Richard James Lewis

Ughh does anything with this thing work properly? Wanted a refund but agreed to be sent the level. Seems this is a lemon too ehh? Biggest waste of money ever. Everything needs so much work. R

Had it for a month or so. Very useful, very well made. Best just buy one. Rick.

I use black rapid r7 straps on my Preston's. Swivel attachment helps with your issue. http://www.blackrapid.com/products/curve Rick.

I'm getting to the point where I kind of regret buying the Gen2 in all honesty. There is still a lot of work to be done to this monitor to make me happy using it daily. There always seems to be something buggy about it whenever I put it on the rig and I'm tired of being a guinea pig. I've spoken with other ops who feel the same and still have problems daily. Chris has usually been very helpful with issues and responded quickly, although the whole thing has been going on for a very long time now, and it gets frustrating. These levels have been shipping for almost a month and I still don't have one because of one reason or another. It was bought and paid for many moons ago. Admittedly the Cinetronic was better than the first 1000nit Transvideo e-SBL, but now the X-SBL is around I can see no real reason to go with the Cinetronic anymore. The Transivdeo is in my opinion a better weight. With a battery on the back of the Cinetronic the yoke mount is redundant as it is no longer weighted correctly. The Transvideos firmware is solid, it accepts anything you can throw at it and its bug free. Lots of extra features that have been designed and implemented over the last few years. Jacques is very attentive and the service is excellent. Software updates were written for me in a matter of days and sent over. On the plus side the Cinetronic has a slightly better AR coating, is probably better water resistant, and the viewing angle is more forgiving. The 2000nits on the Transvideo seems to punch through the extra reflection issues. encountered with the 1000nit version. The Cinetronic will probably just sit in the case and collect dust now sadly. Rick.

So what's happening with this? Eric has gone quiet. Thoughts? Something not working properly? Still don't have mine yet. Rick.

Tristan,.. you really must stop buying Preston's. An intervention is in order... R

I just had my eSBL changed to the 2000 nit version. Jacques and Nadege were super quick and helpful, turning it around in 3 just days. Great solid product with great service. Looks brighter than before (as you might expect) I shall test it out tomorrow. Initially side by side my Cinetronic doesn't maybe look quite as bright, but the AR on the Cinetronic still seems to be a little more helpful. Looking forward to the Cinetronic level turning up and maybe I can actually start using that monitor regularly too!

I've had an Aux to Arri cable made. I can put a single 12v battery on the Aux line on the battery directly under the post and feed the Alexa. Just change the menu so it knows it's getting 12v from the cable. I also have a 24v Hawkwoods plate that I can put on the Aux line under the post to feed the camera 24v if the rental house has them. The Gen 3 base has been very useful for me with its swappable plates.. I did consider having a jumper block modified but I didn't find it necessary in the end. Good thinking tho.

I don't think they are *actually* shipping yet... Happy to hear otherwise tho. R

The guide handles attached to the back of the Klassen work well ;) The older Klassens had them attached on the lower part of the shell at waist height, and this caused the grip to pull your hips which could throw you off balance. The newer ones are in middle of the back and are much less disruptive. I don't know which ones you have. I can't imagine having someone pull me around by the throat is much fun! Best, Rick.

I have the 15mm and 19mm clamps and mounts and keep the mating bracket on the MDR. Makes for quick changes between Steadicam and hand held. Great stuff. R

I have the new Artemis monitor bracket, and I am using those yokes on my Cinetronic and my Transvideo. Makes swapping monitors over quick and simple, less than 20 seconds. Rock solid and very flexible in terms of monitor placement. Rick. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151484517455780&l=3e7b7a79a7

A little bit of me dies every time I see a bridge and base plate being used to attach a lens motor. R

I agree it would have been nice if it was a genuine plate, but this one seems solid and fine. I have always had to use velcro on all AB plates to stop things from vibrating. I would really like to see the ghosting issue sorted with 50hz video tho. The bubble level, an on screen voltage read out, proper colours, no ghosting and an image flip etc. Then it will do for 99% of everything I ever need. Lets hope it can all be done in a timely manner. Rick.

I have the Gen 2. I should first say that Chris has been very helpful, and has usually replied to emails within a few hours. I found the 7 month wait after paying for the unit a little frustrating to say the least, but what can you do. It's here now. I still am not using the Gen 2 as my primary monitor tho. I also have a new eSBL Transvideo which is great indoors and workable outdoors that has many more features. I know the Transvideo will work with anything I put into it. At this stage I would be a little worried if i had to totally rely on the Cinetronic, but hopefully that will change in time. When I first received my monitor I had some issues with it changing inputs randomly and some issues with it all freezing up. This required me to pull the power to the unit to reset it. I sent it back the other week and had the heat sink upgrade done and Chris swapped out a touch panel. Also had the diode put in to stop back charging into the sled. Seems much more solid now. Not had it freeze up while i've been testing it since and the channel switching has seemingly been solved. Much better. The buttons seem to respond well too now with the latest software. Can't say I've noticed the memory issues since. I have had some ghosting on the picture and have been told this is a result of differences between 60hz and 50hz and it will be worked on in the software, but i since remember reading on the forum that someone else had noticed this and they would have been using 60hz. So I'm a little unsure. I just need the level to be finished because its currently fairly useless to me without it. I've pulled it out a few times for work under really bright sun and stuck a bubble level above the screen. I currently have the latest software on there, so I haven't tried to update the unit myself, but i dread having to after reading peoples issues. I'm Mac, and not amazingly technical when it comes to installing and trouble shooting windows issues, thats if i can even find a windows machine somewhere. I hope Chris keeps up the good work and has sorted out Martins concerns. I would hate for Cinetronic to go the way of some other manufacturers that we have regretted buying into in the past. Rick.

I have a Marell digital level for sale if you are interested. http://www.marell.co.uk/accessories/DL-ADV/ Let me know if you are interested. Best, Rick.

Hi Jens. I have a new eSBL glass bonded 6" Evolution, and I also have a Gen 2 Cinetronic. I'd say that the Cinetronic is definitely a bit brighter, and the viewing angle is a lot more forgiving. I also think the AR coating is better overall. The Transvideo is a little more like a mirror when it comes to reflections. I am still using my Transvideo tho for everything at the moment. It's a really solid robust monitor that is packed full of excellent features that I need to use daily, plus the new Avenger 2 horizon is excellent. Very good monitor, just a less performance in very bright sunlight, but not unusable. Rick.

I just thought I would say a public thanks to Magnus at Heden Engineering for a very speedy turn around on a lens motor service. Sent, serviced and returned the next day. Great product and great support. Much recommended. Many thanks, Rick.

I have the new Artemis monitor bracket. Nice and light, solid and well built. Would definitely recommend it. Best, Rick.

Rob, check out the Horizon 2 if you have a HD Transvideo. http://www.transvideo.eu/en/node/1721 Rick.

Good luck with that one! R

Anyone?

So people have them now? R

Awesome!

XCS / PRO Sled 2 years. PRO ARM 3 years Klassen Harness 7 years Before that for years I had various MK-V and Tiffen sleds. EFP arms, G50, G70 etc. Happy now tho. R