Joe Lawry

Currently in the same boat as the OP. Will come and join in on the conversation you have with Scott as i said i'd catch up with him at NAB anyway. although i already know the answer to this question... its just an expensive one.

- HD Version Steadicam Pilot - Canon 7D w/ Tokina 11-16.. Ran the lens at 16mm, f6.3. ISO 2000. No focus control! agh. Learnt a lot of things on this video, 1 - Frame guides.. tape some on! The rig weighed nothing and had a drop time of about 1.5 seconds, however the whole thing was so last minute i had no time to get a weight plate made.. something that is on the cards right now. Its amazing how slow it looks on playback.. i remember running a lot faster. I started the setup in missionary as she walks onto the stage and came around the band. Switched right before she leaves the mic and we go down the stairs.. steep little bastards those were. Don Juan all the way down the stairs to the bench with the girl on it. Switched back to missionary here. And then backwards missionary for the rest of the video... fun times. I really wish i could have gone wider in places but the artist would not allow me to shoot anything wider than an MCU... oh well. Let me know what you think.

I will be there all the way from New Zealand. Looking forward to meeting some operators and getting some advice.

It was my first SMPTE, and man it was fun. Spent most of my time there hanging out at the Lemac Stand, having a good play with the rigs there. Just a quick thanks to everyone i meet. Frank Rush - Was really cool to meet you Frank - We must have talked for hours - See you at NAB2010 Phil Balsdon - Cheers for your help - Time to start looking into one of your workshops! Scott Backhouse - It was great to finally meet the man who sold me my first rig. Brett Smith - Tiffen Asia Pacific - I shall keep in touch! And finally Louis & James Puli - I had a great time speaking to both of you guys, both so knowledgeable & experienced. It was great to know im not the only vertically changed op out there. Thanks for the tips. Now, do i go see mr bank manager and get that Archer2 i feel in love with, or offload the pilot and upgrade to a Flyer LE - Probably going to go with the second option, it'll still give me enough room to grow and currently im still flying a lot of little cameras.