Premium Members Alex Bodnar Posted May 6, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 So I'm considering purchasing my first rug, most likely used if possible. I flew a pilot in high school, and now being 21 and a working cinematographer I want to get back to my true love which was steadicam. I've spoken to someone who works at a sports venue in the past year who offered to get me flying for broadcast if I ever got my own rig... Now I myself do most of my shooting DSLR. But if this opportunity is legitimate, I'm at a loss of which rigs to look into. I'd like it to be able to support both DSLRs as well as the larger broadcast cameras, again, if the offer to shoot live sports is legitimate. Let me know what your thoughts are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alex Bodnar Posted May 6, 2014 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Rig, by the way, not buying any rugs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Sanjay Sami Posted May 6, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 I am no expert, but I would look for a Zephyr or maybe Archer. I've seen some great deals on used Archers. Look up James Davis. BTW - pardon my asking, but why are you moving to Steadicam ? I've seen Operators move to Cinematographer, but not the other way around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alex Bodnar Posted May 6, 2014 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Steadicam was always something I've just enjoyed doing. I'm going to keep DP'ing but I want to get back into steadicam as well just because I used to love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members James Davis Posted May 6, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Thanks for the shout out Sanjay, here's a link to my rig that's up for sale: http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=20079&do=findComment&comment=100932 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members MichaelReedy Posted May 7, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Do you have a certain price range that you're looking to play around Alex? That can affect the answer quite dramatically. Also the usage is just as important, or more so. If it's DSLR's all day or taking up the broadcast offer as mentioned. Do you know what camera they are shooting with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alex Bodnar Posted May 8, 2014 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted May 8, 2014 I mean this is seriously something I want to use through my career to get work, that being said I'm willing to spend upwards of 15 grand on a good used rig if it offers what's necessary to get the work. I'm thinking most work on shorts or small features that I work on are usually DSLR and BM cameras, maybe a scarlet here and there would be available. I personally have a DSLR rig. But as stated before, with a small possibility of being able to shoot the major sporting events, I'm not sure what specific cameras they shoot on but they would be (I'm assuming) rarer large broadcast cameras. I've been looking at used zephyr's and used Archers. But I don't know what would suit my needs best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Sanjay Sami Posted May 9, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Spending money on the rig is not going to get you work ... I hope that is not your expectation ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Lars Erik Posted May 13, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 Alex, welcome to the forum. I have no clue about your skill as an operator. My question is; does this person who can get you started in sporting events know your skills? Just asking in case he/she is not 100% convinced when they see you operate. If they have seen you, and are happy, please ignore this question. Now, to your question regarding the purchase of a rig. Many new operators have asked the same question here. Myself included years back. Do a proper research of what market you're aiming at, and then get an understanding of what the needs of those markets are. Make a list of those markets needs. Camera weight, power cables, do they need FF, wireless video, zoom controller and so on. Ask other operators if you're unsure. When this is complete, your choice of rig will be easier. Giving advice in the purchase of a rig is always tricky, because everyone has different needs. I'm used with Tiffen rigs, others lean more to GPI PRO and so forth. But I will give you a couple of advices. Listen to Sanjay and buy used if you can, and don't buy a rig you think you'll quickly outgrow. Whatever you do…good luck and fly safe. All the best LE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandro Ugo Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 (edited) Hi Alex, I think that Erik already gave a really explaining-full answer. If you work mainly with DSLRs and "light" cameras such as the BMCC (I own one myself), you could look for a rig like the The Scout, which can bare 5-18 lb. (2.3 - 8kg). I usually use this model with my baby (my BMCC) and with cameras such as Scarlet and Epic. http://www.tiffen.com/steadicam_scout_home.html If you think the weight of your camera + accessories is heavier, you could look into the Zephyr-V. which can bare 9 to 23 lbs (4-10.4 kg). http://www.steadicam.com/userimages2/Steadicam/Steadicam_ZephyrV_FINAL_50613_SS.pdf Let me know how your searching goes. Good look with your passion ;-) AU Edited May 26, 2014 by Alessandro Ugo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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