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Archer 2


chris fawcett

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No worries Chris, Steadicam ops have a history of pushing the envelope!

 

With regard to the portability, I took an Archer 2s sled and arm packed up in a sports bag as hand baggage on a BA flight London to Rome, the vest went in my suitcase with my clothes but on BA or another major airline I could have probably pushed to get it all in hand - don't try it with Easyjet/Ryanair etc.

 

Also interesting to note that different airPORTS hae different rules and not just airlines so handy to check the rules for your return flight. A good example of this within the UK alone is that Heathrow seems to be one piece of hand baggage plus a briefcase or laptop whereas Luton (and Stanstead of course) is definitely one piece only and for women that means just a handbag.

 

Robin

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Great to see this thread. I too invested in an Archer2 recently and have been very happy with it as well. Even with the g-40 arm, it seems capable of handling just about any camera package that I would need to fly at this stage of my career (only operating for 2.5 years now). I'm handling the RED with lots of accessories no problem.

 

Of note, here's what I love about it:

- Everything packs so nicely into it's case, although the case is really awkward to wheel around. It's very top heavy and likes to tip over, but if you're careful it's fine.

- Professional stage w/ quick release and tilt.

- Great power and video connection options. This makes it real easy to do your own HD monitor upgrade, although you'll probably have 2 separate cables for power and video instead of the all in one 6-pin connector.

 

Here's what I would have liked to see changed:

- The bottom dovetail is a great idea. From what I hear it's similar to the ones found on the Ultra2 and Clippers, but seriously, what accessory out there has a female dovetail to lock on to this? A cheese plate with a bunch of tapped 1/4"-20s would have made a lot more sense. Maybe there's some plate out there I don't know about. If so, please fill me in.

- I fly goofy and it's real awkward to make last minute fore/aft trims while floating. There's only one dial, and it's on the back right side. Can't reach it with my left hand, so I have to quickly do it with my right (post) hand. Kind wishing i had the motors. oh well.

 

Anyone else out there get one recently?

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Here's what I would have liked to see changed:

- The bottom dovetail is a great idea. From what I hear it's similar to the ones found on the Ultra2 and Clippers, but seriously, what accessory out there has a female dovetail to lock on to this? A cheese plate with a bunch of tapped 1/4"-20s would have made a lot more sense. Maybe there's some plate out there I don't know about. If so, please fill me in.

- I fly goofy and it's real awkward to make last minute fore/aft trims while floating. There's only one dial, and it's on the back right side. Can't reach it with my left hand, so I have to quickly do it with my right (post) hand. Kind wishing i had the motors. oh well.

James-

good ideas. The bottom dovetail is to enable the quick, tool-free addition of accessories - such as Antlers or Gyros or accessory weights. FYI, I know the next generation of Antlers will fit both sizes of dovetails (standard and Archer), and a simple slug will adapt current Antlers to the smaller dovetail size.

 

Tiffen wisely included a 1/4-20 tapped hole in the bottom for the screw in weights (see Chris Fawcett's article on this), and this can be used for other accessories, including a cheeseplate if you wish. I think a cheeseplate with many tapped holes would actually cost more than the integral dovetail... just add a ridge (square or dovetailed) to the cheeseplate to line up with with dovetail, and with one screw you have your versatile adapter.

 

Goofey, yes, a bit awkward in Missionary, but try just going into the Don Juan, shooting to the right.

 

Enjoy your Archer2!

 

Jerry

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... just add a ridge (square or dovetailed) to the cheeseplate to line up with with dovetail, and with one screw you have your versatile adapter.

 

Jerry

 

I like the ridged plate idea, but how about I drill and tap a second 1/4"-20 in the bottom dovetail. That would keep just about any kind of plate secure. I'm just scared I'd be drilling straight into some electronics. Is there any way I can pull this dovetail off, modify it a little, then screw it back on? I tried taking out those 4 hex screws, but it's still held in there by something else. I don't want to pull too hard.

 

Thanks for the Archer2, Jerry. Lovin' it so far.

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I like the ridged plate idea, but how about I drill and tap a second 1/4"-20 in the bottom dovetail. That would keep just about any kind of plate secure. I'm just scared I'd be drilling straight into some electronics. Is there any way I can pull this dovetail off, modify it a little, then screw it back on? I tried taking out those 4 hex screws, but it's still held in there by something else. I don't want to pull too hard.

 

Thanks for the Archer2, Jerry. Lovin' it so far.

 

James, I don't think there's enough metal for a second threaded hole. I could be wrong, but a plate could be more customized to specific tasks.. good luck!

 

Jerry

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Hi All,

 

I'd like to state that all the various with experiments I do with my Archer, including maxing it out, are not recommended by Tiffen. They're are not even something I do regularly to my own rig. I'm just curious to know what it can take in extremis. I mostly operate well within the stated limits of the rig.

 

Chris

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Another thought on the Archer2 design...

 

I decided to go with the V-mount battery plates. I know, the AB is more sturdy, but I find the V-mount much easier to release and grab the battery with one hand. Plus, there's a lot of RED jobs out there so being able to accept RED batteries on my rig is nice.

 

Anyway, the problem I'm having is when I want to undersling the battery plates so they are mounted vertically but below the bottom dovetail. In this position, the v-mount is upside down and with a slight brush up against your knee, there goes your battery either smashing into the ground or your toes.

 

I tried removing the battery plates and inverting them, but the hole patterns don't match up this way. Any other thoughts to get around this, guys?

 

Also, anyone know if the AB plates can be purchased separately so I can swap them out as needed depending on battery situations?

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I’ve never had an issue with bumping the battery release. Just watch where you’re swinging that thing.

 

With the Archer 2, or any other rig that lets you flip the batteries, it seems like it would be simple enough to flip them and move the gimbal to compensate, though then you’re out of DB. The infinitely faster, simpler, and cheaper solution would be to wrap some gaff tape around those batteries. An alternate battery mount seems like overkill.

 

A second vote for the RED batteries, by the way. Those things last even longer than my PowerCubes.

 

I briefly flew the Archer 2 yesterday, it’s a nice rig, and somehow feels even smaller than my Archer SE. Maybe it’s the svelte rod system at the base.

 

Alan

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