Next Generation Handsfree

[Mike McGowan SOC]

tnx guys....... anybody want to give (er, i mean loan) me 20g?

 

mm.

[Louis Puli SOC]

tnx guys....... anybody want to give (er, i mean loan) me 20g?

 

mm.

 

Hi Mike

Why pay $20g's I have seen them on ebay for about $5500

Louis Puli from down under B)

[chris fawcett]

Hi Mike

Why pay $20g's I have seen them on ebay for about $5500

Louis Puli from down under B)

Let's not encourage knock-offs on this forum.

 

1/ They're usually crap. Bad development, poor engineering, and non-existent service. The forum is full of bad knock-off stories.

 

2/ Who's going to develop gear for us if we just wait for the knock-offs?

 

3/ They are illegal anyway. You?or the production?could conceivably be sued for using one.

 

I'm sure you meant this lightly, Louis. Forgive me for for turning it into a serious point. B)

 

All the best,

 

Chris

[Louis Puli SOC]

Hi Mike

Why pay $20g's I have seen them on ebay for about $5500

Louis Puli from down under B)

Let's not encourage knock-offs on this forum.

 

1/ They're usually crap. Bad development, poor engineering, and non-existent service. The forum is full of bad knock-off stories.

 

2/ Who's going to develop gear for us if we just wait for the knock-offs?

 

3/ They are illegal anyway. You—or the production—could conceivably be sued for using one.

 

I'm sure you meant this lightly, Louis. Forgive me for for turning it into a serious point. B)

 

All the best,

 

Chris

 

Hi Chris

I would be the first one to sight Any Ripoff on ebay JUST have a look at the steadicam (rip offs) would be junk on ebay :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

When did you look on ebay last ? 9 hours 20 min to go on the auction.

 

Let me say have a LOOK on The REAL DEAL Segway -i2 Transporter on ebay .

 

ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/SEGWAY-i2-PERSONAL-TRA...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

$5488.71

 

You should check things out before posting comments like that Chris.

All the best

Louis Puli from down under B)

[Kareem La Vaullee]

You should check things out before posting comments like that Chris.

This sentence may be adequate for many posters on this forum but not my friend Chris.

 

 

He was talking about the HANDSFREE modified Segways, these are the ones that costs $20K.

 

 

With the new leaning standard Segway it looks like some users have developed handsfree techniques, but I don't think it will work out with a Steadicam :

 

(Upcoming Chinese Olympics Segway counter-terrorism forces driving with their knees while they are going through drills as they prepare to crush any dissent terror threat)

 

K from in the middle.

[chris fawcett]

Hi Louis,

 

I didn't mean to offend you. If I did, please accept my apology. Like Kareem says, we are talking about the Handsfree, not the basic Segway.

 

All the best down under,

 

Chris

[Louis Puli SOC]

Hi Chris

Yes you were right Handfree and segways are different but you can buy a great deal of modifications for $15K don't you think. Apart from the knee pad control and the hard mount has Handfree done anything else to the basic segway system?

Thanks

Louis Puli from down under B)

[chris fawcett]

HI Louis,

 

You make a good point, but we are paying for more than 2 modifications. They invented the whole idea, implemented it, designed, constructed, and tested numerous versions of the 'saddle' before finding a workable system. They went through four wildly different versions of the hardmount, over a period of 18 months, before finding the best version for Steadicam. Reinhard tinkers with the software to make it more 'Steadicam-friendly' almost every day. For one slight modification to my hardmount, an aircraft factory in Germany had to spend 2 hours re-tooling a million-dollar machine for 30 seconds' work. It is the mark of any good idea, well executed, that it looks 'simple,' but the investment they put into this is huge; the commitment also. Their return, in comparison, is marginal.

 

If you break it down, none of the stuff we buy is 'worth it' compared to mass-market items. There is a sister thread discussing why a small Steadicam monitor should cost more than a big flat-screen TV. I've been asked about my gear, incredulously: "So you're telling me this costs as much as a Porsche?" It's a similar question to "Why do you charge so much, when the guy with the Movcam will do it for 100 bucks a day?"

 

You are right, Louis. It seems like a lot, but Reinhard and Ulik are not going to get rich off the Steadicam community?though I wish they would. If they did, they might come up with something else we would never have dreamed of. That's worth paying for.

 

All the best from up here in the flat place,

 

Chris

[Louis Puli SOC]

Hi Chris

Thanks you for the very informative information

Louis Puli

[chris fawcett]

Hi Chris

Thanks you for the very informative information

Louis Puli

You're very welcome. Sorry for the earlier misunderstanding.

 

Chris

[mark morgan]

aloha chris

my question is when you are stepping in and out of the handsfree

do you have a type of thether for the sled just incase your assistant isn't around

that allows you to get on and off with out the rig doing something you wouldn't want it to

 

or would you just go to your stand and bow in and out of it to land your sled

and then step on and off

 

thanks i'm just wondering about different situations

 

cause i want one,one of these days lol

[chris fawcett]

Hi Mark,

 

For just stepping on of off without shooting, there's no problem. You hold the rig in one or both hands, then step, simple. With the machine in standby, and the kick-stand down, you tether the arm so it's doubled back on itself, then lift the rig off. You repeat the process to put it on. But the simplest way is to dock and un-dock without dismounting, though you can't bow down?that's the machine's cue to race forward! You have to push the arm down out of the yoke, so you are limited by your own strength relative to the lift of the arm. It sounds tricky, but after a few hours on the machine, you get very confident about manoeuvring in tight spaces. If I understand your question correctly, I wouldn't leave the rig unattended on the Handsfree in case some idiot would happen by. It's possible, but it's safer to leave it on the stand.

 

For steps on and off while shooting, you must of course be soft-mounted. A step off is the easiest; just be careful to avoid the steering as you step. If the ground is level, the machine will mostly stay put. I'd rather have someone hold it, though it doesn't run away or anything. I've tried stepping on while shooting sideways, and DJ. I've also tried walking backwards and stepping on from the front of the beast without an assistant, and yes all things are possible. It's a question of practice. So far, I've only practised steps on and off, so can't report how successful they are in a real shot. So far, I haven't had to do a step, because I just rode it in and out of the building!

 

I hope this answers your question.

 

All the best,

 

Chris

[mark morgan]

thanks chris

i'm laughing and lovin it

that is so inspiring

this will hopefully be my next

move in growth and possibilities

oh ya

[chris fawcett]

Hi Mark,

 

Here's a little test shot I did with three friends this weekend to check out the Handsfree's capabilities:

 

http://steadivision.com/handsfree.html

 

I'm one-man-banding it, so it's a bit rough, but you get the idea.

 

Fly safe,

 

Chris

[Jon Beattie]

Nice little demo there Chris. Watching it I don't think it would be a bad idea to wear a helmet while operating on pavement.

 

You say you've road out of a building while shooting. Do you have the i2 wheels and tires in addition to the standard x2 wheels and tires? I know we've talked about the turf tire (probably the all around best choice). I know if someone wanted to put x2 tires on the i2 you have to get a spacer. Not sure if anything is needed when doing the opposite.