canon 5d too light for flyer, help

[Steve Frank]

Hello,

 

I'm involved in a project and they want me to use a Canon 5d on my flyer. There won't be any follow focus or anything but the camera on the sled. Last night I tried it and there wasn't enough weight to pull the arm down into a level position with the arm adjustments completely relaxed (backed off). I'm sure someone else has had this issue so if you could just direct me to the correct thread (or make any other suggestions) I would really appreciate it. Last night I took an ankle weight and wrapped it just above my batteries/monitor and that seemed to give me enough weight but on the opposite side of the sled that I would have liked to have had it. I've got to be back there again in less than three hours.

 

Thank very much,

 

Steve

[Mike Germond SOC]

 

Notice the 4"x1" steel stock that I had cut to a 10" length. I did my own machining, but the jist of it is alternated 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 threaded holes all down it's length with a Manfrotto quick release adapter plate on top..

 

Comes out to about 12lbs..

[Steve Frank]

Hey Mike,

 

That looks like something doable and I've got a friend that has access to most metals. I'm about to run out the door. For tonight I taped 6 cast iron weights (each about the size of an index finger to the shaft just below where it hangs in the stand.

 

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MIKE!!!!!

Edited March 2, 2010 by Steve Frank

[Sam Morgan Moore]

Would it not make sence to gain a little rotaional inertia by making the top mass about the lenght of a normal camera

 

This is actually a tiny jib I made but I would do similar to fly a DSLR - rails with mass at the back - it is a diving wight BTW

 

 

S

[Norbert von der Heidt]

Notice the 4"x1" steel stock that I had cut to a 10" length. I did my own machining, but the jist of it is alternated 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 threaded holes all down it's length with a Manfrotto quick release adapter plate on top..

 

Comes out to about 12lbs..

 

Hi Mike

 

With the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 lens on this rig, it must have been a challenge for your focus puller? :blink:

 

Cheers

Norbert :)

[John atkinson]

I just did a shoot with the 5D and it had a bracket from IDC Photography to which I added 2 long cylindrical dive weights on either side. It was balanced and weighted perfectly.

 

Cheers!

 

John Atkinson

[RonBaldwin]

Janice Arthur is selling cool weight cages with different weighted plates. I got the 7 and 11 lb plates. I think she makes lighter ones too? Threaded holes all over it, pretty nice.

 

support our own!

 

http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=11379

[Mike Germond SOC]

Notice the 4"x1" steel stock that I had cut to a 10" length. I did my own machining, but the jist of it is alternated 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 threaded holes all down it's length with a Manfrotto quick release adapter plate on top..

 

Comes out to about 12lbs..

 

Hi Mike

 

With the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 lens on this rig, it must have been a challenge for your focus puller? :blink:

 

Cheers

Norbert :)

 

It was only for a commercial, so the usable portions of shots that we needed were minimal. But you are right in assuming it was a nightmare for the focus puller. I tried to keep moves simple for him. They really could have gotten away with a dolly for 70% of the shots.

[Charles Papert]

What makes the Canon lenses really awful for our purposes is the fly-by-wire focusing which has no defined stops, so you have to dial those in (actually easier with the Bartech than the Preston). To make things worse, it's not like you can mark up the knob at that point with even the pathetic barrel marks, because once you rotate the lens around it and come back to a given mark it will have moved somewhat. The only way to pull focus on those lenses is visually, which means hardwire or HD transmission to give the poor guy a chance (SD analog transmission is not going to help him see sharps).

 

My setup is to use the Zeiss ZE lenses whenever possible, which have hard stops and will respond perfectly to the lens mapping feature in the Preston HU3, which renders them as accurately as any cine lens. We use the Blackmagic Design HDMI to HD-SDI converter and then transmit the image out via Camwave in the multi-mode to both a large director's monitor and a handheld 7" Marshall that the focus puller can use. We do use the Canon zooms when we have to.

 

Pics of the setup can be glimpsed here:

 

http://www.photoshelter.com/c/laforet/gall...0FhsJ8HcOteQ/38

 

Probably the best is this one:

 

http://www.photoshelter.com/c/laforet/gall...0FhsJ8HcOteQ/38

 

With a dreaded 70-200. All I have to do to go to Steadi mode is pull the monitor off and release the rig at the dovetail (via homemade cat griller).

[Mike Germond SOC]

Charles and I have had this same lens discussion in another thread, but he his right. The Bartech seems the only way to keep your sanity while pulling focus with these lenses. Once you (very carefully) set the end points of the motor, you can transfer the markings to the BFD's ring and you're in business. If you go past a mark, you might as well start calibration all over again because everything will shift.

 

It's the 2nd worst focus setup next to the HVX endless spinning, no markings, prosumer cameras..