HVX on an Archer

[Chris Gearhart]

I just received my Archer--Wow. This is a nice piece of engineering. I will be flying a Cinealta later this month, but the practice shoot is using an HVX.

 

Any suggestions on how to weigh it down--This baby is in the clouds, and the springs are as loose as I can get them. I have some barbell weights that I was thinking of putting on the bottom somewhere. Any wisdom?

 

Sorry about the noob question. I did a search and did not come up with an answer.

 

Thanks, all.

 

-Chris

[Brandon Thompson]

Chris,

Lots of op's get a scrap piece of metal from a machine shop have it drilled and tapped, and use that for a weight. My dvx100a was too light for my flyer, so I got a piece of steel about 1/2 inch thick by 8" by 5" or something close to that. It weights about 5lbs and it works great. I have read on here about people doing this same thing. You might want to try another search. I think some call it a weight cage.

 

Good Luck,

Brandon

[Kurt Warner]

Chris

 

You can read through the 2006 post of options that was started by Mikko Wison back on July 5,2006 when he recieved his Archer. Most of us Archer owners have fabed brackets that slide onto the lower two rods and doubles as wieght and/or DC power for a 24 volt upgrade. I made mine out of a few peices of cherry and attached an IDX V-Mount w/ power tap. A easy fix is to just take a spare battery and gaffer tape it to the lower rods. I've seen this on a few Archers an I think it's used in the Steadicam workshops.

I know what you're talking about with the G-50 and a light camera. I can tell you that when I first recieved my G-50 I was in tears and had a few blisters turning those knobs with all my might. They will get easier after just a few jobs. I did get the tention light enough to fly a Panasonic 100 w/ a matte box and a Bartech BFD without any extra weight. I shot a job last fall with an HVX-200 and it fly fine with the same set-up.

 

 

http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3237

 

Welcome to the Club :D

[Philip J. Martinez SOC]

Hi Chris,

 

Try using some lead diving weights. They come in 5lbs. and 2lbs. you can get a screw through the belt loop, use some washers/bolts and you are good to go.

[chris fawcett]

Hi Chris,

 

To fly a lighter camera on your Archer, you need to add the weight as far above the gimbal as possible. If you have a low-mode camera-handle bracket, mount it on the camera and affix 2-3 kilos to that.

 

All the best,

 

Chris

[Chris Gearhart]

Hey guys, these options are great. Thanks. I will play around with various options suggested here. What I did yesterday was hang a 15 lb. boa sandbag off the bottom of the rod. It worked pretty well, and was easy to take off. I think I'll still try some of these other options, though, to find the best solution over the long run.

 

I'll be flying a Viper and a Red, so eventually it'll take care of itself, unless I can't bring myself to part with the HVX. :D

[Lars Erik]

Hey Chris,

 

welcome as a fellow Archer owner. Great rig. Did you get the one with the tilt stage?

 

I've had my Archer for 18 months now, and recently sold my G-50 and bought a G-70. So today is my first job with the new arm. It's actually with a HVX cam too. I've done several jobs with the HVX and G-50 together. I find that operating smaller cams are a greater challenge than operating with bigger ones.

 

Personally I've made a custom weight that screws onto the bottom of the camera. But I think Chris is right in the fact that one should try and have the weight as far away from the gimbal as possible.

 

I use Hytron 120 on the rig, and they are heavy. So my counter weights are located by the rods to the monitor. I just use really strong velcro. Works like a charm.

 

Good luck on your jobs. PS! Post some pics of your RED set-up on the rig.

 

 

LE

[Chris Gearhart]

Hey Chris,

 

welcome as a fellow Archer owner. Great rig. Did you get the one with the tilt stage?

 

I've had my Archer for 18 months now, and recently sold my G-50 and bought a G-70. So today is my first job with the new arm. It's actually with a HVX cam too. I've done several jobs with the HVX and G-50 together. I find that operating smaller cams are a greater challenge than operating with bigger ones.

 

Personally I've made a custom weight that screws onto the bottom of the camera. But I think Chris is right in the fact that one should try and have the weight as far away from the gimbal as possible.

 

I use Hytron 120 on the rig, and they are heavy. So my counter weights are located by the rods to the monitor. I just use really strong velcro. Works like a charm.

 

Good luck on your jobs. PS! Post some pics of your RED set-up on the rig.

 

 

LE

 

Hey Lars. Sorry for the delayed response. I didn't see the reply.

 

Yeah, I got the tilt stage. I am more and more impressed with the Archer daily.

 

The boa bags work fine, but it makes adjusting the speed of the Archer problematic. I really need to get around to trying one of these other options some day soon.

 

I will indeed post some red-rig pics, and best of luck on your jobs too.