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Hi All, I recently got my hands on a couple of "mystery" gimbals, and I'm wondering if any of you guys would be able to identify them by what they look like. They're no brand name labels, or marks or serials on them, but I'll share some pictures, and some details below... This gimbal is for a 1.5" post, has a six-inch gimbal grip with a blue anodized quick release latch. The handle is pretty long, about 7 inches. The outer bearing ring is actually silver, although it looks black in this pic. It's missing some trunion caps, as you can see in the pics, which expose the trunion bearings...i'd like to get some caps for it, but I don't know what brand this is. Don't even know if it supposed to have caps. The yoke action is smooth and fast, as are the trunion bearings. The pan bearing is smooth, but "noisy"...kind of hard to describe...it spins freely, but you can feel friction transmitted through the grip, and it makes the kind of sound a lazy susan might make when you spin it?...might it help to know the make of the gimbal so I can properly clean/lube the bearings? Or maybe it's shot? This gimbal is also for a 1.5" Post -- the grip is 4" long or so, and has a kipping handle on the bottom for a lock. The locking part can be unscrewed from the grip itself. The handle looks like your standard size handle, and is textured with an aggressive knurling. No rubber O-ring. but there is a space for one. The trunion caps are sqared off, and without spanner tool holes. You basically just twist them off. I took the gimbal apart, and on the pan bearing, there are some manufacturing marks as follows : JAPAN/KOYO/6809Z...I'm assuming this is the make and model of said bearing...perhaps a good clue to what make and manufacturer this gimbal may be? This seems to be the better of the two, as all movement is silky smooth and silent. ...and that's all I got! Any help or advice is much appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to look through. Let me know if you have any questions or comments! Beau

Hi, I am an Engineer/Researcher at NASA Langley in Virginia and i very recently won a Steadicam kit in a government equipment auction. It was in a lot with several Sony cameras (DSR300AL,DXC3000A) which I plan to resell. AND, I thought it was just a couple of tripods for the cameras in a nice padded case. I get the lot home and packed very nicely in layers of notched out foam is a bunch of "Steadicam" components {vest, monitor, gimbal....}. These are some incredibly nice components. I am in the aviation industry and know good engineering, machining and materials when I see it. I see "Tiffen" and "Steadicam" all over the case and components so I googled a couple of videos of it in action and then find this forum. I got to admit it I am overwhelmed and inpressed by this group and industry in general. I am a sucker for things that are high tech AND require special skills/training, like Aviation. I am primarily a still photographer and not sure this will do much for me but sure looks like nice suff. It seems to be used entirely for video/film photography, correct? Would it help for air-to-air photography? So I am asking for help because I am a total newbie with this equipmkent. I wasnt even sure where to post this. (Please re-direct me if it is not the place to ask). I need to 1) to figure out what I have and 2) figure out If I am equiped to utilize it properly. If not, 3) figure out what the value is and how can I sell it. I couldnt find a model that exactly matched on the steadicam.com site. Everything looks in brand new condition. I found some paperwork with at 2005 date. It is a "Certificate of Compliance" from Tiffen to B&H photo. It has serial numbers for Arm, Sled, Vest, & Monitor. The model number written in is [sC721 SK-2 AB "NTSC"]. Couldnt find a match for these numbers. The vest (and case) is blue/black nylon type material that is well padded with a waist/hip pads and an aluminum chest piece that the straps clip into. It looks to be a carbon fiber tube with a red aluminum grip below the gimbal. I managed to put everything together like I saw in the videos and tried it on. Amazingly smoth gimbal action, but it wasnt ballanced well as I dont have a battery to counter the monitor. There is a very stout tripod stand to hold the whole deal and a nifty bracekt on top that I suppose you use to get the balance right. There are a bunch of nice annodized aluminum machined parts, brackets and cables. The monitor seems to be a basic monichrome display and has a minor scratch on the glass. Any help is appreciated. Does this model have a name? Does it have much value? I can answer any question and can take pictures if necessary and post if this forum is capable of it. Thanks Much Kevin Yorktown VA Jeez, sorry for the long post.