Jerry Holway

I'd like to address (first) the nonsense about extruded vs. machined, 7075 vs. 6061, that have been flying around the forum and elsewhere. The extuded, "honey-combed, double arch" bones of the G-50 and G-70 arms are more than adequately strong for the task it is designed for. It's the both the design and the materials that make it strong, and also, consequently, light (10.8 lbs with the titanium socket, a bit more with the steel), which was one of the design objectives in making the arm. FEA tests prove it (with a healthy safety factor), and the arms are stronger than the IIIA and Master/Ultra arms, with less twist. The PRO arm uses a different design and materials (7075 and machined), and is also very, very strong. I am not knocking the PRO arm or its design at all, just the argument that somehow the extruded nature of the G-70 arm is inadequate, subject to eventual failure, etc. Complete nonsense, and I wonder where it all got started. It would be like saying that the .625 arm posts of the PRO are inadequate because the .740 arm posts of the Ultra are stronger.... both are designed just fine thank you. Now to stuff that is not pure nonsense: The G-70 arm carries the specified weight just fine (up to 70 pounds... at least), and carries it more isoelastically and more smoothly than any other arm out there. And more consistently isoelatically regardless of the weight carried. How do I know this? Not by assumption, but by testing. As part of the testing of the G-70 arm, we put it side by side with several arms by several manufacturers, including the PRO, and the G-70's booming was clearly and noticably smoother throughout its range. The G-70's boom range is 32 inches and a hair, vs about 28 for the PRO. This was measured hardmounted, BTW. How much this matters to you is another question, but I'm always looking for that extra inch, especially in low mode. My opinion: more and smoother with less effort is better. Does this outweigh other factors? That's up to the individual... The "little" toolfree adjustment knobs for lift allow me to quickly change the lift (even on the way to number one) as we change lenses, filters, or I decide that I'd like it to float a bit higher or lower for the shot. This ability to tweak on the fly is something introduced in 1995 with the Master Series arm, and once you have it, you never want to give it up. And this is new with the G series arms: there's no penalty in one end of the boom range getting much harder or or way too easy to reach because of the offset in lift. A total aside: I've been playing with the Ultra2 at trade shows, trying out the new go-to remote and stage. It's killing me on sets with my "old Ultra" that I don't have this feature... on my last job I wanted to have precise balance settings for each part of the shot. I did just fine without it... but boy do I want that feature now that I have played with it and know it's available. The Geometry mechanics and ride control is unique to the G series arms. Undeniable benefits: smoother lift, greater boom range (without longer bones) and adjustable/tunable so the user can decide how the arm feels and behaves for each shot. Another feature regarding the booming: both ends of the boom range have very soft stops. The last bits power the arms up or down, so there's no sudden clunks as you hit the bumpers. Not mentioned in previous posts: the unique kickback link at the arm interconnect reduces most of the knocking associated with running moves, as well as gives greater freedom of movement of the arm (gets the arm further out of the way as you pull the rig towards the socket block side). I suspect it is faster to go from 60 pounds to 20 pounds with the PRO (removing some canisters), but it is certainly slower going to from 20 to 22 or 23, then to 35 or 42 and who's weighing anyway on set? (which canisters set to what now??). As most of our work involves changing lenses, adding filters, flags, ultrasonic stuff, little lamps, I think the G-70 is 99% of the time faster and more precise (because it's effortless) on set. As to modularity and maintence, both came apart quite easily, the PRO somewhat quicker. As someone who has only sent in one arm once in 24 years to be cleaned (I've had 3 arms now) I do not find this much of a disadvantage or concern. I do tend to cover my arms in wet or dusty and sandy conditions. The G-70 also has a tool-free arm post changeover system and adjustable drag (free to fixed). Designed differently, but I think functionally similar to that of the PRO (check me on this...) Jerry

these batteries were new and seemed to weigh almost exactly the same as the old idx's. i have no idea how many cycles they will be good for, but they far and away out performed any of the other chemistry's we tried. even panavision was impressed when i told them. geoff Yes, they weigh the same (750 grams / 1.65 pounds), and the number of charge cycles is at least as many as the Endura 10's and the like... Panavision has been very interexted in them since the initial "secret" tests of them back in February on the feature "Empty City." Jerry

Again, to clarify some stuff about the PowerCubes: The watthours or the overall energy they have is about equal to the Endura 10's, so you won't have any more power or greater run times in most (below 5 amp draw or so) operating. Where the PowerCubes differ from all other Lithium Ion batteries of any make is in the cells they use and in the electronics that control the cells. These differences make the batteries able to handle the large current draws of cameras like the 435ES and the Genesis. IDX conservatively states the continuous discharge rate for the PowerCubes as 10 amps, but experience has show they will handle more than that. Other li-ions will not even remotely tolerate this kind of load. (see thread on Genesis and PowerCubes) The PowerCube's number of charge cycles is as least as good at the Endura 10's... My "facts" are based on the published specs of the batteries, personal experience in the testing phase, and some "inside info" from talking directly to folks at IDX while in Japan recently. Jerry

Paul- Tiffen makes a kit and mount that is plug and play with the Ultra. It slides on the same battery rods. It's the same rotating mount as used in the Ultra2, but lacks the downconverter and some of the electronic indicators, and there's no 12 volt option. Never quite satisfied, I added a little digital fuel guage, as the on-screen guage is disabled. Future versions from Tiffn might re-enable that guage (I'm told it's possible) but not for now. If you don't have an Ultra to convert, the IDX mounts are relatively cheap and available, easy to screw on to plates, etc. Jerry Jeez, I need spell check... sorry for the errors. Jerry

I can't believe anyone would want to mess with customs or the IRS for $200 (or $10,000 or ) How many hours does it take to earn that vs. going through the huge hassle if one is "caught?" And if they catch you in a "white lie" they may ask you lots of other questions, and you've made your life hell. Import duties are the just part of the price. Jerry

Any sewing shop/fabric store. Use heavy duty carpet thread. Jerry

I've just converted my "old" Ultra to PowerCubes with the IDX V-mount, so that I have the long run times associated with lithium ion batteries and the ability to have high current draws (10+ amps continuously, trips instantly at 24 amps)... essentially no worries. 2 in parallel will drive the Genesis and recorder for a full tape and have juice to spare; even one will drive it for a short time. FYI, the cells in the PowerCubes are not the same cells as in the IDX Enduras or other manufactureres Lithium Ion batteries. There's no danger of overdriving or screwing up the cells with high amp loads. IDX also had to design new boards and software to make it work, and the system went through a lot of testing before IDX was satisfied and would manufacture the batteries. The batts use the same v-mount, pin outs, and chargers as regular IDX batteries, so they might make a great choice for any sled/power management situation, and regular (less expensive) Endura 10's can also be used if the amp loads are not high (most cameras), or one can use Endura 7's if one wants a lightweight running rig. Jerry

Great idea. A couple of thoughts: if the gimbal is relatively tight to the post near the pan bearing, then clamping close to the pan bearing doesn't matter very much, if at all. Clamping further from the gimbal, having a long sleeve, or a tight slip fit far from the gimbal but clamped at the gimbal (all assuming a rigid gimbal housing) will hold the post better than a vertically small clamp next to to the pan bearing. Clamping well close the the pan bearing can (if poorly designed, not like the PRO), may do more harm by distorting the metal holding the bearing, causing binding and mis-alignment. Older gimbals like the Model III, without the long sleeve, also put more stress on the clamp - a gimbal with an integra housing holds the post at two points, thus reducing the local forces on the post enormously, and better maintianing post-to gimbal rigidity. Concentricity of post to gimbal is relatively unimportant, and must be, as older posts were often .005 or more inches out of round... and a gimbal that sloppy is junk. I urge anyone with a metal post to take out their calipers.... Older aluminum posts were often quite out of round and got worse with excessive clamping, and this meant the slop near the bearing had to be larger so the gimbal would slide, and a clamp nearer the bearing was probably a good idea. With the introduction of carbon fiber posts, this is much less of an issue, as tolerances can be tighter and the posts stay round. More important to gimbal functioning is how good the bearings are and how well the various axes of the bearings relate to each other ? whether they flex or shift ? and all the modern, high end gimbals (MK-V, Tiffen Ultra and Ultra2, PRO, Ultimate, Acme ? and probaly others, nothing is implied in the list or its order) work marvelously well, regardless of the clamp location. Jerry

Gentlemen- The best battery system for these high amp situations is the Powercube, made by IDX for Steadicam. They are 98Whr batts like the 90's, but they trip at 24 amps or so, love loads of ten or more amps without messing up the cells, and they don't mind being paralleled. They are totally easy to use, no fuss, no worries. They have standard IDX/V-mount connectors, chargers, etc. One alone will drive a Genesis with, yes with, the recorder, and 2 in parallel will drive a Genesis and recorder for more than one full tape in cold weather (I did some practical testing in February on the movie Empty City). Jerry

Will, I've found it's best to have your weight on your feet normally, with both feet lightly pressing down on both pedals all the time, as the steering is a rocker mechanism. You get much more control, comfort, stability, etc. It took awhile to figure this out.... As for the Segway's version two... I'm a bit worried that moving the Steadicam laterally will cause the Segway to turn, or that moving your weight to one foot (for step ons or step offs, moving blood around, etc.) might also cause the unit to turn, or that doing doing some of the tight turns might be more tricky, having to lean harder and still stay upright. However, without trying it, it's hard to say. As for a problem that did not exist... On many shots, giving up the navigation, working out the timing with a grip or grips, controlling the accelerations and the like is a real pain - and the Handsfree is just the ticket. On other shots (especially as the speed increases beyond a mild run), I appreciate not worrying about navigation. But imagine walking up a slight incline for 100 yards, nice tracking shot... or going full bore at the actor, halting within inches (a foot?) of his face, all with great precision, no bounce, and you control the speed, the acceleration curves, and the rig has no tendancy to fly out of your hands. Or working a parade... For these sorts of things, the Handsfree is a great tool. Two more thing about the Handsfree version: the limiting of turning speed vs. tracking speed - which the std. Segways do not have ? is crucial for Steadicam applications, as is the adjustable, spring-loaded support mount between your thighs... without these done right, the Segway won't work well for us. Jerry Holway handsfree enthusiast

Since this topic is going round and round and round It's actually "Steadicam®," not steadicam, Steadicam?, etc., and here and there (like in movie credits, websites, etc.) that's what we should use. Perhaps difficult and unnecessary in posts like this. Jerry

Chris, I think we are on the same page. The sled by itself isn't in dynamic balance; it always is the sled with the camera and everything attached that must spin flat. One idea behind the master series - that was abandoned for a lot of reasons before it was introduced- was that the sled (with camera) could stay in dynamic balance as one moved the monitor around... it's theoretically possible to do all that with sensors and motors and all that, but a simple mechanical means wasn't going to do it and it weighed too much and could not account for anything else one might add to the base or the changing length of the sled as one telescoped the post. I wrote the primer to try to comprehensively clarify all this, both with the math and practically, because a lot of nonsense was being put forth, misconceptions were running rampant, etc., BTW, I learned a lot and discovered some curious things in doing so. thunderstorms booming all around, must sign off. Jerry

Chris- I remember discussing your dynamic balancing efforts with you way back when. Now it seems totally clear that your centralized mass was the start of the confusion.... What the math in the primer (based on Arnold DiGuilio's original formulas) tells you will get you really close to dynamic balance, and it tells you what do do if you change things, what's improtant, what's not... it even explains all of the "oddness" you discovered way back when. We just didn't understand all what the math was telling us, way back then. As you suggest, spin balancing is the only way to actually achieve dyanmic balance. We can't measure and weigh every component precisely, but typically we can get very very close with the math and then tweak in the real world. I never do the math on set because it's so damn easy to spin balance, and doing the math has told us all where to start our balancing. So we are always close, and a few spins later we are there. As for the donkey's parts, dynamic balance simply means that if you pan the rig, it will pan flat at any speed. If you are not in dynamic balance, it won't. The sled will tilt up or down or roll or wobble, more or less, and you must do something to correct it. You must intercede, more or less. In our early days of our ignorance, we all made the corrections, and we did it damn well, blissfully. But we all worked a lot harder than we needed to, and our operating was not as good as it might have been. So great operating can be done without it, and the great majority of what makes great operating has absolutely nothing to do with flat pans. But to the extent that you want the Steadicam to help you get a particular kind of shot - in this case a nice flat pan - then dynamic balance is important. To the extent that you want the precision bearings in the gimbal (for which we all paid a small fortune!), to help you get the nicest, flatest, and infintely smoothest pan, then you should be in dynamic balance. When that doesn't matter, then dynamic balance can be ignored (and you don't need the bearings, either, you're manhandling the rig anyway). Why you suggest that dynamic balance doesn't matter for some folks - or that maybe it shouldn't matter - confuses me immensely. Ignoring dynamic balance certainly will not make it easier for new operators. Handicapped, they will have to learn all those old tricks which, frankly, you and I both know, don't work quite as well. Jerry

Ah, the old record thing. I had my handsfree on several sets, all tricked out and ready to go, but for various reasons, never actually used it. My "first" is limited to being among the first to buy one.... And first to send cars flying off the road, dogs barking, children screaming, etc. in my neighborhood. Jerry

The 2 biggest problems with this device are that one holds it far from the center of gravity, imparting the greatest possible angular disturbance (most shakicams have at least this right, you can grab them close to the c.g....) and 2) the same muscles that are doing the heavy lifting are doing the aiming (micro ounces)... i.e., it lacks a gimbal to separate the efforts. Get a Merlin, for goodness sake. It works. Jerry

Get yourself to a workshop, any workshop, quick. Many of your questions and posts indicate a lack of basic understanding and experience - which is where we all started. Combine your enthusiasm, willingness to build your own stuff, etc. with a workshop and you'll understand so much more, learn faster, etc. BTW, You should not feel ANY back pain with a well designed vest and arm that is PROPERLY ADJUSTED to you, AND you stand and walk properly. Jerry (who last felt THAT MUSCLE back in 1983 or so because of proper training at a workshop)

We (and others) teach several women a year to do Steadicam at our workshops; it's much more about technique than brute strength. Some of the teachers we use are women with 10 to 24 years of experience flying a Steadicam, including the biggest rigs. And they about 130 pounds (more or less, my apologies.....) Stasia, a workshop will not only give you skills but inform your buying decisions. Jerry

Apart from the branding, the Power Cubes have radically different chemistry and circuit boards, so that they can continuously handle 10 amps ( from -4 to + 113 degrees F!), and handle higher loads for briefer times. I believe they trip quickly at about 24 amps, and don't mind short loads of 20 amps or so. They weigh 750 grams and charge on regular IDX chargers. And they are still IATA compliant for transport. So compared to the 10's and Dionic 90's and the like, they work better when cold and handle much much higher amp draws. Jerry

Dan, I encourage you to read the primer again. The idea you have is, alas, simply wrong. Many, many of us for years thought along the same lines (you are not alone in this). The empirical methods discussed in the Primer are the easiest and fastest way to get dynamic balance. Jerry

Not to panic! Larry's been using the Klassen vest for several years with an Ultra arm, farily heavy rig, no problems. I believe both PRO and Tiffen recommend using steel sockets in the arm instead of the titanium when used with a back-mounted vest. George Paddock showed me (and everyone else!) a special, super strong one last year at CineGear he was making with some exotic steel. Jerry

Haven't heard from Jeff, but on a related note (i.e., arms and stress) - Garrett, Larry, and I were doing some (unrelated-to-stress) tests on Friday with the G-70 arm with both front and back-mounted vests. One thing we noticed was that the socket block position of the back mounted vest (to the rear) creates a much longer lever arm from the load (the sled) to the socket block than with front-mounted vests. Therefore, this longer lever arm puts much more stress on the upper arm segment and the socket block. This is true for all arms. Extending the arm even further (working far from the body) is also adding more stress to the upper arm and the socket block. Also, be aware that the restriction of the movement of the "shoulder" (the spring loaded joint of the socket block) in back mounted vests MAY, in some positions, add hard bumps or shocks to the socket block. Jerry

To clarify: Changing lenses and filters or even cameras (+/- any weight) will have ZERO effect on dynamic balance IF IF IF the overall length of the rig, i.e., the distance from the camera c.g. to the battery c.g., does not change AND you don't move the monitor, change accessories below the camera, etc. Just re-balance statically and you are good to go. Minor changes in the the overall length (like adding an obie light above the camera c.g., adding focus motors higher than the camera c.g, or a radical tilt with the tilt head, etc.) may shift the dynamic balance ever so slightly... sometimes making it better!! The shorter the overall length of the rig, the more sensitive the rig will be to changes in the overall length, as any change is a bigger percentage of the overall length. Jerry

A broken spring in any arm releases a lot of force, whether titanium or steel springs. The failure rate for all springs is incredibly low. There have been thousands and thousands of arms made with 6 titanium springs in each one them for about 30 years, (and different manufacturers), with only a few failures, and tons of abuse, etc. Some of the worries here border on hysteria. Every failure is spectacular, of course, as a lot of force is released. Mostly, the remaining bits remain in the arm, (and, BTW with the G-70 and G-50, even more likely to if there is a failure). Keep the arm clean and out of the sand, don't poke with a screwdriver, etc., and the springs should be fine. Usually, the major damage from a spring failure is to whatever might drop as a result, and to the bearings and pins in the arm. These should all be replaced if there is a spring failure. BTW, the design of the arms prevents the extension springs from "over stressing." They can only stretch so far as you boom up and down, regardless of the load, so a big load is not a cause for concern for the springs. With the Master Series and later arms, they see roughly the same load regardless of the weight of the sled and camera... they work at their optimum design all the time. If the sled weighs too much, the arm just won't lift it. However, the bones and other parts of the arm may not like really heavy loads, particularily with extra long arm posts and/or long gimbal handles which impart huge torqing moments. These moments are not designed for, much like the socket blocks were not designed for the new loads imparted by the back mounted vests, so suddenly there were a lot of socket block failures, in a part that had worked just fine for years. Nicking any spring will cause it to fail violently, regardless of the material. I've seen a nicked steel spring fail. Same lovely noise, very rarely heard. Jerry

I'm one of the guys doing this for 24 years properly, and teaching others proper techniques, etc. And I hang with Garrett (31+ years, and a bullet-proof back), just carried the Genesis all up (what a good workout!), etc. Our take on this. If you start with no injuries, defects, etc. to your back and use proper technique, you will gently exercise the various erector muscles of your back, and you do it with zero imact, perfect posture, and it's mildly aerobic. It's a great exercise for your back, makes your back stronger, improves your posture. It's good for your back. Short term and long term. My anecdotal encounter with a maggage therapist regarding my back was "Wow. There's nothing wrong here. No tension, nothing out of place, nothing mis-aligned, etc." ? which was totally different from what she encountered with handheld cameramen carrying an object 1/4 the weight. Think about how they carry it... with impacts, off balance, bending over, etc. vs. the way we carry the load. Almost every handheld guy I've ever met seeks out the chiropractor... but very few of us do. Done properly, Steadicam operating strengthens the muscles of the back, legs, butt, etc. equally and thereby reduces pressures on your disks, bones, etc. See Chris Fawcett's discussion on how the back works for more details. Done improperly, just like lifting a heavy case improperly, will hurt you. Chris describes several "bad" postures and the likely short and long term results. Adopting lazy or improper postures to avoid the lactic acid building up in those muscles is asking for trouble. By the logic that not exercising our backs is good for our backs, we should all be couch potatoes... and we know that's nonsense. We've evolved to move, stretch, exercise, carry things about... Warming up, stretching, and other exercises help as well. Very, very few professionals outside of operating have a real clue about the forces (especially of the instantaneous forces) acting on our muscles, or how evenly and squarely and in what good posture we carry the Steadicam. Many really whacky vests have been designed (search the patent offie files!) based on such professional advice. Many folks still believe our spines work like a stack of bricks to hold us up. It's not like that. Done right, it is GREAT for your back. Jerry (who had a back injury in college long before Steadicam, and is ever so thankful he took up Steadicam operating)

I own one of the first Handsfree Transporters, and helped with its development for Steadicam a little bit, so here's my take on it. What I believe the Handsfree does best is replace westerns and other dollies, rickshaws, etc. under some circumstances, but clearly not all. These are the key good things ? it gives back to the operator the ability to nagivate, accelerate, slow down, etc., and gives it back with as much accuracy and finesse as normal walking. No communication problems, delays, confusions. And a lot less fatigue. It has a small form factor, fits and turns in tight spots. Turns on a dime. It goes faster and further than you can run with the rig or grips can push a dolly, and it accelerates quickly and smoothly. Up hills without tiring or loss of speed, down hills without the risk of running away. It also goes very very slowly and smoothly for the slowest and most precise of creeping shots. For running shots, shots that drive straight into a character, etc., it's amazing. Totally smooth dolly shots. With the hardmount, there's no fatigue: great for sports, parades, shows, tracking shots. Soft mounted, one can get on or off, just like on a crane. I don't have the hardmount yet (just tried it briefly at NAB) so I now feel that the softmount offers more finesse... but I think that's just a few more minutes of training. Downsides? Yes, of course. It does not go backwards very fast, so shots preceding actors going faster than walking must be done in the Don Juan. Its motor makes noise (perhaps not as much as the grip's feet ??), so it's not for quiet interiors. You shouldn't use it if the surface is slippery (actually applies to other dollies as well). And like all walking shots, part of your brain must navigate, hit marks, etc. And unlikke any other tool, it's great fun to ride it around the block, shock your neighbors. A real mood enhancer on or off set. Jerry