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Buster Arrieta

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Hi Buster :

 

I Think that a good place is MKV (www.mk-v.com)

You can upgrade or repair the arm and the rig overthere.

 

For time reasons, I upgraded my EFP arm in SteadyRyg (www.steadyrig.com)

and the work and attention was really really wondelfull.

I dont know if SteadyRig customise and repair rigs, but is only send an e-mail to Mr Hugo Langer.

 

Check Jerry Hill too www.steadimoves.com

Best,

 

Gustavo.

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So I paid a visit to Howard Smith and MK-V on Thursday, to see the AR , the Nexus and all his other new toys. Howard very kindly spent a long day with me as I played with everything and asked question after question after question.

 

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical going over. I was skeptical as to whether the AR would work. I was unsure if I wanted it to work. I was afraid the AR would be another piece of kit I had to have just to be able to stay competitive in the market. I didn?t want this piece of kit to render obsolete all the hard work and training ive put in over the last three years. I was beginning to get skeptical about MK-V as a company. Howard is a great guy but for a long time his company was being let down by some of the other companies associated with MK-V. Thankfully all that has changed for the better.

 

Things at MK-V have changed. Howard has an all new team of people working for him: a new team of engineers and machinists, a new electronics team, and a new support staff. This means Howard is free to design and deal with customers on a one to one basis. The immediate results of this new MK-V are: The Alien Revolution (AR), The Nexus Sled, The v2 Gimbal, The 2inch 4 Stage post, The Genesis Sled, The Klassen/Genesis Vest and a whole load of new kit in the design/development or prototype phase (wireless focus system). As a customer, my confidence in Howard and MK-V to deliver the service I need is restored. Completely. As an operator I am extremely excited at the creative potential this new gear offers.

 

The Alien Revolution (AR): The AR is fantastic. It does what everyone has heard it does. It does more, and it works beautifully. I can?t wait to see what the Living Masters will do with this in their arsenal. The AR is not a replacement for Steadicam. It is an optional extra for the Nexus and Evolution sleds that will allow you to achieve shots in another axis, previously impossible with a Steadicam. It requires as much skill, if not more to operate an AR. There is a learning curve as has been mentioned before. A good analogy would be: if the Steadicam is a top of the range fluid head, then the Ar is a 3 axis remote head. There is, and will be a place for Steadicam and/or the AR on any production, in the same way there is a place for fluid/geared/remote heads. They will co-exist. The AR will be compatible with other manufacturers arms and vests but will not be compatible with other sleds (Apart from a highly modified PRO 2) due to the way the system needs to be designed in order to work. You?ll see what I mean when you see it. And you will see it - all of you.

 

The Nexus - The Nexus sled is Howard's flagship sled. It is a really simple, sled that does exactly what a Steadicam is supposed to do, and it does it better then any of the other sleds I have ever tried. This is the Sled that everyone will want to own. Not because of the AR but because of its gimbal, its ultra rigid post, its fantastic power system, and its amazing modularity.

 

The v2 Gimbal - For me this was the highlight of my visit. As much as I loved the AR and was amazed by it, I was really amazed by the v2 gimbal. It is a fantastic piece of design and engineering and is incredibly smooth. The handle is incredibly comfortable and it takes no effort whatsoever to pan. Coming from a (very nice) 3A gimbal I had a small learning curve because of the friction I was used to, but after 5 minutes using it I could see a huge improvement in my operating as I gently guided the sled through the room. This gimbal encourages a baby soft touch and the frame responds accordingly. The Gimbals finish is as sexy as hell too.

 

The 2 inch 4 stage post: What can I say that hasn't been said before about 2 inch posts. Howard isn't the first to use one but he has incorporated a 4 stage into his. It is rock solid. Howard had me jumping up and down and stomping all over his office to try and get the image to vibrate. No such luck. Why haven't we been using 2 inch posts all along?

 

The new monitor arm is a big improvement over the old. I personally felt the monitor arm was always the weak point on my evolution sled and I?ve said it to Howard time and again. Thankfully he has listened and this new arm is vibration free and easier to use.

 

And finally the MK-V/Hummingbird Steadicam monitor. In a word its Fantastic. Extremely bright in sunlight and very bright in low light situations (a huge, huge improvement over the original mk-v monitor which was my other gripe about the system). My only comment is that its only a 4 x 3 (6.5 inch) monitor and not a 16 x 9 one but that?s a small price to pay for such a bright and amazingly sharp LCD. This is the monitor that will truly give the TB-6 a run for its money. (And it is just over half the price)

 

I also got to try the Deluxe and lightweight Klassen vests, which were as fantastic as everyone says they are, and Howard?s new introductory sled system the Genesis, which I reckon would make a fantastic running rig when coupled with the new Arri 235.

 

So thank you Howard for taking the time to let me play with all your gear. Thanks for not hitting me when I bashed the AR off the arm. Thanks for breaking your balls on all this new stuff (especially the v2 !).

You can count on me as a customer in the future. To everyone else id urge you to check out all this new gear at the AR demos Howard is having over the next few weeks/months. He wants as many people to see it and he will listen to your feedback regardless of how "big" an operator you are.

 

If you live anywhere on the east coast (USA) it is well worth your time taking a look. We aren't all going to be able to afford the AR, and maybe some of us who can afford it won?t want to buy it, but I guarantee that he will have something there that you will want, between the AR, the Nexus, the MK-V/Hummingbird, the 2? 4 stage post and the v2: any of these would help every one of us improve our operating skills.

 

Disclaimer: I don't work for Howard or MK-V, and I only take kickbacks in cash.

 

Cheers,

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from what i've heard, the hummingbird draws 1amp power. does anyone out there know what the cp crt monitors

draw? (masters series)

 

thanks steve! lucky ba$tard!

 

oh and why are there no pictures of the nexus top stage on the mkv website? privacy issues with the AR base?

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I was just to buy a hummingbird but the little voice inside of me talked me out of it (for now). Don't get me wrong here, this monitor is as good as everyone says it is...but I find it difficult to spend $6k on an LCD monitor that doesn't work with HD as well as normal video. Is it really that hard to build a monitor that works with both formats? Tiffin's is the only one I know of and it's gigantic (too big IMHO) in both size and cost.

 

Ron B

 

btw I'm not knocking Howard's products -- I love his gimbal and sled (as well as the AR)...now, if someone will just break into my garage and steal my Pro! E-mail me for my address if you are a thief.

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Hi Stephen

 

thank you! - it was great to see you again. :D

 

Also just to let you all know

we will be in the East Coast (USA) from the 23rd to the 3rd Sept. with the AR and the Nexus + all the toys.

 

If you would like to meet up and have a fly please email me.

howard@mk-v.com

 

Many thanks

Howard J Smith MK-V

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The immediate results of this new MK-V are: The Alien Revolution (AR), The Nexus Sled, The v2 Gimbal, The 2inch 4 Stage post, The Genesis Sled, The Klassen/Genesis Vest and a whole load of new kit in the design/development or prototype phase (wireless focus system).

Stephen,

 

Thanks for you input and thoughts.

 

But I think you got a little enthusiastic with a few things, namely that some of those things were "immediate" results of new engineers and machinists at MK-V.

 

All those things you listed have been around for many years by other manufacturers. And the "Alien" has been in process by Lynn Nicholson for some 10 years and Howard has been working on his version for around 5 years too.

All the other things (like the DSD vest and Hummingbird monitor are built by other companies. Howard has made business relationships/partnerships with some of these companies to come up with different versions. I don't think any of those things are, with maybe the exception of the "nexus" version of his sled (I'm not sure when he began that design, probably sometime well after the PRO2 came out) and his venture into a follow focus are "immediate results" of MK-V's new engineers or machinists.

 

 

I do agree with you though, I also don't think the AR will replace current steadicam.

Before I flew the Alien prototype over 2 years ago now, I also went into it thinking this would "replace" the conventional steadicam.

But after flying it, I also realized it was a great tool to allow us to do new and different/exciting things, but that it was just another tool to get a different shot.

And, also feel that a vast majority of our work will still be walk and talks anyway.

 

Like all things in life...things evolve and become different and "better" with time. That can be expected after someone comes up with something revolutionary like the steadicam to begin with! Everything that evolves with our equipment all has to be thankful to the revolutionary beginner, and in our case...Mr. Brown. Without him, none of the evolutionary things would currently exist, at this point and too this degree anyway.

 

I'm very interested in seeing in the coming years how the AR will do, and how it will affect our jobs and equipment we own.

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Hi Michael

 

I look forward to the day you have something possitive to say about anything and with the correct information about my company and its products.

 

One thing I do agree with you on is.....

 

Garrett is the Man and I hold my hand up and say "Thank you" - without Garrett I would have No Job -No company, No beautiful wife and Child.

So may I take this chance to thank Garrett for Everything - thank you.

 

All the best

Howard J Smith MK-V :D

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Hi Michael

 

I look forward to the day you have something possitive to say about anything and with the correct information about my company and its products.

 

One thing I do agree with you on is.....

 

Garrett is the Man and I hold my hand up and say "Thank you" - without Garrett I would have No Job -No company, No beautiful wife and Child.

So may I take this chance to thank Garrett for Everything - thank you.

 

All the best

Howard J Smith  MK-V  :D

Howard,

 

Wow, what negative did I say about your company. And with what experience can you say that I'm negative about everything. You've never met me. You made an awfully big assumption there, and one that anyone who knows me can attest is pretty much wrong...ask your wife, I was one of the first people she turned to for advice when she became an operator. We've met on several occasions and I always tried to help and advise her in anyway I could. Say hello to her to by the way. I've never made negative comments as to your character, so since you don't know me, please don't of mine.

 

In my original response I said, I'm very interested in seeing how the AR will do in the coming years and how it will change our equipment. Is that not a positive thing.

 

I told you in a post a month or so ago, I have no ill feelings towards you or your company, and also stated I wish you and your company the best. But apparently you still have ill feelings for me for being the first person to return an MK-V sled, because you wouldn't even respond to what I said. You weren't even gracious enough to reply to that. You just let that part slip on by without so much as a mention.

So maybe it's within yourself you need to be questioning who has the negative vibes?

 

 

I'm sorry you feel that I'm negative towards your company, but what Stephen said about the "immediate" results of new engineers and machinsts was not exactly correct...unless he was talking about engineers and machinsts you acquired years ago.

Have you not been working on those things (like the AR) for years?

Is the Hummingbird monitor and the Genesis version of the backmounted vest not a collaboration you've made with other manufacturers? Has not the 2" post existed for quite a few years from another manufacturer?

What part of my response was incorrect that you felt was so wrong and negative?

 

One could say, "wow, Howard over at MK-V has made some great things...that Hummingbird monitor is amazing, the backmounted vest is great, and the 2" post is fabulously strong, why didn't someone else think of that? And, it's amazing how quickly Howard designed and built the AR, it was like it happened overnight."

 

Someone could let this person think all that's true, but is it wrong or "negative" to point out that that's not the case?

 

Like I said, with the exception of the Nexus system and your follow focus system (which I don't know when you began working on), are any of those things "immediate" results of your new engineers and machinists?

 

Howard, I look forward to the day when you can apparently forgive me for returning your MK-V. Maybe it will be over a beer someday, I think you'd see that I'm not a negative guy. Sorry if my response came off harsh or that way, sometimes I just type what's on my mind and don't reread or have someone else read it first.

 

Later.

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...but I find it difficult to spend $6k on an LCD monitor

Ron B

Ron, is the Hummingbird really $6K?

Has it always been that expensive?

I thought it was like $3500 awhile back, maybe I'm mistaken.

 

I've yet to see it, and like you, I have been considering buying an LCD to back up my TB-6, but like you I also wouldn't spend $6K to do it.

I might go as much as a couple grand if it was exceptional, which I hear it is, but let's be real, you can get a 50 inch LCD monitor in your home for $6K, a little 6" one couldn't possibly cost as much, unless there's things about it I'm not aware of.

 

 

 

 

Wow, I just went to the IDP Hummingbird website and they list the "Steadicam Blackbird" version at $4,999. They say it's an introductory price.

I don't know what the difference is in this one and the one the company sells as their normal 6.5 inch monitor that lists at $3,999.

The Steadicam one said it has a built in Frameline generator and the other requires you to spend another $2,750 to get the frameline generator.

 

Is there a difference between the Steadicam version and the "non-steadicam" version other than the Steadicam version has the frameline generator built in and sells for less?

 

And if the Steadicam version is an "introductory price" of $5K , what is the "regular" price going to be?

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