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Steadicam Zephyr Overweight?


Preston Puryear

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We currently own a steadicam zephyr, which I operate and maintain for the company. The rig I typically fly is a Sony HDC-3500 with a Wide angle lens, 2 batteries at the bottom of the sled, steadicam monitor, and G-Zoom/focus controls. The complete weight of this set up (including sled, camera, etc.) is 32 lbs. The last time I weighed the camera with lens I believe it was around 14 lbs. Each battery weighs 2 lbs. My boss wanted to throw on wireless video and paint control for the camera which added on an extra 5 lbs. It ended up bending the screw that attaches the gimbal to the arm. We replaced the screw and have not put the additional weight on it since. I know that technically right now it is over weight. My question would be is the gimbal overweight? Is there a way to upgrade the gimbal or purchase a new sled that is compatible with the arm to ensure it doesn't cause any issues and allows for smoother operation/better shots and balancing? Currently it feels like I can never dynamic balance the rig perfectly because of the limited movement of the monitor and battery, but it could also be I'm not good at it yet, but I feel like a good part of it is the rig being over weight.

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Hi Preston,
I'm pretty familiar with the Zephyr. Indeed at that weight you are already severely over what it is designed to carry. You risk cracking the bearings in the arm ( it sounds a bit like popcorn when they crack ) because of the excessive pressure on them. You also risk having the main pin that holds the gimbal into the handle snap. You also can damage the bearing races in the gimbal itself.

In all, a bit of a risk. Adding more weight only increases the chance of damaging components. Might be time to strip down the camera/ setup a bit or look for another used rig that's a bit larger in capacity.

Best,

Peter Abraham, S.O.C.

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