Zephyr roll call

[Dave Wowchuk]

 

Your monitor was mounted with a socket cap screw? Interesting, mine had one of those plastic t-handle caps.

 

Also, I'm curious about the safety stop. My post never has come out but I thought I'd read somewhere that a safety stop was part of the spec.

 

 

Underneath that plastic knob is a 1/2" socket cap 1/4 -20 screw. My cap came off accidentally.

 

If the safety stop is supposed to be there ... I don't have one.

[Mark Schlicher]

Sorry...brain freeze...

 

Actually my monitor screw has a circular knurled knob about 1" in diameter, I believe it's plastic molded to the screw (not pressed on like the T-handles).

[Ryan Rodinis]

Is the arm supposed to be creaky sounding? Noticed it while spending a good two hours in flight today. Is this a sign of some needed adjustments or incorrect setup?

I may be asking a lot of questions before my workshop next month. :)

[Mark Schlicher]

Shouldn't squeak but it's possible that the lubrication at the factory hasn't distributed around all the places it should yet. (I was told something similar). Give it a little time but if it doesn't improve then definitely contact Tiffen. Teflon lubricant is readily available at Radio Shack and is often recommended.

[Ryan Rodinis]

It's not a squeak but more of a clacking creak. If that makes sense. or matters.

Thank you for the heads-up on the lube.

[Mark Schlicher]

Hmm...dunno. Maybe record a video with sound and send to the Tiffen folks for their opinion?

[Mark Schlicher]

Dave,

 

I think you may have a warranty issue to take up with Tiffen. I checked my post and definitely could not tug the bottom post section out while applying a reasonable force. There is a resistance that feels like it's from a cable or something. I don't believe you are experiencing normal behavior.

 

From the Zephyr literature online:

 

"Telescopic, index carbon fiber main post with internal safety line."

[Ryan Rodinis]

update: Tiffen is sending a loaner arm while repairing a suspected bearing that is popping in/out. will know more later.

[Mark Schlicher]

That's great, Ryan. How's it going? Dave, have you addressed your centerpost's (lack of) safety stop?

 

That would be a huge issue in my book...

[James Hia]

Hey Mark, i just got the zephyr recently. done a few corporates and events with it. so far so gd. Love the arm.

 

but for my most recent shoot i ran into a slight problem, i was shooting with the sony pmw 350k. sled held the weight nicely without being fully extended and the arm had room to play very comfortable to operate. the problem came when i had the rig rested on my shoulders, and when i had it back down readyy to shoot, my camera was tilted up, the balance had became back heavy. so i'm guessing that it was due to the weight the dovetail may have slid back alittle or the fore and aft may have rolled back a notch.

 

have you encountered any thing like this?

[Ryan Rodinis]

the problem came when i had the rig rested on my shoulders, and when i had it back down readyy to shoot, my camera was tilted up, the balance had became back heavy. so i'm guessing that it was due to the weight the dovetail may have slid back alittle or the fore and aft may have rolled back a notch.

 

have you encountered any thing like this?

I've actually experienced this. I'm pretty sure I tighten the dovetail screw enough, but I've also made an effort since then to let the gimbal rest on my shoulder instead of the top stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I've yet to receive my replacement arm from Tiffen. Really aggravating to have a noisy arm.

[Brian Freesh]

Hey Mark, i just got the zephyr recently. done a few corporates and events with it. so far so gd. Love the arm.

 

but for my most recent shoot i ran into a slight problem, i was shooting with the sony pmw 350k. sled held the weight nicely without being fully extended and the arm had room to play very comfortable to operate. the problem came when i had the rig rested on my shoulders, and when i had it back down readyy to shoot, my camera was tilted up, the balance had became back heavy. so i'm guessing that it was due to the weight the dovetail may have slid back alittle or the fore and aft may have rolled back a notch.

 

have you encountered any thing like this?

 

Mark the position of the dovetail when balanced, next time it happens see if the marks are on or not. :)

[anthonyplanes]

Hi Mark

 

From what I read about the Zephyr, I thought it was a great addition to the steadicam line and met the need for its weight class.

 

I had a few questions:

 

>How much better is its vest than the flyer?

 

>Besides weight, how does it compare to the Archer?

 

>I was glad to hear that you have used it on multi-camera tv projects. What cameras have you flown in that venue?

 

Thanx

Tony

[Mark Schlicher]

Vest: it has a chest pad, ratchet clasps, heavier-duty vertical spar, and the shoulder clasps are adjustable (the straps are velcro'd to the back pad). The rigid waist band is wider. There are several other smaller refinements.

 

Many differences from the Archer. Archer is engineered overall for larger payload, with a G-50 arm, bigger post diameter and gimbal, LX vest, more power and video connections, tilt camera stage (with optional motorized stage), and comes configured for 12/24v and two batteries standard (option with the Zephyr). I am sure that the Archer sled weighs more overall than the Zephyr but I don't know by how much. That's off the top of my head.

 

I've mainly flown the Sony 1500 series with a wide Fujinon lens. It works quite well. I flew a Sony XDCam 800(?) with a Telcast Copperhead fiber back once. It taxed the limits of the sled (mainly due to the weight of the Telecast unit) and I probably wouldn't do it again with this rig. I've used a couple of different ENG cameras with ease, including the Panasonic HPX500.

[Mark Schlicher]

Ryan: not having your loaner arm yet is unacceptable. Sorry to hear you're experiencing delay. Maybe Peter or Dan can help you put the heat on.

 

James: Does your dovetail hold-down knob have a slot for a screwdriver? Very early Zephyrs did not. You should get it replaced if you don't. If you do, then make sure you crank it down tight with a screwdriver.

 

I've been nervous about this problem as I've read about it, but I haven't seen it firsthand. If it continues, then by all means Tiffen should be made aware. It could be a design shortcoming they should address.

 

Brian's troubleshooting advice is good, to confirm exactly where your problem is coming from, and I also use Ryan's technique of being cautious of how far I tilt the camera back when in rest position.