Kevin Kisling

@David Marroquin Yes I have, I go there pretty often when I'm not working! They have a nice space and you can move fly-away walls around to change up shots. It's fun! Also really great because you can ask Tiffen questions and get lots of help with gear/etc...

@Thomas Gottschalk I did the cut out mod and it has been amazing. I highly recommend it!

Hey @David Marroquin I believe you are correct and that the Zephyr is/has been discontinued and the Axis is replacing it. I'm not sure if the volt for the Axis will be available on its own, but it's worth reaching out to Tiffen to ask!

Hi Keith, I have a metal version for sale in Los Angeles. Let me know if you are interested. Kevin

I ended up taking it to Robert Luna for service. Would highly recommend using him.

Such a great video. I was recently asked to do whip pans while holding a tilt, so the post wasn't vertical and I don't have a tilt top stage. I struggled but eventually was able to get through it. Do you have any advice on this? Thanks!

Hi Thomas! Thanks, I think I will!

@Thomas Gottschalk and @Deke Keener I've been considering doing the same mod, adding the padded fork to my hill dock and having it cut out for the balancing pin. Now that it's been a couple of years, is this still your setup? How has it held up? Have you run into any issues? Thanks!

Hi Hayk! I think much of this would depend on budget and preference and if you are buying new or used. If you can, meet up with ops close to you and check out their gear so you can get a feel for it first. They all do the same thing, but each go about it in a slightly different way. You can certainly buy a whole kit from Tiffen, GPI PRO, ARRI and be very happy. or you can mix and match them to your preference. Sleds: Tiffen, GPI PRO, ARRI, XCS, Betz, Optical Support, Arms: Tiffen, GPI PRO, ARRI, flow cine Vests: Tiffen, GPI PRO, ARRI, Klassen I'm sure I've missed some, but that'll get you started. I bought a whole used tiffen master kit and now I've added a PRO vest to my kit. Next I plan on swapping out my sled. Then I'm planning on adding another arm to my kit. Best of luck!

Wow. Thanks for the update!

Does anyone know the height of the various Tiffen M Series Top Stages? The distance from the dovetail plate to the bottom of the top stage? M1 flat, M1 tilt, M2 flat, M2 tilt. Thanks!

Hey Maxwel, did you ever find out how much they weigh? I'm curious as well

Great question! The Zephyr vest is great, but in my personal experience whenever I flew my Aero30 rig (Zephyr vest/arm/aero30 sled) towards it's max payload (20lbs) I could feel the vest flex a little. I'm sure adding cross back straps would help a lot. If you are planning on flying cameras above 20lbs, I think getting a big rig vest would be best. Here is a link to a previous discussion on the Zephyr vest with bigger arm and sled:

I've also been experiencing so many ads!

Tiffen was still using 1.58 posts on all their big rigs until the M1 came out with a 1.75 post. So I imagine their 1.58 would still be good. and its quite a bit lighter!

Doing the workshop is a great place to start, it'll give you a very solid foundation. If you can't do this workshop, there will be others. I did the two day bronze workshop and it was wonderful. If you've missed the workshop, reach out to ops in your area and see if you can do a practice with them. You should also buy the Steadicam Operators Handbook, it's very good. If you are still close to your school, see if you can use/borrow their rig to practice. As for buying your first rig, there are many different ways to go about it. The biggest deciding factor for which rig to buy will be, what cameras do you expect to be flying immediately? Will the cameras weigh over 20lbs or under 20lbs? If under 20lbs, then you have many great less expensive options. Tiffen Flyer, Tiffen Zephyr, Tiffen Aero30. If over 20lbs, then you have many great options, but prices will vary. You can go the older route, 3A, EFP, Master, Archer, Ultra, Pro1, Pro2, etc... which may be roughly the same-ish price as a newer lightweight rig, but won't have all the bells and whistles BUT will be capable of carrying heavy payloads. OR you could go with a more modern big rig, M1, M2, Shadow, Pro, XCS, but prices are higher. It kinda all depends on your budget. The Aero30 was my first rig and it was great. I learned so much with that rig! It was what I could comfortably afford and I knew the cameras I was going to immediately have to fly would be under 20lbs. After a year though, I bought a Master since I needed to be able to fly heavier cameras. That was what I could comfortably afford at the time. Best of luck! If you are in LA hit me up and I'd be happy to show you my sleds.

I have a SmallHD focus 5 and I like it. Is it essential? No. Is it beneficial? Yes. Cons - Added weight above the gimbal (could be a pro if you are looking to add weight) Another thing to power. Another thing to break. Pros - A low mode monitor puts your eyes basically where they go when oping in normal mode, so it feels more natural. Drop your gimbal and you are ready to go low quickly! I find that I do end up using both monitors when flying low mode and it is very handy. In "high" low mode, the low mode monitor is at a great height and when I need to get as low as possible, my regular monitor is at a great height. There has been so moves when I've had to boom and do switches in low mode that I end up going back and forth between them in the same shot.

Hey Allen! I'm in Hollywood, down to meet up and practice!

I've been looking at that one as well. I know Greg Gustafson has one, @Greg Gustafson I'm sure he could talk about it.

Yeah, I think my grip was too tight, which lead to the issue and then over correcting lead to more issues. Great things to keep in mind. Thank you very much!

Hey friends, Sometimes I notice some side to side swimming on tilts going from eye level down and tilting back up to eye level. Any tips on this with hand positions? Thanks!

Making sure the vest is fitted with proper posture is key! When I first started considering Steadicam, I was concerned I wasn't "fit enough", but once you get your first rig, the key is to simply spend time in it practicing. Start light and work your way up in weight. Repeat a shot for a min or two and then put it down. Then try doing the shot for longer, and slowly start doing longer and longer shots. Going from flying relative "lightweight" cameras on a Zephyr to larger builds on a big rig doesn't happen overnight, it takes time. Don't get discouraged! You know your body best, if you start to feel that your legs or core or whatever isn't as strong as you like, work out there. Personally I love cycling, so that's my exercise of choice! Drink plenty of water and stretch. Listen to your body and take breaks. Before you know it, you'll be flying big builds! Best of luck!

I'll give that a try! Thanks!

Hi Edward! I believe Janice Arthur makes and sells practice cages. If you don't have The Steadicam Operators Handbook by Jerry Holway and Laurie Hayball, pick up a copy, it has so much info to get started! I'm in Hollywood, hit me up if you'd like to do a practice session. Kevin

Great advice, thank you.