Alec Jarnagin SOC

Jake, I agree with Paul. I use Anton Bauer (one Hytron 120 and a Performer) and hot off the charger, they are way over 14 (the Hytron can even hit 17 until you put any kind of load on it). In my experience, Arri 24 Volt cameras like it hot; it is older 12V cameras that you have to be careful of (with a single 14.4 brick). As for your AKS ports, this is normal too. Bartech is 12 Volts; Preston is either. Good luck.

Benjamin, Wow, its funny to read these posts because my last one was a year ago (scroll up to see what I'm talking about)! Well, all still holds true - the XCS gimbal is incredible. By the way, it WAS designed from the ground up to feel the same in low mode as high mode and CAN have the rig inverted in shot without problems (Lynn uses it on his "Alien"). I've wanted to address this for awhile but I refuse to post in that "other" strand (you know the one on 2" posts) as it has been polluted and I don't wish to look as if I'm taking sides (because I'm not). Oh, my 2" post from XCS is still working beyond well too - solid, light weight, dependable and crazy rigid AND compatible with the PRO. As for gimbal lubricant? Yes, it makes a big difference. You could clog it up with lithium grease and reduce its performance to nil or you can use an ultra-light weight oil such as Arri High speed oil (which CSC DOES still sell - good news). Greg Bubb tells me that many people use a slightly heavier lubricant to curb the "friction feel" just a bit - it all depends on preference. Hope this helps.

David, "I own a PRO I sled and I'm having an issue with the monitor. When I toggle the electronics for parallel circuitry, the monitor will draw power from only the monitor battery. I may be mistaken but, I thought parallel circuitry would comprise of running all batteries somewhat at an even draw." This is normal. When in parallel, it is talking about the two batteries meant to power the camera and focus gear. The moniotor battery (which also powers your other video stufff - i.e. the transmitter) is intended to always remain isolated, keeping it clean. Hope your shoot went well today.

I'd second that. Great product, great service, and Jim (Bartell) is the kind of guy you call just to catch up with or to invite into your home.

Jorge, I assume this is already gone because it is such an absurdly good deal, but it was posted on the SOA site recently: PRO VEST PURCHASED NEW WITH RIG 2 YEARS OLD. RECENTLY SERVICED BY GPI I HAVE NOW UPDATED TO BACK MOUNTED VEST. USD$2500 Contact: DAVID KNIGHT Telephone: 61418228696 Email: rigflyer@bigpond.com.au I should add that I don't know the guy. never seen the vest, etc. etc. Good luck.

Food for thought guys, a wide lens can mean lots of verticals in frame (i.e. columns) and this is always a dead give away to less than stellar horizons. In such a situation, longer lenses can hide things. Besides, longer lenses can be very fun as they exaggerate the boom of the Steadicam arm, etc. and often they are just beautiful. Like anything, use the right tool/lens for the job, but keep an open mind.

Will, I seem to think if you detune the Master arm, you can get it down to about 33lbs, but that might be the minimum before it is detuned. 13 pounds? PRO arm with two light canisters. I'm looking forward to photos of this set up.

http://www.steadicam-ops.com/soamanual.shtml Look under "resource materials." This should go a long way to answering your historical questions anyway.

Will, Hey, how are you? Are you back in the city yet? I'll call you later. Well written article. Can anyone think of a reason why they shouldn't use a back support belt? I honestly can't recall, but I've somehow had it in my head for years that it was generally regarded as not a good idea. Maybe I'm just thinking of comfort and Will seems to have addressed that. It is amazing how we become set in our ways and forget about about the most obvious solutions. Mostly writing about the "Jumper straps" Will refers to in his P.S. These are so critical, I'm shocked they were removed from standard CP front mount vests after the model 1 and not returned until the Ultra. They work so well that I never bothered with the increased lumbar support that Will mentions (although this makes a ton of sense too; why not have the best of both worlds). Anyway, I'm able to tell instantly if one of these cross "jumper" straps is not buckled. They attach the lower pad to the upper, spreading the force and generally make your life a happier place. Now, I too, have ordered Walter's vest, but I did it as preventative maintenance - thought it high time to abuse different muscles.

Marcin, Sorry, if I overreacted. Somehow I took your comments about making a Steadicam and now a cage in the wrong light. Regarding privacy, I don't blame you for keeping your email off the forum, but we started the tradition of using real names years ago here. Thank you for letting us know who you are. If it makes you feel better, I didn't realize you are from Poland and that English is your second language (you speak it very well) - so yes, I misunderstood your intent. Regarding the practice cage. The operative word here is "practice." I would not worry about steel interfering with the electronics. One, at the distance the steel is from the electronics (compared to the actual camcorder housing), I don't think you should have a problem. Two, the purpose for the cage is to allow you to get practice until you find yourself working and making money. I, like many operators, made a cage from steel and never had any problems. Until I made a solid cage of steel, I just bolted a bunch of weights to some wood and then screwed in a dovetail plate. Whatever works; whatever gets you practicing. Good luck with everything and congratulations on your purchase.

Dan, This is a listing from Stephen Consentino, based here in NYC, on the SOA site. I haven't seen the mags in question, but Stephen has been around for years and has a VERY solid reputation. "Three (3) SL Cine Steadimags (35mm)in custom hard case. 400foot loads. Fits Arri II, III, 435. Super light-weight Magnesium body. Hinged lids. Capable of 1-150fps. Lighter weight than Arri 435 Steadimags. Perfect condition, serviced twice yearly. I will service mags by SL Cine right before sale. Price $9,500 for 3 mags and case or Best Offer. Contact: Stephen Consentino Telephone: 914-837-0120 Email: sfc1@optonline.net"

Rob, Hey man, you are nicer than I. Too bad your many years of work are being dismissed by a new comer, who can't even be bothered to use his real name. Please, don't waste your time answering posts from anonymous people. Initial head can find his own answers out by reinventing the wheel (or more literally the practice cage that has been made for years, by a large cast of characters - using real names). Otherwise, there are many non-professional forums out there that allow people to use childish aliases that initial head can go join. Please people, this forum was set up as a professional forum for professional Steadicam Operators. We've lost many very good contributors as of late because of the lack of respect shown to others and the overwhelming number of people who have seen fit to dump our etiquette. Please use your real names, respect your elders. post in appropriate categories, and ask intelligent questions (if you are new, do searches first). Kindest regards,

Hey, finally got around to writing up something about this great trip, but it made more sense to post it in the vest section. Here is the link: http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index...8365entry8365

Hey everyone. Took awhile to get around to this, but I wanted to make a few comments regarding my trip to Walter?s shop a few weeks ago. Fist, I?d like to thank the usual suspects at Klassen FX (Walter, Jennifer, Cornell, and the gang) for their time and efforts. Their dedication to their customers is not only obvious, it allowed me to make very informed decisions about my purchase. Also, thanks to Brad Hruboska for coming out and playing. Last fall, after I tried Howard?s Universal/Genesis vest, I wrote a posting about how much I loved the new curved carbon fiber front panel. Unfortunately, this was one of the postings lost when the forum was hacked, but Will Arnot replaced it with a posting of his own that pretty much summed up my views. Anyway, I?m so glad I went to visit the shop in person, as it did change my order a bit. Originally, I was in love with the dual ratchet system to attach the front plate as I felt that it offered the most diverse fitting options (notably the ability to angle the aforementioned plate). As the fellows at the shop patiently watched me go back and forth between the two front plate styles (the second being the new metal hinge on one side and the ratchets on the other), putting the various demo vests through their paces, I slowly began to change my mind. In the end, the hinge won out as I felt it provided a more rigid connection and a stiffer feel. No question, a personal choice and a close call for me, but I have all the confidence that my vest will fit having been measured by Walter, so I opted for a bit more rigidity versus a bit more diversity (two important, but often competing qualities in our world). As I always say, to each their own, thus my point is check out both styles before you make up your mind. Regarding the front mounted socket block on the Klassen vest - interesting indeed. In the end though, it was not for me. Theoretically, I?ve always maintained that it should work fine because we are still dealing with two masses (the sled and you) and their relationship (distance from one another). If we could place ourselves in a perfect carbon fiber ring, then I think there would be no difference between having the socket block attached to the front versus having an external arm that brings it around front. This is of course impossible as we couldn?t take the vest off and our significant others would get even more annoyed with this whole Steadicam thing. So let?s get to my impressions of trying this system out for real. For the most part, pretty impressive; I think many people will opt for this system as it is a huge improvement over many front mounted vests without the commitment to retrain yourself. But, I did find that the front of the vest did torque out and put added stress on my front side. In contrast, any flex in the vest with an external back mounted arm pushes into your lower back, acting as lumbar support. Furthermore, I like the ability of sliding the carbon arm up and down the rear. To have this option on the front, requires losing some of the openness associated with the back mounted vest as the front plate needs to be bigger (or there needs to be more hardware there). Just my two cents. Now, a little bit of fun. My wife, Jendra, who joined me for the trip took some great photos of Walter?s shop. For the record, we did not bore her to death ? she knew what she was getting into and she is a DP. So, here is the link: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/share/v...1&x=1&sm=1&sl=0

Charles, How are things? Cold? I try to live by the old saying that there is no such thing as bad weather - just bad clothes, but I'll confess that I have my doubts. We were going to try and make it to LA this winter for a couple of weeks, but it is beginning to look less likely since we are going to Sundance (more cold weather - huuum,) later in the month and then Spain in March. Jendra (I guess you didn't see her when I saw you last year in NYC) got herself another shooting gig in Spain so I'll go over and have a vacation when she is done (one week shoot; no Steadi). We did the same thing last year for the same client. Anyway, LA is on our list. Too bad I didn't give you more notice about Toronto; I'd love to have hooked up with you and hit the town (hard). Come to think of it, if I have time, I'll call you later today to catch up. Cheers.

Hello Canadian brothers! My wife and I are visiting Toronto Jan 6th - Jan 9th. I'll be at Walter's shop on Friday Jan 7th for a fitting and would love to meet any and all operators in the area at the shop or for drinks afterwards (or both). My cell phone doesn't work up there, but email between now and Thursday morning and I'll give you more details. If you don't have my email address already, I'll set up the following one for the next few days: goingnorth@floatingcamera.com Thanks.

Layton, I second what Howard said. I confess that last year I was on a film with that beast. It had been years since I'd seen one, but in this case the production company owned a BL-4 and a 4s with all the AKS and I really wanted to work with the DP. Having just flow back into town, I did not find out about the camera situation until a day or two before the shoot (they had mostly been talking with my agent, which is why I was caught unaware). Upon finding out that the shots were walk and talks, I said what the heck (I knew the Key Grip, so I knew hard mounting to a Western would be an easy thing to achieve if needed.) So, rather than canceling the gig and missing the opportunity to work with the DP, I thought I'd get there and see what I could do to alter the situation for future days. As I grew the DP's ear, I found that he had fought like hell to get a Compact throughout pre-production, but no luck. Eventually, the DP came to me and asked about low-mode. I dug out (and dusted off) my Sushi table to discover that it didn't fit because of the video tap, so I showed the DP this (I had already warned him that this might be the case earlier in the day - I had also warned the PM on the phone before the job of this). He groaned, nodded and walked away to return a few moments later with the PM. We showed him the problem, then the two walkd away to have a little conversation. Two hours later, we had a Moviecam SL. By the days end, they had added a bunch more days for me and kept the SL. By weeks end, they swapped the A camera out for a Compact too. On this one, I gambled and won.

This has come up over and over again. Jamie hits it right on the head. Try them all and buy what makes sense for you. Don't worry about what the "Jones" are flying. I, too, use a Master/Ultra arm. I love the fact that it is effortless to move and is tooless. It is a work horse. Never think about it. Some have had issues with theirs locking up (see Will Arnot's article awhile back). This seems to be more common with the earlier versions; never been a problem for me. I think the PRO arm is great too - a champion in adverse conditions. I personally found the Baer-Bel to be too stiff (too much friction), but at this point I'd hate to go back to a 3a arm as well. I know a few ops who still prefer the 3a arm over all others though, so again to each their own.

Check out Walter Klassen's stuff.... (http://www.walterklassen.com/) He doesn't just make back mounted vests.

Gerard, I keep a bubble level attached under my top-stage, so I tend to re-calibrate the XCS level when I build at the beginning of a job. (Well, I suppose I should say that I check it because it rarely needs attention.) To zero it though, you simply hit a zero button. For low mode, just change the sweep and you are in business (a very easy task).

Rob, Been away from the computer, but I was thinking of you. Glad you are okay. Funny how this Steadicam thing has brought strangers from around the globe together; I've never even met Rob, but you were the first person I thought of when I heard.

"I really dig the 24 volt version that Garrett designed for use with the Arri 235, but they will not sell it without the pricey HD monitor ( total cost; $12K) yikes! " Now that is stupid. Never seen a 24 Volt HD camera or a film camera with an HD tap. What if you already own a monitor? All our manufacturers should know that the best business model is to sell us whatever pieces we want. Customer service combined with innovative, quality products is the way to win. Anyway, I like the sound of a Flyer with a 235 on it. What about focus gear and transmitter? All smiles.....

Brain, What did they offer to do about it? Good customer service dictates that if you are unhappy they ought to send you another one to try. If you are still unhappy, then you send it back for a refund. Should you like it better, than you keep that one. Just my two cents.

Will, Very cool. Did Greg make that for you? The gold color is his style. I bought an extra one of his gyro mounting plates without the spud (the part that doubles the price) to use as a blank AB template for various reasons. Good tid bit to add to the kit.

This place is great. I saw Jason's posting and was all excited to rave about my friend Peter's system, to find that other friends of mine were already doing so.