Alec Jarnagin SOC

I use an XCS gimbal with an Ergo handle. While the Ergo handle has the added benefit of having the same hand position for high or low mode, any long handle will likely give you a better view of your monitor and be more comfortable.

Brandon, Welcome to Steadicam and NYC. Fierce combo! The SOA workshop is fabulous so I am glad to hear this. Shoot me a line some time.

James, Email Tiffen as well. I have Greg onboard but Tiffen hasn't sent him a unit yet (I know they are swamped right now).

That is a good deal!

Yeah, this stuff is amazing. Posted on FB too with a lot of comments that I wish made it to here.

Who uses the Fikenca (Modular 51/Rock Steady) Vest bag? Do you ship with it (and if so, with the arm inside it?)? I've traditionally used a simple duffle bag for my vest unless shipping and then I use a Pelican 1650. My vest took a little too much abuse on my last job (perhaps someone threw something on top of the bag in the camera truck?). Hard to say - could just as easily be that it's over a decade old, but the plastic in the upper left shoulder strap broke (still buckled and worked but loses some structural integrity). Anyway, I'm having Pro give it a complete overhaul but was just looking at these bags contemplating going with something a little more heavy duty (then again I've been doing the duffel bag thing for over twenty years). Thoughts for general day to day use as well as shipping? Oh, and size! I seem to recall looking at one a long time ago and thinking it was rather large. No dimensions listed on site. Thank you.

And I'll add that most people are right handed - the old arms required a lot more effort to boom up and down and people were often over controlling the sled with the gimbal hand - thus the right hand on the arm and left of the gimbal. Have fun playing.

Jesse, Where do you live (what market)? When you say you are looking to move to "steadicam / production work," can you be more specific? While I applaud your motivation and your desire to spend Covid times doing something, be carful of doing too much self-learning before you get proper instruction. This could lead to bad habits that are hard to undo. I highly recommend a workshop before purchase which is of course easier said than done considering the times we live in. The SOA in PA (and now elsewhere) has superb workshops where you'll get to try many different types of rigs with a group of instructors from various backgrounds, who all make a living do various kinds of Steadicam. Also, the used market is littered with great finds so you'll have a better understanding of what is right for you after a workshop. Good luck.

And the cheers were heard around the world!

Mark, Please email Greg and Tiffen! Keep the conversation alive! XCS gimbal with Volt!!!!!

Mark, things are being discussed. I’m very much trying to team Tiffen and XCS together but afraid I don’t have any concrete news yet.

Sadly, they closed shop awhile ago.

Will some one PLEASE buy this beautiful sled?! Such a good sled.

"If it's a 1.5" or 2" post diameter, the gimbal should fit, but mounting the control box might be a problem for you." Slight but needed correction, as Jerry says "1.75 inch or less " for post sizes. There is currently no way to put a Volt onto a 2" post (fingers crossed that this will change some day).

Yeah, I'm terribly unexcited about using these things as I've traditionally held fast to the belief that the only thing I want to hear during a take are the people with SAG cards in front of me. Alas, this and my AC now being farther from the camera (something else I hate) and being forced off set to keep the numbers down while lighting are the new reality. Let's hope people follow good etiquette and be silent during the take. On that note, any HME's I use I wish to have the ability to feed the Comtek into it so I only have to deal with one device and headset.

This sled is an XCS Ultimate 1 and is a magnificent sled. While not every upgrade can be made to make it more like the newer XCS sleds, a lot of things can be done (if you even want to - should work fine as is). On that note, a shameless plug: I have a set of Ultimate 2HD boards less than three years old sitting at XCS as I chose to upgrade my Ultimate 2HD to an Ultimate 3HD since we are all sitting around (I have to believe I will work again some day - fingers crossed). The 2HD boards WILL GO INTO an Ultimate 1. Please note, this will not turn the Ultimate 1 into an Ultimate 2HD as there are differences in connectors and the top stage electronics are different as well. You should contact Greg at XCS directly about what this upgrade buys you and how much it would cost (you can remind him about my boards sitting there as otherwise, I don't think he has them in stock or a willingness to do this procedure anymore). From there, we could negotiate a price on the boards from me (and you and Greg work out a deal for the labor). Thanks.

Ron, I've hear that story from GB as well. An Op (pre internet) in a remote part of the world wearing the vest backwards because he thought that was how it went and learning to operate just fine.

Could be either the gimbal or top stage shift. Do the static 180 degree test Grayson describes. If it fails this (without tilting), its the gimbal. If it passes this, but fails once the sled is tilted, it could still be the gimbal but I tend to think it is something moving slightly within the top stage (or post connectors). I've never owned this sled so I'd look at the parts Peter suggests. I used to get this on occasion with my PRO/XCS hybrid. On that sled it was always the quick release on the top of the post. Taking it off, cleaning and reattaching with a tad bit of lithium grease on the threads and then a good tighten with the "post wrench" would get rid of it.

Love the "Join the crowd behind the Moviecam" sticker. I had on some case or another.

Margaret, What market are you in? This always factors in. What do clients expect? What can you borrow form friends? What can you have custom made to modify?

As far as arms, the classic 3a arm is reliable and inexpensive. For example: * I don't know this seller, but Robert Luna does great work rebuilding arms.

While I've never seen the ActionCam sled in person, I seem to recall they were considered one of the better "lower end systems." But considering the number of used options out there today combined with the fact ActionCam is out of business, unless you are a serious "do it yourselfer," I'd look into a used GPI PRO as they are bulletproof and the parts plentiful. Obviously, there are a lot of used Tiffen rigs as well that would serve nicely.

Ron Baldwin, I hear that! Might depend on the circumstances and build. I love the Wave and have reservations about cables and belts on my gimbal but more and more, the Volt seems to be improving. While the need for any of these is lessened by the inertia of a 35mm film camera, I can't imagine wanting to use anything that raises the CG of such a camera (Wave) so the Volt seems very attractive. A Mini, on the other hand????

I too would love a smaller, shorter and lighter Wave with less degrees of travel. I have never actually had the chance to see Greg's prototype in person, but had he continued with this product, I'm sure he would have hit a home run. The Wave on an XCS sled is a nice combination since the XCS sled design inherently keeps the center of gravity so low. Alas, a smaller/lighter Wave would only help this cause! On another note, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a Volt is made for an XCS 2" gimbal as then we would have both options which would be terrific.

Hi Damian, Sorry for the tardy reply. We have let too much dust settle on this lovely venue but are cleaning up. We've added a category for the Volt (combined with the Wave since they so often come up side by each in topic).. It may be awhile before all the posts pertaining to both of these devices are moved there so I suggest using the search engine to look as well. Thank you.