Iain Baird

I'm hopeful that with the Level sorted and shipping (although I haven't seen mine yet) that Chris will have time to refocus his efforts on the operating system and PSF compatibility issues. My feeling is that the most important feature of a Steadicam monitor is the view ability of the image, and Cinetronic is the best that I've seen in this department. But the points won in the viewable comparison will be lost if the other features don't deliver. If they are not addressed soon then I too may find myself regretting the purchase. I want Chris to succeed but I also require my equipment to be able to handle all the cameras that I might encounter and if it can't I'll have to find something that does. IB

A link to a site under construction that doesn't talk about the product in the very grainy pic? What are we missing? IB

Dave, Thank you for a fantastic and well articulated post!!! I couldn't agree more with your sentiments on both sides. Kudos to you for taking the time to follow up with your promise. IB

In a poll of 20 operators working on various shows NONE of us have ever heard "Frame" EVER Could be a regional thing. I learned "Frame" from a Toronto Operator 15 years ago and used it to indicate I was ready for at least 10 years. I've since been working more abroad and switched to using "Set" as that's what the local operators are using and the AD's are more familiar with IB

Great News Chris, Will there be restrictions to how the level is sitting or will you be able to zero the level in a few different orientations? IB

And that'll be it then do you recon? Nice and tidy 3's all around?

With the recent release of the MDR3 I'm curious if anyone has heard rumour of a next generation Hand Unit? Perhaps a waterproof unit? IB

By my math and currency exchange you're selling 2,500 (euro) worth of gear for 3,100 (euro) + shipping. Am I missing something? IB

Won't be long before someone mounts one of those on a Steadicam I'd bet!

I do recall mention of a "latest and greatest" Alexa plate about to hit the market but haven't seen it yet. In the meantime I'm still using the small and simple spacer plate that allows me to attach my current dovetails. I've yet to have any problems with what at first glance appears to be a very small point of contact between camera and dovetail relative to total length of the camera setup. I've flown all sorts of lenses with no noticeable vibration problems and until I do I see no need for another solution. IB

.....unfortunately it's not a feature available for the shuttle yet, just the studio version. Damn IB

BlackMagic has just released new firmware 4.0 with updated codec options. They now have a few more recording choices including Pro Res proxy. These files are much smaller and more practical for playback purposes. If they ever sort out Clip delete and SDI trigger I'll be thrilled. IB

Sale Pending

Sanjay, all the wiring is inside the Hyperdeck. From the battery plate I have a power supply routed directly to the Monitor and a separate feed on a 12V regulator for the Hyperdeck. I've taken the internal battery out of the Shuttle and have the power soldered directly to the Shuttle circuit board. I have a switch on the side of the AB plate that can turn off the Shuttle feed if I'm not using it.

Here's a look at the custom cable's I've installed for the SDI path. The signal goes through the Hyperdeck first then onto the Monitor through a short jumper. The co-ax SDI connections on the Hyperdeck are DIN 1.0/2.3 - not ideal in the BNC world we work in, but I've made quite a few backups of varying sizes along with the ones here in the pic which are the exact length they need to be. I'm using a nice and flexible RG179 cable to allow for easy hookup. IB

Having just purchased a Cinetronic a few months ago it's time to send my old monitor off to a new home. Still works perfectly, there are a few scratches on the shell from normal wear and tear but the screen is still immaculate. I'm asking $1,600 US plus S&H for the Monitor and Bracket, and $1,800 US plus S&H if you want the IDX battery mount with mounting bracket (not shown here) The two short arms in the U bracket are for attaching this monitor to the MK-V monitor bracket (they are part of the sale) IB

Price now $1,750 US plus shipping. Canatrans comes with three cables - Panavision Power, Arri Power and PRO power & Video IB

Jens, I considered this but those plates are never as solid as I would like not to mention the added size in the whole setup. What I did do is put a Male to Female connector on the power connection from the AB mount to the Shuttle and used matching connectors from the shuttle to the Cinetronic. This way with just a screwdriver and some allen keys I can easily take the Shuttle out anytime and plug the AB mount back into the Monitor. IB

Sanjay, from what I understand from Chris at Cinetronic there should be no issues as they were at one time planning on building something similar but then interest in the Shuttle wained I suppose. I've had no overheating issues but I've only been using it for a few weeks now. I'm in Ireland at the moment and although it's been a hot & sunny summer by Irish standards it's not been through any rigorous testing environments yet!! The size of the Shuttle is perfect - they look like they were made for each other when attached. If BM can improve the operating system it may turn out to be a winner all around. IB

Here are a few pics of my latest little project - Marrying the Hyperdeck to the Cinetronic 2, while still keeping the Battery Mount on the Monitor. The Hyperdeck is not the ideal recorder for all of my purposes, it's impractical to use to record EVERY take as you can not delete clips from the machine and files tends to use up a lot of space - especially in this 'KEEP ROLLING' digital world we are in now. It also does not have a trigger function that works with the Alexa unless the Alexa is set to "roll timecode on record" which on most sets it is not. It recognizes the Panasonic protocol SDI trigger but I'm not sure what cameras use that. So presently I'm using it to record rehearsals and TAKES that I'd like to keep for my own purposes. If I'd like to keep anything I record it after the fact by playing it back from the camera and making a duplicate onto the Hyperdeck. I've been bringing home the SSD card on the weekends to delete what I don't want and archive the footage I like. I'm hopeful that Blackmagic still has plans to improve the firmware to add a few more features that will make the unit more Steadicam friendly. Clip delete and more all encompassing SDI trigger recognition would be a good start. I have all of the power cables running through the Shuttle. There is a direct feed from the Battery to the Monitor and a regulated 12v feed on a switch soldered directly to the Hyperdeck circuit board. I've taken the battery out of the Hyperdeck as I don't want to be charging the internal battery while I'm powering the unit anyways with the monitor batt. The shuttle can handle more than 12v but I'm playing it safe with the regulator. The Hyperdeck Shell is thick enough to tap M3 threads into it to reattach the battery mount onto the back of the Recorder. The Shuttle comes apart pretty easily if you're handy with electronics and have torx screwdriver bits. The two backs of each unit are attached to each other using small nuts and bolts I drilled four holes into the corners of the Cinetronic back cover to allow the BM back cover to be attached first. There are two screws in the Cinetronic back that are covered by the shuttle and can no longer be used but the strength of the plates together make them unnecessary. There are a few tricks along the way and it's late here so if anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them later. IB

Transmitter package now $1800.00 US plus shipping IB

Title says it all - I'm selling two of my old transmitters. They both work perfectly & in great condition with minor wear & tear. The Canatrans comes with the two Antenna used for upper & lower channels and two power cables. $2000.00 US plus shipping for the pair. IB

Vapour ware until I see it on set. The latest update we got from Panavision Ireland was firmware 8 - and that was just this week!!

The Alexa does not have image flip yet. It's not as easy as just flipping the camera!! There was a time when with an upside down image all you had to do was flip the ONE video village monitor, which was rather easy. Now quite often there are about 3-4 monitor stations on set, between the DP, DIT, Director, Video Playback..... and they all have rather large monitors that don't flip very easily. As a result mounting the camera from the top handle is almost a must for low mode on the Alexa. IB

I can't speak to anyone else's experience but Chris has been responsive to all of my e-mailed questions and concerns in a very timely manner. Years ago on the forum I remember a wish list for the perfect steadicam monitor and everybody scoffed at the idea of any manufacturer coming close to satisfying the wants and needs of our very demanding and particular field. In my estimation once all the kinks are ironed out with the Cinetronic it should be pretty darn close to meeting that criteria. I'm sure it hasn't been easy getting to this point and hopefully Chris has the wherewithal and determination to see it through to a successful completion then all of these growing pains will be just part of the journey. IB