Pascal Jolink Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 Hi everyone, With the Ultra 2 vest - as it is - the socket block is sitting too high for me, because the waist band and metal plates are on the front of the center spar, preventing the socket block to go any lower. I heard from a fellow operator, who heard it from someone else, that it is possible to move the waist assembly to the back of the center spar. I checked it out, but I would need longer screws, or so I assume. Can anyone confirm this? Imperial size screws are hard to come by in my country, and I'd like not having to tap metric threads in a brand new vest. Does Tiffen sell longer screws? Any other options I've overlooked? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members JobScholtze Posted October 17, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 Pascal, give me a call, and i show you how i did it. We can even fix this in my workshop. I had the same issue and its all good now. bring my carmount with you will ya :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinThwaites Posted October 17, 2008 Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 Hi Pascal Greetings from Broadcast India! Just so you know, the reason for the higher position is because in a lower position using a G-series arm you will not be able to reach the bottom of the arm boom and make best use of the range. Of course comfort is down to the wearer so it is your choice.......... Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members JobScholtze Posted October 18, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 18, 2008 Hi Pascal Greetings from Broadcast India! Just so you know, the reason for the higher position is because in a lower position using a G-series arm you will not be able to reach the bottom of the arm boom and make best use of the range. Of course comfort is down to the wearer so it is your choice.......... Robin True, but most of the time while shooting, its more comfort not to hit your elbow against the arm. And this way you have more options regarding the position. Its all personal i guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jess Haas SOC Posted October 18, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 18, 2008 Is keeping your elbow higher not possible or just uncomfortable? Just curious as I haven't noticed this problem myself. ~Jess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pascal Jolink Posted October 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2008 Hi guys, It's just that I'm used to a lower position, and I can't relax my arm while not resting it on the rig's arm. Look at the Glidecam ad on the right; the two arms are obstructing each other... Robin, your comment makes sense, but i'd rather use a longer arm post than having the arm's mounting point too high. It comes down to comfort I guess... I've talked to Job and I believe he has found a way to make the vest fit me without 'damaging' the vest. I appreciate the feedback though! Pascal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Colin Donahue Posted October 19, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 Pascal, give me a call, and i show you how i did it. We can even fix this in my workshop. I had the same issue and its all good now.bring my carmount with you will ya :P Job, Wondered if you would mind posting some pics of your modification. I have the archer vest and have a similar problem. I moved the lower vest clamp over to allow for the socket block to be lower, but for some reason that I cannot remember, I moved it back. Maybe what you did will work better. Would love to see it. Colin Donahue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinThwaites Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 Hi Pascal "Robin, your comment makes sense, but i'd rather use a longer arm post than having the arm's mounting point too high. It comes down to comfort I guess..." The longer arm post won't help, the problem is that if the vest bridge is low you cannot reach your arm hand down far enough to reach the bottom travel of the springs so you loose some of the benefit of the long travel. As I said everything is a compromise and if you prefer the lower bridge and don't mind loosing some of the extra travel in exchange then that is a choice you can make. Best Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jerry Holway Posted October 21, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 Hi everyone, With the Ultra 2 vest - as it is - the socket block is sitting too high for me, because the waist band and metal plates are on the front of the center spar, preventing the socket block to go any lower. I heard from a fellow operator, who heard it from someone else, that it is possible to move the waist assembly to the back of the center spar. I checked it out, but I would need longer screws, or so I assume. Can anyone confirm this? Imperial size screws are hard to come by in my country, and I'd like not having to tap metric threads in a brand new vest. Does Tiffen sell longer screws? Any other options I've overlooked? Thanks Pascal- Of course the waist plate can be moved behind the spar - as was done with the Master Series vests. Then the bridge plate holding the socket block can be shifted lower, as the fellow operator says, and the boom range can be restored via a slightly longer post in the arm. There are two downsides to this arrangement - one of which is the reason the vertical spar is on the inside of the waist bands. One is the inadvisability of using longer posts in the arm with heavy loads. A small consideration, as the post needs only be an inch or so longer for most work. The other is how the vest fits on your body. Tightening the chest straps on a spar exterior to the waist band (a la Master Series) will drive the upper spar painfully into your sternum and provide less side to side support. With the spar inside the waist bands (a la old vests and the U2 type), this doesn't happen; the spar is more continuously compressed into your front (vertically) with the stomach and chest sharing the load. An alternate suggestion for your problem is to cut down the plastic on the waist panel, allowing you to drop the socket block another 1/4 inch or so (I do this). But it may not be enough for you. It's very impostant to try and find what works for you (and not for some other operator, including me!) Jerry 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pascal Jolink Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 (edited) - Robin I understand. I'm a fairly tall guy and I have yet to come across a situation that required me to go even lower or higher than the amazing boom range the Geo arm already provides. I can barely reach the bottom of the arm's travel as it is... - Jerry Thank you for your reply. I know about the possible danger of a long arm post. Never had to use one either... I fly a 4 stage sled so I can just extend the upper part when necessary. Your comment on the pressure on the chest is true, I've experienced it numerous times with another vest I have that has the waist band at the back of the vertical spar. I sort of worked around it by removing the padding at the top of the spar, with the chest plate resting on top of the shoulder pads. This way the spar isn't actually touching my sternum, but I do feel my shoulders after a while... I just had an epiphany! The reason the pad is there is to relief the tension on the shoulders... My conception on vest ergonomics just turned 180 degrees... You say that the U2 does a better job at spreading the load more evenly. Does this also mean that the vest is less prone to shifting under load than with the 'old' Ultra vest? Thanks again for all your replies! Pascal Edited October 21, 2008 by Pascal Jolink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jerry Holway Posted October 22, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 You say that the U2 does a better job at spreading the load more evenly. Does this also mean that the vest is less prone to shifting under load than with the 'old' Ultra vest? Pascal Pascal- I want to say that the old Ultra vest was designed like the current one regarding the spar inside the waistband, so they are very similar - BUT, alas, I think that may have been a mod I made rather than the factory version. Either one can be flipped with a little bit of effort... and one should experiment IF they don't like the fit. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members JobScholtze Posted October 23, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 Its all about personal taste i guess/ I have the old Master Vest AND a New Ultra 2 vest. I prefer the Master Vest. Like i said, i am so used to the Mastervest, that is lighter and padding isnt so hard as the U2, but again, personal taste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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