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Basson - Rip off


JobScholtze

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Due to lack of money and considering the market I was working in (Cairns, Australia) I bought a Basson

almost two years ago because, after a lot of research on the web, it gave me the best value for money.

Dynamic balance really sucked so I had to fix it by some serious cutting and other mods e.g.

 

(1) replaced 12v gel-cel battery system with movable IDX dual 14v NP1 holders,

(2) added Manfrotto micrometer adjustable camera balance plate

(3) added a junction box with multiple video and 14v cam power output

(4) swiss cheesed the arms to reduce sprung weight

(5) built new articulated mounting system for the LCD monitor that added swing and front to back adjustment

(6) redesigned the spring tensioning system to get rid of big knobs that kept getting in the way

(7) replaced chunky funky gimbal with smaller second hand one from the SteadiStore

(8) added internal hi power (800mw) UHF video transmitter

 

It now handles Digi-Beta and all other full sized broadcast cameras with perfect dynamic balance and ease of use.

For smaller cams like the Panasonic DVX 100 or Sony PD170 I made a customizable weight that sits between the camera balance plate and the camera mount which then gives it the necessary mass to make the rig function properly.

 

If anyone is interested I'm happy to send a pic of my rig so they can see what I've done and I will give them details if necessary.

 

Norbert

 

Electric Images

electricimages @austarnet.com.au

www.electricimages.net

Digital Photography & Video Productions

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So basically you build the whole system again.... :huh:

 

a waste of time and money in my opinion.

 

I think there is enough second hand but still good gear around to do the same rebuilding, but in the end you have a much better rig. And a better arm and vest.

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Damn, Mikko

Now I gotta cut you in on a percentage? Harrumph !!! :P

 

Yes, I am a dealer for Steadicam Flyers. The email he gave is accurate. Feel free to contact me off- Boards with questions.

 

ASIDE from that fact, a few thoughts.

 

You get exactly what you pay for when buying things. When purchasing gear, pay close attention to the track record of the manufacturer. Find out how many people have either A) Returned the gear quickly after purchase, or B) Suffered serious failures in gear within an unreasonable period of time post-purchase.

 

Does the rig do everything a real Steadicam can do? Is it solid? Will it repeat motion perfectly, or are the elements badly built and badly assembled?

 

How tight are the tolerances on the engineering?

 

I've got 18 years in as an Operator. I've owned 5 sleds, 5 arms and 2 vests. ( God, I loved my Model I vest. :D ). The previous comments come firmly from the Operator side of my brain, not the Salesman side. Whatever flavor you chose to go with, it absolutely must be robust in terms of endurance and perfectly engineered. Your thousandth whip pan must occur with the same feel as your first.

 

Peter Abraham

New York

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I would be interested in seeing images of what you did to the basson rig, would you mind posting some on your site? Have you used any other rigs to compare it to?

 

 

While it would be interesting to see, I'd be willing to bet that, in the hands of a capable operator in a side-by-side comparison, you wouldn't be able to discern between shots from a Basson and shots from a top of the line system. Point being, the operator makes all the difference. The difference in the rigs comes from how the rigs help the operator get those shots; what types of equipment can the rigs support; how long the rigs will last; the customer support behind them; and the list goes on. As others have already said, buy within your means and more especially, within your needs. There's a tool for every function and budget.

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its like I thought, there is a lot of factors that go into good steadicam shots... I figured the basson at best would be better than the one I attempted to build... fingers crossed... :)

 

$3,700 delivered to any door in the world is not too bad if it can do basic steadicam shots... though this is all presuming it holds together... :D

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I promise you that you should spend the extra money on a flier. Then when you have built up your reputation/profile you will easily be able to sell it and buy a bigger rig!

 

On the subject of cheap rigs... I learnt my "oats" years ago on the hollywood lite rig now owned by varizoom. It worked and I learnt a lot.

 

I would entirely avoid basson purely on this elbow snapping bussiness. Imagine dropping someone elses dsr500 and lens !

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Ok here's some stuff I have - the video was done while I was still learning but I hope you can get the idea how the rig operated.

 

The broken arm weld - yeah pretty catastrophic, thankfully after emailing Basson they sent me a new arm joint, much better welding and didn't have any problems right up until I sold it.

arm.jpg

 

The biggest issue was the balance problem - spin the sled 180 - tilts forward or backwards, it was finally sussed out to be the hole on the yoke, it isn't central, so the quick fix was to add a spacer at one side.

1.jpg

2.jpg

 

The video is something I quickly found, I have about 3 hours on tape, but this is the best I could find at short notice, this was just practice material.

 

Basson Video Clip (WMV)

 

It gave me a good start and fair enough, it had it's problems but by the time I got my Provid, I was quite used to it and happy enough, I just fancied going for the real deal.

 

Jason :)

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