chris fawcett

That's a little threaded washer that Tiffen gives away with its rigs. They also sell them for a couple of $. You can make something similar, and every bit as good, or better, by taking any screw with the right size head to slot into your dovetail, and a very thin nut that fits into the rear recess in the camera. Some vigorous use of a metal file will probably be required to make it right. I believe Peter Abraham was considering making these for his longplate. Perhaps he'll chip in. This is indeed, as described, a hack, but it is the simplest, lightest, lowest, and cheapest solution! All the best, Chris

Yes, by all means, add weight, lots. I usually add a V-Lock battery and plate, plus a Transvideo Titan HD Tx, plus 10lbs of steel to balance those thingies.

And there's the cheapo option!

Very likely, Jess.

x2s last for years. This is a good deal.

We'll sail over and pick you up, Louis. Bring limes.

Thank you, Rich. Well said.

I am occasionally directed to maintain very specific lens heights relative to actors by their peeps. Usually slightly above eye level for women, and slightly below for men. As for low-mode, I got stuck in it for 3 hours while filming a Krump Kings concert, and actually grew to like it! All the best, Chris

Good! Think of it as an artisanal look :) One reason the pads are separate is so that they don't impinge on the gluteus medius muscles. Those side glutes are active in stabilising your hip joint when walking, so it's probably best to not to press upon them too much. Another is so they don't form a continuous ligature around the body. The rationale behind that is that having a continuous belt around your waist may constrain return blood flow from the legs. If you feel that either of those conditions is not being met, you might want smaller pads. My waist is 32", and I have the waistband completely closed at its smallest setting. It works just fine for me. My pads do touch at the sides, but they don't press against my waist continuously. Buy hey, we're all different! All the best, Chris

Frederic, If you're really unhappy with your pads, I can ask Tiffen on your behalf about replacing them. Take it for granted though, that if they fail for any reason they're covered by your warrenty. Let me know what I can do for you. Chris

Hi Tom, You've got me scratching my head about these pads. I've checked and double checked, and I'm fairly sure that there have been no design changes to the pads since the first vest was sold. Like I mentioned before, there may be some variation from the pad maker that I am not aware of. I enclose a couple of photos of the pads on the last vest to come out of the factory. Could you post some of yours so I can see the difference? Thanks! Chris

Morgan, I'm guessing that's your name, You could try the string trick. There's a video describing it at the bottom of this page: http://steadivision.com/tips.html All the best, Chris

Hi Frederic, My pads are up to date. I can post a photo on Wednesday, if you can wait that long. Meanwhile, can anyone else help? All the best, Chris

Tom, Robin and Dan are going to look at your pads and compare them to the latest versions, but we all think that there isn't any major difference, and if there is, it's not in the design, but perhaps some variation from the vendor. Frederic, If there's something you or Tom don't like about your pads, we'll look at improving them for you. When do you send your vest in for upgrades? All the best, Chris

Thanks!

Good question, Tom. Can you please mail me a couple of photos of your pads, plus the serial number of your vest? chris@steadivision.com I'll see what I can do for you. All the best, Chris

Jordan, You're not missing anything. The compact version is just the regular version cut down a little on the waist and shoulders, and optionally, though not needed in your case, the length of the rods. You should probably take 2" off your sholder straps. Like I said, it's an easy job as long as you can drill holes in the right places! One advice, do each shoulder strap at a time. I even have difficulty remembering which strap goes where. If you're not 100% sure about doing it yourself, best wait for Rey to book your vest in and have the upgrades done at the same time. Let us know how it goes. All the best, Chris

Jordan, That's certainly an original solution, and I'm all for originality, but I'm with Sanjay here. I think you might be better off with that booster pad at the back. Is your vest eligible for upgrades? If so, you might ask Tiffen to shorten the shoulder straps for you as well. All Exovests to date have huge adjustability over the shoulders, and we've never heard of anyone that uses anywhere the largest size (now would be a good time to be contradicted in this), so henceforth, those shoulder straps will all be 1" shorter. When we bring out a compact version of the vest, the shoulder straps will be an additional 1" shorter. So shortening these by 1-2" might be the better solution for you. Are you mechanically minded, or do you know someone that is? Do you have access to a modest machine shop? If so, PM me If you'd like me to take you through what it would take to do this yourself. I can tell you up front, it's no biggie. All the best, Chris

Here's a photo (thanks Olli Schumann) of the latest version lever that Robin mentions. If your lever looks like this, your vest is entirely up to date. If not, there are upgrades available for you.

Salierient words.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/15/drone-hunt-crash-rapere

In that first shot, you look like you're playing the violin, Maestro. Nice work.

I'm glad Canada Goose still makes their jacket in Canada. Their expedition jackets still look great, but their high-street 'fashion' stuff looks pretty bad to me. Is it possible they make that offshore? 12 years ago, or so, I went shopping for a Goretex shell, and asked why the Arcteryx jackets cost 2-3 times more than the others. The sales guy replied, "Because they're made in Canada—by adults." I found that a convincing argument, so I bought one that lasted until 2014. When I went back to the same store—same guy—to buy another, he warned me off by telling me that Arcteryx had moved offshore, and into the 'fashion' market. He recommended instead a jacket made in the old Arcteryx factory, the Crux Shok. I can definitely say that stuff that's really made in Canada is great. The Shok is a stunningly good jacket. Way better than my stupid North Face McMurdo Parka, which has teddy-bear fur in the hood. Not fit for anything beyond city use, IMO. Chris http://www.crux.uk.com/en/shell-clothing.php?range=9&product=15

Thanks, forum peeps, for the New Year's message, quoted below. I look forward to participating more in this fine forum. The 'return to civility' clause is most welcome, especially in light of our very diverse membership. Together, we can set the standard for a respectful professional arena of discussion we can all enjoy and profit from. A happy and prosperous 2015 to you all. With respect and best regards, Chris Fawcett (Apologies to the entire Southern Hemisphere!) Happy New Year from all of us at the Steadicam Forum. As we ring in the New Year, we wanted to take a moment and thank you for your participation at the Steadicam Forum. It is your participation that makes the Steadicam Forum such a great place. Very few online forums bring together such a talented bunch of people and we look forward to 2015 with great enthusiasm. If you have not visited us in a while, please stop by www.steadicamforum.com and say hello. For 2015 we are incorporating some changes to accommodate our growing community. The Steadicam Forum was founded to be a "Professional Forum" for "Professional Steadicam Operators," but as our membership has grown, not everyone knows each other on a first-name basis anymore, and it has become clear with more people posting that more moderation is necessary (and indeed this has been a request from many of you). In short, we are making a concentrated effort now to restore the Steadicam Forum to civility and harbor an atmosphere for Professional Steadicam Operators to talk about professional gear as well as the trials and tribulations they face daily on professional sets. Please come by and check us out. Thank you and Happy New Year! Your Steadicam Forum Team: Janice Arthur, Forum Moderator Afton Grant, Forum Moderator Alec Jarnagin, Forum Moderator Erwin Landau, , Forum Moderator Louis Puli, Forum Moderator Tim Tyler, Forum Administrator

Oliver, Lucky you on the job. Have a lot of fun out there. Yes, you're right. I guess Americans assume that everyone has access to imperial tools; it's an assumption I've been guilty of myself. Let us know how it goes out there. All feedback is useful, negative too! All the best, Chris