Jon Adams

Hey John I think there's a bit of a mismatch going on here. The sled components are built to hold a payload on the stage up to a maximum weight. Go beyond this and the components bearing that weight (such as the gimbal) could fail. Similarly, the components in the arm can hold a certain weight. This is the overall weight of the sled and everything attached to it. Go beyond this total weight and the springs in the arm will max out and stop suspending the mass. At the other end of the scale, the springs in the arm require a certain minimum load to be able to work. This isn't too much of a problem, as you can always make a camera heavier by putting it in a cage and bolting stuff onto it. But it IS a problem if getting the arm into its working zone would entail overloading the sled. The problem you have is that to get the A30 arm into its 'Goldilocks' zone would require you to max out the Pilot sled. The Pilot sled is good for a payload of 10lbs/4.5kg so is fine for the BMPCC, but only with an arm like the A15 which starts working under a lighter load. The A30 arm is good for anything up to about 20lbs (sitting on top of a 10lb sled), but it requires a sled built to handle that weight (such as the Aero 30 sled). An A15 arm with the Pilot sled would be fine with the lightweight BMPCC, but wouldn't be suitable for the UMP. For the UMP, you'd need an Aero 30 sled to match the A30 arm, and possibly a bigger rig, depending on how much the camera weighs with any lenses & accessories bolted on. In many ways, your solution isn't getting an A15 arm - unless you only want to fly the BMPCC. To cover the needs you've mentioned with a heavier camera like the UMP, you'd need to swap the Pilot sled for something like an Aero 30 or a Zephyr.

Hi Antoine If you've not used a Steadicam before and are on a tight budget, you may find a better idea is to go much cheaper than the unit you've mentioned and buy a really simple stabiliser like a Yelangu S60T (or similar). These appear all the time on ebay for 50 euro or less, and most are barely used, because people give up on trying to balance them properly! Although the gimbal bearings in these aren't usually very good, they do work okay when set up, and you will learn the basic principles involved in balancing and handling a Steadicam, and getting smooth shots. While you're doing this, buy the Steadicam Operator's Handbook (again, you might find a copy secondhand) and practise the techniques described within it. You'll only be able to do this handheld, but for many music videos, you won't be doing long takes, and you'll be developing your technique. If you make some good progress and are keen to continue with your Steadicam ambition, keep a close watch on ebay for a secondhand Pilot HD. If you're lucky, you might find one for around 600 euro, as many people who bought them have moved on to electronic gimbals to save on size, weight and bulk. A Pilot will bring you a vest, an arm and a monitor, and that will move you forward a long way in the shots you can do (and the length of the takes). A monitor is essential for many Steadicam shots, and you want this low down so you know where you are putting your feet! You'll only be able to fly cameras under 4.5kg with a Pilot, but that covers all DSLRs and most of the lighter handicam-type camcorders. I appreciate the system you've mentioned *says* you can mount a monitor on the sled, but you will find it difficult to achieve static and dynamic balance on this kind of device if you do so. Hope this helps a little.

If anyone has this monitor (Steadicam MSC-200590) would they be kind enough to plug in an HDMI cable and see if the DISP/UP/DN buttons do anything? Thanks.

Hi folks, I have a Pilot HD/SDI rig, and need to use it via HDMI with a DSLR. The standard 7in monitor (Steadicam MSC-200590) powers on but only the SEL button does anything. Once I've selected the HDMI IN signal, it displays a picture, but the UP / DOWN / DISP buttons don't have any effect at all, so I can't change brightness/contrast nor flip the image. It all works fine with an Aputure VS2 monitor, but I prefer the build of the Steadicam unit. I haven't tried it via SDI, but Is this normal over HDMI, or does my monitor have a problem? Appreciate any advice you can give.