Lucas Delbanco

I really doubt you'll be able to find the complete part. You could easily find a net set of bearings in that size, but your best bet for the gimbal yoke might be either a new sled, a used one that you can strip down for parts, or calling up a local machine shop to see if they could build you one. Either way, good luck!

Well, at least that's kinda cute, and likely intended to show off how easy it is to use.

"How dope is that"

Dude. Really?

Also, love the excellent audio quality on such a professional product release video.

I was, and still am, a total radio control nut, so I feel pretty confident in saying the Spectrum controllers are top notch. I've never used the Movi controller, but I have used the DX7s a little bit, and it is truly great to use. The spring rates are very well tuned, and it feels and handles like a professional piece of equipment. That being said, I have heard of some issues with Spektrum controllers glutting a bit, though that is usually de to massive interference, to the point where a 2.4 ghz encoder cannot handle it, or very long distance transmission. I have never had an issue with one, though, so that's what I would go with.

I went with a small, incredibly cheap rig for my first (and so far, only), and I will say that for my needs it worked out fairly well. Considering I was a high school junior when I bought the thing, the $700 I payed for it was substantial to say the least; It took a couple months of saving to even get a monitor for it. Now, I am seriously considering upgrading at some point. I enjoy operating my little POS more than almost anything else on set, and I have gotten some decently good shots out of it. Obviously, they're no where near the level of 99% of people on this forum, but it was a good investment in my opinion. If nothing else, I learned a ton from it and found out how much I enjoy operating.

For you, though, as this would be an actual, working, rig, I'd pass. Mine, from a similar manufacturer, has had too many issues to count. I would not recommend buying something off brand just for the price, as many unsolvable issues will arise at some point. The Zephyr, or maybe even a used scout or flyer would definitely be the way to go over the CAME thing.

I'm sitting here near Boston waiting for the real snowfall to begin, so I might have a couple snow stories after...

Not gonna lie, I've used similar gear. In fact, that's all I own. If you don't have the money for a true setup, skip it. The only quasi-passable rig under $600 is really the glidecam hd-4000, and even that has huge issues. The quality of the rig you could afford is not worth anywhere near that, and would give you more headaches than you could count. I know mine has!

Sadly, I am one of those people with knock off rigs. The main reason I went with that is because the rig I bought costs about as much as two or three lemo power cables. For a high schooler, that's still a lot of money. While I could probably justify now spending the 3-4k on a basic pilot setup, there was no way my parents would have OK'd that, and even then there was no guarantee I would have enjoyed using it or been any good at it.

At the same time, I am not really a member on this forum to give advice and evidence, like most of you guys. I am far from being a pro-level operator, and while I could see myself doing that in the future, right now that is not a priority. Spending under a grand for a more-or-less functional setup is definitely a viable way, at least in my opinion, to figure out if one is suited to working towards becoming a professional operator. Who knows, in a couple years, I may be one of the people buying a used PRO rig to begin training on, but for now my trusty POS will have to do.

You can tilt the camera stage up and down, and tilt left and right. All that is done by another operator with a remote control of some sort. It can also be controlled by a joystick on the gimbal itself, though it is common for there to simply be another operator.

Well that's... different. It also seems to not work all that well, considering the amount of shake evident in the video. Why not just mount the gimbal to a steadicam if you so desperately want to use it, or just use a steadicam by itself? People are weird...

I own a wieldy rig as well, and I can say the steadicam operator's handbook is absolutely essential. I pretty much read the entire thing multiple times, so when the rig finally showed up, I knew how to balance it almost immediately. The manual goes over balancing basics very well, and has instructions on almost every aspect of operating. Obviously, a workshop would be ideal, but I cannot afford one. I also recommend buying a standard c-stand or light stand to use when balancing the rig.

Hope this helps!

In my opinion, the Chinese knockoff rigs will never really stand a chance in the truly professional market. I do own a knockoff of the Glidecam hd-4000, and I've had the chance to use a friend's pilot, and I can say that the two are completely incomparable. That being said, I know many of us who own these rigs would love some sort of professional support for them. I understand that some companies or vendors may not want to be associated with knockoff brands like Wieldy, Laing, or Flycam, and I respect that. However, for those willing to manufacture parts for these rigs, I can assure you that help would be highly appreciated.