Jump to content

Drop time with Wave


Nick Gardner

Recommended Posts

  • Premium Members

Hi,

 

I recently got a Wave since all the cool kids are doing it.  I usually run a pretty neutral rig, but with the wave it tends to want to fall over as soon as the wave is off of center line, which makes sense, so I am running a more traditional drop time.

Wondering what sort of drop time others are using with the wave.

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Members

Hi Nick,

It sounds like you’re not balancing the camera inside the Wave properly. The camera must be balanced inside of the Wave, both side to side and top to bottom, so that the CG of the camera sits at the exact center of rotation of the Wave. If the camera is either bottom heavy or top heavy inside the Wave, whenever the sled goes off level it will do as you say - falling further and further off level. This balancing can be done via either adding riser plates to the camera, moving accessories around, using a counterweight on a Noga arm (something I still do in combination with riser plates), or by using the Wave Rider adjustable riser, though I personally think it’s too heavy and clunky.

Once the Wave is perfectly balanced, it should have zero influence on your operating, and you sled should behave exactly as it does without the Wave on top. You shouldn’t have to change your drop time if you’re balancing the Wave properly.

I actually wrote up instructions for someone who was purchasing some of my “blue plate” riser plates (which are made for raising the CG of a camera inside of the Wave, amongst other uses - link here: https://willsvideo.com/blue-plate-camera-riser-plates/ ), and they may be helpful for you as well:

 

When you’re balancing, the test for whether the CG needs to be raised is simple. Here are the steps:

  1. Prep the build. Remove any large dovetail bases, try to get the build to be as symmetrical as possible. No need to make the camera super short, so keeping something like a rod baseplate on the base of the camera is okay, as long as it’s not a large “ARRI Dovetail” type of rod bracket - those are generally too tall!
  2. Assess the build - is there a lot of gack on the top handle, like an MDR and a light ranger? Is the camera pretty low and sleek? If a lot of accessories are on the top, I’d start with one or no Blue Plates. If it’s a more streamlined camera build, I’d start with one or two. As you use the plates more, you’ll develop a sense for how many you may need.
  3. Mount the Blue Plate(s) (if needed) between the dovetail and the camera base with the appropriate screws.
  4. Pop the camera/dovetail/blue plate assembly into the Wave. Remove the power cable from the Wave (or keep your sled turned off), and unlock the Wave. 
  5. The camera should sit relatively level. If it falls to either side, it is side-heavy, and you should correct any significant side heaviness before proceeding. This can be done by moving accessories around, or by using a counterweight on a Noga arm, for small differences.
  6. Once it sits relatively level, now rotate the camera slightly to one side. It will either fall further off level, return to level, or stay there.
  7. If it returns to level, the camera is bottom-heavy. You need to move weight upwards, either by moving accessories, moving a counterweight, or adding (or doubling up on) a Blue Plate.
  8. If it falls further off level, it is top heavy, and you’ve overshot. Either move accessories, move a counterweight, or remove a Blue Plate.
  9. If it stays where you put it, it is balanced.
  10. Repeat this check across the range. The Wave’s drive has some friction to it, so sometimes it performs differently at different points in its rotational travel. If it’s balanced perfectly, it’ll stay exactly where it’s put at any angle. The Wave will perform well even if slightly out of balance, but the more bottom heavy a build is, the more “squirrely” it will behave, and the more side heavy the build is the more the motor will work, which isn’t good for it. So, no need to obsess and get it perfect if you’re in a rush, but it’s good to get as close as you can.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...