Mark Schlicher

Robert, In fairness to Mitch, I think maybe he just put his trust in Tiffen as the "cadillac" manufacturer of rigs at his price point and needs. I'm sure it was a bit of a surprise to see the obvious shortcoming of the monitor in daylight. Larger questions of LCD outdoor viewability aside, it's not like Tiffen offers several options for HD monitors for the Flyer, or a "no-monitor" option. So if you buy an HD Flyer, that's the monitor you get. Mitch, it appears that, at the Flyer's price point, the TV Logic monitor was/is the best available HD monitor. It definately has compromises. Also, no LCD monitor does a very good job in the sun. And it's still a far sight better than the monitors offered on the rigs that compete with the Flyer (Glidecam, et. all) There have been lots of recent developments for less-expensive HD monitors with improved daylight performance, including the Marshall 6.5" transflective monitor and new Nebtek monitors. As suggested, searching the forum (particularly the Daylight Monitor Shootout thread) will yield a wealth of information (and lots of strong opinions.) It will also give you some perspective on the history of the "holy grail" search for an acceptable daylight monitor. The HD monitor option for the Zephyr is not yet announced, but I believe Tiffen has said that it will be an "improved" monitor. We await with bated breath... Good luck! Likely because you didn't know to ask which is not entirely their fault I suppose since you could have found the answer by researching the mega-zillion posts here on the subject. Please let us know what the official Tiffen answer is. Robert

Tiffen will sell you a female Flyer socket block (for about $100 if I recall). The hole pattern is the same as the full size socket block so you can replace it on the vehicle mount.

Kurt, The mini sled is similar but not identical to first and second generation Flyers. Do you know if your monitor connector is the same as the Flyer monitor? If so, then the stock standard-def Flyer monitor is a pretty good choice (500nits and a decent anti-glare coating, but no match for direct sun, of course.) Another option might be Glidecam's L7 monitor, which appears to be a version of the Flyer monitor (though who knows, the anti-glare coating may be different). Not sure about the connector, though... You might also look at Lilliput monitors if you are very budget-conscious. No personal experience with those, but supposedly they perform well for consumer-grade LCDs, and have good specs. As for the connectors, if it were me I'd go ahead and have someone wire up new connectors on the sled. If you ever sold the rig, that would probably be considered a benefit. The Mini doesn't get much love, because it doesn't have an standard, adjustable socket block and it has an arm that is very limited compared to its successor, the Flyer. The Flyer arm was a huge step forward, introducing technology that was incorporated into all of Tiffen's G-series arms. If you haven't tried a Flyer yet, do it, it will rock your world! Peter Abraham at Tiffen may be a great help to you. Micheal Craigs at the factory may be able to help you also. Regarding negative energy that you may be getting from some quarters, try to shake it off. Mike's reply pretty much sums up my experience. I looked at your website and you seem like a hardworking, dedicated and passionate operator. Wishing you great success in your career. Hope you are able to get your monitor problem sorted out quickly!

Roman, I suggest you post in the Steadi-newbies forum, and Glidecam has it's own forums. You can also find reviews of Glidecam and other "budget" systems on the DVInfo.net forums. Glidecam's lower-end products are generally considered very limited in both capacity and performance. Their upper-end products are more refined and better-designed and manufactured but still generally fall short of Tiffen's entry-level systems for performance. When it comes to stabilizers, there is really no substitute for trying a system out (at a Workshop or under the watchful eye of an experienced operator). You can also benefit greatly from reading the Holway/Hayball book. Though it is oriented to the Tiffen rigs, it covers the principles that apply to all systems.

And to further clarify, the padded sections of the vest are identical between the Flyer standard and Flyer compact vest. This may change, as it's been noticed at Workshops (I've been told) that particularly small-framed folks (mainly women) still have problems with the fit of the Flyer compact vest. I'm 5'7" 165 lbs with a fairly short shoulder-to-waist measurement for my height, and the standard Flyer vest is a little too long for me. I velcro'ed some additional foam pieces to adjust it to fit me. At a workshop I found that I am also "in-between" the standard and compact Ultra vest. The Ultra vest fits me fine in the shortest configuration, the compact Ultra can be made to fit but the padding doesn't wrap far enough around my ribs. The LX standard vest is too long for me, didn't have a compact LX to try. Moral: try before you buy! It's a big investment and important to good operating. This is correct, Tom. The Top portion of the Flyer compact vest is 2" shorter. The center spar is around 3" shorter I think.

The inertial weights and sliding monitor and battery bottom stage are both extremely welcome additions. From the picture the arm and vest look pretty similar to the Flyer LE (including the minor annoyance of no ratchet buckles). The extra power connectors and built-in HD-SDI cabling is welcome. So is the designed-in upgradability. I wonder if the power handling capacity of the post wiring has been increased? Given how the dSLR's have taking the lower end of the market by storm, it's slightly unfortunate that HDMI ports are not included. This would have also been a perfect time to include a monitor yoke. And I assume that a new HD daylight monitor will be available as an option? But I don't mean to quibble. This is a very worthy successor to the Flyer. Well done, all!

Wow. Very clever. Trying to wrap my head around all the possibilities... I see that the right hand booms the arm, but does it also contribute to booming the jib? Or is the left hand solely responsible for booming the jib, as well as pan & tilt?

Hope this is the right forum for this... Having some problems with search function. Searching will bring up the summary screen but when clicking through to the individual post, sometimes the wrong post comes up. Usually not a big problem but in long threads (Daylight Monitor Shootout) it becomes very tough to scour through and find the correct post. Just an FYI. Example: search for "V-LCD651ST" and click some of the results in the monitor shootout thread.

Jess, thanks for the perspective. Yeah, I've been following the shoot-out thread. The Marshall definitely has some useful features and great daylight performance. My thought process is this: the stock Flyer monitor is basically just a 500nit prosumer monitor (perhaps with some anti-glare enhancements). I can justify an incremental upgrade to another prosumer monitor IF it offers the HDMI input and a viewability boost. I can forgo some of the niceties that my current monitor lacks anyway. Regardless of the benefits of the Marshall, my business plan can't justify an $1800 monitor upgrade on my current rig. If and when the type and volume of work justifies it, I will upgrade to a whole new rig. Right now my bread-and-butter is low budget documentary, corporate, event and commercials. I choose carefully what jobs I say "yes" to, based on my skill level and capability of the rig...as I slowly and meticulously expand on both, until I outgrow the rig. But who knows, with NAB looming, there may be some great clearance deals soon on this Marshall that put it in my budget. That would be great!

I'm thinking about upgrading my 2nd gen Flyer's LCD (and repurposing it as a backup/prompter/program return monitor) and wondering if anyone has experimented with some of the "budget" monitors. I'm mostly interested in adding improved daylight/sunlight performance and adding HDMI (to accommodate the Canon 5D/7D/T2i cameras). I understand that it's not all about nits, but also AR coatings, LED vs. LCD backlighting, etc. HD resolution and HD-SDI inputs would be a bonus but not really necessary at this point. I'm not in a position to go with a high-end solution at this time, so I'm limiting myself to considering under $1k units. This modified transflective/optically-bonded Lilliput looks promising. Anybody have experience with this or similar? What about the 1000nit Xenarcs? First-person reports would be very valuable. Thanks! Lilliput transflective bonded from mo-so-co Lilliput transflective from MP3car.com

Hi, Mark I have a Flyer rig with a HVX200, like yours. Yes, touchier than an EFP or other big rig, due to less mass=less inertia (and the lower sled design doesn't allow spreading the masses out to increase intertia.) However, this "touchiness" could also be relabeled "responsiveness". It definitely requires a lighter touch than a big rig but once you master it, it can be a real delight to operate, and great results are possible. Now, touchiness and dynamic balance are two mostly-separate issues. My thoughts on each: Dynamic balance: totally possible with an HVX on a Flyer. Here are some tips: -remove any external shotgun mic, and anything else that will affect side-to-side balance. Tape or velcro any floppy cables. -the monitor bracket should always be fully horizontal. -the battery paddle on older Flyers tends to slip and mess up your db. Remove the battery paddle, get a metal file and file some nice deep grooves into the surfaces where the bottom spar and battery paddle mate. Slip a toothed lock washer in. For good measure, buy a Kipp lever from Tiffen and replace the existing screw, so you can quickly and toollessly crank that puppy down. -follow Jerry's instructions from the Steadicam Operator's Handbook for db...find the cg of the camera, mount it so the cg is just a little behind the center of the post, get good static balance, check dynamic balance, adjust and tweak per instructions, etc. -With my HVX200 (bare, with extended life battery onboard) and one Hytron 50 battery below, I can get excellent db with the battery paddle just about vertical (actually very slightly "tucked in" past vertical). Once you've balanced everything, you can mark all the positions with a pencil or something, to make it easier to get back to. Small changes in the rig (wireless mic receiver, video transmitter, etc.) make a significant difference in both sb and db. Regarding touchiness, it's mostly a matter of mass: -you can increase overall mass on the top plate. Janice Arthur sells 6.5 point weight plates, or fashion a homemade one. -another way to increase mass is to load the camera down with accessories, such as wireless receiver -load the camera with a Tiffen lowmode bracket, which in turn you could screw additional weights into -or you could fashion homemade antlers, which will give you great gains in pan and roll inertia without adding large amounts of extra mass. -you could add mass below the gimbal (like an extra battery) but this will force you to mount the gimbal lower on the post, which you don't want. -try a shorter drop time than a big rig...experiment with 1.5 seconds. The rig will feel more stable in some respects. Of all of these techniques, I use a slightly shorter drop time and sometimes (but not always) use a weight plate. The rest is just a matter of proper balance, getting to know the rig, and practice, practice, practice. Oh, and make certain that you have your socket block adjusted with proper in/out and side to side threads. This is critical to good form and good feel, and will affect your experience greatly. And yes, take a workshop! Good luck and have fun!

So, did they just "disappear" or did they claim some excuse for not paying? In any case, the copyright remains with you on a freelance "work-for-hire" job until they pay you. Therefore they have no right to put it on their site until you are paid. A letter to that effect, registered mail, would be in order. Good luck!

Just a caution...I saw the online demo and the operating was...well, not good. Lots of bad bad headroom problems, lots of bounce, lots of sway, lots of major horizon roll issues. Good for a hobbieist maybe but nothing near useful in a professional or semi-pro environment. I can't tell if it is mainly a limitation of the operator on the demo, or whether that represents something like the best that can be achieved with the rig. Just some food for thought.

Some great stuff, Mike. I'm curious if there are any skating shots on the reel? I agree 2000% um, no. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004426/ http://www.mikemcgowan.net/ If you can skate really good it's actually safer in some ways than running. And when your doing action, you get asked by some arguably pretty professional people to do all sorts of things. "Riding on anything pushed/pulled/driven by someone else is USUALLY but not always the best scenario so you can concentrate on good operating instead of just trying to stay vertical and not die." I agree with most of what you said but this is an artistic as well as a technical medium and there are not really any rules when it comes to art, at least none that can't be broken with some pretty awesome results.

You're right, Archer is overkill for the 5D. Flyer should be fine (you'll benefit from a weight plate on the Flyer). But the bigger question is: what is your goal? Expectations? Market niche? Business plan? Is Steadicam a skill you want to add part-time, or do you aspire to a fulltime Steadicam op career on the big rigs? Is your plan to only fly your cameras, or will you be hoping to be hired on shows that will require you to fly bigger cameras? The counterpoint to the argument of buying the biggest rig you can afford (or finance one you can't afford) is this: -if you're sure you want a rig, you can buy a Flyer LE for under $10k or a used original Flyer for $5k or so, and have it to learn on with your existing cameras, then get most of that money back out of it by reselling it when/if you upgrade. Some folks are hoping that Tiffen updates the Flyer at this year's NAB, so waiting might be smart. -if you decide the Flyer is just fine for you, then you've saved $15-$20k. If you later decide to "go big", you've had a great starter rig to learn on and hopefully start making a living with, while you save for an Archer, Clipper, U2 or one of the fine offerings of PRO, XCS, etc.

The book you want is this: The Steadicam Operator's Handbook Also, consider buying the Steadicam EFP training DVD, which is a good summary of the kinds of topics covered in the Manual and in the Steadicam Workshops. Then, after talking with Peter Abraham, consider a Flyer/Pilot Workshop. Best $500 you will ever invest in figuring out if Steadicam is a good move for you. The principles taught are the same as the big rigs. You didn't mention which market segment you are in or what you aspire to. Although many on this board might consider only the pricey big rigs, with their load capacity, bells n whistles, and operational flexibility to be adequate for them (because they are working in features, high end commercials and live TV, where a no-compromise kit and top skills are expected), there are rigs such as the Flyer that, while it has some significant design compromises, nonetheless gives a true Steadicam ride to cameras up to 19 lbs (quite adequate for a wide range of HD video cameras). If your market is low budget music videos, corporate gigs, events, or commercials, you could get into a used Flyer rig for around $5000...substantially less than a big rig (though again, not without some compromise). With careful choice of equipment and a clear business plan you may be able to do just fine as a Steadicam op in these niches and never need to invest in a big rig. As for technique, there is some variation among operators, but it is generally within a defined set of practices dictated by the physics of the rig. Typically the post hand (usually left hand) is respnsible for panning/tilting (framing and aiming). The right hand is responsible for booming the arm up and down, floating the arm and sled through space, and positioning the arm so that the sled is where you want it in relation to your body. Each hand has a fairly separate, defined role in controlling the camera. In your case you are asking your left hand to do all the work on a machine that is best suited to two-handed operation, and that is where your challenge will lie in achieving good results. The Steadicam Operators Handbook and the Steadicam EFP training DVD will answer many of your questions about operating Steadicam. I strongly recommend them both.

Quite simply, I've never gotten a virus/malware/spyware on any Mac computer I've ever owned. My experience with PC's has been, erm, dissimilar. If your computer is behind a router (a hardware firewall) you should be fine, IMO.

I'd suggest you contact Peter Abraham at Tiffen, as a longtime operator and instructor he has a good perspective and an inventive mind. Also try Jerry Holway. Heck, why not reach out to GB. Who better to suggest an inventive idea or some sage counsel? All three drop by the forum from time to time. Not much to offer you on your technique questions as a relative newb myself, but I do believe that rolls & high angles are not automatically out, nor would you be automatically limited to lighter rigs. Remember that the vest and arm springs bear the weight. The forces for booming and aiming are relatively small. The key for you would be to develop your one-handed technique that achieves results comparable to "normal" two handed technique. It may involve adjustments to c.g./drop time, a tighter than "normal" grip on the post, and so on. A challenge but not impossible. In fact, a common running technique is to use one hand. With ingenuity and persistence I don't see a reason you couldn't succeed, as others have already stated. Best of success to you.

Thanks, great reminder. Not so little. This is quite key. The rig absorbs 1 cycle per second up to hundreds of not thousands per second perfectly well. But doing a shot that is paced as step..........step..........step..........step.......... is beyond complex. MUCH more efficient use of the tool to do a walk that slowly by doing this: stepstepstepstepstepstepstepstepstepstepstep in little precise mincing steps. That way you, your torso and hips and vest and arm and rig and career, are always in motion, in a smooth flow. Peter

Nope, not a Flyer LE. I believe what you have is the Steadicam Mini. http://www.steadicam.com/videoMini.html The original Flyer sled was based on the Mini sled. Slight difference in the gimbal grip and handle. The Mini claimed a 15 lb weight capacity. It should have plenty of lift for the HVX200 with wide angle adapter...that setup should be under 10 lbs, I'd guess. Not sure how to advise re: adjusting the arm, as I never owned a Mini. But it should work with your set up, no rubberbands needed. (although the Mini arm is not nearly as good an arm as the Flyer arm).

Thanks, Max and Tom. Good input, I'm working on revisions as I get additional footage. x Hi Mark, Tom here. I thought I would give it a shot. Overall I like the music and the way you have cut to it with an ear for musical phrase changes and hits (like the drums and the high five) and the length of the piece. The open shot at 9 sec. is nice but I would move the sweeping shot at :13 in its place. I like how dynamic and powerful it is. Its says "steadicam" to me more that the original static. More drama for the open. So by eliminating the first shot and sliding the one I just mentioned in its place. You have room for another shot. I would like to see a little more shot variety instead of staying with the singer and drummer. If you have any more cools shots I also would replace the shot at :17 since its more of the same singer (although it is wider). I would lose the outdoor band shoot at :21 since it confused me and didn't add a lot. Since we just had a lot of cuts on the great open, I would move the long office shot at :33 to be next on the reel. You definitely want to wow them while you have their attention. I am tempted to lose the balloon and crowd stuff that start on your cut at :24. We see the same moves on other much cooler stuff on your reel. So I would follow with the helicopter sequence which has a lot of good stuff. I love the shot at 1:09, but they are all strong. Very nice editing job.

I've just completed a rough cut of my first Steadicam demo and would like some feedback. The footage is corporate, documentary, music and commercials. What would make the reel more impactful? What shots could I lose? Is there a better way to organize the shots? By the way, I am still working out some minor technical issues: frame rate conversions and scaling and color correction. I appreciate any ideas and recommendations. Thanks! My Steadicam reel on Vimeo.

Glidecam sells what appears to be the same monitor as the Flyer (L7 Pro), and they sell an adapter, although it may go to RCA rather than BNC and I'm not sure what connector is on the power either. I suggest emailing them for details.

Job, What transmitter/receiver do you use?

Bryan, Great work. My tuppence: -at :29 there's a cu shot with a big focus buzz...may be deliberate, but I found it distracting and the shot itself is not compelling enough to overcome the distraction. -at 2:19, the flight attendant shot, there's a little weave at the end, you could cut out a hair sooner to avoid it -your lockoffs are inspiring.... -there was something momentarily offputting to me with the opening images from a wedding...until I realized it was a music video. If it was me I would lead with something unambiguously "cinematic", like the kids in the period piece at :40. Let me know when you're in town again and let's grab lunch.