Stephen Press Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) I don't know about you guys but my facebook timeline has been packed full of the Chinese cameraman on a Segway who takes down Bolt and somewhere in the comments is someone talking about Steadicams on Segways. But if you look it’s not a Steadicam but some kind of Ezyrig which to me is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen.The center of balance would be too high and because he is leaning forward trying to see into the camera viewfinder he can't see where he is going. It makes me angry. What he is doing isn't safe for anyone. It’s the wrong tool for the job and whatever they think they saved hiring a cheap assed rig what would it have cost them if they had injured Bolt? https://youtu.be/Gk2YEugmNRY Edited August 28, 2015 by Stephen Press Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jerry Holway Posted August 28, 2015 Premium Members Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 There are two much bigger problems than using an EZrig instead of a Steadicam. The first is the design of the Segway knockoff, in that it does not have proper safety fenders around the wheels (regular Segways also have this problem). As far as I know, the Steadiseg™ is the only one of these that has safety fenders. The other problem is the training of the operator. He never should have been there, or approached someone from behind in that way. Training is important with any machine, but especially a powered one that works around humans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alex Kornreich Posted August 28, 2015 Premium Members Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 I don't see how safety fenders would have changed the result a single bit, aside from crushing Usain's ankles. Somehow marketing for another Chris Fawcett product ends up in a Holway post, complete with trademark. This is no different than operating a steadicam on a Segway. Looking at a monitor while driving a vehicle is a bad idea, steadicam or easy rig. That is why griptrix, rickshaws, and any number of other vehicles exist where the operator doesn't have to drive. There have been no shortage of videos of steadicam ops crashing their segways as well. The operator was riding 3-5ft from Usain, which is too close, then made the awful idea of trying to get around the side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Ken Nguyen Posted August 28, 2015 Premium Members Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 With that bump, no segways or fender can help. It is all about human error. Even the Segways inventor, he died by Segways accident. I don't see anything wrong with the combination of easy rig and segways nor handheld nor steadicam. It's all about safety at work. A true cameraman is an artist who tries to break all boundary to make/get a beautiful shot. Some have safety in mind, some don't, some too much into the shot in turn forgetting the safety. Be safe! Ken Nguyen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members David M. Aronson Posted August 29, 2015 Premium Members Report Share Posted August 29, 2015 Even the Segways inventor, he died by Segways accident. I hate to nit pick, but this always bugs me. Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway didn't die. Jimi Heselden, the person who bought the company, died after driving one off a cliff. Anyway, the fenders would have prevented the side of the wheel from climbing up onto the track. but the first bump the op ran over probably wouldn't have been prevented with the fenders. The safest way to get this shot would have simply been not to get it. Or have a Steadicam op on foot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Thomas English Posted August 29, 2015 Premium Members Report Share Posted August 29, 2015 I've got a Steadiseg and I can confirm that I really do not think it would have done the second ride up which is the one that snaps it around. Needless to say the man was driving too close and he wasn't paying attention. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jerry Holway Posted August 29, 2015 Premium Members Report Share Posted August 29, 2015 I own one of the original versions of the "Handsfree Transporters™." It lacks the safety fenders, and if I screw up and rub the tires against something solid - like a wall or a the tire of my car - the thing tries to climb up the object. Anyone can, and should, modify and put fenders on their Segway (handsfree or not) to make them much much safer. Chris trains people on the Steadiseg. One serious bit of training is not to approach anyone like the guy did in the video. Good training is the most important thing to avoid trouble and be safe. The Steadiseg has very carefully designed fenders - a lot of thought, concern, and testing went into it. As it should be. I have no apologies for explaining why safety fenders make the Steadiseg™ a much safer product. There are other reasons, IMHO, that make it a superior product, but the subject of this thread is safety. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Thomas English Posted August 29, 2015 Premium Members Report Share Posted August 29, 2015 What happens is the rubber of the side of the wheel rubs against the wall and slows down that side of the segway. the segway turns into the wall and tries to climb the new hill it has found and then it goes very wrong and you crash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Alec Jarnagin SOC Posted September 1, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 " hate to nit pick, but this always bugs me. Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway didn't die. Jimi Heselden, the person who bought the company, died after driving one off a cliff." THANK YOU DAVID! This drives me nuts too. Dean Kamen is alive and well which is very good for the planet because he has invented FAR, FAR more than the Segway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Ken Nguyen Posted September 1, 2015 Premium Members Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 " hate to nit pick, but this always bugs me. Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway didn't die. Jimi Heselden, the person who bought the company, died after driving one off a cliff." THANK YOU DAVID! This drives me nuts too. Dean Kamen is alive and well which is very good for the planet because he has invented FAR, FAR more than the Segway. Sorry for the misinform. Thanks for correction. Cheers, Ken Nguyen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Press Posted September 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 I still think if he had been wearing a rig that had a lower center of gravity and had a monitor to look at insted of a viewfinder it would have been less likely to happen... and to be honest If he had been flying a stabilising rig insted of a ezyrig he could have just steped off the Segway when things got tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Janice Arthur Posted September 1, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 Hi all; Assuming this guy was a novice at Segway and operating together or even separately is the issue. He didn't have the mental "wiring" to understand how they worked best. Therefore he didn't have experience of having been in many different situations to 'know' how to deal with this. My point is we forget how much "brain wiring" we have for dealing with moving and framing and a Segway. Moment to moment choices for the newbie are harder and often the wrong choice or simply can't be made fast enough in a critical situation. Just as anyone who has done any activity a lot; they have a dexerity that most people don't and that's what we see when a bike racer even get on a bike or the bricklayer put up a wall. Right or wrong gear don't know but experience would have helped a lot. Janice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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