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New to Steadycam forum need Help......


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Hello Every One,

New to this forum but i am on Reduser few years now any ways . Guys i am in the market to buy a steadycam setup for my self we do low budget punjabi regional (indian) films and music videos so i don't know which one to get proline,action prod.,steadycam and so many other one's in the market now.. I'm new to steadycam Business so please help out to pick the right equipment.My budget for steadycam under 10K.. i also need wireless follow focus.& wireless video Unit as well. quicker way to get me in hold is email me please ...

Pawitter parmar

+91-987-861-7299

pawitterparmar@gmail.com

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Welcome to the Steadicam forum.

I will start by saying what a lot of people will tell you, if possible, it is highly recommended to start with a workshop, you can look on the ads on the right hand side of this forum.

To buy a rig, the most important thing to know which one to get besides the budget is what cameras are you flying and what is the heaviest setup you ever plan to use on a steadicam.

Everyone here will tell you to avoid the Chinese imitations. They seem appealing at first with low prices, but they will break much faster and you will end up paying more to fix it or replace it.

The ProVid is an older rig you can find a few of them on the forum for sale on the Marketplace. The more modern equivalent I would recommend the Zephyr. It is a very versatile rig that is extremely comfortable with the RED Epic and smaller (that's what I have and I am very happy with it as a first rig. I just shot a Mollywood feature in New York with it.)

The Flyer is also a great small rig for DSLR and other small cameras (see marketplace)

For the wireless video, the best value is the Bartech analog (can be found used on the marketplace as well). Avoid the RedRock one.

 

Hope it helps.

Fly safe.

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Im planning to use my steadicam for heavier cameras like the Epic or Alexa, i forgot to mention in my earlier post that im not planning to operate it myself, i will be getting a professional to do the job for me, because im basically into the rental business. As i mentioned before my budget is 10K, if anyone has some half decent equipment that fits my need and budget please contact me, i need all my equipment as soon as possible as i have a shoot lined up for september. Thanks everyone.

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There is no good rig that will carry an Alexa properly for 10K. If there was, I would own it. The Epic can be flown with the Zephyr but forget the Alexa on a mid size rig, you would have to spend more like 30k+ for that.

Remember that buying a steadicam as a rental is not the most recommended. I often compare Steadicam to guitar playing. You need to have your own rig and train a LOT before being able to show up on set and do a half decent job. That means that the operator should have his own rig, know it perfectly and know how it reacts to his movements.

The other issue with rental is that this gear is extremely fragile and needs a lot of attention, and when rented, people tent to take less care of the gear and it will break faster, your customer will not be happy and they will stop renting it from you. I know because I bought my rig from a friend who bought the rig for rental, was unhappy with the feedback of his customers and ended up selling the rig back to me.

As for wireless follow and video, the Bartech analog is about 3K (used with motor) and a Paralinx arrow is about 800$ so you can get away with less than 7-8K for it.

 

Good luck.

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There is no good rig that will carry an Alexa properly for 10K. If there was, I would own it. The Epic can be flown with the Zephyr but forget the Alexa on a mid size rig, you would have to spend more like 30k+ for that.

Remember that buying a steadicam as a rental is not the most recommended. I often compare Steadicam to guitar playing. You need to have your own rig and train a LOT before being able to show up on set and do a half decent job. That means that the operator should have his own rig, know it perfectly and know how it reacts to his movements.

The other issue with rental is that this gear is extremely fragile and needs a lot of attention, and when rented, people tent to take less care of the gear and it will break faster, your customer will not be happy and they will stop renting it from you.

 

so true !!!

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The other issue with rental is that this gear is extremely fragile and needs a lot of attention,

Hate to say this but the gear I see having the most issues with fragility and breakage is the Tiffen stuff. PRO, XCS, Sachtler are all built like tanks and you have Try REALLY hard to break them. Tiffen tells you to send the arm back to the factory every year under normal conditions more often if used in a dusty environment, PRO you rinse the arm out with a garden hose if it gets dirty.

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Pawitter,

There is no high quality rig that will fulfil your needs.

The rig that you are looking for, will not fit in your price bracket.

Having said that, I own a Steadicam Ultra 2 with G70 arm.

I used to own a model 3A, and when I was looking to upgrade, an operator who I trust and who is my friend, Larry McConkey, recommended the Ultra2 to me. Its what he now uses. I went with his suggestion and have had them for several years and have NEVER serviced either, and they still both work flawlessly, after years of hard service in India, Turkey, Greece, Germany, Australia, Africa, The Middle East and all over Asia. They have seen rain, snow, ice, sleet, sand and salt water ... Germany's coldest winter and India's hottest summer. I can highly recommend Tiffen / Steadicam. Robin Thwaites who represents them in India is a man you can talk to and a man who stands by to help you. Get in touch with him.

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  • 1 month later...

Hey, I've actually flown the Alexa on my Zephyr Rig and when it's totally stripped down it is absolutely doable.

 

If you're interested, I'm selling the Zephyr rig right now. Could probably be in your pricerange. Comes with everything except monitor. Been used for 7months now.

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