Milan Ovrlinic Posted January 26, 2014 Report Share Posted January 26, 2014 I recently bought an ActionCam Raptor stabilizer and I'm trying to learn how to balance it properly with my gear on. Recently I put a 24 mm lens (I use still lenses) on my camera and almost achieved dynamic balance. Then I changed the lens to a 50 mm, which is lighter. Now I'm having much trouble to get it in balance. I know it's not so simple, so I guess I'll learn in time. There is one thing that bothers me though, and maybe I'm just stupid for not getting it, but if I achieve static balance while the rig is on the C-stand, and then just turn the sled 180 degrees, shouldn't it still be in static balance? As it is now it seems to be in a straight vertical position when the camera points to the left, but if I turn it to point right, it seems like it's a bit back heavy. Here are two pictures illustrating my problem:1. Camera pointing left. 2. Camera pointing right. So, if there's someone here who can explain why this is happening, I'd be very grateful. I'm going crazy here... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Victor Lazaro Posted January 26, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 26, 2014 Hi, The issue comes from your gimbal that needs to be re-centered. This happened on my Zephyr a while back. Contact the maker of your sled to know the procedure. You may have to take a trip the the shop to fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Ovrlinic Posted January 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2014 Thank you Victor! Well, that's typical. The problem has been there all the time, but not as obvious as it is now. I guess I'll have to send it back to Switzerland. <_< Hopefully it'll get much easier to balance afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Victor Lazaro Posted January 26, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 26, 2014 This can help. It's for Tiffen rigs, but depending on the way your gimbal is made, you may be able to work it out. http://www.steadicam.com/images/content/U2_GimbalCentering.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jens Piotrowski SOC Posted January 26, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 26, 2014 plus, try to eliminate any unnecessary distance between the gimbal and the chip (extra plates), helps you keep your horizon and keeps the sled shorter.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Ovrlinic Posted January 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2014 Victor: Thank you once again! I will try and see if I can do it by myself. Jens: Yes, I guess it would be better. My problem is that my camera is a bit too light so the extra stuff I've put on is for adding weight on the top, but I guess I should find a better way to do it. Thank you for the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Lars Erik Posted January 27, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 27, 2014 Hi Milan, buy a weight cage. I bought mine from Michael Hofmann in Gothenburg. It has 4 separate plates to use, depending on your camera. Rock solid. Lycka till! LE Norge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Victor Lazaro Posted January 27, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 27, 2014 Weight plate or weight cages are the best option for this. I got mine from Janice Arthur. It is a great piece of thick and heavy metal with plenty of screw holes to attach your camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Ovrlinic Posted January 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2014 Thank you guys! Actually, I think I might have some sort of weight plate lying around at home somewhere. I just forgot about it. I'll try to put it on. Daryl from ActionCam called me today regarding the gimbal. It seems like two or three units from that batch missed some washers where the "fork" is fastened. I checked it today and it seems like mine are missing. Hopefully it'll be easy to fix the problem when he sends me the right washers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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