brooksrobinson

Doc, The XCS will run a 435 on one NiCad battery, but not a Dionic. I believe this is due to the rather large spike upon start-up, which doesn’t agree with the Dionic batteries. Here is a far more eloquent than I can muster Steadicam Forum quote from Will Arnot responding to my question three years ago when I was seeking advice on new batteries for my XCS: “Now I go with 2 Dionic 90's Li Ion, and 1 Proformer NiCad. It is a little heavier set up, but the trade off in run time is astounding. The Dionics run well into double digit mag count - but the key is the 1 NiCad mixed in. The Lithium Ions are prone to shut down or pop their breaker if a high enough current is demanded ( 435) NiCads are still unique in their ability to deliver on huge amperage demand, albeit for a short amount of time. So as long as you have 1 NiCad in the mix, you won't have any trouble with any of the film cameras.” And another quote from Simon Jayes: “435: I use two Dionics and one Proformer (without which the Dionics will shut down). This works great and powers the camera for a long time.” I am hoping that the Dionic HC’s are capable of turning a 435 without needing a NiCad battery in the mix. Does anyone have any experience running a 435 at high speed fueled only with Dionic HC’s – especially on an XCS Ultimate sled? I’d really like to stick to one battery type if possible, but I certainly don’t want to short change myself either. Thanks in advance for any advice. Sincerely, Brooks Robinson

It’s almost time to update my batteries. My current setup has me with two Dionic 90’s in the rear, and a Trimpac underneath the post on my XCS sled. The thinking behind this setup was to make sure I could run a 435 high speed (hence the Trimpac), but also have enough juice to run power-hungry HD cameras. Since the Anton Bauer Dionic HC’s are now out and about, I’m wondering if any XCS sled owners have flown them – preferably in all three positions, and have an opinion. I still need to be able to run a 435 at speed, but would like the added power of the all three batteries being Dionic for HD work. Will the HC’s allow me to crank a 435 at 150fps with the XCS? Are there any reasons not to go with Dionic HC’s in all three positions? Thanks in advance for the help. Sincerely, Brooks Robinson

Jess, You do need to be more precise with dovetail plate placement with the XCS than with other rigs. The side to side adjustment range is greater with the XCS than some other rigs (someone please correct me if I am wrong here), but because the camera weight is greater than that at the base of the rig, that extra range of movement doesn’t translate into more flexibility side to side. This isn’t an issue on a feature or series, but can be interesting on day calls until you become familiar with the rig as it relates to various cameras and accessories. It took me a while for dovetail placement to become second nature as it was with my Pro 1. It wasn’t a big deal to get used to having the fine controls at the base of the sled otherwise. I fly a Transvideo 3A SuperBright with a Transvideo frameline generator on both of my XCS sleds without using an onboard monitor battery (although I bought Anton Bauer brackets for both assuming I would). I tend to have the monitor rods extended out a ways (I think I had Greg sell me longer rods than are stock), but I am very comfortable with the set up. With this, I generally fly two Dionic batteries on the rear of the sled, and one Trimpac under the post. It works for me. Everyone has preferences with gear and how they like to fly it. Make sure to test any major purchase to make sure it is aligned with the way in which you work. Brooks Robinson

Alex, I too have an XCS sled and a Pro arm. I am very satisfied with both. I replaced my 10 year old Pro 1 with the XCS sled about three years ago. The main reason I initially switched to the XCS was the 2” post. There is NO flex in the post when extended and NO vibration in the camera platform (donkey box) due to the fore/aft and front/back adjustments being at the bottom of the sled. This is a huge plus in the final image that ends up on the screen. The electronics are sound. I’m sure I don’t utilize them to their fullest potential, but they are a marked improvement over what I’ve used in the past. The batteries drain down at the same time (swap all three at once), and there is a voltage gauge and battery percentage gauge for easy viewing, to allow you and your assistants to judge when they need to be swapped. You would be hard pressed to blow anything up with the XCS, as it delivers only the necessary voltage needed to power things like the camera, video transmitter, and Preston. No longer do I need to flip a 12V/24V switch for certain cameras. I just plug in the correct camera power cable and the sled takes care of the rest. You mention the internal super post on the Tiffen sled. I don’t have any experience with the Tiffen sled so I cannot comment, but I can tell you about the XCS super post. It is 2” and is about as solid as it gets. There is NO flex with it. I can’t express enough how important this is, especially with the extended post. I have a second XCS gimble on mine, so the switch from the regular configuration to super post is relatively short. In fact, I don’t know that I’d want it to be any faster than it is, as I might be forced to use it more often (I don’t know too many people who enjoy using the rig in this mode, especially when used in low-mode). I’m glad to have it, but I’d just as soon have it stay buried on the camera truck. The internal cables in the post are all as large as they should be, so there are no issues powering cameras, as are the camera power cables Greg builds. To top it all off, the customer service is unbelievable. The few times there has been something wrong (usually my doing), Greg has either been able to talk me through it on the phone, or has sent me out a spare. I’m sure others will chime in about their experience with the customer service at XCS, but I’ve experienced nothing but terrific, extremely fast service, and would recommend the XCS products whole-heartedly. The Pro arm is the same way. I bought mine to replace my old 3A arm. There is simply no comparison. The Pro moves as it should, without any effort through the boom range and is a fantastic product. The ability to swap out spring canisters is genius, and it is very easy to keep the arm clean. I have had very positive experiences with the customer service at Pro, and would have no problem recommending this product to anyone. Almost all of the top operators in Los Angeles use this arm, which says something about its quality and the service provided after the sale. Make sure to try out the gear you are considering. All of us have different preferences when it comes to equipment, so it is best to try it out for yourself. It is good that all three companies are in LA, where I see you too are based, which will make it easy to see the different gear in person, as well as down the road when it needs to be fixed. Talk to as many operators as you can, not only about the gear, but also about the customer service post-sale. This is almost as important as the equipment you are buying. Good luck with your decision. Please feel free to call or email with any questions. Brooks Robinson brooksontheroad@pacbell.net 661-287-1555

Christopher, I don't know how to fix that, but if you are in LA, you can borrow my XCS lower electronics housing for the day if that helps. Give me a call and let me know. I'll be up until midnight. Brooks Robinson 661-287-1555 home 661-904-4788 cell

Paul, I’ve been with Russell since he started at Smith Gosnell about 13 years ago. Back then, I didn’t know anyone else with an agent, and was initially a little hesitant. He won my trust very quickly, and now I can’t imagine how I did it before he came along. He is very good at what he does without being overbearing or pushy, and you will never have a complaint from a UPM or producer. I think this is a very important point, as you don’t want someone to represent you that alienates you before the job even starts, or causes the producer to want to hire someone else for the next job because they don’t like dealing with your agent. I’ve heard examples of that with other agents. I’ve only had positive feedback over the years with Russell. Russell is a top-notch negotiator. He has done deals for me that I couldn’t have done on my own. For me, he has more than paid for himself over the years, both with better deals (higher rate and gear rental, as well as other intangibles like higher per-diem, pay-or-play deals, better airline tickets, etc.), and with the stress relief of not having to deal with production at all until I am on the job. He has always been fair with me, and I consider him to be a friend and business partner. He is always available and brings a very professional image to me and my business. I would recommend his services without question. If you are considering working with Russell and have questions, I would contact some of the operators he represents. This will give you a realistic expectation of what you can expect if you were to sign up with Russell. It is always good to do due-diligence, and I am confident that you will hear a lot of stories similar to mine. Good luck, and feel free to call me with any further questions. Brooks Robinson 661-287-1555 home

I have a quick question regarding viewing angles on a Transvideo 3A Super Bright. I recently had an issue viewing my monitor while in low-mode with a Varicam. The onscreen image seemed almost like a negative, and it was very hard to see any detail. I remember having this problem the last time I flew a Varicam several years ago. I haven’t had this issue with film taps for whatever reason. When I was in Transvideo today, I asked Noel about it and he suggested flipping my monitor upside down, as the viewing angle was greater that way. I seem to recall Erwin telling me that a while ago also. Does anyone else fly their 3A Super Bright that way? Is there any disadvantage to having it upside down all the time? Does the standard spirit level bracket work on the other side of the monitor (with the monitor upside down)? Also, Noel said he hadn’t heard of anyone else mention this (why is it always me with unusual problems), but the spirit level monitor bracket on both of my 3A Super Bright monitors have issues with the bolt coming loose. Not the bolt holding the monitor to the monitor arm, but the one connecting the spirit level bracket to the monitor. Mine seems to work itself loose every day, causing the monitor to become loose. It is a pain to continually take off the monitor and tighten the screw, and I’d like a more permanent solution. Noel mentioned perhaps using a locking washer. I’m wondering if someone else has an answer for this. Would lock-tight work or is the locking washer theory a better fix? Am I the only one that’s had this problem? By the way, Noel fixed my frameline generator (a connector had worked itself loose) with extremely quick turnaround and I couldn’t be happier with either the gear or the customer service I’ve received from them since purchasing my monitors and frameline generators three years ago. Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks in advance for any possible answers. Brooks Robinson

Emre, Thanks for the response. I went to the prep today and was happily surprised. There were a couple of wanky things bracket-wise from Panavision’s end, but overall it seemed fine. We are using some sort of HD transmitter (wasn’t available for my prep) instead of running cables which helps. Panavision insists that it is fine to mount a plate to the handle for low-mode (I don’t know if their handle is an after-market modification or not) – I’ll have to see how stable it is. Power is fine, although it is run through some 4 pin XLR/Anton Bauer plate at the back of the body (instead of using the standard 4 pin XLR at the back of the body) so as to power the breakout P-tap AKS. I was initially getting a power warning light on the body until I remembered that Greg Bubb modified my sled a while back (for HD cameras) to draw camera power simultaneously from all three sled batteries out of the 12V out in my junction box instead of using the normal 12/24V out. Once I switched it over, it worked great. One strange thing I found was the camera and CineTape stayed powered up even when I had switched off the power to my sled. I need to remember to switch off power at the camera, which is probably a good idea anyway. The internal downconverter seemed to work well, and it is nice not needing to carry something else external. We will carry digi-primes, but I get the sense that we will be flying the 6-24 (?) zoom mostly. It seemed like a nice and light combination – quite a bit less than the XL I had on my rig last week. Thanks again for the help. This is a great community, and it is nice to know there are people willing to take time away from their hectic schedules to help out a fellow operator in need. Thank you. Brooks Robinson

I’m starting a show with the Varricam 3700 out of Panavision Hollywood. I’ve been shooting film and don’t have a lot of experience with HD, much less this camera. I did a forum search, but I still have a few questions about this camera prior to my prep on Monday. • Low-mode – does Panavision have a good solution to mounting this underslung? • Cables – I haven’t talked to the DIT yet, but I’m wondering about cable solutions for this camera (assuming we are cabled). Does Panavision carry or make the sexy thin cable or is there something else I should be looking at? Any good solutions? • Downconverter – Does this camera have an internal downconverter, or does Panavision have a decent one that works nicely with this body and my XCS sled and Transvideo 3A? • Power – Is this camera a power hog? I have dionics and trimpacs (2 dionics and 1 trimpac on my XCS sled at a time). Will I be okay with this? • Power connector – I assume this is a 4 pin XLR? • Weight – How heavy is this camera? Is there anything I forgot to ask about that I should be aware of – either on the rig or hand-held? Are there any must-haves that I should request? Thanks in advance for the help. Brooks Robinson brooksontheroad@pacbell.net

Henry, I just saw that Ross Judd has a Pro Gyro package for sale on the SOA website. It looks like it is for the Pro 1, but might work with the 2. Good luck. Here is the link: http://www.steadicam-ops.com/database/soaC...p?recordID=3822 Brooks Robinson

Mike, I used Meredith Wilson up in Toronto. She did a great job. Her current email address is: subcouture@sympatico.ca Jeremy Benning had her make some rain covers for his XCS sled, then posted pictures of her work some time ago. I used her to make some Gore Tex covers for my XCS sled, Transvideo Monitor, and Preston MDR. All of her work is custom. It does take a while as there are measurements and photos to be taken, mock-ups to be made, and then the final product...but you will be very happy with the work once it is finished. It wasn't a problem doing this over the internet. Drop her a line. Brooks Robinson

Gerry, Thanks for posting this. Very timely. We were having an issue with this on Tuesday (the day you posted). I'd never experienced it before and we weren't sure what was up. We had A and B cameras mounted on an insert car, both with Prestons. The channels weren't interfering with each other (we've been using the same channels all show in close proximity), but there was another shoot close by. My MDR was having intermittent problems during set-up. When searching for free channels on the HU-3, we could see which channels were being used. None of the channels being used were the ones we were on so we figured we were okay. When we pulled out on the road (and away from the other company) the problem went away. After seeing your post that night and printing out the chart to show to my A.C., the channel being used by the other company was not compatable with the channel my MDR/HU-3 was set to. It's comforting to know the problem isn't with the gear. I'll make sure to keep a copy of the chart in my Preston case. Thank you again for posting. Brooks Robinson

Dave, Why not make your own out of some coroplast. Get some from the grip department or buy a sheet from an expendable store. Use sticky-back velcro to secure it to your monitor. Easy, and it will cost nothing, or at least less than anything else in your kit. Brooks Robinson

Neal, I thought about doing that on my last trip on American Airlines but ran out of time. Instead, I brought along my studio "Safety Passport" book with my union card attached for good measure. They didn't give me any grief, but I think I'll try and put together something more official looking for the future. Brooks

I just flew to Hawaii today for a commercial. I didn't want to chance it at the curb and had my two small Pelican cases of Dionics shipped Fed Ex. I also threw in my Preston FM-50 batteries just to be safe. They arrived at production safe and sound. I don't know what would have happened with TSA. Anyone fly out of LAX with Dionics? Brooks Robinson

I have some Preston on/off cables for sale. They are for the older UHF MDR-1. The cables are: * Panavision - 2 cables * Arriflex 24V (235, 435, 535, SR-3, some Moviecams) - 2 cables * Arriflex 12V (3, BL1, BL2, BL3, BL4, SR-1, SR-2) - 2 cables * Moviecam (2 pin) - most Moviecam's in LA that I've seen have been changed to the Arri 24V style 3 pin but there are some out there that still use this - 2 cables * Aaton - 1 cable There are nine on/off cables all together. They have straight connectors at the MDR-1 end (not right angle). I'm selling because I upgraded to the HU-3 system about a year ago which uses different connectors at the MDR end. Please make an offer. Brooks Robinson brooksontheroad@pacbell.net

Saw this on the USA Today website. Not sure who it is, but it's a cool photo. Brooks

The chargers are spoken for. Thanks for your interest. Brooks

I have two Preston UHF battery chargers (with pigtail) sitting in my garage that are looking for a new home. I don?t need them and Preston doesn?t make them anymore. Please let me know if you?d like either or both of them and I?ll send them off for free. Brooks Robinson brooksontheroad@pacbell.net

Philip, Charles is right...give Dominic Aiello (sp) at Panavision Woodland Hills a call...(818) 316-1000. He'll be able to tell you what's what. Very steadicam savvy, and a great guy. Brooks Robinson PS I remember the Elaine being very heavy for a 16mm camera.

Christopher, Thanks for the tip. I ended up sending the battery back to Anton Bauer as all of the usual "in the field" tricks didn't work and the battery was still under warantee. They turned it around for me and it has been working well ever since. I haven't had any moisture issues like you've mentioned. I've been in Hawaii for the past three months (heading home at the end of this week for another month in L.A.) under all kinds of crazy conditions. One of our main sets was located a mile from the wettest spot on earth (Mount Waialeale on Kauai). We aren't shooting in the rain, but have had up to 16 rain delays per day. We have been in mud up to our ankles at best and much higher than that at worst. We spent the last week shooting in a river up to my knees with the rig. So far, nothing moisture related - knock on wood! Thanks to everybody for their help. Brooks Robinson

Thanks Matt for your quick response. I really appreciate it. What a great resouce this forum is. Brooks

I'm having a couple of power cables made and need the pin outs if anyone out there has them. I'm sorry if this has been covered, but I'm in a bit of a time crunch. I need to know what the pin outs are for a 24V power cable from a Panavision block battery (this is the side I need) to a Ken-Labs 24V gyro inverter. I'm looking for info on the 3 pin XLR side. Next, I need the pin outs for a 12V power cable from an Arriflex 12V block battery (again, this is the side I need) to a Ken-Labs 12V gyro inverter. I need the 4 pin XLR side. Thanks in advance for any help. I really appreciate it. Sincerely, Brooks Robinson brooksontheroad@pacbell.net

Thanks to all who have responded. Emery at Canatrans mentioned possible shielding issues with the Panatape and suggested that the transmitter be placed as far away as possible from the Panatape. This is my first big feature since getting the Canatrans, and the first time I've had any issues with interference between a transmitter and Panatape. My other transmitters have never caused a problem. Thankfully, placing the Canatrans on the back of the mag seems to be working fine in the short-term, I just don't like wearing it there, and would love a long-term fix to the problem. Thanks for all of your comments...please keep them coming if you have any ideas. Brooks Robinson brooksontheroad@pacbell.net PS The Preston Panatape cable that allows the HU3 to show distance on the hand unit display is terrific. Just make sure your assistant has the Panatape box with the lemo connector.

Thanks for the replies so far. We have four Panatape's on my show. We have tried them all on my rig and all have had issues when placed near the Canatrans (on the dovetail plate or velcroed to the motor side of the body). The only solution that consistantly works seems to be to place the transmitter at the back of the mag. This solves the problem. I was just wondering if anyone else had encountered this and what their solution was. I was hoping not to have to fly the Canatrans behind the mag, but I guess I'll continue to do that if that is the only answer. By the way, the Canatrans has been set at 1/2 watt the whole show. Thanks for any help. Brooks Robinson brooksontheroad@pacbell.net