Ken Nguyen

Hi guy, Still for sale: 1 x 7" plate 1 x 9" plate Thanks, Ken Nguyen. I can do Paypal.

FS genuine Anton Bauer battery mounting plates, near brand new, never used; $100 each. I have 4 of these. Buy all 4 for $350 I'm in Orange county, California. Paypal is welcome. PM or email me at: kennguyen@mac.com Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Hi, FS Vehicle mount with socket block for $450 + shipping. I'm in Orange county, California. Paypal is welcome. Cheers, Ken Nguyen PM or email me at: kennguyen@mac.com

Hi, FS 5" wrap grip for PRO post or 1.5" post. $135 + shipping I'm in Orange county, California. Cheers, Ken Nguyen PM or email me at: kennguyen@mac.com

FS: rarely used back-up PRO camera plates. 2 x 7" $115 each + shipping 1 x 9" $135 + shipping I'm in Orange, California. Cheers, Ken Nguyen kennguyen@mac.com

Great!

Not sure the idea of docking at the gimbal is good. The bearing is not a solid part. Every time we dock, we hammer the balls to the bearing housing. Eventually, in time, it will fail. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

My set up.

It kinds of odd, but communicating with Chris by email is faster and more effective than phone. He usually answer my email within an hour. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

A blocking diode will help eliminate this problem. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

How and what makes PRO and XCS gimbal performance better than MK-V?Can you give more detail? Based on your statement, today PRO and XCS gimbal are much better than the gimbals they made before 2005? Cheers, Ken Nguyen. Bearing technology. Both PRO and XCS have bearings custom made for their gimbals. The MK-V gimbal uses two taper roller bearings which is great for inversion but ultimately has higher friction than high tolerance ball bearings Eric, You also posted in 2005: "I found myself overshooting fast pans and stand-ups the first few times due to the lack of friction." What did you mean by "lack of friction"? What did you mean "...has higher friction than …" when replying to my post? I will contact PRO and XCS to see if they did upgrade their bearings after 2005. And WHY they din't inform us? If it is true, it is not a right way to do business. The X arm incidence is proved to be a honest sample of doing business. So hat up to the fellows from Tiffens. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Eric, Do you have any proof that both of your PRO and XCS gimbals are made after 2005?

How and what makes PRO and XCS gimbal performance better than MK-V? Can you give more detail? Based on your statement, today PRO and XCS gimbal are much better than the gimbals they made before 2005? Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Dash, Send the gimbal to Robert Luna (310)621-4763 Ken Nguyen.

Cheap shot! Way so…. cheap. Ken Nguyen.

Try the same set up but connect hd signal from camera directly to monitor using external bnc (bypassing the sled) Let us know the result. Also, pictures of your set up and bnc cables will help. It happened to me before when I used spaghetti size bnc. Switched to standard size well shielded bnc eliminated the problem. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Kris and Eric, What we posted are exercises to help not just steadicam but for general health as well. Of cause, we don't walk exactly like that while operating steadicam. But, yes, when operating steadicam, we walk differently than when we walk without steadicam. In other word, we don't walk normally while operating steadicam. Ask someone on the set to video you while operate steadicam. Go home, soak your feet in hot water while sipping martini and watching the "behind the scenes" video. Do you walk normally while operating steadicam? Another cup of martini? Chris, You shouldn't say "walk normally" especially, you are a steadicam instructor. Have a cup (or 2) of martini and watch this clip: http://steadivision.com/gallery/source/24.html I might be wrong! This is how you walk normally. I'm having another cup. Cheer! Ken Nguyen.

Tai Chi is also a very good for health, mind, and as well as steadicam. Or, just practice these steps: Keep your weight onto one foot, (say the right one) stand still. Use your mind to guide the other foot (the left one) to your desired direction. Touch the tip of your toe(s) to that new location, feel it to see if it is safe to land your whole weight on. Slowly land left foot flat on the ground. Shift your weight onto the left foot. Stand still on that left. Keep and hold your balance. Now, you can lift the right up, still in balance. Stand on one leg for a while, then move the right foot to new location. Repeat & have fun. Once you think you are good, make your move faster. But, the slower the step the more benefit for your body and mind. Practice until you don't need to think about balancing anymore. Breath normally; don't hold your breath. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

It was designed to hang the arm, same as the stainless steel pin in other docking brackets. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Michael, Let go through the list: - Post cable is removed. Checked. - Change Topstage. Checked. - Change gimbal. Checked. - Using solid weight cage to eliminate moving part inside camera problem. Checked. The list of possible problems is now as below (in order of troubleshooting): - Tighten all screws which connect topstage and battery hanger to the post. - Check the plastic insert in the spud of your monitor bracket. - Shake the battery hanger and also the monitor to hear if there is any noise. If yes, open it and look for loose part. - Change the post to another one. If all of the above won't solve the problem, send the sled out to a nearest well-known Steadicam repair and service. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Joseph, By figurative corners, do you mean walk in v-shape likes duck foot steps? I think, you think too much about Steadicam and footwork which influent the way you walk. Just need to switch your brain back when you are not doing Steadicam. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

James, Not 5hrs of recording for Samurai. I wish it could. No. What I meant on that post is that the longer it is powered on the more chance it will be frozen. The Blackmagic can continuously record 1080i Apple ProresHQ for more than 4hrs. It can be longer but SSD capacity is only 500Gb. But, I use to stop and restart recording every 2 hrs to break the files into smaller size in case it is edited in Avid system. The Blackmagic can be powered all day long. I have zero problem from all 8 of mine as well as my other 2 PIXs. The Samurai original and Blade, I recommend not to record any take longer than 15min. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Robert, I have 4 original HD-SDIs and 2 Blades. All will at some point with in the 5hr long show freeze. My work around is not to keep them on until 10min before the show start. Stop and start every 1 hr or power off between takes. I'm happy that I already get rid of them. 3 months ago, I had to spend $3000.00 to pay for file repairing to recover the footages. A friend of mine doing rental. If you rent 1 Samurai from him, he will give you 2! Just in case the other one fail! I recommend using the Blackmagic Shuttle. Cheap, light weight, and very reliable. Pix has better LCD monitor. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

I would stay away from Samurai (because of its blade!). They are crashed a lot during long hours use and long take. I wrote "they" because I had 6 of them. They all behave the same. If you have money, go for the PIX. The most reliable and robust. Other wise, Blackmagic Shuttle is good to go. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

I second Eric. Also, check to see there is any play at your topstage. (strongly pressing the topstage side-to-side and for-aft with your finger against the post) Cable shifting inside the post (assume your cable is original or made by professional) is not really affecting the balance of the rig, unless you balance it neutral (0 drop time) Cheers, Ken Nguyen.