Stavros Papastavrou

May I suggest the cunning use of some type of locktite? Every screw on my sled seemed to have one type of the other. Maybe the medium strength one... The procedure would involve removing the screws, cleaning them, re-applying some locktite compound and putting them back in. That should hold them from any vibration related loosening.

My small test with the marshall v-lcd70md is here. Some pics, a small video. Nothing else at the blog at the moment...

Cinetronics is the dream goal for me as well (a nice transvideo or the new SmallHD HB as alternatives). However there are way off my budget at present... I have no experience with the green screen on the provid2. How does that one perform outdoors? I would gladly use anything that works out in the sun vs any modern HD LCD monitor that may give me trouble. I want to be able to frame. If the 10 year old green screen CRT does the job I'd use it instead. Alan makes good questions BTW.

Hi This is the one I got for my second hand zephyr (I got it without a monitor). I got it because it was the cheapest 800nit HD monitor with both Hdmi and sdi inputs. - I don't know about the aspect ratio since I only tried it with my 5D2, but it has some settings for it so it shouldn't be a problem. - Regarding the 800nit brightness. I did a couple of tests in direct and indirect sunlight during the summer (I live in Greece, sunlight is brutal) and I am in the process in uploading my thoughts and pics on a blog I'm just starting these days. - I don't know about the 45ms delay you are referring to. Didn't do that much of a research. Are talking about a delay in the SDI module? I didn't notice any delay during the testing... - Voltage requirements (from marshall website) are 7-20 VDC, so I'm guessing the batts you have should be ok. I use a 3d party v-mount battery that outputs 14,8v when fully charged. - A small nuisance you may need to face is reflections on the screen. Initially I thought that would be a problem (judging from the on-line pics and videos I found) and that I would need to apply some kind of matte screen cover. Testing concluded that was not such a big deal after all. One other thing. The monitor CoG is not centered on its mounting hole. If you have a Pilot/Scout/Zephyr or, in general, a mounting system without side to side adjustment you will have trouble achiving dynamic balance. The effect may be negligible (haven't tried yet), but I myself don't like it. That's why I'm thinking of building a specific adjustable yoke. Overall I went to this mostly because I couldn't afford anything fancier at present. The other option (for me) was 1000 Euros more (the ikan/bon 7" 1100nits monitor). I will direct you to the blog page once I have it up, if you're interested. Stavros

Hello I don't think one can say any more than what's in the manual. The procedure is very straightforward and with testable results (as to correct balancing). Operating on the other hand, takes lots of practice and you should not expect extraordinary results right away, even if you balance correctly. Also, battery hangars some times seem to introduce vibrations. Keep that in mind. Stavros

I'm currently torture-testing our dear Mr. Hallett, so we'll see how it turns out. He seems to be handling it quite well, considering the circumstances... I'll post my thoughts when we conclude my zephyr's sled (gimbal and stage) service we have under-way.

Hello gents, New zephyr owner here. Upgrade from Pilot. Got it second hand and it is currently "grounded" for repairs on the sled :-( Hope to get it back flying soon enough... Stavros

Haven't used it, but may I point out that its (probably) the same as the Ikan MD7.

How about the ikan md7 vs the marshall v-lcd70md-3g then? Does it worth the extra 1000$, regarding sunlight/outdoor use? (its rated 1100nits 800:1 contrast ratio) Has anyone had the chance to compare them? Local dealers don't carry stock, so I can't demo them...

Hi, sorry to intercept the topic. I 'm looking at this particular model since I don't have enough funds to get a nice cinetronic gen2. My main concern is outdoor sunlight viewability. The sun where I live is brutal. Are the quoted 800nits, 1000:1 contrast ratio enough? Any info on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

Russell, Having been through a much similar situation (car accident resulting in bunch of broken bones including a vertebrae, lacerations, pulmonary puncture and an shattered elbow that never recovered) some time ago, I can tell you that I empathize. Get well soon. Stavros

:-( ... but i still want to try it... (...and I want one of those multicopters too.) Nice footage BTW.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that realizes that it is a filming oriented multicopter's camera gimbal, with handles and probably some costume software. Those things have really nice electronically controlled tilt/roll compensation modules. Expensive too... Nice implementation. PS:oops... took too much time to post...

Hello Josiah I wanted to ask you if you had any luck disassembling the stage to its bare parts... I'm thinking of a modification but I'm unable to seperate the 2 micro adjustment knob assemblies from the stage and therefore I can't seperate the aft metal plate as I wanted. In you picture, is the one on top, where the Video RCA socket resides. Any suggestions?

Nikos, as a fellow newbie amateur steadicam op and pilot owner, my vote would go to the pilot, Zephyr being the better but more expensive choice. Greetings to you Haris as well... love your stuff. -Stavros

Mine does that too. Hasn't affected rig functionality or performance since 2009. (Can't say the same about my technique though...) Go through the balance procedure and see if it has any performance issues... It should balance correctly. Stavros

Hi Tim In the "low mode" section in the Pilot manual an accessory is mentioned that can be used for better low mode operating, the low mode "f-bracket" (if I recall). You should find the order code in the last page where the accessories are listed. If you don't have the manual you can get it from the Tiffen site, or even better you could make a call on your local Tiffen reseller. If you are seeking something like the low mode cage the bigger systems have, I'm not sure there is anything like that for the Pilot. The weight of a thing like that would be troublesome for a such a light system. Hope this helps Stavros

I have been assimilated...

Also... It would be nice to know the estimated availability/arrival time of the gen2 monitors for first time buyers... Stavros

Hi! Might as well pitch in (as a pilot owner looking to upgrade) The pilot vest (as all tiffen vests for that matter) have all the necessary in-out/side to side adjustments that higher-end systems have. For reference you can check this or this presentation by Peter Abraham (Tiffen’s Director of Technical Services) on vimeo. He covers the pilot, the scout, and the zephyr. My suggestion would also be to get the scout or a used flyer. Having more inertia is good! Between the 2, I would go with the scout if the price difference was not to big. I like all the those new little advances they incorporated... You must consider the expense of a battery system as well (couple of batts+charger). Good luck! Stavros

Don't know if I'm qualified to answer this but I'll give it a go... If you have achieved static balance i.e. the camera stays flat when pointed to all directions (use the bubble levels on the stage to verify), then its probably the lack of practice that seems to trouble you. I can't advise on an easy way to achieve dynamic balance with the merlin. I only used a gen1 unit a long time ago... If you don't pan really fast it shouldn't matter. It takes a lot of practice and patience. It won't play nice right out of the box. Everyone that got their hands on a steadycam type stabilisation device, had to come in terms with this fact sooner or later. Now if you don't balance it following the manufacturer's instructions, it will not behave correctly and any amount of attempted practice will probably go to waste. Another thing to consider is the possibility of a misaligned gimbal. Although a rare occurrence, Steadicam costumer support can advise you on that matter. They are very helpful. Hope this helps Stavros

Hi I have successfully used a Lilliput 667 7" monitor with my pilot. It has HDMI,component, and composite inputs. Originally bought it as a cheap DSLR monitor, had to drill a small hole next to the 1/4-20 female mount hole in the frame to accommodate the anti-rotation pin of the sled's monitor mount. It has no zoom function. It is brighter than the original pilot monitor, similar anti-glare coating but in no way sunlight usable...(need an assistant with a big shade over you). It does flip the image for low mode. I have mostly used it with composite video signal,and occasionally hdmi, with the cable running outside the sled. It doesn't have SDI input. I'm currently looking for a cheap transflective sunlight readable monitor.