MattDavis

How's it going with the extra weights? IIRC, I read elsewhere here that not only do you get more inertia, the rig becomes less bouncy. Is this is what you've found? If flying a Z1, would you think it worthwhile to get 3-4 lbs of weight from the get-go?

Brilliant! I guess it's the "Sandwich Touch & Go". Makes perfect sense seeing it, wonder why I didn't think such things existed? But lash out is right... Absolutely. You can imagine the fun I was having with both the rubbery shock mount and the wodge of Sony video/audio cable flopping around. In the meantime, I can work with just radios, maybe even a monochrome image in the viewfinder if I use a simple S-Video to BNC cable.

I'm being pessimistic - worst case scenario in terms of being a newbie - I've found rebalancing when I change the Z1's configuration still takes about 10 mins, especially in untwiddling the Sachtler plate, twiddling up the Flyer plate, perhaps removing the on-board shot-gun mic, adding the radio mic RX and doing a few drop tests. Most times, the switch from tripod mounted to 'run and gun' is a few seconds. I'd rather spend those seconds donning an arm and a prebalanced Z1. If it means renting a second Z1, then so be it. All part of the service. :) OTOH, my wife's doing some killer spinach at the moment. Bit of onion, a few lentils, zapped in the steamer, etc. Practice, practice, practice.

Would agree, but having been 'blooded', there are caveats we need to throw to the Steadicam-Unaware corporate producers. The following is, I know, painfully obvious, but with the release of the Pilot and the evolution of the Merlin, will be an annoying chorus behind the voice of dedicated Steadicam Operators. Corporate Video Producers MUST KNOW: - There needs to be a green room, secure, level floor, for the stand, bags and room to do the drop test - No shot using >50% of the zoom range is going to work - A Flyer is not a two legged tripod, a cheap dolly or a crane - A flown Z1 is NOT a handheld Z1 - From tripod to Flyer = about 30 mins. You need two cameras. - Shotgun mics and radio RX units are sails for the wind. Strip and use separate audio recorder if needed Z1 Owners may like to know - Century Optics converters add a comfortable heft to the rig, and the plate doesn't require much of a reset - A Matte box is still a good idea, but remove the flag outside if windy - Shotgun mic doesn't help much. No point. Use a Sony A1 as a deck and have someone boom for you - The lower screen is of great comfort, but keep your Z1 screen open to check settings, colour, zebras, etc. - Going Goofy may make the Z1 feel comfortable, but it stops you performing a great trick: switching to Don Juan in an instant by flipping the Z1 LCD to frontal mode and putting the viewfinder in AllScan (so you don't include your shoulder). - The Flyer's got a great boom range, but shooting high and (especially) low is not an insignificant thing. - You really want to shoot level most times. That can be a limitation. - Holding steady is a skill of its own. - You may want to get good with a Merlin first. :)

Thanks to all respondents. Goofy foot felt good for a while, but like everyone's said, it's how your hands feel. I'm right handed, and whilst Goofy Foot feels good, I was over compensating. One's strong hand IS best on the gimbal handle - it's the hand that (in my case) carried cups of tea from kitchen, up stairs, round corridors, over beams and into bedroom (wierd story). It wasn't up to merely counterbalancing the tension in the sled. The south paw had the nuance and gentleness. If anyone's experienced going from wet plate clutch to spring clutch, you get the picture about going Goofy. :) Of course it all made sense once I wired up the monitor with the cable <blush>, but it's true - that big lump of copper flopping around causes mayhem. I'd prefer a short stretch of 50 Ohm coax from 3.5mm Sony plug to BNC over that any day. Whatever the cost. Within reason. Of course. Cheers all, M.

It's that comfort I was a bit wary about, quite frankly. It does 'feel' right, but of course that's mainly because I am using a familiar monitor. The LCD is a crucial part of all of this. Another thought is that in the standard position, I could do a quick DJ by using the built in LCD. Not so easy on Goofy foot. Thanks for the feedback! Yes I do - D'Oh! It's just that it's a long messy cable rather than one of those short thin light sexy things that came with the kit. It seemed to use it would be another trap to snag on garden furniture, passing family or simply to trip on, but I should have thought about wrapping it up in an elastic band. In my defence, I started out on the nastiest most horrible hand stabilizer ever, where a tape would unsettle the balance after 15 mins of rolling, so I'm used to 'if something moves, it won't balance'. :)

Sorry to rush in with a flood of questions. It's been an exciting 24 hours with my Z1 on a borrowed flyer. Are there any tips on getting through the narrower doorways? Other than pushing the sled out front, I'm just very aware of the 'elbows' of the arm tend to stick out. I've found by firmly twisting the control handle, I can 'persuade' the arms to hunker in a bit, but at the cost of adding some sticktion because a couple of fingertips are on the rotating Y bit. And no, this isn't running before you can walk - this was to get out of my office! :) Oh, the embarrasment.

As in Q1, spending a long weekend with a borrowed Flyer and my Z1 kit. As I'm currently unable to use the LCD screen on the sled (no cable to go from S-Video to BNC or the wierd Sony 3.5 jack to BNC - the former exist but only on special order), I must use the Z1 viewfinder. I tried going Goofy this afternoon. It felt a lot more natural, both in being in a position for a certain shot (as it's sort of near my right shoulder) and physically - using the flip-out screen and the on-body controls. I guess that the Z1 flying population is pretty small, but is Goofy seen as a satisfactory mode for general use with the smaller video cameras? Or is Goofy "only to be used when necessary"?

I'm spending a long weekend with a borrowed Flyer, waiting for my course in June (and kit thereafter). Unfortunately the VHS was missing and I understand there's a lot of valuable info in there. I've flown a basic Z1 setup and have been impressed (from a beginner's point of view) with the result. Today, I tried loading the Z1 up with top-mounted radio mic RX, and a CS-1 short shotgun on a Rycote adaptor that puts the mic a little further away from the camera. It's not gone completely pear shaped, but I'm getting far more keeling side to side dispite a good static balance and a 2.5 sec drop time. Whilst the easy solution is 'take something off' - most notably the side mounted shotgun mic, are there any tips to making a sled-friendly package of lots of bits? Thanks for any thoughts! :)

That's cool. I'm here to learn things like that. Please note that my Car Show filming was to film the BOOTHS not the cars, that I was doing it with a PD150 on sticks, and had a local rep look after me (though she studiously avoided carrying anything). I was a 'videographer' and felt a little like a pack animal with a lens (hey, people pay for GYMs to get this experience), but I'm quite pleased with the results. The event videography market has almost zero contact with the world of steadicam, so I'm keen to introduce it to my clients properly with the right structure and practice in place. I'm concerned that the Pilot and Merlin/Arm might get some folks too excited and pop their cork before their ready. If it was as easy as it looks, everyone would do it. I don't want people bad-mouthing lightweight rigs because a few weekenders who don't read manuals poison the pond. Oops - ranting. Sorry. THanks - you betcha! ;)

Heartily agree in that case. Even if it's just a Z1 on a Flyer, at least breifing the interviewer to 'cover your six'. :) Were you the only camera on the team?

I guess most operators here will be part of a larger team, mostly working with an assistant. I work in the event/corporate/documentary world, and most often I'm working alone. Thinking about the Flyer/Z1 - its not a big rig, sure, but there's still plenty of spring loaded engineering floating about - is this a rig you'd be prepared to fly solo? For long periods of time? For example, gettings GVs: park up the car, fit the rig, balance up and trim, pack the stand in the car and lock, get your shots, return, derig, pack and on to the next location. For example, following a group of inspectors round a building site or factory for a couple of hours, with two on radio mics. Would you spend half a day working alone in a Flyer, also carrying a light 2 or 3 step step ladder? (If you've seen press day at a car show, you'll get the picture! ;) ) Hey, not the most exciting shoots, welcome to my world. :) Perhaps I should also mention that this world requires things like 'Risk Assessments' so I'm duty bound to consider fatigue and its implications for me to keel over and hit some poor innocent bystander and design a way of reducing that risk to almost nil. (Thinking aloud, maybe the Flyer's overkill in the light of the new Steadicam products. I'm guessing that the Pilot is going to be fine, no special requirements, no chance going clumsy and fumbly with fatigue (I usually cart a Z1 and tripod plus 10 kilos of gear in a backpack). But in the world of steadicam, weight can be good... especially outside... thoughts welcome)

Yup, will do this. To all respondents - many heartfelt thanks! Still a little confused - IDX seems to have a *marketing* presence. Anton Bauer seems to have a more *operating* presence. PAG seem to be a little Tesco (and there's nothing wrong with that). Back to Google and the Battery/Power thread. <blush>

I'm soon to be the proud owner of a Flyer, which will have a well-loaded Z1 on top. I shoot corporates, infomercials, training and documentary. What's baked my noodle is the choice of batteries. I'm a Z1 nut - NPF-970 or Hawk Woods equivalent, job done. Now this rig asks me to choose Anton Bauer, IDX, PAG and so on. I feel totally unqualified to offer any sort of opinion. How does one choose? It's only for a Z1 - heck, maybe in six months it will be a DSR-570 - next year maybe it will be an F-350. However, right now, I have camera & radio mic power sorted - I guess any extra power's for the Flyer's monitor?