chris fawcett

Did Steadicam announce the arms yet? I can't find them on the Steadicam website.

Come on Maqu, please just pick up the phone, call them, then report back to us. All the best, Chris

Good point. Maqu, have you contacted Tiffen?

Maqu, Some of of us like the G arms. Analyse my reel, question my motives, whatever, I will not budge. I like the G arms! Please respect my opinion as i respect yours. Chriis

Robert, First, thanks for the compliment. For clarity's sake, let's go back to what I actually said: I've tried both x arms. There is no doubt that you'll notice the difference immediately. Having said that, I've never had the 'bounce' problem with my stock G50. My statement was intended to convey nothing more than this, and it saddens me that so much has been read into it and my motives for saying it. All the best, Chris

One of history's great polymaths. Recognise him, anyone? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27822929/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/copernicus-remains-grave-found/

Has this discussion become an ad hominem argument?

I'm obviously crap at being clear, Maqu. I can only usefully comment on my own experience. Someone in this thread asked if anyone had tried the arms, and if so, what did they think, or something like that. I answered as simply and as briefly as I could. The subsequent 'verbiage' is entirely my own doing. All the best, Chris

Maqu, I'm not capable of giving you an insight into how the arm feels. I don't have the intellectual capability to translate 'feels yummy' into an accurate, useful description that could convey meaning from one mind to another. The only accurate testimony I can give is that if you try one, you will notice a difference, an improvement, a progression. My original statement, a few posts ago "I've tried both x arms. There is no doubt that you'll notice the difference immediately," stands, and all I've said since to elaborate on it is verbiage. Chris

Maqu, You are best placed to comment on the problem that I don't doubt you have with the arm. I am not. Chris

Hi Robert, I've had a a chance to fly the new arms in various stages of development, and the production G70X arm that I just flew at the Atlanta workshop is the one of finest arms I've ever flown. To your main question, I have a fantastic relationship with Tiffen, and with the other suppliers of gear that I use, for two main reasons. First, I don't even begin a relationship with a company I don't trust, respect, and admire; and second, I try to put as much into that relationship as I possibly can. From the very beginning, Tiffen has supported me, and has listened to and addressed my problems. I have not been shy to pick the phone and call them directly at any time I felt like it, and any suggestion or comment, clever or stupid, I ever had about their gear has always been dealt with to my full satisfaction. I have never charged Tiffen, nor been remunerated by them for consultation, testing, or demos. When I buy their gear (usually ex-demo stuff, which is available to anyone that asks), I get the same deals as everyone else, and as you know, teaching workshops is not something you do for the money, so you won't find the reason for my supporting them there. Robert, the explanation is that I applaud they way they innovate and push new products to the market. Not everyone goes gaga over the fact that you can crank the arms, tools free, from 0-70lbs in a matter of seconds; that you can tilt the stage without having to tilt the post; that you can balance the stage, on the fly, wirelessly; etc, but I do. I admire the innovation and drive this company has, and with any luck my relationship with them is just going to get better. When I say I like something, it's simply because I like it. It's my opinion—as valid or as subjective as anyone else's. See you in Vegas, Chris

:)

Hey Matteo, I remember; we had many conversations about it. I hope this solution will herald the end of your problem. All the best, Chris

Hey Matteo, I honestly never had a problem with that arm. Chris

I've tried both x arms. There is no doubt that you'll notice the difference immediately. Having said that, I've never had the 'bounce' problem with my stock G50. Chris

Hey Job, That's a good point, and I'm glad you brought it up. Kerbs, and other immovable obstacles are what you check out in a recce. You know where those are in advance. it's the movable obstacles that might unexpectedly get placed in your way, like legs, balls, helmets, stands, whatever, that the safety fenders take care of so well. Your kerb example is a good one. If you run into a kerb straight on, safety fenders won't make a difference. If the kerb is too hight to climb, you'll come off the machine whether you have fenders on or not. Where they come in handy is with the glancing blow against an immovable object like a wall, doorframe, or kerb, when rather than piling full-frontal into it, you misjudge your position and brush against it. As you know, the basic Segway will attempt to climb whatever it hits, throwing you off. The fenders are there to deflect you. Ulik and I did weeks of testing with them, setting up more than 100 crashes, and we found them to be effective at deflecting the Steadiseg at angles of up to 45 degrees. Beyond that, the Steadiseg skews around to run headlong into the object. If it's a wall, that's a pretty good result—way better than the wheel getting traction on a vertical surface and flipping you over. What you describe as not being rocket science, is still pretty hard to achieve, but we are working on other safety systems as well. It's hard to beat a simple mechanical solution like simply enclosing the wheels, but we're doing our damnedest! All the best, Chris

In this case—a fairly typical Segway accident—the fenders would knock the helmet away.

Glad he's not hurt. This is why we totally enclose the Steadiseg wheels with the safety fenders—so this kind of accident can't happen. Chris

It's basically a health and safety warning to advise you of how addictive Steadicam is. One workshop, and you're hooked. Beware.

More like playing the piano in a marching band...

Thanks Matt! Safe home now. Chris

Great news Jess!

Hi Stuart, I just did some work which involved running backwards in a moving train with narrow corridors with regular 20" choke points. I restrained the arm as shown in the pic below, and it worked great for me. I just had to hold the rig out in front. Have a great shoot, Chris

It's really great. I was impressed. Chris