Iain Baird

I'm not sure about how much the old PRO chocolate bar batteries weigh but I'm sure that the PRO green screen and battery dock are a whole lot heavier than the LCD and battery mounts on the MK-V. As well the MK-V has been set up with a lot more space between gimbal and topstage which would definitely add a few inches.

I just purchased my Decimator yesterday. I had a chance to try it out at Clairmont while doing a little testing on the F35 and the picture looked amazing, the F35 in fact has a built in downconverter but it was nice to give the unit a test run. I made one modification to the unit (after reading a few of the complaints and then seeing the DC plug for myself) and added a four pin lemo. It's wired into the power and Composite output and matches the pinouts on the PRO video plugs. The unit is very easy to take apart, it's a circuit board design so the contacts to solder the new connections onto are on the bottom of the board. Very easy to identify and easy to solder onto. For any operators in Canada that are looking to buy the DECIMATOR, call Doug Macaulay at Kingsway Motion Picture Ltd. 416-463-4345 e-mail kingsway@allstream.net

Years ago, when I was starting out, I was shooting a lot of music videos. It was a great learning ground for me but there were a lot of things I found that come with the territory. One of them was that musicians, not all but many, and their friends like to party regardless of circumstance. On many occasions I witnessed all sorts of craziness, Drugs, Booze, Sex - you name it, nothing surprised me. With all the work to be done it all seemed so foolish to me but at the end of the day as long as I was paid and the client was happy with my work it was really none of my business. Personally, I never had to walk off set but there were a few times when I had to leave a room that was being HOTBOXED to make sure I could work the rest of day without having cravings to run to the craft table.

These are probably the same as the Ultra, check the Tiffen website and they might have the info.

Hi Hugo, A Few questions about the loom What is the OD of the Coil? What is the retracted length of the coil (not including the leads of course) What is the OD of the cord? thanks, IAIN

No Worries Salazar, I'm sure Matias was able to read and understand it, and hopefully it helped to answer his question. Truthfully I don't own a pilot and probably never will, but I do like to read all the posts about equipment and functionality which led to the translation. This site is a resource for so many operators that I figured I'd put the translation up for those that might be looking for the same answers but can't read Spanish. IAIN

Or in other words...... In theory this should function well, considering that the weight of the camera Sony HVR Z1 is 4,3 lb (1,9 kg). The model one Pilot is designed for a capacity of 2 to 10 lbs. Which puts this camera inside an acceptable medium range. It is necessary to consider the type of monitor that the Pilot has since there are two alternatives: 5,8" Color LCD Monitor (Pilot) 16:9 and 3,5" Color LCD monitor (Co-Pilot) 4:3 (Pal or NTSC). Likewise it is important to consider the weight of the system with monitor and camera. If it's a 3.5" monitor use Double AA batteries. (They are light but have little capacity and duration). A 5.8" monitor requires of professional batteries like the V-Lock. (I don't speak spanish but google does)

Not exactly. 50ohm and 75ohm don't refer to the electrical resistance they refer to the characteristic impedance which is determined by the spacing of the conductors and the insulation between them. Video signals use a 75ohm system. If you try to send it over a 50ohm cable it will not work better. When the 75ohm signal gets to the 50ohm connection some of the signal will be reflected back by the mismatch which can lead to a weaker signal and ghosting. This will happen again at the other end. While I wouldn't go using 100ft runs of 50ohm cable for a video signal I doubt that the 50ohm connectors in this instance are going to be a problem. ~Jess Obviously the ideal would have been to use a 75ohm connector. However the only plug Lemo makes with a 75ohm connection and at least 8 pins is sized 5B, way too big for consideration.

Indeed Jess, many hours!! And for me, add to that, not being positive it would work. IAIN

Thanks for the clarification Matt, I should have mention that part. The HD tech explained that to me that if anything the signal would be brighter, however we didn't notice any difference on his monitor or scope. Perhaps because it's only for such a short amount of the run it doesn't affect the signal. Both the Panel Mount Jacks I'm using are 75ohm as is the RG179 cable. Although I would prefer a better post cable to the one I'm using this has been tested and works. I have an HD monitor (Tiffen) but I use it in composite mode because my frameline generator and Level don't work on the HD signal. I'm sure eventually I'll have an HD monitor with built in Level and framelines but in the meantime I'm planning on buying the CAMWAVE and wanted the weight below the gimbal.

The company would NOT add the connectors, they will just make the coiled cable to spec. You would have to find someone to do all the soldering and wiring for you. Keep in mind that both the Upper and Lower Junction Boxes have to be modified as well, adding the BNC plug and changing out the Lemo jacks.

I have just finished working on and testing a modification to my PRO rig to get HD-SDI down the post. It required changing out the 8 pin Lemo for a special 12 pin + 1 50ohm lemo plug. The plugs are the same size so no machining was required. The new plug looks like this. I had to completely rewire both my topstage and Lower Junction as well as install a Panel Mount BNC jack in both (crimp design not solder) I used two pins each for the Camera and Aux power runs, and single pins for Composite video and Video power. HD-SDI uses 75ohm cables and connectors but the two 50 ohm plugs don't seem to affect the signal at all. I tested it at PANAVISION with the HD tech and the signal looked fine on the scope. The pins on the plug are only good for 5 amps each, but because two are used per run I get 10 amps for camera and 10 amps for Aux power, the same as the breakers in the rig. I'm also using a Y cable (with diodes to prevent cross charging) to power HD cameras, effectively giving me 20 amps. The hardest part was finding an appropriate coiled cable for the post, I use a 4 piece extendable. I was able to source out a cable that was appropriate but not perfect. I had to use multiple cores twisted together for the power runs to achieve the equivalent of 17AWG for each. The company that makes the cable would require an order of at least 50 (at $75 a piece) to make it to spec. I figure 4x14AWG (camera & Aux power), 2x20AWG (video power) and 2x RG179 (HD-SDI and Composite Video) would be perfect for most needs. If enough people are interested in upgrading their system perhaps we could have a run done. Hopefully everyone would want 2 and therefore only 25 people would have to commit. If you are interested please let me know by way of replies and if it seems we have enough I'll talk to the company about putting together a quote with exact specs. IAIN

The Red Wrench that is used for the PRO arm and DBIII is a 5/32" (or 4mm if you're in a pinch), I would assume that the gimbal and docking collar bolts are the same. IAIN

I have the Klassen GB Dual Mount Vest. When I purchased it Walter gave me an aircraft pin for my PRO arm. It works perfectly and makes turning the block around a ten second procedure. IAIN

I seem to recall that Charles was unsuccessful in his attempts to use the CAMWAVE unit with 24p. I haven't heard an update to the contrary, is the CAMWAVE now friendly to all HD formats it might encounter? IAIN BAIRD

I'm sure there is an appropriate LEMO combination of male and female connectors. First determine how many connections you need to make and the diameter available that you have to work with. You can source out the right connectors here http://www.lemo.com/search/basic_search.jsp The B series will do for most applications. IAIN

As long as the batteries are on separate circuits you'll never have a problem mixing types. It's when you want to parallel the batteries that the issues arise. IAIN

Yes each one can handle two batteries. They have a common cathode for the shared output of the two sources. The diode is 16mm wide, 5mm deep and approx. 32 mm long with the pins, without the pins it's 20.5mm long IAIN

I have installed a diode called a schottky power rectifier in one of my PRO power jumper boxes to allow me to parallel two batteries with out having them cross charge each other. L221.pdf Schottky power rectifier diodes work in varying degrees. This particular one is a very low loss version and larger than most diodes so doesn't get as hot as the smaller versions. It is still small enough to fit inside my PRO power jumper box. Panavision Canada is using the same Diodes to build battery belts (three 140's) for the Genesis Toaster when flying in two piece mode.

Does anyone have a spec sheet on the ProFormers? IAIN BAIRD

Very Nice Kenn, Did you fabricate the double IDX mount yourself? If not where did it come from, if so where did you get the parts? IAIN BAIRD

Here's a link, Iain Baird Music

how do you post a link?

Greetings all, Well before my first foray into the film world and my eventual discovery and future dreams of Steadicaming came along, I was a lost and hopeful musician. However; like many other musicians I was heading for a world of hurt that I knew was waiting for me, working behind the bar or in some office somewhere copying other peoples ideas for some meeting that I wouldn't be part of. Now cut to.... ......... later and I've been working for almost ten years as a Steadicam operator in Toronto, as a member of IATSE 667. I've had the pleasure of working on quite a few memorable and rewarding productions, but......that feeling still lingers. The truth is that I like to write tunes, but I don't really like to, or have the time to perform, So what's a boy to do? I wanna write em' is all. So I've decided to promote my services, I figure someone out there might have a project in need of an original song. I've posted a couple of my songs on a myspace page www.myspace.com/ibaird the first one has more production value than the second, but they both give you the idea of my musical style. So if you, or someone you know has a project in mind for an origional tune that fits the style, let me know and perhaps we can give er' a shot. Cheers, IAIN BAIRD

Hi Pouyan, You should contact Doug Macauley at Kingsway Pictures, kingsway@allstream.net He's the Toronto dealer for Tiffen