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New products at NAB 2014


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Yes the WXB level assistant was there and its real. I was there to support it. Several ops well known to this forum flew it, I hope they chime in when they have a chance. It was also on the SteadiSeg mounted rig much of the time.

Steve Wagner

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Thank you Steve to chime in. As I understand its not tool to adjust horizon like a one axis gimbal (which should completely lock it) more to smoothen the movement and to counteract against little mistakes in operating. Right? Or is it possible to adjust the degree of correction, until sudden harsh unwanted movements, for ex. with wind?

Do you have any idea about the pricing yet? I guess in Europe it will be sold over Tiffen UK or Betz, Germany?

Thank You,

Marc

Edited by Marc R. Berger
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From What I understood:

- M1 Stabilizer: http://www.steadicam.com/userimages/M1-Broch-6pgs.pdf

 

- 2 flavors of Digital Horizon. http://www.steadicam.com/userimages/Steadicam_WHM-ss.pdf

• WHM-BG (Basic-Grade module): Dynamic Angular accuracy: less than +/- 0.6 degrees

• WHM-HG (High-Grade module): Dynamic angular accuracy: less than +/- 0.3 degrees
- then de WXB Level Assistant which is the counterweight thing. http://www.steadicam.com/userimages/Steadicam_WXB-ss.pdf
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Thank you Steve to chime in. As I understand its not tool to adjust horizon like a one axis gimbal (which should completely lock it) more to smoothen the movement and to counteract against little mistakes in operating. Right? Or is it possible to adjust the degree of correction, until sudden harsh unwanted movements, for ex. with wind?

Do you have any idea about the pricing yet? I guess in Europe it will be sold over Tiffen UK or Betz, Germany?

Thank You,

Marc

That is correct Marc, the effect is subtle if you're keeping a good horizon, you won't even be aware its doing anything, you can pan and tilt as always without interference. The effect feels like the rig is way more bottom heavy than actual, but only in the roll direction. So if you start to wander horizon wise you begin to feel it pushing back before you drift much-- it can generate almost 32 ounce inch torque max which is actually quite powerful for large hits from wind for example. The feedback is very smooth and linear, no sudden corrections. In fact you can set the rig for very slow drop times, we had it at almost 6 seconds at the show, So pendulum effects are very reduced but rig very easy to keep level within a degree or so. It also damps whatever pendulum effects remain, you can pull it a few degrees off level, release the grip and it smoothly and quickly returns to level without overshoot. The long drop time makes it very easy to hold large tilts with just a finger or thumb while it stays level to the horizon.The assistance strength and damping are smoothly adjustable by the operator and store-able in memory . This was prototype 1 so no pricing yet. Its built around the same electronics as the WHM level.

 

And as a final thought, as it was being operated at the show they had a wireless video feed to the big screen--which I studied intently. It absolutely still looks like a well done Steadicam shot. of course very level, all axes under control but none over-controlled, The operator's intentions come through with that subtle organic look of a well done shot, not robotic or stiff in the least.

Regards, Steve Wagner

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Thank you Steve to chime in. As I understand its not tool to adjust horizon like a one axis gimbal (which should completely lock it) more to smoothen the movement and to counteract against little mistakes in operating. Right? Or is it possible to adjust the degree of correction, until sudden harsh unwanted movements, for ex. with wind?

Do you have any idea about the pricing yet? I guess in Europe it will be sold over Tiffen UK or Betz, Germany?

Thank You,

Marc

 

That is correct Marc, the effect is subtle if you're keeping a good horizon, you won't even be aware its doing anything, you can pan and tilt as always without interference. The effect feels like the rig is way more bottom heavy than actual, but only in the roll direction. So if you start to wander horizon wise you begin to feel it pushing back before you drift much-- it can generate almost 32 ounce inch torque max which is actually quite powerful for large hits from wind for example. The feedback is very smooth and linear, no sudden corrections. In fact you can set the rig for very slow drop times, we had it at almost 6 seconds at the show, So pendulum effects are very reduced but rig very easy to keep level within a degree or so. It also damps whatever pendulum effects remain, you can pull it a few degrees off level, release the grip and it smoothly and quickly returns to level without overshoot. The long drop time makes it very easy to hold large tilts with just a finger or thumb while it stays level to the horizon.The assistance strength and damping are smoothly adjustable by the operator and store-able in memory . This was prototype 1 so no pricing yet. Its built around the same electronics as the WHM level.

 

And as a final thought, as it was being operated at the show they had a wireless video feed to the big screen--which I studied intently. It absolutely still looks like a well done Steadicam shot. of course very level, all axes under control but none over-controlled, The operator's intentions come through with that subtle organic look of a well done shot, not robotic or stiff in the least.

Regards, Steve Wagner

What is the minimum/maximum payload for the Lynn axis?

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Here's what I was excited by at NAB:

 

https://www.paguk.com/landing/PAGlink

 

So long, Anton Bauer (I guess?)

OUCH! :wacko:

 

Not sure what the real advantages of this battery are besides stacking during useage??? The more you stack, the longer the charge times....much higher price than an HC....what about battery construction and holding up to field use and drops? Also, not sure how they set up their safety circuits inside the battery to ensure that the charger does not over/under charge the batteries...just sayin'....

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also -- there are questions about whether or not these new batteries are heavier, will the different shape/dimensions fit certain steadicam models, are the studs in the same place on the housings so the batteries will still be centered like the hc's were.

 

We love ab batts and are happy with them, and certainly are not opposed to advances in battery technology (not sure the stackable feature would be used in our application (?) and I know we are a small percentage of your market but even when the HC-90 came out modifications had to be done for their fit.

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Paul,

 

As someone who helped me get my current Dionic HC's at CineGear a few years ago, let me just clarify (since that's my quote you copied :) ). I tend to determine my purchases, from top dollar items to small widgets and accessories, by what provides the most versatility for any possible situation. On top of that, I consider what makes the greatest ease of use.

 

The stacking feature is appealing to me because I currently have 2 dual position chargers, which means I can place a max of 4 batteries on charge, and only 2 charging (assuming all 4 are in need of charge). When batteries are charged, I need to swap batteries (or be mindful of swapping batteries) on the charger. With the stackable option, I can keep my same 2 dual position chargers, and stack all 8 batteries. Granted, it still takes the same amount of time, but gone is the possibility of "Oh, this battery never got on charge". Likewise, when at home, I can have all my batteries charging at all times between gigs.

 

Some Steadicam operators will probably make the argument: "Charging the batteries are the responsibility of your AC's, they should have been on their game. Routine for charging batteries shouldn't be on you, the operator." I agree, responsibilities are not in question here. I just don't want to encounter the situation where we're ever losing time on set juggling batteries because an AC forgot when I could have purchased something with multiple options, especially when they're using my kit (and I'm hoping the AC's encourage production to call me back).

 

Likewise, the option to stack other "3 stud" batteries onto the PAGlink will be an interesting experiment.

 

Do I expect to use the stacking feature on my sled while operating? Probably not (although stacking on a PL Micro Charger "wall charger" as a means to keep the sled up while docked is interesting). Is the option attractive? YES. The premium is considerable (about 63% more expensive), but I wonder if the price will drop in the coming months as the product goes thru the usual stages of product saturation. Also, they have a variety of accessories to use on the stackable position when a battery isn't there, such as the PAGlink "Power Hub" (adds 4 PTAP's plus a USB) or the PAGlink Battery Reader.

 

Another feature I did like was reading battery capacity on the battery's LED screen. The AB "RealTime" screen is on a side of the battery I rarely see on my sled, so I can't really use it. I know the new Digital 90 has a percentage screen, but again it's on a "dumb" side of the battery.

 

With regards to what you posted, I'm curious to know about the charge times with greater stacks, and we'll see how they do as they get into the market. Battery construction and holding up to field use are obvious considerations, but at this point, most batteries can withstand a single impact. More importantly, they never should have to withstand one. The safety circuits are probably a worthwhile consideration, and PAG can probably address it themselves?

 

With regards to the Digital 90's, here are some other considerations that Steadicam operators and AC's at NAB who saw them brought up:

  • No flat surfaces, not very velcro friendly for attaching accessories, etc (that's from the AC's).
  • Size: Dionic HC's are 4.06 x 5.46 x 2.34 in (10.31 x 13.87 x 5.94 cm). Digital 90's are 2.70 x 6.50 x 4.40 in (6.86 x 16.51 x 11.18 cm). So they're more narrow, but they're over an inch wider and over 2 inches thicker. Total volume increase is from 51.872184 in^3 to 77.22 in^3. That's a 48.87% increase in total volume per battery. The PAGLink batteries are 5.23622in x 3.30709 in x 1.96 in, for total volume of 33.94 in^3.
  • Weight: Dionic HC's are 1.8lbs, Digital 90's are 2.0lbs. True, we consider batteries as "functional weight", but adding more weight when you don't get greater wH out of them is a consideration. The PAGLink batteries are 1.6lbs.

To be honest, I think these Anton Bauer Digital series will have an effect of pushing more people into considering generic batteries (Switronix, GlobalMediaPro, etc) for their raw power needs (cheap, higher watt-hour, etc), or enjoying the new discounts on the Dionic HC/HCX. For people looking to spend a bit more, you'll probably maintain a lot of Anton Bauer users, but the form factor of the Anton Bauer Digital series just changed things for people.

 

Also, completely meaningless in the context of function, but aesthetically speaking... I personally think the Digital series are ugly and silly looking. I also appreciate that the Performance Dual/Quad chargers have the batteries positioned such that you can read the percentage, but it just seems enormous, bulky, heavy and again (sorry) ugly.

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Thank you Steve. Sounds great. Very interested to try it. What happens at a 90 degree tilt?

Marc that is an excellent question! As you begin to approach 90 tilt the horizon roll assistance effect is gradually reduced to zero if desired so things won't go unstable at 90.

There are a second set of operator adjustable level assistance strength and pendulum damping settings that apply for high tilt ( greater than 45 degrees) so you can customize the feel over the full 360 tilt range. You can even go straight to low mode and it continues to assist level horizon keeping.

Steve Wagner

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