chris fawcett

Hey Jens,

Thanks for the clarification. I have had just one experience with the PRO arm, and I had to do exactly what I described. That probably clouded my perception of the arm. I look forward to giving it another chance sometime. There is no doubt that it is a fine arm.

All the best,

Chris

Back to the thread.

To say that the Gx series arms don't compare to the PRO arms is hyperbole. Of course they compare. To say that 'top' operators don't use them is insulting (and possibly the beginning of a circular argument) .

Certainly the PRO arm is superb. If you are shooting a TV series for months, it can be the arm for you, but for the kind of work I do, I wouldn't want one. I'm lucky to get 5 days on a feature, then I'll jump to a couple of days on a commercial. Often I'll fly to another country to drop into the middle of a shoot without benefit of a prep day. When I don't know what lens is coming next, what accessory might get added to the camera between scenes—or even between takes—I don't want an arm that I might have to unload, dismantle (however easy that may be), then tune possibly 4 different canisters with a tool. I want an arm that I can dial up to the right lift by hand, at 'one' if necessary.

My current G arm is a beauty, and the one before it was too. I never saw a step in any of my shots. My friend's PRO arm is a beauty too. We are both happy with the choices we made. Thank •••• for innovation and choice.

All the best,

Chris

Eric,

Your decision to penalise Garrett Brown, by deleting a post that is critical of you on the grounds that it was a 'cross post,' is a perfect example of immoderation.

You have a unique voice on this forum, Eric, but one that is entirely inconsistent with your position as moderator.

I agree with Garrett that you should resign your position. As a last act of goodwill, please reinstate Garrett's "cross post" as a new topic, as he surely intended it, so that it may be seen by everyone on this forum, and not lay buried in an obscure thread.

All the best,

Chris

Second that. Great job!

Thanks everyone!

That information was a great help.

All the best,

Chris

Resistance is futile.

Chris, bring one to test out in Miami and Cuban food and Mojito drinks are on me while your here!.

Ozzie

Vamanos!

You have after today? ;-)

Yep,

I'm going to visit everyone on this forum and do it personally if necessary ;)

When I got home it was all about my sore dogs, so thankfully REI happily let me return them.

You gotta love REI.

Yea, it took me a year to break my feet in. I guess jumping straight into a live show was optimistic.

Chris

One of the many little changes that happen when switching to the minimals, apart from the calf and foot muscle strength, is that you build up fatty pads beneath the bones of your feet that contact the ground. So my feet may just be fatter ;)

And yes, the vest. I just had a long Skype call to the US where Jerry is finishing our last batch of prototypes for IBC and Cinec. From there we move directly to the production model. I'm very happy with the results so far. Soon, I promise.

All the best,

Chris

Five fingers all the way. I have a pair of both the Komodosports and the Treksports. I tend to only use them indoors or on smooth pavement. If you step on a rock or gravel with these, you'll feel it and it will hurt.

I trail run in the Komodos. Walked through an obsidian crater at Mono lake without problems. Hiked around June lakes up to the snow-line. I think your feet toughen up after a year or so in them,

Chris.

Sanjay: http://www.merrell.com/US/en-us/Product.mvc.aspx/22875M/50390/Mens/Barefoot-Run-Trail-Glove

See you at Cinec,

Chris

Hey Guys,

Plus one for Vibram Five Fingers. I've got 3 pairs and find them well suited for steadicam work.

Cheers,

Nic

15 Fingers?

Those are the ones I use ... love them ! Have 3 identical pairs at any given time.

Hey Sanjay,

I'm really looking forward to seeing you at Cinec!

I did a commercial shoot on Friday, mostly on the Steadiseg. It was a busy day, and I didn't get around to changing out of my street Salamons. Then I had to do a slow tracking shot in the vest, and I couldn't figure out why I felt so unstable. My foot and ankle muscles were working too hard in balancing me. Then I remembered to change to the 5F, and immediately I felt grounded. You really have to give them a try.

OK, they do look silly.

All the best,

Chris

Thanks everyone for the input so far.

Can I please nudge a few more of you to "measure up"?

It's not quite enough data yet.

All the best,

Chris

Fellow Steadicam Operators,

I'm working out a size matrix for the Exovest, and I'd really appreciate your assistance.

Can you all take some measurements when you get a chance? I need two, as per the diagrams below. Girth as measured at the level of the top of the pelvic bone, and height as measured from the top of the pelvic bone to the top of the shoulder joint. Inches if possible, centimetres OK. Fill in your name and data here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aquu_znJxk-7dE9EYm81V1JDOFBybU01Mk1nWXR1VHc#gid=0

Thanks for your help,

Chris

Hi Luis,

That's not been decided yet, as far as I know, though I think we'll hear soon.

All the best,

Chris

...with custom carbon kevlar orthotics inside them:

I've gone entirely the other way. The orthotic approach was crippling my feet, and now I wear minimal shoes whenever the weather allows. I variously use these:

Fivefinger Komodo: http://www.vfinger.com/images/2012040817355619117.jpg

Merrell Trail Glove: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-krKQtGD6kxo/T7fFF66kpEI/AAAAAAAABr0/c4PSJZOU5v0/s1600/Merrell+Trail+Glove+(2).jpg

New Balance Minimus: http://www.irunfar.com/wp-content/uploads/New-Balance-Minimus-Trail1.jpg

The Komodos I find best for delicate work, but if I'm standing around on hard surfaces, the Minimus have a 3mm heel lift, which is more comfortable. The Trail Gloves are a little broad for my feet, so I wear them with mountaineering socks in colder weather. In freezing or wet weather, I revert to my good old Salomon Goretex: http://images.citysports.com/f/726/28361/24h/www.citysports.com/assets/product_images/182698_md.jpg but I increasingly find them spongy and unstable compared to the minimal shoes.

For me, lighter works better, but I assume that's a personal thing. If you do try any of these minimal shoes, work up to them gradually. The kind of support offered by modern trainers makes your feet lazy. You'll have to build up support muscles in your calves and arches before you'd want to go for a run or strap on a Steadicam.

All the best,

Chris

Sorry, Rob,

I didn't realise that was a colloquialism.

Chuffed: To be very pleased, proud or happy with oneself. "I just scored free tickets to the gig, I'm well chuffed!"

And, yes, great work all round.

Chris

I'm really chuffed with this photo!

I had that issue last night leaving the bar.

:)

Is this a Pro/Boxx issue or is this a ticking time bomb for my monitor?

It's a floating ground issue. See this post for more info: http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=10918

All the best,

Chris

You're very welcome.

Hi Mariano,

Although you can mount the arm front or back, there doesn't seem to be a compelling reason to mount a standard two-section arm to the back. It's more weight and more bulk; but like I said, there's nothing to stop anyone doing just that, if they so pleased.

As for the feel, I can only say that it doesn't make much difference having the arm attachment at the front or at the back of the vest. The only difference is that having extra weight out back changes your balance slightly—in a not disagreeable way—but I personally would only consider it in order to increase boom range.

I hope this helps,

Chris