Jaron Berman

FS: WEVI Camwave system. Barely used, but works perfectly. Come with: CW-5 Transmitter Receiver Antennas (all in great shape) "Custom" power supply for receiver, powers receiver and a standard 2.5mm power jack, so you don't tie-up a battery Behringer Shark DSP-110 digital effects/programmable delay box w/ power supply Setup with original v-mount plates. The WEVI boxes have very slight brassing on the edges from my case. Otherwise in excellent shape. Beautiful quality picture. $1300 takes it. Available for shipping or pickup in LA area.

I heard about it from Jim Bartell, and saw it at NAB. If they sort out the problems, it'll be VERY impressive, especially for the money. Unfortunately, if you go to infinity right now, the lens loses calibration. Also, the focus knob is tiny and makes multiple rotations to get from close-infinity. Also, their 3-motor system currently works using the single knob controller, thus you can do one function at a time. (Jim mentioned that he brought that up to them and at first they were snsure that anyone would need multiple functions at once, but now understand the demand). Also, if there's a loss of power, hit, or the controller is switched off, the system must recalibrate. Good news is that calibration is automatic and quick, and they promise that the "pro" controller will have a larger knob and 3-channel discrete control...and a single revolution of the focus knob for the full lens throw. They also claim to have fixed the loss of calibration problem, and created a wireless version (it's currently wired only)...though the demo at NAB was prone to all the listed problems (in the 5 mintues at the booth, I managed to accidentally cause it to lose calibration with basically anything I did....good thing I'm not an AC). The motors are extremely strong and small, and use an inverted-M-one style gear connector to snap on and off. The craftsmanship is top-notch, so if they fix the bugs this will be a real contender. Oh, and apparently they have a c-motion style system in the works with virtual witness marks and camera effects control, etc...

Check out RF-Links. The mini "spy" style transmitters actually work quite well, despite their appearances. They are less flexible and less "focused" than something like a canatrans (in terms of what channels they spill onto), but if you're just trying to send a video signal to a directors monitor, something like that will do the trick. Any modern TV tuner should be able to pick up any of those, just make sure when you order that whatever frequency you get is covered by your tuner. Also, BEFORE you buy, use a decent tuner and antenna and scan the channels around where you'll mostly be using your transmitter. If you can find a chunk of free channels and a tuner that transmits onto those, then you're hooked up! One of the reasons why the modulus or canatrans is more expensive is because it offers a lot more flexibility in frequency selection, so you can safely work in New York one day, LA the next, and anywhere in between without too much problem of finding an open channel that your transmitter can send on. 2.4ghz stuff can be great or terrible...you need to try it to figure out if it'll work in your usage. And all those aren't made of equal quality. Some of the higher frequency stuff like 2.4 have problems if one end of the link is moving (handheld or steadicam)....so it's worth trying or making sure they have a good return policy if you go that route. Personally, for cheap and easy, if you can deal with a single channel, get one of the spy transmitters and a good antenna for the receiver. FYI, tv-band audio antennas work for video too. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/3307...ic_Antenna.html Just make sure the BNC cable you use to connect to this is a 50 ohm cable!!!!!! Allelectronics in Van Nuys has cheap 50' 50ohm cables for a couple of bucks..... and they also have the best prices I've ever seen on BNC adapters and barrels. Between RF-LINKS, B&H and ALLELECTRONICS, you should be able to come up with a pretty solid and cheap video link, if not the most flexible system on earth.

I use the psc and it works great! Got mine at prosound services in NY and I believe it was even cheaper than at B&H. Hope you're doing well Robert!

I just booked a gig thats beyond my arm. So, looks like me excellent shape g-50 is tentatively on the market. Let me know if youre still looking, thanks!

Well congrats on expansion of either your sales or licensed properties! By the way, my AC the other day was so happy to have a wireless FF that worked, that he asked me where he could find a Jim Bartell / Bartech fan club t-shirt. Any leads would be appreciated.

http://varizoom.com/products/controls/vzwff.html I was forwarded this link earlier. Jim, you selling to varizoom now? It looks like the manual is mostly the same as well. Anyone else see this?

I'm looking forward to Wimbledon (playing, of course).

Well, if you're just talking about practice then you shouldn't really need the 35mm adapter. The camera you're using to practice probably has a zoom that'll cover fairly wide to fairly long, which gives you a lot to practice with. If you're able to weigh the camera down a bit to simulate your normal working condition - be it 35mm adapter, focus kit, acc's, etc... - then you'll probably get more out of your practice. The problem with the adapter is that if nobody's pulling focus, you'll probably have to live on a wide lens just to see a relatively sharp picture...and then you won't get any practice on long lens work. You're working different things from wide to tight, so make sure to practice at both extremes to work on horizons as well as the finesse needed for longer stuff. My advice would be save the money you would otherwise put towards your lens, and put it towards useful (and somehow mandatory??) accessories like a nice wireless video setup and focus kit. Chances are you probably won't see a whole lot of return on your investment with the adapter and lenses, as every DP your work with will have differing taste in lenses...and most (not all) shoots that "need" your adapter probably can't afford to compensate you for it in any way other than using it as a requirement to hire you in the first place. Just my 2c, but I feel you can get just as much from practicing with a weighted dv camera as you could with something that approximates 35mm dof. Perhaps more - you can certainly see a lot more background details that may give away flaws in your operating than you might if the focus fell off just behind your subject.

If you get really in a bind, maybe try stacking some fender washers to the spacing you need

ya, I'm in

good advice, and thanks for the speedy reply! Back to cable making with 0b shells

Jerry - I just posted this elsewhere (mods - feel free to delete), but in discussion with Robert, he pointed me to a post you made a while back dispelling the rumor of undersized connectors on Steadicams. Problem is - the U2 has a cam power connector .2B (correct?), whereas the clipper 2 rig I own has .0b cam power. The connector itself supposedly has an 8A rating... is this ok for tricked F900 or F23 use? I'm looking to have it replaced with the .2B connector, but in your opinion is this necessary? Thanks!

Jerry, now I'm really confused! Are you saying the camera power connectors are the same between the ultra II and the clipper series? From the spec sheets in the UII manual, the ultra uses shell size 2 connectors at the sled for cam power. I took apart my stage to check, and my cam power connector is a shell size 0. Did Steadicam change their manufacturing... Do I have a black sheep rig?Am I just confused?

I bought my rig from Robert Starling, and when I got it he'd done a GREAT thing to the gimbal grip - he had wrapped it with tennis racket grip. At the bottom he taped it with electrical tape, careful not to stretch the tape (if it stretches, it comes off eventually). I LOVE the feel of it, and with my thinner Steadicam post, it makes the handle a bit beefier and easier to hold. For details, I'd go to the source - Robert. But I can attest, I never have grip problems with the mod he did.

I bought a few of the 95's a while back, and they are great batteries. Perform exactly like IDX's or Antons, just a bit larger. They are flatter and wider than IDX's. About the same weight as dionics. The battery gauge on the side is nice, and accurate. The only drawback I found was with their charger. It works great, but the switch is poorly made, and after a ride on a plane (in my padded pelican) the switch is always pushed in, and needs a pliers to pull it out. Still works fine, just an annoying flaw. Just FYI - you can't bring lithiums larger than about 98wh on a plane. The amount of lithium used in the 150's or 160's is too much by TSA regs, so you can use them as long as you don't plan on flying with them. Rumor also says that soon ALL lithium will be banned, so who knows. In the meantime, I use their batteries quite a bit, and they work great. The built-in P-tap saves me a LOT when trying to quickly power my bartech or a monitor or something.

Well, I took the cable to Clairmont this afternoon, and unfortunately due to traffic, I couldn't get a whole lot of testing in. However in the brief time I did try it, the cable worked as it should. The gentleman I spoke to...(I'm an idiot for not remembering his name, not Ziggy though) was pretty impressed by the cable, saying that he had known it was going to come out, but had not yet seen it. So the cable works, seems to be extremely flexible, especially when compared to solid-core coax - there's no comparison. Fittings-wise, I used Kings 2065-11-9 (true 75ohm) crimped with Paladin 2648 die. Anyways, when I get back in town, I'll take it over to Panavision and bring a rig to try and feel it out. So far though, I'm impressed by the cable, it's pretty transparent.

Just a heads up - I spent the afternoon at Cooner Wire (they're a custom wire mfg whose market segment is ultra-flexible cables) checking out cables (pronounced "dorking"). They make camera power cables for Panavision, Clairmont...not sure who else. Anyways, they have a prototype coax in development that's equivalent in size to Belden 8218 (.153" outer diameter), but infinitely more flexible, and supposedly capable of carrying HD-SDI. Mark at Cooner gave me a perfectly-sized sample to try a sled-vest jumper, so if anyone can suggest a place to take the sample to crimp on some BNC's, I'll go give it a whirl and see if it indeed supports HD-SDI. If so, this could be the current solution to single or dual-link HD-SDI. For video guys - Chris Konash got some of their 10-conductor 26ga cable to rewire his Zoe. I've used his, it's awesome - makes a MONUMENTAL difference in the feel of the rig, just switching to the flexible cable. But, they now have a new version of the same configuration, called AS-323, which is a silicone jacketed (vs. PVC) cable, and literally more flexible than string! If you're looking to rewire a Zoe or other gimbal-mounted zoom control, this is worth a serious look. I believe it's roughly $2.50/ft, but don't quote me on that.

First-off - yes, the rate is VERY low. So now here's my question - how do you guys recommend charging as one gains the credits and experience necessary to be a top-level op? I have just over 1 year of experience, and I would feel dishonest charging for my skills what you guys with 10+ years of experience charge. I practice a ton and work a decent amount, and I certainly feel I'm better than would be expected at this point, however I would never sell myself as a direct replacement for an established op, experience or equipment. I'm asked every time "what do you guys normally charge for this," to which I explain my level of experience vs. my rate, and why guys with more creds and gear and time in the game charge what they do. I'm very careful not to say any numbers, but still - this feels like another catch 22. Even with my rate, I still am sometimes told "well, my normal guy charges me $200 a day, but he's not available." I always ask who's doing it for that, and explain that the investment in time and equipment we have means we're basically paying to work at that rate ... trying to at least advocate for sanity. I'd love to have an agent, but I'm not working steadicam enough yet to have representation. Plus I just moved to LA, which means I'm starting from 0 again in terms of connections. As someone who basically falls into Mike's description (though I work for significantly more than $600), flat out - how should someone like me work my way up and charge in a way that reflects my abilities and does not screw us all?

Congrats Jim, and thanks for my last-minute cable this morning! Have fun in NYC.

Charles, David, Brad - Thank you! I was having a rather frustrating day sorting out equipment issues, and this topic has definitely lightened my mood. My recurring nightmare is the...in a pinch "It'll take how long to put that thing on there? They said we don't need a wireless focus setup - my USUAL steady camera guy was fine without it..." good times

A most excellent suggestion Rob. I intend to add a pelican of "Assorted lubricants and scented oils" to my kit. Seriously though, good idea. Now I just need to clean off the corrosion so it doesn't spread.

Robert - nice pic. Yeah, perhaps the acidic air of NYC is enough to rust steel. scary when I think of my lungs.... And according to steadicam, the bolts aren't anodized or coated, so the black color must be a gun-metal blacking (which would explain why they rust so easily). Thanks Job! Good to know I'm not crazy. I'll clean them up and put some kind of waterproof oil on them... And as for the 70 arm, it does offer a lot more capactiy and features, it just seems a bit stupid to me that to get the "feature" of different arm post lengths (which used to be standard on the EFP), you need to buy the 70 arm. I actually did try to buy the G-70 when I was initially looking, but "salesman" would not sell it to me with a clipper. When asked if I could buy it separately, he still would not sell it to me, because he knew what rig I intended to use it with, and couldn't therefore take the liability. When I offered to sign a release, he STILL would not sell it to me. So, I'm not sure exactly how us short ops are supposed to get longer arm posts on any rig besides the U2.... Apologies for the rant. When it works, the arm feels amazing and I absolutely love it. I am pretty put-off by the sales division though. Arg. Garrett - Thanks for the reply. Any ideas on the post sticking? Does it need a delrin spacer or something?

last pic. this one shows the texture of the bolt heads pretty well.

Robert! Thanks for the reply! The post has play vertically, and no matter how many times I take it apart, align the keyways, and retighten things, there's always a little play vertically. Turning by hand, it feels very smooth, but as soon as its under load, it sticks pretty badly. Once time when i took it apart and tightened everything, it felt great.... for about 5 minutes, then it started sticking again. So I now know what it SHOULD feel like, I just cant make it work reliably. As for the longer post, what's the difference in systems between the posts of the g-70 and g-50? Would there be a way to modify the 50 to accept 70 posts? It seems like such a stupid limitation on an otherwise great arm... I'm all for finding solutions though, and if it can handle the forces, I'd certainly take a lengthened sleeve. Attached are some pics of the rust. Note that when I got the arm from you, there was only a VERY small amount of red rust on the bolts, and they were pretty smooth. Now none of the bolt heads are smooth, all very coarse and pitted, and I SWEAR I've never done anything remotely corrosive to the arm. Am I supposed to soak the whole thing in tool oil between uses or something?????