Zephyr questions

[Stefan Baltz]

Hello everyone,

been reading a lot in this forum lately but now my first post here :)

and please excuse me, if some of my questions will sound funny to some, I'm new to the game :)

 

 

I'm planing to get me a good rig to start with, and until now the Zephyr is my top of the choice.

But I still do have some questions about it.

 

 

- how is the steadicam-service in europe esp. germany (I think I read that there is a headquarter in the UK)?? If something goes wrong, do I have to get in contact with my local dealer or directly with tiffen?? And what If I buy the rig directly in the USA, do I get support from the office in Europe/germany??

 

- what's the difference between the standart and the compact vest?? Is it worth the extra charge??

 

- and last but not least a basic question: If I shoot with RED f.e. in 4k, and my monitor only accepts HD or SD, do I have to get an extra downconverter to get a signal?? same thing If I shot HD and have only a SD monitor -> downconverter??

 

many thanks in advance for your answers...much appreciated :)

 

greetings from germany,

stefan

[Janice Arthur]

S.

 

Welcome.

 

Start with Tiffen they know most of this stuff and that help is what you're paying for when buying from a reputable manufacturer

 

Good luck and come back as u learn more and you can tell us what you know.

 

JA

[Wolfgang Troescher]

My local dealer in Munich is Betz-Tools and it's excellent!

 

The standard size of the vest is for guys who have normal weight or have a few pounds more on their hips (like me :-)

The compact vest is for very slim operarors.

 

By the way: Betz-Tools organized a workshop, starting end of April. Would be a very good start for your career as a Steadicam op! I´m looking forward to it.

 

Wolfgang

[RobinThwaites]

All

 

To clear this up the Standard vest is standard size but versatile enough to fit most people - especially with the Zephyr vest which is very adjustable. The compact is for smaller frame operators and also shorter body length.

 

If you order the HD Zephyr you will get an 800 nit 7" monitor which will take HDSDI so should work for you and is not much more expensive than the SD version.

 

Betz are a good starting point and very helpful then we also have Tiffen International in the UK (my office).

 

 

Robin

[Nelson Villamil]

Hi all

 

I repeat here other doubts Zephyr, 2 important aspects of this rig, and that have been discussed in another post.

 

Zephyr Power Configuration

 

http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=15713

 

http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=15550

 

among other things, about the size of the internal wiring, power, real-watt capacity, all related

 

 

AND

 

 

I like to read opinions on use:

 

Anton Bauer, Vs V-mount Batteries (different brands)

 

 

 

All contributions (reviews, photos, experiences) on ZEPHYR is important. especially for those who soon will take the step to buy.

 

 

 

Thanks.

[Stefan Baltz]

To clear this up the Standard vest is standard size but versatile enough to fit most people - especially with the Zephyr vest which is very adjustable. The compact is for smaller frame operators and also shorter body length.

 

- my chest measurement is 95 cm, hips are 90 cm, from my hip to the shoulders I'm about 60 cm. So is it the standart vest??

 

If you order the HD Zephyr you will get an 800 nit 7" monitor which will take HDSDI so should work for you and is not much more expensive than the SD version.

 

- I think I read in another zephyr topic, that the HD monitor is a slightly modified marshall 7", can you confirm this and maybe the exact type??

Because an option for me would be to get the SD version and then upgrade it with the transvideo illa superbright for 1.500 EUR which is here in the marketplace for sale :)

Depending on the price I have to pay for the HD upgrade here in germany I'm still brooding what would be the better option.

 

 

thanks,

stefan

Edited March 30, 2012 by Stefan Baltz

[Patrick Cecilian]

you won't need a downconverter unless you have an SD monitor. The signal from a red one will be 720 59.94, EPIC 1080 23.98P HD-SDI.

 

Well on the epic/red one it will be different if you are PAL. so... 50 r1 and 25 epic

Edited March 30, 2012 by Patrick Cecilian

[Wan Zhong Wei]

I purchased an SD zephyr, I took out the stock monitor and changed to a marshall 7" 3G-SDI version from the rental house that i work with, the one with 800 nits, but not the transreflective version.

 

i power it through via a long d-tap to 4 pin xlr, and i get an SDI signal from the bottom of the post. my 6 pin hirose plug is not being used at all.

 

and perhaps you should start looking at what cables you will need for your zephyr. the standard package only comes with a 3pin lemo to 4pin xlr, and a HDSDI BNC. see what cameras you usually fly with, and decide the cable options from there.

 

it is good to look into some extra weight plates in case you are operating a lighter camera, like the 5D or any of the 1/3" camcorders. and if you are using the 5d, you might want to look into any of the HDMI - SDI convertors, either from AJA or blackmagic. black magic ones are running off 12V DC, so you can actually rig a 3pin lemo to 12V DC jack to power them off.

 

i am in the process of ordering the marshall 6.5" transreflective monitor for daylight usage. will do a post on it when it arrives :)

 

i really like the zephyr now, because i can "magically" increase the weight of my sled at the bottom with the provided merlin counterbalance weights! and on top of that, the monitor and the battery post are able to slide individually of each other.

 

meanwhile, happy choosing!

 

zhong wei

[Mike DeRario]

Hi All,

 

I have been flying mainly digital on my Zephyr including the 5D, EX1, HVX200, and RED. It is a great rig and I love operating it. I was asked to work a project this weekend with the Arricam Lite. I am excited about the project, but was wondering if anyone has flown the Arricam Lite on their Zephyr. Do you think it will fall within the 24lb weight capacity? They are talking about flying it with 400ft of film in the magazine. The camera without a loaded magazine comes in about 12 lbs. (http://www.arricsc.com/camera/arricamlite.html) But I'm curious to see if anyone has built the Arricam Lite on the Zephyr. I'd love to hear some feedback if you think it would be feasible. Below is the list of everything that they plan to fly:

 

• Arricam Lite
  
• 400FT 35mm Film in Magazine
  
• Arri Zeiss High Speed 35mm Prime Lens
  
• Mattebox
  
• Bartech Focus
  
• Modulus 3000
  

 

Also would it require the 24V power adapter?

 

I appreciate any help and hope that the Zephyr can handle the job.

 

Thanks,

Mike

[Stefan Baltz]

I'm also tending to go for a converter, which handles at least SDI and HDMI input and SDI (BNC) output. Optionally with a composite and/or component input/output.

anyone knows some devices for reasonable prices??

 

just found the stuff from blackmagic or Aja, but none could handle both inputs.

 

 

 

http://www.marcotec-shop.de/de/products/cat_435/detail_3656.htm

 

http://www.bpm-media.de/de/Sales/Sende-und-Studiotechnik/Konverter/Mini-Konverter/Blackmagic-Design-Minikonverter-HDMI-SDI-2::207269.html

 

http://www.bpm-media.de/de/Sales/Sende-und-Studiotechnik/Konverter/Mini-Konverter/Blackmagic-Design-Minikonverter-Heavy-Duty-HDMI-SDI::353544.html

 

 

many thanks,

stefan

[Robert Starling SOC]

Stefan:

 

Welcome to the Forum.

 

Please take time to dig into and search the forum using the SEARCH function. In fact, everyone should read the entire archives if you have not already. The answers to almost every question related to Steadicam and the true meaning of the Universe has already been discussed here.

 

Good luck and as Janice said, write us back when you have some answers of your own.

 

Robert

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

Mike,

 

I see no one answered your question. In a nutshell, the answer is no. You're cutting it too close. 35mm work should be left for the big rigs (OK, a 235 could be used on a LW rig). You will NEED 24 Volts which means another battery on your sled (eating into your weight limit). Do you have a power cable? The empty Mag alone weighs several pounds. Plus clip-on Matte Box, Cinetape, etc, etc. You will need rods to mount the focus motor (which would come off the top off the camera). You'd need to make sure they rent the Steadicam AKS for the camera (100% video & low mode bracket). Is it an SD or HD tap? Does your rig do HD? (HD tap weighs more too). Without adequate prep, you are asking for trouble.

 

I see you are in NYC. If you have questions, give me a shout out. My contact info can be found on my web site. www.floatingcamera.com

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[Mike DeRario]

Hi Alec,

 

I wanted to say thanks for responding and follow up. Your advice came in really handy. Unfortunately they could not give me a prep day and after reading your post and speaking to a few other operators as well I felt like it wasn't worth the risk to put all that on my rig. I was going to rent a larger rig but production could not afford the additional insurance. So to make a long story short, the gig fell through as a result.

 

I was upset with the outcome but was happy that I gave it my best effort to make it happen. I am always impressed with how supportive the Steadicam community is and am so happy to be a part of it. I appreciate all your help and hope to return the favor. Thanks for passing on your contact info. It's great to network with other operators in the area. I truly appreciate it.

 

Thanks,

Mike

 

 

Mike,

 

I see no one answered your question. In a nutshell, the answer is no. You're cutting it too close. 35mm work should be left for the big rigs (OK, a 235 could be used on a LW rig). You will NEED 24 Volts which means another battery on your sled (eating into your weight limit). Do you have a power cable? The empty Mag alone weighs several pounds. Plus clip-on Matte Box, Cinetape, etc, etc. You will need rods to mount the focus motor (which would come off the top off the camera). You'd need to make sure they rent the Steadicam AKS for the camera (100% video & low mode bracket). Is it an SD or HD tap? Does your rig do HD? (HD tap weighs more too). Without adequate prep, you are asking for trouble.

 

I see you are in NYC. If you have questions, give me a shout out. My contact info can be found on my web site. www.floatingcamera.com

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[Venno Kornak]

Hei you all

 

As you all see i am also newbie here. I have searched here in forum but i haven't find the answer. And the question is, can i use other steadicam arms with zephyr set ? Can i upgrade it step by step, replacing arm, sled or vest ?!

[Mark Schlicher]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Zephyr system is all engineered together so that the arm, vest, and sled all reach their maximum capacities at roughly the same weight limits. No advantage to trying to work around this. If you upgrade the arm, you may max out the sled and/or vest. If you upgrade the vest, it is wasted capacity. Alternate bigger sleds are generally heavier so you lose camera-carrying capacity with the existing arm/vest, etc.

 

It's a system that you sell if you outgrow.

 

Also, you will be asked by a mod to change to your real name, it's the rule here.