Lawrence Karman

I thought the web site said it records at 30fps. Also, I believe there are 1K cards available (expensive).

I saw Panasonic has made a new A/V recorder. it looks like a very,very small clamshell unit model SV-AV30. $299 US. Only 3.25oz! However it records in MPEG 4. Still, interesting. Her's the link: http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/s...gnoreRedirect=1

It's been a while since I've had my hands on one but as I recall it was somewhere between a bit and a lot. Sorry I can't be more precise.

Definately not for Steadicam use: VERY heavy and they "breathe" a bit when racking focus. Otherwise sharp.

Actually I miss the PAM brackets. The way this motor mounts is my only complaint. I always find a way to make it work but it is nowhere as easy to find a gear connection as the Preston motor w/ a PAM bracket. Sometimes I have to add a dogbone to find a mounting spot; something I never ahd to do w/ a Preston motor.

Yes it's loud. Has it ever been a problem? No.

I've had the male socket block on my PRO arm split in 2 while on a vehicle mount. Very messy result. Quick repairs from PRO. There's a little hole in the block where the spring end seats and that is where it snapped. Never had any problem with the other end (Derose). I tape the top screw on th DSD vest socket block so it doesn't rotate and loosen the lower screw to get in and out. I also can't say that having to flip the socket block for vehicle mounts is really that time consuming. There's plenty of other things taking more time on the set to allow for it, so adding the expense and weight of an aircraft pin is not necessary for me. One could probably purchase one from McMaster-Carr for a lot less than Tiffen charges.

Thomas, the Cat Griller is basically a donkey box w/out the X/Y ability, with a couple of 3/8" holes tapped underneath. I attach the quick release plate to the bottom of that. I don't know why you would want to fly a quick release plate all the time. Weight is not an issue for me as it only works when the camera is mounted to a head.

Hey! You think it's easy flying that rig with the Panahead attached in low mode no less? Makes for a very stable package, though. The "Cat Griller" mounts the camera plate to my Ronford quick release plate. Very handy to have in the AKS bag. I reccomend it to all, available from Baer-Bel. Thanks for posting that photo, Kurt. Miss you. You're probably still not dry. Happy Passover, Easter and an early happy Kwanza to all, Lawrence

Know someone looking to buy a used Donkey box II. Please e-mail me (lkarman@earthlink.net)

Michael, thanks again for the tip on the phase button. The only time I use the Proformers is whe I fly a 435 or HD camera. As the front AB mount is never used to supply power to the camera I always flya Hytron there so the Proformer clearance, Clarence, has never been am issue for me. I have found the Anton Bauer customer service to be somewhat strange. I had to replace my Hytrons and bought all new Hytrons a year ago and on 1 they sent me the battery meter arrived DOA. I sent it back and they had to repair it which took almost a month. Why not just send me a new battery? I also got a mixture of the old and new style battery meters The new style seems very confusing for the AC's.

Thanks for the reply. My modulus powers off the monitor battery on the PRO 2 sled, not the camera battery so that wouldn't be of much help. I have 4 of the Proformers and never had trouble fitting them on the sled. Is it the front mount under the post that's problematical? I only have used them for 435 work on the 2 plates in the back. It always seems like a hassle to scroll throught the many menus on the 435 to get to the battery meter that I never use it.

Michael, when using the Proformers on the PRO 2 sled how do you deal with the lack of a battery strength/charge meter?

I just finished a job w/ a Sony HD camera only body that had a built in fiber optic output connector (a #3 Lemo). The truck supplied a feed cable not unlike regular Triax that was about 3/8" and not as flexible as I would like. Any one know of a thin adapter to put on the camera? Heard it existed but who makes it? Just when I got the Triax thing down, now this.

Jim, soldering on board a moving ship can be very dangerous. Especially after a few "boat drinks". I implore you to refrain from such activities. Enjoy your trip and don't drink the water.

That must mean the BUZ is finished and you are off to celebrate on a well deserved vacation!

I beleive Larry commented about this unit. It records in MP4 format which may not give as sharp an image on playback for focus check. And it is a little long with analog input adapter.

Check www.digikey.com , part # SW220-ND, made by OMRON.Looks like the switch.

I have been using a Sony Micro DV camcorder for an onboard. It replaces the slightly larger and heavier PC 9. Of course it comes with a different A/V input than the PC-9. I chopped the plug off of the supplied A/V cable and put a Lemo on the other end to input video from my PRO sled. I am running off of the little batteries that it uses but I would love to get a combination power and video cable made up. Fred, are you listening? Trouble with the battery converter possibility is that the PRO sled does not have an extra BNC output for video at the base of the sled and using the recorder output for only power would not allow for video input. Unless the battery converter also had a video output. Might that be an option from Seitz?

Who am I to criticize, but since you asked I have to agree with the others; get rid of the opening shot. It's not good to chop the actors head off with the frame and that will have a busy DP's finger on the eject button faster than you might imagine. Why don't you try letter-boxing the other footage. That might solve your head-room issues. In the future you may not wish to place the actors right in the middle of the frame quite as much. Use the whole frame, but that's just my taste. Good luck!

Of course a solution when using a microwave or FM transmitter/receiver system if you also own a Modulus is to attach the Modulus to the output of one of the monitors at video village to broadcast to all the hand-held monitors on set. I have actually done this to receive an image on a small TV I mount on my sled for return video feed for live TV shoots.

Thanks for the replies. Ramon, that little hand held unit screen seems a little small to be practical considering our framelines usually reside about 25% into full screen. Although listening in on the producer's cellphone conversations could be usefull ;) .

One of the nice things about the Modulus is the ability to hand the DP or Director a small hand held Watchnman TV. When the 2nd ACs or the video playback person is standing around scratching their heads because they can't get a picture up on the monitor I whip out the hamd held unit and it reduces the panic/stress level for the moment and you keep rehersing or shooting. What do you do in these situations (and they seem frequent) with microwave matched transmitter/receiver units?

:o :o :o :o :o :o Eric, I didn't need to see that. I think it was Dan Kneece who said any time he goes near steps with the rig he puts on knee pads. I have followed his advice religiously amd perhaps Eric's experience will reinforce that to all readers. It's worth enduring the "you already got the job" jokes. Thankfully I haven't taken a tumble on the stairs yet.

What's the weight difference between the "deluxe" and the "light weight"?