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Emilian Dechev

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  • Location
    Sofia, Bulgaria
  • Rig
    Flycam Vista II

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  1. Hello all! Just a quick conclusion to my case. After I showed the juddery video to Flycam, they were kind enough to send me a replacement gimbal. The new gimbal came in somewhat stiff, but after oiling with TF2 it was spinning like a charm. Meanwhile I also received a Glidecam 2000. Of course as expected from a product that costs 4 times more, the Glidecam was smoother, but still, the Flycam C5 was quite useful, since the random walking judders were gone. I was surprised to find, that the Flycam was easier to balance, because you need to move only 3 knobs, instead of the 10 knobs on the Glidecam. And also on the Flycam you can move the gimbal along the pole, while the Glidecam has it fixed in place. I find it convenient to be able to move the gimbal downwards along the pole, so it works easier with lighter cameras.
  2. Thanks, Tom! Very useful info! Well, "no pain no gain", I guess I will learn the hard way, but no one at my course knew anything about it. We do not have a steadicam class or something. So you are saying, no need for teflon oil. Maybe WD-40 spray?
  3. Thanks Lazaro. I will keep the Pilot on my "wish list" until I have enough money :) I am a poor student after all... This whole topic was a good lesson for me and now we know, what a stiff gimbal looks on video... For comparing purposes I will make another video after I oil that cheap junk. And eventually will get the glidecam 2000 and make another comparison.
  4. Aaaah alright then it seems I was a victim of my own gimbal ignorance... I should have started with that. Now I have an option to go with a Glidecam HD2000, does anyone knows, how its gimbal compares?
  5. This shows the stiffness of the gimbal. I did not put the camera, because it is natural to get better with added weight. I want to test only the gimbal, how it moves on itself. With a camera on top, I can still bypass the gimbal and rotate the sled, but with a really slow movement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_oWWh4MzJo
  6. Actually I've never played with a real pro gimbal, so I dont know what a "smooth gimbal" means. After watching some reference videos, now I am pretty sure, that my gimbal is stiff. It is a cheap gimball afterall. I will make a video to show how much it rotates by itself, without any camera and weights.
  7. Well it looks smooth. If I rotate my hand slowly, the gimbal cannot register and the camera follows the rotation. If I rotate faster, the gimbal activates and the camera does not follow. Is this normal? I think this is heavily dependent on the camera weight. I am waiting to get a TF2 teflon oil and will make another video after I oil it.
  8. Yes I will try oiling the thing. And I will add some weights on that camera I think, the more weight, the less friction will happen during rotation. In case of a faulty gimbal, is there only a gimbal part that I can get to replace this one? I suppose the diameter of the sled pole, matters.
  9. "It should not be possible for the gimbal to rotate while the camera does not" I am not sure about terminology, maybe I couldn't explain it well. Here is the rotating test, where my gimbal fails. Watch at 10:00 - I guess I will add some TF2 and see if the shakes will be less... http://weldtite.co.uk/products/detail/tf2-aerosol-spray-with-teflon-400ml
  10. Camera is Canon 60D, works as any other standard DSLR. No OIS. Yes the gimbal spins smoothly. I tested the sled without the arm and well, the problem is still there, but the shakes are less. Now I think I found the problem! - The camera is too light. There is not enough weight in the upper as well as in the bottom part of the sled. Naturally there is always some friction in the gimbal's rotating axis. There are no frictionless materials/gimbals right... If I make a slow rotation, the gimbal wont register it and the camera will rotate. If I make a fast rotation, the gimbal will turn and the camera wont turn. In the same manner, if I put a heavy camera, the gimbal may be working smooth, but with a light camera the friction will alwyas transfer. When wearing the vest, my footsteps transfer fast jerks through the arm, no matter how carefully I walk. So with a lightweight setup, the gimbal just cannot register all of the rotation forces. Also the gimbal fails the 360 rotating test with a light weight on it (I rotate the sled around itself and the camera must always look forwards. But it does not - it rotates.) So now I have to put some weight on top of that thing and lubricate it a bit. I am not sure how to lubricate a gimbal, should I go with a regular mechanical oil, or maybe "penetrating fluid"? Can I disassemble the gimbal so it will be easier to oil it?
  11. Thanks for the points! I will try to find this Lorenzo Senatore, but I doubt he will have time to help some random students with cheap rigs and no training... - The camera is sitting firmly on the plate. - I tried to handle the rig without the left hand (gimbal) and the shake is still there. I even tried to hold the gimbal firmer in order to stop it from moving, but alas, the shake is still there. I can note, that the camera is really light, like 2kg with added weight. The drop time was 2.5sec, but these have nothing to do with random pan-shakes... I can also note, that the arm post is of a locked type (not rotating). Tomorrow I will try to fly the sled without the arm and vest. Should I try walking in a narrow line, like the models on a runway, landing one foot right in front of the other?
  12. Hello, everyone! I am a filmmaker student and I want to learn how to operate a steadicam system. I've got one of the cheapest models with a double arm, but still I think it can offer enough stability for a first time user. It is the Flycam Vista II kit. So I started to read manuals and watch tutorials, everything that I can find on the topic. After a while I learned how to balance properly the sled, how to position the vest and adjust the arm and how to hold the sled with both arms. Now I am facing a major problem with all my shots - there is an awful judder / shake to left and right, in every step that I make. I try to walk carefully, but cannot make it stop shaking. Is that because my footstep technique is bad? Is it because the rig is cheap and lacks some function that I don't even know of? Maybe I am missing some important adjustment? I hope there is nothing wrong with the rig, and it is all bad footstep technique. Please watch this video and help if you know how to remove these constant shakes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B5KR40Wx2g
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