Adam Eden

Hi my friends, Im upgrading my archer 2se to a volt system and I have always been happy with my g50 arm. would like some opinions if I should upgrade my g50 to a g50x thank you

Excellent work, those slow moves are amazing and the framing is truely fantastic. Well done

Hey guys i started this thread and it wasn't suppose to turn into a RED bashing. I personally own an Epic M and i would rather fly that with my Arri LWZ2 14.5-45mm short zoom for 10 hours than any other camera due to its light weight and form factor. WIth the combination of the Arri zoom and the Epic the weight distribution is perfect and really simple to balance.

Thanks Louis, Ill check it out. Hope you are well

I am starting to shoot more exteriors with my rig and i am getting sick of someone having to hold a cutter over my head so i can see the screen! I bought an Archer 2 SE with a basic composite screen and i am feeding HDSDI to it via a decimator. I dont really need HDSDI but it would be handy. What is the best value screen around that can be viewed clearly outdoors and can attached easily to my rig without too much trouble. I would love to have a digital level in the screen also so i can get rid of my bubble. Thanks in advance

I wish I had better clients! I'm lucky that I am a DOP and I have my own kit including a red epic kit with lenss. I'm not the cheapest in town but I'm not the most expensive also. There are a lot of bad Steadicam guys in sydney with flyers or glidecams. So when someone tells me that I am expensive I usually email them my competitors reel. That seems to get me more work! Steadicam is a constant learning curve and it really is a skill that can't be taught in an hour. As jerry taught me.... Always be happy on set and always make out what we do is easy and effortless. I do from Time to time rig up the director and throw the rig out of balance so they can appreciate what we do.

Because people on REDUSER are talking about the below http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-15kg-Load-Camera-Video-Steadycam-Stabilizer-Steadicam-Carbon-Fiber-Vest-/121056217020?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c2f8347bc A cheap shit steadicam knock off for $1750 USD... Clients are now ringing me to see if i am going to lower my price to compete! I have an Archer 2 SE with a G50 arm and after having invested a substantial amount into it and other bits like Wireless follow focus/iris/zoom, Wireless HD links etc My comeback is.. Do you like my work, answer... Well yes you are excellent. So you want me to shoot with a steadicam IPHONE then. It can do the same job. Rant over.. Sorry i have had 3 calls over the long weekend. And other people would have complained about the same thing but i was lost for words when i saw pictures of this thing. I dont know how they could make it and make money at that price!

I have have a G50 arm for 2 years now and I have never ever had a problem like this forum is describing. I used to mainly fly a RED ONE MX on an Archer 2 with the G50 and I even loaded it up with a set of Jerry's Antlers for when i had to run around people really fast or when it was really windy. I now mainly fly the same rig but have replaced the RED ONE MX with an EPIC so my rig is a lot lighter, and again I have never experienced anything like this with slow moves. Maybe i am just lucky! Anyway I love my Archer 2 with G50 arm and i don't really ever want to upgrade to anything else. Until i wear it out.... That is!

The EPIC is a breeze, you just need all of the extra bits to make it work, but if you are getting it from Panavision then you won't have a problem. You just need to offset the camera to the back as the epic is quite light and the lenses can be heavier than the camera. I own an EPIC M and I also have the Arri light weight zoom 2, 15.5 -45mm short zoom. Its is perfect for the EPIC. I use the DSMC bottom plate to mount the camera to my sled. This system comes with a small cheese board that slides into the dovetail at the bottom of the DSMC plate. I use this to offset the camera as the centre point balance in this mode is about a third of the length of the lens. I also have a "Brook willard view factor full metal jacket top plate" this adds a cheese plate for the whole top of the camera is is really essential when flying the epic as you can easily mount a sled plate for low mode, or other bits like monitor etc. The only thing i don't have for my rig yet is a remote start stop for the epic as the connector is a micro lemo. I have the Arri wireless focus/iris/ zoom kit and that works well with the EPIC but i need to make a cord to adapt the remote red one cord for the epic for start/stop. I think you will enjoy flying the EPIC, i know I do as the whole rig is lighter and you will have a lot more energy compared to flying a heavier camera.

Cancellation within 24hours = full rate. For a music video though... You are lucky to get paid anything anyway so get what you can!

This is why I bought a steadiseg!

Decimator 2 is awesome. Never misses a beat and works with everything I feed it... Including the RED EPIC M

Thanks Robin. I know I am pushing the boundaries! Maybe Brett Smith can trade in my Archer for the new Phantom for me, or maybe you can! But all I know is that I really like the Steadicam product and believe me I have looked at the competition but your arms are the best in my opinion. I regularly crane in shot from the lowest extremes to the highest extremes without glitches or bumps. I really like the G50/G70 range, and in my opinion they are a huge leap from the master series and your competitors. Now can I have a free Phantom upgrade? :rolleyes:

Sorry let me be more clear.. 20 Kilos in total weight.. About 14 kilos at the top. And I am adding about 3-4kilos to the bottom of the rig to counter balance. My monitor is fully extended out with the monitor bracket facing outwards also. The issue is when using Antlers (Which isn't that often), the Antlers are really high so I cannot extend the bottom post any longer, so even with the battery pack facing towards the ground I am still a bit short. That is why I am adding extra weight. What James said is correct by adding an extra IDX vlock battery, ie having 3 instead of 2 works fine with a prime lens. It isn't quite enough weight when using the Arri/Zeiss light weight zoom 15.5-45mm zoom. Thanks for your help on this guys. I really try not to make a habit of doing this, but the antlers really help in strong wind, or running around a circus ring in circles for hours like i did a couple of weeks ago. This wont be too much of a problem in the future when I get my steadiseg from Chris!

Hi Aaron I was taught by Chris the recent australian steadicam course! Sorry I am at nearly 20 kilos not pounds, so I am really maxing out the Archer system. The antlers weigh a fair bit. The sled is fully extended with the batteries facing down and I am adding about 2.5 kilos of red rock weight to the bottom of the sled. Adding a third vlock to bottom still isn't enough weight. Jerry's antlers just really max out the archer as they weigh so much. I will weigh everything tomorrow at gear check and re post. Re my gimbal... The yoke is either damaged or needs adjustment. I am taking it to my local Tiffen authorised service dept in Australia tomorrow. The problem with the gymbal is when you balance the rig both dynamically and statically you spin the gymbal round the to other side and the rig is out of balance. The only time I use Jerrys antlers is in high wind exterior, or when I have to move as fast as I can around people like i did a couple of weeks ago when I was filming a music video inside a circus ring and the group were a bunch of crazy dancers and yes they were dancing all around me whilst I ran around the bloody ring for hours in both directions. Even though the antlers add a lot of weight, they really help your horizons when you start getting tired. Thanks for your input also james

Hi all I have an Archer 2 SE with a G50 arm. Can someone tell me if I am damaging my gymbal with the below config, RED EPIC M Arri/Zeiss LWZ 15.5-45mm lens. Jerry's antlers This is on top. So to balance the rig i need to fully extend the steadicam rig. and add about 2 kilos of weight to the bottom of the rig. IE attach the double weight kit from red rock micro. As if I rely on the 2 x IDX batteries I dont have enough weight below the gymbal to balance the rig. The total weight would be about 20 pounds + . But my g50 arm still has a little but to go I can statically balance and dynamically balance the rig. Buy the yoke in my gymbal has given out and when I fly the rig the balance goes out. I am getting my gimbal serviced in the next few days... But I think the antlers and the extra 2 kilos might be damaging my gimbal. Thanks in advance Adam

That has to be one of the best steadicam shots I have ever seen. Absolutely fantastic work Ben and everyone involved. I really enjoy being so engrossed in the scenario to the point where I forget what the camera is actually doing, and how the camera is being wrangled... IE steadicam etc. I am a fellow steadicam operator and I hope I can achieve a spot like that. Very inspiring and very emotive. Again great work and that should be in the top 20 of best steadicam shots.. and just to expand.. The 2009 Eurovision shot is an amazing shot, and not to take anything away from what the operator did.. But what Ben and the director and crew have achieved with the 5 minutes is just beautiful choreography between the talent and the crew. Just a pleasure to watch and I didn't want the scene to end. And.... What amazing lock off's man when you lock off your are like a friggen tripod!

Just shot my first gig with Jerry's Antlers that I bought from Brant Fagan. All I can say is WOW! I love flying my EPIC M but it is really light so when I was faced with filming a music video where the band was in a circus ring and the director wanted me to spiral around the band on a reasonably long lens, i was a bit worried about my horizons as the director asked for me to move as fast as possible around the band. And to make matters even more difficult, the band is a group of 6 young guys who are break dancing and doing backflips etc throughout the performance. Once guy clipped me on execution of a back flip, but no one was hurt and I kept filming during that take anyway. I bought a viewfactor top mount that replaces the top part of my EPIC and turns it into a cheese plate, and mounted another steadicam dovetail plate to that. The Antlers not only give great sway reduction, but the extra weight makes the EPIC a lot easier to fly. The antlers do however max out the top weight of the gimble, but adding an extra battery to the bottom of the rig fixes that and balances easily. And NO Jerry didn't pay me to say this! I will post the results in a couple of weeks once the clip has been signed off.

Hi Scott I just completed the Tiffen steadicam course with Garret Brown / Jerry Holway and a few other expert trainers in Australia. That was about 2 weeks ago and all I can say is that my flying technique and shot composition has improved by 1000% My back isn't sore anymore either as I have been properly taught how to stand correctly and wear the vest properly and also various grip techniques. I used to be a whoopie cushion! (If you read the Jerry Holway book you will know what i mean) I had my Archer 2 for about a year also before attending and I was pretty good at flying the rig (well i thought anyway), but now I think about setting up the shots and what I can actually do with the subjects rather than just running around trying to keep the camera level. The only thing Garret and Jerry couldn't knock out of me is I fly goofy! Believe me they tried.... The other good thing about the course is meeting other operators and increasing your industry contacts. Our industry is very small and it is great talking to other people about shots, gear etc. Good luck Adam

Thanks Jens.. I will have a look at that one...

Has anyone figured out a way of getting the CAMWAVE working with a RED EPIC-M yet? I am a bit over flying with a HDSDI cord again as the CAMWAVE doesn't work with 25p only 25PSF. I am thinking that someone has figured out a way by now by using some kind of small 1080 25P to 720P or 1080 25SPF converter of some sort that can be powered from the sled and stick behind my sled monitor.

I would just like to personally thank Garrett Brown, Jerry Holway, Chris, Harry, Louis, Bex, Phil and Brett for a truly fantastic time. If anyone is considering attending the Tiffen official training course and is concerned about the price.. Well don't be.. This was a great opportunity to hone my skills as a Steadicam operator and be taught by the best in the industry, the venue was fabulous and I highly recommend this course. Garrett and Jerry are truly inspiring people and I really felt honoured to be trained by all. Adam

I bumped into an online friend of mine today at SMPTE which is an industry trade show for our industry thats on at Darling Harbour/ Sydney/ Australia at the moment, and he shoots a lot of wildlife with very long zoom lenses. I said to him, how do you hand hold a 1500-3000mm lens without motion blur from your hands... Do you have a kenlabs gyro?? He said... NO I have 2 x 15000 RPM SCSI drives both in horizontal and vertical attached to my lens as a GYRO running off a 12volt IDX DTAP battery.. Cheapest GYRO ever as these drives are worth nothing now.. WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA!!! Has anyone here mounted this setup on the bottom of a STEADICAM sled yet?? If not I am going to try this as this sounds like a brilliant idea!!! thoughts anyone?

Hi All I am expecting my new Epic-M to turn up any day now and just wondering has anyone flown one on an Archer 2 with a G50 arm yet? There are so many ways to configure this rig and I am unsure of where to start. I have a set of MKIII super speeds which should be easy to set up, but I also have a new Zeiss Light Weight zoom 2, 15.5-45mm which is heavier than the EPIC! So I am looking to my peers for options. Thanks in advance Adam

Hi Brett, I own the new Arri WCU3 system and I power it from both the 4 pin LEMO off my RED ONE MX and the 3 pin SLED LEMO. Note that I have had the current draw of the arri system checked at LEMAC in Sydney, and it was just on 1 amp when pulling focus on MKIII super speed. If you are using older lenses the the current draw will be higher and can blow the fuse on the RED. I have a D-Tap to 3pin lemo cable made. BTW I really like the Arri system and I have had it for only a few months and all the focus pullers that have used it so far have been really happy also. I bought mine from Mitch Gross at Abel Cine, he was the cheapest by far.