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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Anyone have any experience with the Chinese knock off Steadicams? Like this one?

Abraham, are you saying it's ~$320 for the sled and 7000yuan for the vest/arm? That's like ~$1100+300 for a 15kg set up... how much is shipping?
 
Vladimir Druts said:
I might end up trying the Chinese vest, for that price really doesn't hurt.

I sold my Pilot b/c its weight threshold is too low for the Scarlet/Epic.. It's for DSLR
Click to expand...

Dude the pilot is rocking the Scarlet totally fine if you don't overload it.
If you strip the scarlet to its essentials, and use a lighter lens, you are fine.
Max payload for Pilot is 10 lbs, Scarlet is 5 lbs. So any lens that does not go over 5 lbs is fine.

You just need to re-wire the pole if you want to use hd-sdi and an HD screen.

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?70147-Post-Your-Scarlet-X-Rig&p=1070668#post1070668

///
 
Abraham Lim said:
The one thing about being in the middle of China is I get to check out a lot of these brands. Bought some 800W redheads and LED's.
Click to expand...

Could you pls share any link for lights you bought and grip equipments (C-stands, clamps etc).
 
James Falco said:
Dude the pilot is rocking the Scarlet totally fine if you don't overload it.
If you strip the scarlet to its essentials, and use a lighter lens, you are fine.
Max payload for Pilot is 10 lbs, Scarlet is 5 lbs. So any lens that does not go over 5 lbs is fine.

You just need to re-wire the pole if you want to use hd-sdi and an HD screen.

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?70147-Post-Your-Scarlet-X-Rig&p=1070668#post1070668

///
Click to expand...

Got any results? Pics of the rig is great, but how does it fly? Can we see?
 
Mike P. said:
Abraham, are you saying it's ~$320 for the sled and 7000yuan for the vest/arm? That's like ~$1100+300 for a 15kg set up... how much is shipping?
Click to expand...

Ah, therein lies the rub! Like I said, it's an advantage to be on the ground here, because of the shipping costs. I would try to talk them into the slowest, cheapest shipping possible and then see if it's worth it. They are very cool so just email them and see what they offer info@wondlan.net.
 
Also I'm thinking of picking up the Wondlan steadicam sans vest and arm for the BT R1MX. My rig is going to be simple, battery, hdmi monitor, nikon prime lenses and Doug Underdahl's quick 15mm rod add on, so I'm hoping it will work without the vest. I'll let you know how it works out.
 
Abraham Lim said:
Ah, therein lies the rub! Like I said, it's an advantage to be on the ground here, because of the shipping costs. I would try to talk them into the slowest, cheapest shipping possible and then see if it's worth it. They are very cool so just email them and see what they offer info@wondlan.net.
Click to expand...

I wrote them and they were very prompt and nice, offered me a very wonderful discount and explained to me the difference between their model and the one on ebay . However, their's is still alot (depending on what "alot" means to your pocket) more expensive for me. I guess its ebay for me. BTW, their's ships with a monitor and a battery plate
 
Matthew Scott said:
Got any results? Pics of the rig is great, but how does it fly? Can we see?
Click to expand...

Flies like a brick. ; )

Here is some snippets from a run and gun behind the scenes shoot:
https://vimeo.com/56233196
(NOTE: link will be up for a short time only as the footage is from a unreleased piece)

PASS: reduser2012
I have to add that I am a really crapy steadicam operator.

Things to keep in mind is steadicam is a brand name product that you can always sell.
Where no name products are impossible to sell used.

I know of two people that sold there old pilots for 2,8k - 3k as they upgraded to bigger steadicam rigs.

Cheers. ///
 
True, Steadicam name will keep up resale value, but there are more and more users coming from DSLR backgrounds who can't afford it. This thread is about cheaper alternatives. I think you can sell a good budget rig, just maybe not here to the bigger pocketed pro-users, but there are many other sites where people will buy it, if it's in good shape.
 
James Falco said:
Flies like a brick. ; )

Here is some snippets from a run and gun behind the scenes shoot:
https://vimeo.com/56233196
(NOTE: link will be up for a short time only as the footage is from a unreleased piece)

PASS: reduser2012
I have to add that I am a really crapy steadicam operator.

Things to keep in mind is steadicam is a brand name product that you can always sell.
Where no name products are impossible to sell used.

I know of two people that sold there old pilots for 2,8k - 3k as they upgraded to bigger steadicam rigs.

Cheers. ///
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting, looks good :-)
 
Never seen this unit in person so it's impossible to say how well it performs. The two critical components of a stabilizer are the gimbal and the arm, as they directly affect the isolation and smoothness of the system. Outside of that, the rest of the sled needs to be rigid to avoid vibrations and remain balanced once set (and be easy to make adjustments as needed). A few things to note: the design is more a knockoff of Glidecam than Steadicam. Even the entry-level Pilot has passthrough power and video through the post, which this does not. All cables from the bottom to top of the sled will have to be strung externally with this system.

The price is certainly eye-poppingly low, considering the design. Knockoffs have gotten quite a bit more sophisticated. Still, there are certain things that indicate the level of understanding of what it means to actually operate a rig that are missing. Not including a docking bracket is a strange choice. You need to be able to dock the rig safely and securely between takes.

For the record, the Steadicam brand rigs for small cameras stand alone for a few reasons, not just relating to the brand name. The arm performance is better than any of the knockoffs by a significant amount. And that will directly effect the final results. If one is not particularly picky about the final results, I'm sure this would function fine.
 
Great to hear from you Charles. If anyone knows steadicams it's him!

Bob

Charles Papert said:
Never seen this unit in person so it's impossible to say how well it performs. The two critical components of a stabilizer are the gimbal and the arm, as they directly affect the isolation and smoothness of the system. Outside of that, the rest of the sled needs to be rigid to avoid vibrations and remain balanced once set (and be easy to make adjustments as needed). A few things to note: the design is more a knockoff of Glidecam than Steadicam. Even the entry-level Pilot has passthrough power and video through the post, which this does not. All cables from the bottom to top of the sled will have to be strung externally with this system.

The price is certainly eye-poppingly low, considering the design. Knockoffs have gotten quite a bit more sophisticated. Still, there are certain things that indicate the level of understanding of what it means to actually operate a rig that are missing. Not including a docking bracket is a strange choice. You need to be able to dock the rig safely and securely between takes.

For the record, the Steadicam brand rigs for small cameras stand alone for a few reasons, not just relating to the brand name. The arm performance is better than any of the knockoffs by a significant amount. And that will directly effect the final results. If one is not particularly picky about the final results, I'm sure this would function fine.
Click to expand...
 
Matthew Scott said:
Dude, I'm convinced... Awesome!
Click to expand...

Thanks Matthew. Like I said earlier, I'm happy with it. I spent a total of $1,300 which included shipping and the case. It's an amazing deal for the price.

Referring to some of the other posts. I think for $1300 it's safe to say I'm not concerened about the resale value of my stabilizer.

I had my cage and 160watt V-mount battery mounted at the top of the sled which is well over the 10 lb limit of the Pilot. That's the great thing about the Chinese version, you don't have to worry about overloading it. I can mount a decent size rig on there.

I've been comparing the different versions out there, the Laing (which is what I have), the CAME, and the Wondlan Leopard. They are exactly the same, just rebranded (They might of changed a knob here or there). Wondland looks like they include a battery mount, and LCD but for $2,655, while the Laing is $1,300 without the battery mount and LCD. That's a difference of $1,355. For that price you might as well get the Laing (CAME or whatever they decide to call it) , and buy a 7 inch OLED monitor from Small HD ($1099), and just find a seperate V-mount solution.
 
Charles Papert said:
Never seen this unit in person so it's impossible to say how well it performs. The two critical components of a stabilizer are the gimbal and the arm, as they directly affect the isolation and smoothness of the system. Outside of that, the rest of the sled needs to be rigid to avoid vibrations and remain balanced once set (and be easy to make adjustments as needed). A few things to note: the design is more a knockoff of Glidecam than Steadicam. Even the entry-level Pilot has passthrough power and video through the post, which this does not. All cables from the bottom to top of the sled will have to be strung externally with this system.

The price is certainly eye-poppingly low, considering the design. Knockoffs have gotten quite a bit more sophisticated. Still, there are certain things that indicate the level of understanding of what it means to actually operate a rig that are missing. Not including a docking bracket is a strange choice. You need to be able to dock the rig safely and securely between takes.

For the record, the Steadicam brand rigs for small cameras stand alone for a few reasons, not just relating to the brand name. The arm performance is better than any of the knockoffs by a significant amount. And that will directly effect the final results. If one is not particularly picky about the final results, I'm sure this would function fine.
Click to expand...


Charles it does come with a docking bracket. It's also very solid. It doesn't include connectors for video, and power through the post, but you can still to run your cables through the center of the carbon fiber post without having to hang them out externally. The sled is also very rigid, and it is easy to adjust. I can't speak for the arm, I would have to make a direct comparison, but it does support the weight of the rig. I'm actually in Northern Cali, Bay area right now, if anyone wants to make a comparison send me a P.M. I'd like to see what a trained operator can do with the rig, or what they think of it.
 
Noel R. said:
I think for $1300 it's safe to say I'm not concerened about the resale value of my stabilizer.
Click to expand...

+1 at that price, the rig should pay for itself alot faster even servicing indie or low budget productions
 
That's good about the docking bracket. It wasn't listed in the "included items" nor shown in the pictures--although there seems to have been a few links posted in this thread so maybe I was looking at the wrong one!

Good to hear you can feed cables through the center. That will actually be better for many people, such as those who use cameras and monitors that require HDMI for instance.

I don't really keep up on the rigs much any more but it's interesting to see how these cheaper ones are getting more sophisticated.

As always--getting the gear is just the first step. The skill remains the same, and takes a LOT of practice!
 
Charles Papert said:
That's good about the docking bracket. It wasn't listed in the "included items" nor shown in the pictures--although there seems to have been a few links posted in this thread so maybe I was looking at the wrong one!

Good to hear you can feed cables through the center. That will actually be better for many people, such as those who use cameras and monitors that require HDMI for instance.

I don't really keep up on the rigs much any more but it's interesting to see how these cheaper ones are getting more sophisticated.

As always--getting the gear is just the first step. The skill remains the same, and takes a LOT of practice!
Click to expand...


The bracket wasn't listed on the auction I bought it from either, they probably don't think it's significant enough to list even though it's still included in the package.

I think of operating a steadicam like learning how to juggle, or ride a unicycle. Once you learn you can get some good results, but before that you will be pretty off. This is one of the reasons I wanted to buy, so that I can go out and practice. This is another reason I think it's important to own if you plan on operating, because you can't get much practice from rentals.
 
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