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Ben Spaner

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Everything posted by Ben Spaner

  1. I have the 6x6 from my old non-volt mkv/xcs frankenrig. But it's more than you need for the volt. I always like the X style gyros because they are balanced at the factory and it isn't as critical how they are orientated on the sled. Now that I have upgraded to a volt I've been thinking of getting the 4X4 and clamping to my post rather than the AB mount I currently use. When you get a pair of KS4 you need to be sure that they are exactly 90 degrees to each other and that they are the same weight, so you might need to test out different pairs.
  2. The m2 with integrated volt is an excellent sled... affordable, and powerful. There were some issues in the beginning but almost all have been solved by now (wither by tiffen or by well known mods), and I would check out the facebook page to see a bunch of tips and tricks. The volt is a bit to get used to and dial in the settings that are right for you, I use 10% tilt, 40% roll, & 90% damp. I would also definitely get the third battery plate for the bottom, but go with your own monitor mount, such as the cam jam. The integrated top stage is a bit big so you might need to carry riser plates to fly some of the film cameras. But overall I would recommend. Best of luck!
  3. I'm wondering if you need help with updating steadishots.org? shoot me an email spaner.camera@gmail.com  would love to help preserve it

     

  4. it's a tough thing to negotiate. when covid shut us down we had gear locked up on trucks from march till may. at the end of the day it's your small business and the gear needs to make money to cover your overhead and such. negotiating for rentals when gear is "locked up" shouldn't hurt your relationship with the producer. it sounds like you didn't get a bad deal and you are happy and that's important! but you might have left money on the table. I ended up getting three weeks of rentals during covid and it didn't affect my relationship with the upm. you may have already checked out Never Split the Difference, by Chris Voss, but if not I highly recommend it :)
  5. I have an MKV, WK flex, Pro arm, weight cage, practice camera and looking to expand the practice group :)
  6. It’s good piece of mind but I also think it performs better with the design of the back mount vest. The springs want to fold the arm into the vest which is great on a front mount vest but can be annoying on a wk vest because the arm can hit into the buckles. Overall I believe it gives a better sense of control with the rigid block.
  7. Try cam-jam https://shop.cam-jam.de/product/703-upgrade-from-wide-yoke/
  8. I just use the north face base camp duffle ;)
  9. I'm in NYC and the best vendor for Clear-Com HMEs is Gotham Sound, email Nick Huston for a quote (nickh@gothamsound.com). FYI I don't work for Gotham or anything. DPs kept asking me for them so I went to the dark side and bought a kit. I like the ClearCom HME's because they're lightweight, you can still hear "through" them, and the sound department doesn't complain about the noise. They are the most expensive however. UPM's have a hard time understanding what the extra rental is for though given that they already have walkies and no one seems to want these but the DP, but Covid has made it easier to get on set and they are becoming more and more standard. I built a custom "L" bracket with an AB plate and a baby receiver so the ACs can just throw it on a triple header with the wireless video receivers and power it with an Anton Bauer :). Overall I'm glad to have my own kit. I usually ask for around $300/day or $600/week for them. And it makes the DP happy. I've gotten used to wearing them. And I've been very lucky to work with people who turn off their mics! But in case they don't, there is a button on the base station that says "unlatch" which will turn all the mics off. The MB100 is nice because it's really mobile. Only 6 headsets can be "full duplex" at one time (meaning talk and listen simultaneously), which hasn't been an issue because you can connect up to 15 headsets. The kit I have is the same one that Monster sends out with their Technos. My kit Includes: 1 - MB100 base station 7 - Clear-Com WH220 21 - Wireless HS BAT50 belt pack battery 2 - AC50 Battery Charger - US 1 - Anton Bauer Custom “L” Bracket for Base Station 1 - Complete Set of Cables 1 - Pelican Case IMG_8568.HEIC IMG_8569.HEIC IMG_8570.HEIC IMG_8571.HEIC
  10. I recommend emailing markertek with questions about what you might need to make your own BNC. I don't work for them or anything, they are just super helpful. I started making BNC back when I was a focus puller and was building village carts and had a ton of wireless kits. If you're going to make more than 50 cables it's cheaper to make your own. Otherwise if you want to just buy really skinny (right angle) BNC just check out these. There is a rabbit hole of info about coax and bnc connectors that is worth nerding out about if you're into that. There are 3 basic factors when it comes to BNC. The center, the insulation, and the shield. There is a trade off in coax between Flexibility, Attenuation, Cable Strength, Diameter of Cable, and Propagation Delay. The general rule is the thinner the cable the quicker it will break and the shorter the run you can make. Panavision makes mostly two types of BNC cables L-3CFW (5.8mm) 3G & L-2.5CHD (4.2mm) 3G. Above Johnathan mentions that they make L-1.5C2VS (2.9mm) HD. I'll break down what I use to make these cables. The Canare tools and customs dies are the most expensive way to go but they also make really reliable cables that last years. There are cheaper hardware store solutions as well which work. Tools: 1 - Canare TS100u 5-In-1 Universal Coax Cable Stripper for Belden & Canare Cable 1 - Canare TC-1 Hand Crimp Tool without Die 1 - Platinum Tools Professional Electrician Scissors 1 - Die Set **1 - Soldering Iron & Solder if your center pin needs to be soldered Material: Cable > BNC Crimp Plug > Boot > Die L-3CFW > BCP-B31F > CB04 > TCD-451CA L-2.5CHD > BCP-B25HD > CB02 > TCD-35CA L-1.5C2VS > BCP-C1 > CB01 > TCD-1DB (solder pin)** Here's a pretty good youtube I just found for how to make bnc: Hope this helps!
  11. Bryan what did John say about 2" volt gimbal? any news there?
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