Erwin Landau

As far as i know, it's considerably smaller, but still referred to as such...

David, Again... you get what you pay for. Many people would rather go with a spanking shining new rig that will cover there needs short term then look further into the future and buy a system that is modular and will be upgradeable.... AND USED! Yeah, Tiffen is filling the void for those in-between rigs in weight range and price and that is great! Where the problem starts is that people will buy those "prosumer" rigs or low-end pro rigs and then end up with a set up that there rig can't handle. Does the op go out and rent/borrow an appropriate rig? No!!! He over loads the Arm, he stresses the Gimbal to the max, bends the spar on the Vest, etc.. and then come back and tells us how shitty the rig is that he bought and wonders why he doesn't get a response from the people that sold him said rig. He learned his lesson! (I hope) I can always go lighter with my high-end set up. I paid the price and it will handle ANY Camera/Media combo thrown at it. You are lucky that you can get professional gear for quite a cheap price these days, there is no excuse for not doing your homework... You can find and buy a professional set up for $10K... you just need time and effort and listen to experienced folks. By dismissing and pissing off people on this forum... that won't get you far. Might even prevent from others actually replying in the future. If you don't like the answer, move along or wait for somebody that has more to say... not every post/attack/remark warrants a response... Rant over. Erwin

The idea for the 2nd monitor mount was to bring the monitor into a more favorable position when operating in ultra high mode. It's been a while since I used an Ultra, but if memory serves me right, you can't move the monitor without moving a section of the post too. Right? According to Jerry it's not very complicated to remove the K-section, it's just labour intense.... many many cables to disconnect and reconnect. I would check with Tiffen or at least with Terry West or any of the Steadicam gurus. Sorry not really helpful... I tried.

I have to second the call for "American" great guys, great service and if you come and pick it up, you get a 33% discount on the price list amount. (FYI: That's what the dealers get and they are passing it on to you). I personally have the single riser without wheels or casters (even though I was involved in the design of the Backstage parts). My main dock is my cart (I build and balance it only there) that I always log around anywhere and it's small enough to fit anywhere. The single riser is for the times when I have to dock in a hall way, or on a stair landing, or in very confined space. It's light enough so that I can carry it with one hand (while still having the rig on, because your AC never has exactly then time when it needs to be moved out of the shot or to the next location), but still sturdy enough to hold my full blown set up. I was nerver a big fan of those overloaded stand/I have all my crap hanging from the knuckles set ups. It's heavy like shit and if you have to move it with the docked rig and it's a fairly long trip, it's just a matter of time until the knuckle vibrates loose (especially with casters) and the rig comes crushing down onto your Preston Hand-unit/batteries/coffee mug... or worse, one of yours or your assistants vital body parts... Been there... not a pretty sight. Good Luck, Erwin

Hi Ron, Had a little e-mail exchange with Greg about his HD/SDI/Composite PDL. It will have a menu driven input/output signal setting, so you can have a level on your TB-6 as well as on your HD monitor, just press a button. As far as I understood, there will be a stand alone unit followed by the build in version for his Ultimate sleds and then a "HD TB-6"... you will be able to upgrade your existing Monitor. But if you get the HD PDL you don't need to upgrade your TB-6. He had no pricing or exact due date (he's at the mercy of his engineers)... that was a couple of months ago, I would say by now it should be anytime now. Later, Erwin

Bamix!!! My wife bought me one!!!

Oh yeah, forgot... Tools used: Rivet gun, Hand drill, Hammer (doesn't work with out one), Proxxon with large cutting disks and... a carpet knife (Exacto Knife)... As I learned once the Filon and the Aluminum is cut... the rest can be cleanly separated with a knife. Also makes for a nice finish... Would have never thought... you never stop learning... Erwin "smarty pants" Landau

... Do it yourself! When I originally designed my Case cart, I had those handles in mind that could be left on the case even if broken down for transport... less moveable parts, less removable parts... less to have to assemble/disassemble and less to get lost. I was ahead of the times, there where no corner/edge handles to be had, not until last year... I picked some up and went in search for a case company close to me in Switzerland to mount them to one of my cases. Wow... what a shock... $500.- in labour to get mounted with a 2 to 3 weeks lead time... (that's the same company that took my money back in August and delivered my other project last week, 7 months later...) I don't think so! So instead I had a rivet gun and rivets left over from previous project... went to the OBI (Home Depot) and picked up a Proxxon (Dremel) and a couple of hours later... I had what I originally designed 4 years ago... for a fraction of the cost... and the way I envisioned it. If you wait long enough... there is always a nutcase that has the same crazy ideas like you, but is busier with actually putting them into reality and you get your parts... eventually. Yeah Cart Version XI is taking shape... all hand made... by me. Not having that much play money to work with actually makes it nicer and I am learning a lot... and losing my scruples to cut into a perfectly working case... Later, Erwin "slice and dice" Landau

I don't want to be the party pooper, but... you get what you pay for. If you constantly are flying at the top end of the loading range, you will have to expect material fatigue, no way around it. Should it break? of course not, but if you get a lower quality arm it's just a matter of time... There is a reason why they are costing considerably less then the full size arms... I managed to break a PRO arm... unconverted Panavision Gold several years ago... bad idea and I paid for it. So why are you surprised? Call Tiffen, go get it fixed and don't do it again... or get an Arm with a higher weight range (don't forget to also upgrade all other components like the Gimbal, the Vest etc.) Take it or leave it, up to you. Good Luck! PS: I will put it in the arm section, people that are interested will find it there too... if everything would end up in the general discussion, nobody would ever find anything on the forum... also the view count argument not withstanding.

Doesn't matter what anybody says... At the end of the day it's what do you think you are worth... As it has shown over the years, if somebody wants to work with you, they will. They will somehow figure out a way to make it work for both parties. Find the money to make it worth your time and effort. If people only call you when they have no money... look how quickly they will find a replacement after you say no. I helped out many people when I was starting out. I did not have the experience to be paid full price and they didn't... but when that same producer calls you almost 10 years later and expects you to work for the same rate... I would say walk away. That's what I did. At the end of the day you have to be comfortable with the money you are making. You will work as hard and be beaten up as much, no matter how much they pay you. It's up to you to determine how much you go home with and if you can live with that and also can live in the eyes of other operators at the same time (nobody likes to be called Lowballer). Production will not go easier on you or treat you any better if you make $1000.- a day or $2000.- a day... at least if you get the $2K, you will live nicer, be able to pay off your rig faster and if you do enough of those $2000.- days... you will be able to say "no" easier... and as long as you can say no, you are in charge... You have a limited amount of working days in you... make'em count! You can't log that thing around for ever!

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We just had a discussion about that... Yes, the XCS ergo handle will fit your Gimbal Yoke as they are the same dimensions. Also Greg used to make a longer version of his 115 degree handle (the regular handle). Give him a shout, he might be able to help you out with that.

XCS Ultimate 10 years Pro Arm 12 years Pro Vest 5 years

Well... The XCS gimbal design is based on the PRO design which copied aspects of the 3A gimbal (and improved apone them). It all comes down to the spindle design and the used angle of the cone as well as the used tolerances. Which differ greatly between the XCS/PRO and the Master/Ultra set up. Several weeks ago I was visiting with Christian Betz in Munich and he checked out my Ergo Handle as he was asked about the compability with his "the Rig" sled. Again the design is similar but not compatible. It can be done, if you want to invest the resources , time and effort. You have to reverse engineer the part of the spindle that goes into the Ergo Handle and mate it with the design of the Ultra yoke. At that point, unless you want to go into production of replacement spindles, or as you stated above, also accomodate the larger arm post size which would force you to totally make an Ergo from scratch... Is cost prohibitive (and would get you into trouble with Greg)... It would, at that point, be cheaper to just get a complete Ultimate Gimbal with Ergo. I am sure that Greg could make you an adapter for your stage remote! But anything is possible... Given, as always, how much time and effort you want to spend on it... I know I'm a hard head in those things and always have the approach... Why the hell not? Good Luck with your endeavor! Fly safe! Erwin

Okay Evrim, I'll bite... Let's see what crazy idea you had... ;)

I can tell you a lot about the PRO Arm... but that's not what you asked about! I honestly doubt that anybody actually used it (or at least would admit to it) on this forum... Did you try the "other" Steadi forum or the Glidecam one? You might get lucky there. Good Luck! Fly Safe!

That cable was a gift from a friend of mine... Works very nicely!!!

Workshop hands down! Over the years I took six. Every time I thought I had mastered everything that could be done with this instrument, I was humbled by a more seasoned operator. I learned something on every single one I took, no matter how long I was operating for. Whatever you learn will make you a better operator in the long run. The Flyer, you will out grow within a couple of months and then you have to invest again in a bigger rig. And again and again until you end up with a big rig or you get stuck in whatever midlevel steadi job you just got, to be able to pay off all the intermediate rigs that you collected. After the first big rig workshop, and flying the real thing, you will not want to start over with the little guys. At least I didn't. Do a whole week workshop and completely new horizons will open up... But then again it's your cash and you can do whatever you please... If your goal is to fly DSLR Camera your whole carrier go and buy the Flyer... but if you want to do anything bigger... skip the little stuff, practice, borrow or rent a rig and work on your craft.... if you're good enough, you will earn enough to buy the big toys eventually... Just my 2 cents. Fly safe, Erwin

16 by his own account... but who's counting... He was able to txt me back, so that is a good sign. He's tuff as nails... speedy recovery my friend!!! Fly safe!!!! Erwin

The Autodock from Cinewidgets... Tom Gleason made those for me. Nice to see they are still around...

Lens Control Raincover from Jerry Hill. About 2/3 down the page. http://www.steadimoves.com/parts.html That's the one that I had for a bunch of years... does the job, if you really have to shoot in the rain...

More info: http://www.facebook.com/groups/thesteadicamgroup/permalink/10151297482516629/?comment_id=10151297771651629&notif_t=like

Hi Markus, Sitting in the Starbucks at the Alexander Platz... I will be flying out in a couple of hours... Sorry didn't see your post earlier. Next time my friend! Thanks to Benjamin and Stefan for the lovely evenings! Fly safe, Erwin

For Sale: Jerry Hill Panabracket (New $365.-) Condition: New. $200.- plus shipping ($15.-)

And a bunch more here: http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=3905#entry21636