Alan Rencher

Hmm, then I wonder what I've been hanging on the bottom of mine this whole time?

Brian, I googled it earlier, but I didn't include "Steadicam" in front of it; the results were not helpful. I think my point is still valid.

I heard that "gullible" was removed from the dictionary. :P

I'll be at all of those events, and I'm looking forward to testing it out!

JB, I think what you're suggesting isn't really practical for a professional set. You just need to have at least two batteries on your sled, and enough on the chargers to last all day. That's how the pro's do it.

You may want to be more descriptive. I've never heard of a "video sk rig", so it may be hard for me (or others for that matter) to give proper insight. If you're just looking for a downconverter to change the HD-SDI signal into composite or SD-SDI, try looking into buying a Decimator or a Blackmagic Design Mini Converter. Downconverters have been discussed many times over the years on this forum, so don't be afraid of the search function! Good luck!

I like Afton's idea. If you could design a simple "upload these things" style of site, that would be helpful to a lot of people who hate dealing with it. Have something that is blog styled; has options to upload a reel, resume, gear list; allows you to choose a theme or site colors; etc.

This is the one I have: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=orderHistory&A=details&Q=&sku=192877&is=REG ...works as advertised.

B&H had them for the same price. I bought one before my last shoot. It's a great cable.

Did you try a different power cable with the Decimator? I've had those go out before. sometimes they still test good, but there might be a short or a break in the cable that is intermittent.

I posted this picture a while back in another thread, but here is a great way to get two usb ports from a P-Tap: It uses a Griffin double iPad compatible (2A) low-profile USB to car-outlet adapter. I just bought a car-outlet extension cable from Radioshack, chopped off the end, and soldered a P-Tap onto it. It's a little bulky, but it's a great way to use anything that can be powered from your car's outlet through P-Tap. Easy money.

Kar, I love that mod! I don't know why I didn't think about using Shapeways before! I'm totally going to 3D print some of my own mods now! Will, I forgot to mention that I used an iPad compatible car outlet to USB adapter for the mod that you had suggested to me. Thanks for that. I couldn't figure out how to cheaply and easily get the 2 amps that I needed out of a USB port.

What kind of rig do you have?

I built a USB port into my A/B plate on my 9" monitor for the director to carry. I power a Paralinx and the monitor with Trimpac's. It's light, and the batteries last a good long while. Pictures Here!

The second battery hanger is a must for flying fully loaded Epics, or anything that nears the weight limit of the Zephyr. When I bought the second battery hanger, I originally called Tiffen directly, but they said that buying from a distributor would save about 10%. I ended up calling Abel Cine. They didn't have the part is stock, but I gave them the part number. They immediately called Tiffen to get the part, and I basically met Dan from Tiffen at Abel to get the Battery hanger. So basically, Abel has the part number now, and it should be relatively painless to order one from there. As victor said, just leave the Red Touch monitor on top of the camera. Don't try to leave the controls to the RedMote (it's janky as hell.) I'm also curious about the J-Box; more importantly, I might pick Terry's brain on what he has found to be the load that the Zephyr's wiring can handle.

I think Eric Fletcher posted one for sale recently.

They look a lot like Clear. I was looking through their service, and their free 2GB plan seems interesting if somewhat limited. I bet they get their money from the "freemium" model; get people to upgrade after finding that they need more data. Have you thought about tethering data from your phone? If you have a smartphone that is rooted/jailbroken, you can tether for free. I have a WiFi only tablet, and I just turn on my hot spot with one touch on my phone, and bam, internet when I need it. Just a thought. What will you be using your tablet for? That's really going to answer your connectivity question. I don't use my tablet for any work related outside of emails and invoicing, and I feel that Wi-Fi is just fine for that sort of thing. Plus, a tablet is just a smartphone with a larger screen, so if I can do everything on my phone that I can on my tablet; including making calls (via Google voice / GrooveIP).

Like I said, I have had 1st AC's use it to judge critical focus, and they have not complained.

Victor and David are absolutely right. I would like to add one thing to that: I started out on a Steadicam Pilot. It was the perfect rig for me when I was in college because I got it when the HVX200 was huge and right as the DSLR explosion was hitting. After a year and a half, I had the need to fly RED's fairly often. I opted for the Zephyr because I couldn't find the perfect used big-rig in my price range (but now I see them all the time here on the board, damn!!) If I were to do it over again, I would definitely try to find a used Pro or other large rig. It's just better than buying twice! Having said that, I love the Zephyr, and I would not have been able to buy all the accessories that I needed with something more expensive. Remember, you need power cables, video cables, SDI cables, backup cables, low mode brackets, 'L' brackets, weight plates, a stand, a cart, batteries (lots of them!), chargers, a multitude of adapters and converters, and all kinds of other stuff! Not to mention most (if not all) clients expect you to have a reputable brand of follow focus, and now they all demand HD wireless video (most of the time with a director's monitor). So here's what I say to everyone: If you have to ask what gear to buy, you're not ready to buy it yet! Research, buy The Steadicam Operator's Handbook, take a workshop, interview or shadow an operator in your area, and use the search function on the forum! Fly safe! Alan