Charles Papert

Alright you lameasses (that's all the people who told me "if you ever decide to sell your Nimblecam, let me know, I'll snap it up"...um hello?): I'm bringing the sled with me to the Stabilizer Expo now along with some other bits for sale. Ready to make a deal.

FYI Jim, plenty of DSLR lenses out there with mechanical stops (Zeiss ZE/ZF's etc).

Top Four Ways to Piss Off Ron Right Now: 4) Why don't you just shoot with a real camera 3) Your gear is the reason things aren't working 2) The last guy didn't have any problems with this setup 1) You missed a great show at Jumbo's last night--Cricket never stopped asking about you

Sled is still available, at $11.5K. Compatible with your existing cables and accessories (PRO, XCS, MKV etc). Perfect for flying on the new PRO arm. If anyone is interested in a package which would include the sled, modified Flyer arm and vest (full-size socket block and 5/8" armpost, field convertible back to factory standard), please email me at sale@charlespapert.com.

Nanoflash can be set to record 60fps (for playback at 24) at 720p, and 30fps at 1080p, I believe.

Just to clarify--these mods are entirely non-destructive to the original arm and you can convert it back and forth between the original socket block and armpost assembly to the full-size versions in 5 minutes, or vice-versa.

Well what do we have here: http://web.me.com/chupap/gearsale/nimblecam.html

The 5D AV cable is composite video plus two audio leads. You can plug that cable directly into your monitor, with an RCA to BNC adaptor of course. Generally composite video/audio cables are color coded with yellow (composite video) and red and white (audio). Component RCA's are generally green, blue and red (just for convenience sake--the cables themselves aren't different inside than composite cables). While it is confusing that similar cables can carry different types of signals, it actually makes things a lot easier than carrying a bunch of different cables. You just have to read what the output is on the device. I'd rather take a BNC than an HDMI connector any day. Just got my 1D back from Canon repair, where they replaced the HDMI connector that had worked loose inside the body. Ugh. Since your monitor is SD, no reason not to use the 5D's AV cable rather than go through HDMI to composite convertor. Same result. I've heard the picture quality isn't quite as good that way but for Steadicam purposes, close enough. For a camera that ONLY has HDMI output, the box Anthony listed looks good.

In simplest terms possible... Analog video (in ascending order of image quality): Composite (aka CVBS): usually a single RCA or BNC connector. Always SD. S-video: special 4 pin connector, or two RCA's. Always SD. Component: three RCA's or BNC's. Can be either SD or HD. Digital video: SD-SDI (not really a contender at this point) HD-SDI: single BNC (two for 4:4:4) HDMI: special connector, essentially a DVI signal with audio added

Well, component still isn't composite, but it is analog! How about this one: http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-Composite-S-Video-Converter-3RCA/dp/B0047PDBP0/ref=pd_sim_e_1 price is right, but check for the input voltage.

The Marshall unit is nice (large for mounting on a rig though) but still won't downconvert to composite...

That AJA won't do it, Fabrizio--that converts to HD-SDI or SD-SDI, which are both digital signals and Sam needs analog. There are a few brands out there that do this, including Atlona and TVOne, neither of which I can vouch for. Furthermore, one has to look closely at all "mini-converters" which often have reducer power inputs compared to the 14.4 or higher voltage that the Pilot emits--that AJA wants 5v, and many of the Blackmagic boxes like no more than 12v, so you have to use a specific voltage converter or (shudder) additional battery. You've painted yourself into a bit of a corner here Sam, as you will ideally want to be able to convert EITHER HDMI or HD-SDI to composite depending on the camera and as of now, unless someone can find otherwise, there isn't a simple one size box that does all. You'd be looking at a set of boxes, one to convert the HDMI to SDI and another to downconvert (with an SDI camera you'd just use the second box). BTW your zip tie gears are working great! Thanks again!

nice work Afton.

Thanks Ozzie! I was thinking this was maybe 5 years ago and the newbies might not have seen--now seeing that it was over ten years ago??! gulp!

I miss the still fashion ads of the hot models shooting each other with an EFP. Can anyone dig those up?

Cool. I've already got the two studio Aluras so this will make a helluva set! The great thing about 2.8 zooms this days is that you don't need the skinny apertures to shoot low light levels/night work any more. About to shoot a feature with the Aluras and the two baby Optimos and may not need any primes. 1 Steadicam package = 4 lenses...! not quite the same rental $$ though...

The lightweight Aluras have not yet made it out the door--I've got a reservation on them and looking forward to getting in my hands!

Just the vest at this point.

Most of the items listed above are sold. Please check the linked site for updated list.

Eh. Never got the cables listed--about to head out of town. Most notable item that hasn't gotten snapped up on the site: PRO Vehicle Mount with steel socket block, $700.

Still have a Flyer vest for sale, with both the Flyer arm (smaller pin) and full-size Tiffen socket supplied, $1850.

American Stand, TB6 cover, Quad charger, Proformers, Monitor lemo all sold...sale pending on other items. Still plenty of things to look at, see the link above.

Arm is sold, so this is now a sled-only setup. Which will be perfect for those looking to supplement their full-size setup with a lightweight option. Sled is $11.5K.

I own the Aluras and we used them on my show last season with the F3. We shot with the 18-80 handheld with a fair amount of extra gear, although not a recorder (hard-wired back to DIT station where the recorders lived) but it was manageable, according to the operators. You'd still be at a "classic" weight range for Steadicam with that setup. You'll definitely need to use a baseplate so you can mount the dovetail under the CG which will be at least at the lens mount if not further forward. So, no problem for the vehicle mount--but for the running stuff, you'd obviously be a lot better off with a prime or maybe an Optimo zoom, where you can take advantage of the light weight of the camera and be able to generate more speed or control. Saddling a light camera with a heavy zoom for running is a bit of a pointless gesture.