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Completing the Puzzle: An Arm


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I want to thank many of you for helping me pull my first pro kit together. Deeply appreciated the guidance and candor.

I'm one very important piece away from completing the puzzle: an arm.

Ideally I'd like to buy a 3A Arm or something akin to it. I'll be flying an Ultra 1 with a WK vest.

Any suggestions or leads?!

With Gratitude,

Minard

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  • 3 weeks later...
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I guess first is to determine your budget. That will help us recommend the best arm in your price range.

 

3a is a great arm. It works best when loaded up, more weight smoother it gets. On the low end, I've always noticed my steps when using that arm. So if you are flying lighter builds, a weight plate may be in your best interest to smooth the arm out.  Also make sure your 3a arm has been recently serviced or prepare to have it serviced when you get it.

Where you are located can help determine who to have service it etc.

 

Of the 3a arms, the luna custom 3a is probably the best version you could obtain. Robert Luna also does conversions of older 3a's, making them have a much larger weight range, perform better under lighter loads and replaced many parts with more up to date and higher quality material.

If you are flying lighter builds mostly, a used tiffen g50 and g50x arm is also in a similar price range as a decent 3a arm.  Granted the payload capacity is less, you will find that this arm is easier to maintain, and easier to adjust on the fly.

On the heavier end flowcine makes a great arm in the 13k range and i believe the Tiffen g70 and g70x are also in that rough area price wise

I hear mostly good things about the smartsystem arm that has a much larger weight range for a much lower price. I've never used it personally, but among the people who have used it, reviews are pretty positive. I feel like most negative reviews of it are from people who stand by the bigger steadicam companies and refuse to believe a smaller company in europe can bring something of great significance to the table. andrea from smartsystem is probably one of the best people in the industry in terms of communication, speed of response, and knowledge when it comes to inquiries about his product.

You could also consider the atlas arm by Pro which caps at 45lbs which sits in the used to new price range of 8500-13000.

 

I hope this helps

 

 

 

 

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Many thanks Kevin. Truly appreciate your guidance.

Quick questions:

Where does the 3A designation derive from? 

Are you familiar with the Silverspring arm?

Can an old Master Arm be resurrected with the help of someone like Luna for mid-range lifting capacity- up to 40lbs?

Grateful for insight. 
m

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