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Peter Abraham

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Peter Abraham last won the day on November 2 2023

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About Peter Abraham

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    Peterabrahamsteadicam

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  • Location
    New York City
  • Rig
    Exovest. Ultra 1 Arm. Zalex™ Sled. Prompter.

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  1. Good morning, There are times when we show up on set and the lens support for our lens isn't in the kit. Or it's in use on A camera. Now the LensLift can be put into play to solve this problem. It's a bit of kit I've always wanted and after seeing some Longplate builds that made use of such on-set fixes and piles of washers and wooden dolly wedges, it appeared time to come up with a bespoke solution. LensLift fits both into the Longplate as well as mounting into any 15mm rod setups already on the camera body. Email me to discuss both pricing and worldwide shipping. ( Camera & Lens used courtesy of Panavision NYC ) ( Lens build courtesy of Arri Rentals NYC )
  2. Good morning. The Zalex group of accessories started in 1992 with the prototype of a Broadcast video camera low-mode plate. First tested at the Steadicam Workshops in Rockport, Maine, it showed great promise and inspired efforts to make bits that serve my needs. Since that first effort, parts have emerged such as an overhauled Model I/II/III/IIIA Vest, drop-forged steel docking bracket for older sleds, the Longplate, LensLift lens support system, Tally Light Kit, Arm Repo Mount and other items. The full complement of Zalex accessories can be found at our website: https://www.zalex-products.com We’re pleased to share that we have just taken delivery of another 60 Longplates. The Zalex Longplate fits all stages from all manufacturers. There are currently over 350 Longplates in use worldwide. This is the longest, thickest and therefore most rigid, dovetail plate available. Some of the benefits of flying with the Longplate include: º Comes with hardware that allows an Alex/ Amira/ Venice/ Sony camera to be mounted directly to the plate. Stop using a VCT-type of plate and mount right to the Longplate. º Slotted to allow for mounting of 15mm rod clamps for follow-focus, Talent Monitors, lights and other accessories. º Pairs well with the LensLift support system. º Notched for the safety bolt used by some models of GPI/PRO, XCS and Sachtler/ Artemis sleds. º Fully slotted for 3/8-16 lockdown screws, the Longplate kit includes adaptors that allow for ¼-20 screw use as well. º Readily locks into a tripod adaptor to save time on sled-to-sticks turnaround. In addition to the Longplate, the Longplate-M fits the Tiffen Medium Stage sleds. These includes the Archer 2, Zephyr and Scout. Email me for pricing and shipping information at: peter@steadicamproductionservices.com Fly safe !! Peter Abraham, S.O.C.
  3. Borrow or get a Dremel tool. And the diamond dust coated cutting wheel. MUCH less chance of messing up your socket block than if you go with a hacksaw. The threads in the socket are fine. The end of the machine screw/ thumbscrews ALL mushroom over the years. It's not a branding flaw. It is just how the machine screws suffer with the constant pressure against the end of the screw. ( Usually but not always more on the top thumbscrew than the bottom. ) Slowly cut the screw off and then turn the musroomed end out and it will fall away.
  4. Good evening ! I'm sharing some accessories that have proven to be very useful to myself and other Steadicam Operators worldwide. The web link at the bottom of this post will allow you to check them out. This post is about the Longplate. There are over 300 in use. I'd always wanted a VERY rigid vibration-free longer dovetail plate. In the 1990's I had one for my Master Series rig but it had a bit of flex, and was long but not as long as these. There is a different plate for all Tiffen medium sized stage sleds- like the Archer 2, Zephyr, Scout and so on. It can also be used on the Aero and several other sleds with slight adjustments to the sled stage. The Longplate comes with a kit of hardware that allows the Operator to mount the any Arri/ Venice/ Sony camera directly to the plate. In fact, any camera body that has the bottom configuration that locks into a VCT Plate can fit directly onto the Longplate. This eliminates a source of vibration, as well as removing about a pound and roughly 1 inch of added height. Please feel free to email me directly to discuss terms. Thank you so much for taking the time to consider the usefulness of the Longplate and looking over the photos attached. Best to one and all, Peter Abraham 35 Years Steadicam Operator 43 Years Camera Operator peter@steadicamproductionservices.com http://www.zalex-products.com
  5. Good afternoon, Many items for sale and so I've parked them on my website. Each one is priced + Shipping. Glad to ship internationally, I do it all the time. Please do NOT message me here to inquire as to a particular item. Please do email me at: peter@steadicamproductionservices.com To help me differentiate, don't just write "Garage Sale" in the Memo line. Please specify the item, such as " Garage Sale: PRO socket block ", and so on. I accept Venmo or PayPal. Local New York City sales can be handed off instead of shipped. https://zalex-products.com/garage-sale/ Best, Peter Abraham
  6. Hi Laurent, I don't know the specific sites. Whatever brand you own, look at the website owned by them.
  7. This came in from Dean Smollar, S.O.C. He informed me that he'd transitioned from a back-mounted vest to a front and missed the arm clearance offered by that design. He decided to try my A.R.M. Arm Repo Mount. I did not design it to compete with the back-mounted vests. I just wanted to solve two 30-year-old problems I'd always faced, no matter what vest/arm/sled combo: 1. The arm bumps into the monitor corner sometimes. 2. The arm blocks a portion of my view of the monitor. The A.R.M. resolves both of these issues. Dean has permitted me to use his words and photos below. Please PM me if you're interested in this mod. It comes with machine screws. $ 225.00 USD. Free shipping in the lower 48 States. ------------------------------------------------------ " I love it! It has dramatically improved the view of my monitor, especially for long lock offs. In addition, I feel more comfortable in Don Juan thanks to the change in geometry of the arm. It makes it feel more like a back mount, which I prefer. I’ll definitely wear my front mount more often with this attachment! "
  8. I'd be so glad to fly down to the island to work on-site..... ;) Logical that you'd feel rocking when inertia the bottom is reduced. Spreading out the weight tends to suppress any rocking. It's very similar to balancing the rig. The faster the drop-time, the more minimized any off-balanced issues are to your fingers because the mass of the pendulum has been increased top to bottom, and the rig is holding itself upright rather aggressively. ( A 1 second drop opposed to a 3 second drop, for example ) I am a HUGE fan of taking an extra 2 minutes when doing a build to build the rig and then set the gimbal to neutral. Zero G, as I call it. Then very carefully arrange both axis so that the system is perfectly balanced. Even a slow drop time is using bottom-heaviness to overcome elements that are trying to pull the rig to one side or another. Only way to know if your build is perfectly centered is to trim fore/aft and side/side while neutral. Then, ASSUMING your gimbal itself is centered, your rig can and will behave exactly like a planetarium machine. You can tip it upside down and to an extreme axis- and it should hang there immobile. Any slow roll or sway is then easier to locate. I used to do it at workshops I taught. If there's a rolling or tilting that you cannot pin down to errant loose cables or trim, then cast your eyes to your gimbal itself. A useful bit to engage in every single time you build. It MUST be done out of the wind, of course. Any breeze will push a rig that's at neutral around. As to the issue of how to center your gimbal, there are written guides out there depending on which gimbal you are using. Glad to help you with this- but better to get those already well-proven guides into your hands. Which gimbal is it?
  9. Pleased to bump this because more and more of this new Longplate-M are finding their way onto people's rigs. PM me with any questions ! Exciting update- for Flyer owners, a possible inexpensive solution for the gear rack needed to engage your Fore/Aft with the Longplate-M !! Keep an eye out here for details.
  10. I am a HUGE fan of this system !! As the designer of the Zalex Longplate and Longplate-M, I'm delighted that Justin has designed this robust clamp for all of those medium sized stage plates on the planet. Going to link through to this product on my Facebook Zalex page ! If you own a rig that uses that sized plate, this SOS is INDISPENSABLE !!! The SOS is something I wanted for decades. Was happy from the first day on set with mine. Peter Abraham, S.O.C.
  11. I am the manufacturer of the Longplate and the Longplate-M. The M fits all Medium Tiffen stages including the Zephyr. The Longplate-M has been shipping for several months now. It comes with a custom-built kit of hardware that allows direct mounting of a Sony broadcast or Alexa type of camera bottom to the Longplate-M. Feel free to PM me with any questions. Best, Peter Abraham, S.O.C.
  12. Hi Preston, I'm pretty familiar with the Zephyr. Indeed at that weight you are already severely over what it is designed to carry. You risk cracking the bearings in the arm ( it sounds a bit like popcorn when they crack ) because of the excessive pressure on them. You also risk having the main pin that holds the gimbal into the handle snap. You also can damage the bearing races in the gimbal itself. In all, a bit of a risk. Adding more weight only increases the chance of damaging components. Might be time to strip down the camera/ setup a bit or look for another used rig that's a bit larger in capacity. Best, Peter Abraham, S.O.C.
  13. My two cents. It is not the gimbal. It is the fore/aft travel adjustment machine screw/ nut combination. Unless you've already resolved this, send me a PM and I can talk you through working it out. Takes about 3 minutes but a bit of prep to make a custom tool. Best, Peter Abraham, S.O.C.
  14. Sure looks like a hand-built prototype of the Model II.
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