Victor Lazaro

What Jerry means is the failure is probably due to a design issue.

Could it be that the gimbal was over tightened on the post? First, reach out to your insurance company (you do have insurance right?), then send the rig to Tiffen for a diagnostic and quote. It should only be a replacement of one section of the carbon post and might not be as dramatic as it looks.

Hi, If you are able to talk with the owner, try to see if he can order the missing parts so you can try it all before you buy and have the price of the parts reflected in the sale price. I had a similar issue when I bought my first rig, a Zephyr, two clamps were broken, I told the seller that I would buy as soon as he got replacements and checked that everything is working. I would stay away form CameTV, it's cheaper for a reason, it breaks and then you are sad you made this decision (see photo below).

Hi, I was the previous owner of Bo's Zephyr, and honestly, the rental for this rig is not more than $500. That was the price Adorama used to do when they still had one (until they took it out of the inventory because it kept on coming back broken with people who didn't know wha they were doing.) I used to charge about $600 for my zephyr, wireless focus and video. $800 is low but not that unimaginable for me with such rig. You do have a limitation in terms of weight and options. You also need to take into account that at the Zephyr's level and when starting, you are against the Movi and all which can carry a similar payload and producers at this level often get sucked into the whole novelty thing. Before I sold the Zephyr, I was charging $1200/10hours (transportation not included). Bo, see who else is operating around you, ask what rate they are going for, and figure out a price that works for you without undercutting the others (which would hurt everyone, including yourself). Then if you think your skills are not on par to charge more, they practice, practice, practice and don't forget to practice some more ;) I also noticed that having your rates accepted by the prod is a matter of confidence in your self worth. If you don't believe in your rate, they won't either. If you state your price firm, they will understand that this is what you are worth, period. Another trick I found useful, when you invoice and you gave a discount to the prod, write your FULL price, then on another line, mark the discount. Seeing it separately will show the prod that you are giving them a big favor and this will not be the case every time. Good luck.

I would suggest you starts by reading this book, The Steadicam[emoji768] Operator's Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/024082380X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_QtbTwbH2B6PF8 It will tell you everything you need to know to start with Steadicam, then you can look into attending to a workshop.

Use some purple Loctite on the screw, it should prevent it from getting loose again.

If you get a out of range gig, make sure to redirect it to another operator with the right gear. I had a few calls that I couldn't do when I had my zephyr too, that's why you need to make sure you are getting the right rig for your market. If you need bigger, try looking into al old archer or something like that.

Thanks everyone for all you awesome answers! (Might I add that you guys were much more precise here than on Facebook, yet another proof that this forum has a real purpose vs the selfiebook group) I already have a large electric dehumidifier that I will place in the room with the gear, that should take care of the moisture and might raise the temperature by a few degrees.

Hi Matt, Congrats and welcome. Choosing your first rig is always delicate. It's expensive, you don't know much about what you want/need etc... The first thing you need to decide is your weight capacity, what are the cameras that you plan on using, and with which accessories? Look for the manufacturers specs and weights and addict all together plus generously take into account the extra unexpected hack and wires etc. you will then find the minimum lift capacity for your sled. I personally started with a used Zephyr, there are a lot of them on the forum and are great first rigs. They work wonderfully well with medium cameras like the Red Epic Sony FS7 etc. it gets too small with Alexas and other fully accessorized cameras ,long zoom lens or anamorphics. The Zephyr is often consider as the smallest of the "big rigs" As for scout and pilot, they are more of a DSLR or small cameras world (Blackmagic et all). Also keep in mind that stabilizers maintain a fairly high market value even when used if well maintained so you can sell back and get a higher one a few years down the road when the limitations becomes an issue (I upgraded about 2.5 years after to a full GPI Pro rig, different price...) As said above, take your time and read what others are saying there is a search bar (also googling site:www.steadicamforum.com your question here, can sometimes bring other posts to light)

Are they all the same post size? Do they work when interchanged? There should be a screw on the side to tighten your Pilot bracket to a stand. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1027080&gclid=CjwKEAiA8qG1BRDz0tmK0pufw3QSJACfn6olM4DTj-u2IxTejRnT2x4wN8qzNBFW83M-wToGsdTPsRoCvtvw_wcB&is=REG&ap=y&m=Y&Q=&A=details

Is anyone storing their gear in a non heated garage? Is that ok to do? I know the batteries needs to be brought in a warm place, but would it damage my sled and arm to store it in an area that can get below freezing?

I have a Bartech Analogue with M-one motor (great motor but bad service). I would stir away from Dji, if your gear breaks you're on your own. Look into a digital Bartech or Axis one maybe.

I would personally be scared to buy such expensive thing on Ebay. I would either go new or see go to see the thing in person if you really want it used. See the Pilot options at B&H to get an idea of the price range. and remember, if it looks too good to be real, it's probably not real http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Maximum+Load_10+lb+%284.5+kg%29&ci=3927&N=3717223527+4291203138+4153186067

A single battery should be fine given your weight limit that excludes any power hungry cameras.

Hi Hero 1- what is your First and Last name? This forum's policy requires that we use our real names. 2- what rig did you order? with what accessories?

I got a Pelican Storm case IM2950 and Kaizen foam that I cut myself. http://www.thepelicanstore.com/kaizen-im2950-6pc-foam-set-1541.aspx All I have to do is angle my monitor to a right angle position and shrink the sled back. So easy.

for the Hyperdeck Shuttle, the issues are: - The SDI connections are not BNC but DIN 1.0/2.3 connector which are a pain and tend to break or get desoldered from the motherboard. It requires an adaptor cable for the in and out, get a right angle DIN or your port will be destroyed in minutes. - Power is a barrel connector. - You cannot delete clips or format your SSD or dial in your recorder's settings in the device, you need to do that on a computer. - Recording is Prores 10 bit 422 only, no LT or any other lighter format, resulting in really big files to manage (not ideal when it is only for personal archival and demo reel purpose) - The SDI trigger works with Red and some Sony camera, not sure with Canon, and will NOT work with the ARRI cameras. You will need to manually press the red button to start/stop it. - there is no on screen display, it either live view or playback with no ID of the clip number or anything. You can get lost in which taker you are playing back. - there is no screen on the device (that doesn't bother me personally) - there are no mounting points. The cheese plate that they are selling is twice heavier as the recorder itself and renders the whole damn thing useless. - there is a DISP button on the machine that does absolutely nothing. It was meant for an update that never came. - make sure you have the right kind of SSD, some are not compatible and will not record properly.

I flew it both ways, with and without batteries. The extra recorder will drain a hefty amount of power if I recall while the camera alone is close to nothing. It's 4pin xlr and you can, like an Alexa do a hot swap. The body is fairly light (flies on a zephyr) but the weight goes up if you add all the needed bells and whistles. Also, the body is V mount only so get that Anton Bauer adapter ready. Also, always use SDI 2 for your monitor output if you want to see the menus and all. SDI 1 is a clean output only and it will change the recording if you add a rec709 to it.

Or, a strip of LEDs, that's what the Tiffen one is supposed to be, but they are having issues with the software (the level goes crazy if you pan too fast apparently) and that's why they are not selling it right now. For now I'm rocking this bad boy on the top of my monitor, old school spirit level. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1077490-REG/joby_jb00124_bubble_level_clip.html Also there is the iPhone app Shot Assistant https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/shot-assistant/id961651001?mt=8 (there is also a lite version for cheaper with only the steadicam level option and no extra bells and whistles) Get a iPod touch and strap it to your monitor like a return screen.

A warning with the DP7 level, it does not work when the monitor is tabled, you need to keep it in a vertical position for it to work properly.

I've been on a waiting list for the Tiffen level. They are out of stock and don't have a deadline to whe they will have more.

That's a great price guys!! Amazing first rig. Also the Zephyr is pre wired for HD, all you need to do is get an HD monitor and you're good to go.

I use WP Dolle for my insurance. They have a special plan just for Steadicam operators. I have heard of film emporium but I'm still happy with WP D. http://wpdolle.com/_steadicam.html

Slightly unrelated but I discovered that GPI PRO's arm post diameter was the same as a baby pin, I can balance my sled on a c stand if I wanted to.

Hi the 2722 (two position) is simultaneous. The 4 position one is sequential. Source. I won both.