays just the SD XCS level signal. Just needs a little rework of the level software by Greg to fit the wonky SD screen dimension. That sounds... easy... right...?

PLC in Vancouver can do some basic work on M28VP's, but they don't have access to all the parts. Give them a call and see what they say.

Very exciting concept. Please keep posting here as it develops!

^ Can't go wrong with the M28VP in an analogue motor.

Any word on that Boland yet? Anybody using that one yet for comparison? No doubt the Transvideo sets the standard for customer support and great features, but we're all curious as Boland seemingly has interest in providing dedicated products & service for our community.

Anybody know if these F55 4 pin Hirose are pinned the same as the older Sony 4 pin Hiroses like on HDCAM's and Panasonic SDX-900's? Been googling but haven't quite found an answer yet. Thanks in advance!

I've got a Marell I could part with. Last model they made. Also have the level if you're interested in that with it. info at big unit productions dot ca

Post pics and links of all items. Thanks!

My pelican 1700 is getting a bit banged up and in thinking of a replacement I figured I'd check and see what everybody else is using for a waterproof hard case. I'm most curious if anyone has found something much smaller out there to minimize the size when packing everything into a vehicle. No complaints about the 1700, but arms are a funny shape for packing and I'm open to other products that might free up more space in the vehicle when all the gear is crammed in there together. Anybody gone with a smaller case and folded their arm over? Recommends on hard cases only, please. Thanks!

Hey Nicholas, what was the exact measurement you entered on the photodon site for the DP7 HB for the screen cuts? And thanks for the recommendation, BTW. :)

I'd be very curious to see how the Red motor functions in subzero temperatures and particularly extreme cold.

I also use a truck. Used to run a dodge 1500 quad cab with the gas guzzling hemi. Worked great for years but sure wasn't easy on fuel. Now I'm running a F150 Supercrew with the 6'5" box with a cap. Really loving the huge back seat in the ford. Easily enough room to put my whole steadi package in the back seat with the jump seat still available for a passenger, one or two camera carts in the box, extra weather gear, plus lighting & grip gear if I'm DP'ing a small job, or it can also fit my jimmy jib. And then you have 4x4 when you need it (which is critical in Canada 8 months of the year), it's pretty easy to pack, and you can still park it conventionally in (most) underground parking. Rent or buy a two axle trailer if you need more room (I'd get the ecoboost engine and heavy duty suspension if I did it again). If you need to go larger, there are the Mercedes/Dodge sprinters available new and used everywhere. And Ford has a full sized version of the transport now to match it I believe. Lots of room but not so useful as a daily driver.

Any thoughts on the sheer strength of any of these pins? I'm looking to use one on my Baer-Bel arm for this exact purpose. But I would be replacing the existing solid pin. One would think that forces required to sheer or deform an aircraft pin are beyond the capability of the arm strength to hold, but worth consideration... Hard mount + 3D rig + 100% capacity + full extension + sharp, twisting motion, etc...