HVX w/35 adapter and prime

[zen fx]

I'm trying to figure out what rig I should get for the HVX with letuce 35 adapter and prime. This obviously will be front heavy and approaches the Flyer upper limit. Is the Glidecam v20 a pro rig? Do I really need to spend close to 10k w/accessories to use this camera on a rig? Any advice would be great!

[Brandon Thompson]

I'm trying to figure out what rig I should get for the HVX with letuce 35 adapter and prime. This obviously will be front heavy and approaches the Flyer upper limit. Is the Glidecam v20 a pro rig? Do I really need to spend close to 10k w/accessories to use this camera on a rig? Any advice would be great!

 

First, welcome to the site. Second, Please change your screen name to your REAL NAME. It is what we do on this forum. Third, I own the HVX, M2 and use 35mm still lenses, and have bartech focus and have had no problems with my flyer handling the weight. I have also flown the hvx, p&s 35 with primes and bartech and flew the rig with no problems. I would unofficially say the rig is capable of 20lbs. But if you want to fly any of the bigger 2/3 inch cameras ie: sony xd cam or panasonic hdx900, you probably want to go will archer or clipper.

[chris fawcett]

I'm with Brandon. The Flyer is a great rig, though 8.6 kilos (19lbs) seems to be the absolute limit.

 

Chris

[zen fx]

Thanks for the welcome guys and the info! I was leaning towards the Flyer, everyone has good things to say about it. I believe I can keep the camera under the 20lbs limit but I was thinking that because so much weight was in the front (due to physics) the limit should be shifted down a bit. Nobody here likes the Glidecam V-25?

[Jess Haas SOC]

The weight being in front just means that the camera and adapter have to sit further back on the top stage. This is not a problem and shouldn't have any effect on the rigs weight limit.

 

~Jess

[Charles Papert]

I imagine at a certain point it becomes impossible to balance the camera with the supplied dovetail plate, yes? Especially with some of the more bizarre 35mm adaptor setups out there (sitting in front of the JVC HD100/200 series lenses, for instance), the mounting point becomes so far behind the overall CG that I would think you would run out of adjustability.

[Jess Haas SOC]

That is true, but with prime lenses an HVX and a somewhat sane 35 adapter I doubt that would be too much of a problem. If you do decide to get crazy with a big zoom lens you may need to use a longer dovetail or some sort of plate to offset the whole contraption.

 

This is reminding me of a shoot I did recently with a giant Cooke 25-250mm zoom lens. Luckily it was not a steadicam shoot as the lens was on a BL4 with a 1000ft mag. Talk about heavy, that rig weighed atleast half of what I do. If you were to put that lens on a 35mm adapter you would need to offset the whole contraption by about 2 feet in order to balance it....

 

~Jess

[zen fx]

Thanks guys! No one is saying much about the V-25. How about the Artemis rig compared to the flyer? I've loved the Steadicam brand for years just like everyone else, I just would like to know how these others compare for the price.

[Robert Starling SOC]

Thanks guys! No one is saying much about the V-25. How about the Artemis rig compared to the flyer? I've loved the Steadicam brand for years just like everyone else, I just would like to know how these others compare for the price.

 

Eric, I started with a Flyer and it's a fine rig but I think you're flirting with disaster on several fronts thinking of the Flyer as a long term solution to flying 19-20 lb rigs. For one thing, the flyer is rated to 15 pounds, yes I tested it with heavier set ups and it worked to a degree. You also risk voiding your warranty and/or ruining the bearings / arm / gimbal. Just your postings here are evidence that you intend to move in that direction. Everything has a limit and probably a little "safety factor" built in but if you exceed it and push it to the max you're only putting wear and tear on gear and risking failure during a shoot. I realized very very quickly that the Flyer was not the right solution for my circumstance and consequently upgraded to the Clipper series within two months. The right tool for the job is the answer and if you're struggling with "having to spend $10k", now may not be the right time for you to get into Steadicam. Whether you own a Flyer or not, $10k is barely scratching the surface when it comes AKS.

 

Regarding no one saying anything about Glidecam, it may just be that there are not many or any operators here using that brand; not everyone has time to read the boards or reply. Plus, if you research the archives you'll probably find this same topic discussed and answered a bazillion times or two.

 

On the other hand, you may be better off simply hiring an operator with rig to do the shots you want on an as-needed basis. Even if you bought a brand new Flyer, Ultra2, PRO or Glidecam today, it usually takes months and months and months of practice, plus professional training before you can produce useable shots. Not trying to rain on your dream Eric, but there is a reality to why this is so specialized and expensive; it is a very serious commitment of time and money. You need BOTH to make it work plus the skills of being a camera operator.

 

You could also look around for some used rigs that are maybe older but full sized and still great working gear.

 

Best of luck!

[Stephen Press]

I flew this set up for a music vid on my Action Cam.

 

 

 

 

Balanced with little difficulty. About 15 min to set up.

[Stephen Press]

Slightly off topic but I really wasn?t happy (actually nobody was happy) with the look or the fiddly and painfully slow operation of this camera set up. It just wasn?t worth the grief. For the same or even less money we could have gotten a HD XDCam and shot with half the lights in about half the time and still had a better look at the end of it.

 

Sorry for the rant but I?m just sick of productions selecting cameras etc because it?s perceived as ?film cool? I?m happy to try anything but please don?t pick a camera based on its street cred rather than it?s ability to actually do the job.

 

rant over

[zen fx]

Stephen,

Might the new Sony EX1 have worked better for you with it's longer record time and lower light requirements? I'm trying to decide between that and the HVX as well as this Steadicam issue.

[Martin Stacey]

Thanks guys! No one is saying much about the V-25. How about the Artemis rig compared to the flyer? I've loved the Steadicam brand for years just like everyone else, I just would like to know how these others compare for the price.

Hi Eric,

 

Sent you an email re the V25. Can't post an attachment here unfortunately.

 

Cheers,

 

Marty

[Charles Papert]

I've seen some beautiful HVX/35mm adaptor footage. I myself bought a Mini35 some years ago. No doubt the adaptors present their challenges but the shallow depth of field, if properly used, can make a big difference to certain projects. Certainly you can make nice pix with a 1/2" camera like XDCAM or even the little 1/3" cameras, but it can be hard to "disguise" the format whereas well-shot footage with an adaptor can be mistaken for 35mm.

 

But of course, a full-size sensor is really the way to go to have the best of all worlds.

[Stephen Press]

I think you need to pick the right tool for the job. In this case it was a night shoot. We used 8x HMI?s and it still wasn?t quite enough light. For the cost of the camera, the adapter, the lenses, the lights and the run time, the bigger genny needed? not to mention the time wasted getting the thing to work right? ?It?s never done this before?? we could have hired a more suitable camera and still got the "look"

 

The right tool for the job? :)