Tally Barr Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 Hi everyone- I have a flyer rig and shoot mostly on an HVX200. MY shots are okay for a newbie but I was told the more weight I have on the rig the better shots I'll likely get. Is this true? Don't want to punish my back with anymore lbs than I need to but I'm willing to give it a shot- what add-ons would be good for extra weight? Currntly I use two Anton Bauer bricks for ballast and usually have a wide angle lens on the camera and AB ElightZ battery. thanks! T Barr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Thompson Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 T Barr, I also have a flyer and yes it does fly better with more weight. I had a weight plate made from a scrap peice of steel about 1/4 inch thick by 5 inch by 8 inch. I think mine weighed in at 8lbs. plus my 4.5lbs dvx100 =12.5 lbs and that flew very nicely. Now I have the HVX200 with M2 lens adapter with BFD follow focus so it weighs in just over 15 and flies awesome. Which AB batteries are you using? Oh, I don't know your medical history, but the more you wear the rig the more your back gets use to the weight. good luck, Brandon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Packer Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 One easy way I found to add weight to a Flyer with a miniDV camera was to simply duct tape a scuba weight or two to the camera handle. One thing to look out for with this though is that the weight isn't shifting around on you. So just make sure you do a real solid taping job. Adding even one 5 pound wieght will make a real difference in the feel, with more mass the flyer will start to feel less finicky, and more like a bigger rig, I'd even take it to it's max just so you can feel what it's like. hope this helps Kevin Packer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jerry Holway Posted November 15, 2007 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 Don't want to punish my back with anymore lbs than I need to but T Barr Tally- It's very disturbing that you say "Don't want to punish my back" - especially with a light rig like the Flyer. With ANY sled at any weight up to about 70 pounds, you should not be punishing your back AT ALL. Even then, it should only be your legs building up lactic acid... your back should be fine. With proper technique, you should only be mildly exercising your back, in the best possible posture, with ZERO impact - PERFECT exercise for your back. With improper technique and/or equipment, of course, you may be "punishing" your back, just as you might when, without a Steadicam, lift any load improperly. Have you had proper training? Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Lohengrin Zapiain Posted November 16, 2007 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Amen to that Jerry! I'm kind of getting tired explaining to people that Steadicam IS NOT hard for the back although it might be a bit hard for your legs and knees... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soren k jensen Posted November 17, 2007 Report Share Posted November 17, 2007 Janice Arthur suggests using a 'skirt' to stabilise. Haven't tried it yet, but will soon: http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index...57&hl=skirt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Janice Arthur Posted November 18, 2007 Moderators Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 Soren; I'm working on that idea now so we'll see if it was a good idea or a bad one. I get a chance to "play" with a flyer this week. I have tried it in simple configurations now I'm going to try it on the real thing. JA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members chris fawcett Posted November 18, 2007 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 Hi Tally, If you want to keep the camera close to the gimbal, put the weight as high as you can. If you have a camera-handle low-mode bracket, mount it, and add weight to that. If you care about your back, and your operating, take a workshop. Fly safe, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Janice Arthur Posted November 20, 2007 Moderators Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Janice Arthur suggests using a 'skirt' to stabilise. Haven't tried it yet, but will soon: http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index...57&hl=skirt Hi all; Several details of the flyer (or lighter rigs in general). 1) a two second drop time gives the operator more "feedback" about the rig. 2) This added "feedback" about how the rig is behaving tends to make the operator less prone to "over controlling" the rig. This "over" manuvering the rig seems to be the problem with the lighter rigs. In absence of the mass of bigger rigs I think you need more rig feed back and because they weigh so little; all the other details of tilt, etc can be overcome with general operating skills. 3) my new idea of four "baffles' of felt (6")material spaced about an inch apart does seem to help dampen the rig some. 4) I'm still experimenting with my fabric baffles. Clearly one length of fabric is too few. More later. JA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soren k jensen Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 I haven't had time to try Janice's skirt on ;-) -Apparently neither has Janice. Anyway, another suggestion is to use antlers. For a Flyer they wouldn't have to be as long or heavy as on the larger rigs. Just my '2 ører' (danish cents...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Peter Hoare Posted February 3, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 I will be getting my flyer this week hopefully, and I will be using an FX1 for practice. I was planning on adding extra weight to help simulate the larger cameras. Is this a good idea? I was going to mount the camera onto a 15mm rod support system and then attach weights to the rods with strong spring clamps or similar.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members James Elias Posted February 7, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 Peter: Adding extra weight is fine and a lot of operators do it on their bigger rigs with a weight cage. Maybe you could get a weight plate made up? I know of a few people who can help you with that. If you're picking your flyer up this week - I'll see you in the office! Best regards - James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alfeo Dixon SOC Posted February 8, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 I will be getting my flyer this week hopefully, and I will be using an FX1 for practice. I was planning on adding extra weight to help simulate the larger cameras. Is this a good idea? I was going to mount the camera onto a 15mm rod support system and then attach weights to the rods with strong spring clamps or similar.... One idea i've been toying around in my head is using scuba weights. They come in these compacted shot bags which can easily be formed around objects and gaffe taped. Have not tried them but it seams like one of the better solutions that ridged rods and spring clamps which could protrude from your rig and get caught on objects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Peter Hoare Posted February 8, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 Mmm this is my chosen method (so far) Mmm, classy. Im not sure I would trust those divers bags, its probably steel shot inside, which would shift about inside and screw up the balance.... Maybe a big steel shim, about half an inch thick to go between the camera and the flyers plate would work as an additional weight... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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