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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?

I only tested a top of line steady cam that was perfectly balanced with our epic.... From that I draw the conclusion that it's probably much easer to become a professional dirt bike rider making big flips or such. Without proper skills steadycams are useless, and just as a dirt bikerider you probably have severe back issues before you make much money from doing it :)

Using a not so good rig probably will not make things much easier.
 
I am really intrigued in this rig...it could a great entry level rig to get started on. I have a few questions for Noel..

How much weight have you put on it? it says 33 lbs, does that seem accurate?

How easy is it to balance the camera on the sled?

How do you rig a battery to the bottom of the sled? The Battery Belt clip seems like a workable option
 
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steven moreno said:
I am really intrigued in this rig...it could a great entry level rig to get started on. I have a few questions for Noel..

How much weight have you put on it? it says 33 lbs, does that seem accurate?

How easy is it to balance the camera on the sled?

Do you fly it with a Vmount or Anton Bauer on the back of the camera, or do you rig a battery to the bottom of the sled?
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Steven,

I'm not sure if the the 33lb limit is entirely accurate. I haven't tested it with that much weight. The last time I tried a glidecam 4000 with my camera it was at 10 lbs, that was with the side handle with REDVOLT, and DSLR lens. I haven't weighed my current setup, but it has a cage, 160 watt vmount, and DSLR lens, I would guess close to 15lbs. I'll have to do more testing.

Balancing was very easy. The sled has gears and knobs for both forward, and side corrections. It also has a safety catch in case you forget to tighten the plate. It balances just like any other steadicam rig, I really don't see why it would be more difficult, the concept is actually very simple. You add the weight, adjust the shaft length till you get a fall time of 2 seconds, then make slight corrections at the top of the sled till it's level. If there's no wind outside, I can probably balance it in about 2 minutes.

I mounted it with V-mount at the top of the sled, though I am looking for a power solution to mount the V-Mount at the bottom of the sled to reduce weight and so that I can raise the height of the camera without adding more weight.

I think it's an excellent entry level stabilizer. I think with some practice, anyone will be able to get some great shots with this. People hear the word Chinese and it's automatically dismissed it as a piece of junk. There's not a single part on the sled that I felt was cheap. I'll say it again, the sled is rock solid. The arm also seems very solid. The vest material is not the best. It's like a knockoff Jansport backpack. The vest plate is solid. I've used a Glidecam 4000, I can't speak for the arm, but the build quality of the sled seemed better than the Glidecam, and easier to use. Like Bjorn said, your results will depend on you more than the rig. For the price, you can't beat it. There is nothing in the commercial market that can support a decent Scarlet rig at his price point, or even triple this price point.
 
Noel R. said:
Steven,

I'm not sure if the the 33lb limit is entirely accurate. I haven't tested it with that much weight. The last time I tried a glidecam 4000 with my camera it was at 10 lbs, that was with the side handle with REDVOLT, and DSLR lens. I haven't weighed my current setup, but it has a cage, 160 watt vmount, and DSLR lens, I would guess close to 15lbs. I'll have to do more testing.

Balancing was very easy. The sled has gears and knobs for both forward, and side corrections. It also has a safety catch in case you forget to tighten the plate. It balances just like any other steadicam rig, I really don't see why it would be more difficult, the concept is actually very simple. You add the weight, adjust the shaft length till you get a fall time of 2 seconds, then make slight corrections at the top of the sled till it's level. If there's no wind outside, I can probably balance it in about 2 minutes.

I mounted it with V-mount at the top of the sled, though I am looking for a power solution to mount the V-Mount at the bottom of the sled to reduce weight and so that I can raise the height of the camera without adding more weight.

I think it's an excellent entry level stabilizer. I think with some practice, anyone will be able to get some great shots with this. People hear the word Chinese and it's automatically dismissed it as a piece of junk. There's not a single part on the sled that I felt was cheap. I'll say it again, the sled is rock solid. The arm also seems very solid. The vest material is not the best. It's like a knockoff Jansport backpack. The vest plate is solid. I've used a Glidecam 4000, I can't speak for the arm, but the build quality of the sled seemed better than the Glidecam, and easier to use. Like Bjorn said, your results will depend on you more than the rig. For the price, you can't beat it. There is nothing in the commercial market that can support a decent Scarlet rig at his price point, or even triple this price point.
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Thanks, Noel. I appreciate the answers. I have been looking at Red's Battery Belt Clip, W C 's battery slide, and SmallHD AC7 for the bottom of the sled. If I take the plunge on this rig, I may go for that setup.
 
Following this thread, I've almost clicked "buy it now" several times.

I've dabbled with inexpensive stabilizers for the past 15 years, which included a Glidecam V16 for many years, shooting S16mm and Betacam.

For ~$1300 USD, if I can pull off the most basic missionary reverse walk and talk, for one or two setups in a day, it is worth it.

In the past I was not able to set dynamic balance, hold proper headroom, kill off the horz roll, execute a slow pan, or feather to a stop / start. To achieve a shot which was barely usable I had to move at a pace much faster than desirable. All of which is more about the skill of operating vs the rig. So, do I have the time and patience to try this again?
 
I might as well chine in here. I've been flying my steadicam pilot for about 4 years and I have gotten "good" with it. Pilots are impossible with DSLRs unless you pack the weight on. The pilot like to be around the 8-9 lb mark. I have also flown other steadicams such as the ones in the link and also other knock offs.. and my personal review is.. the vest.. its a lot better then then the pilots.. its comparable to the better "scout / flyer vest" but thats about it. I love the pilot for the ease of setup. I can setup / balance my rig in less then 1min because I have everything preset, the only time it would take longer is it I have to use a different lens or if i know i will be tilting up and down a lot / adjust drop time.
 
I took the plunge, and bought it - an Xmas gift for myself -

David, if you want to come up to LA when it lands we can put it through some paces and see how it measures up.
 
I salute you guys for jumping in! Keep us informed with notes/vids. I understand that knock-off brands don't last in the long run, but I've seen a few last and served its purpose in my dslr days.
 
steven moreno said:
I took the plunge, and bought it - an Xmas gift for myself -

David, if you want to come up to LA when it lands we can put it through some paces and see how it measures up.
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Hi Steven, that would be great. I'm anxious to see the build quality.
Thx
 
steven moreno said:
I took the plunge, and bought it - an Xmas gift for myself -

David, if you want to come up to LA when it lands we can put it through some paces and see how it measures up.
Click to expand...

I plunged too.. I actually ordered the "Came" version" It supports up to 33lbs...Hey for $1300 bucks it's worth a try. Worse case, I'll return it for a full refund.
 
I think it may be the arm that can support up to 33 lbs. That might include the weights, the sled, weight of your camera, and rig. I'll have to do some further testing. Unfortunately I don't have a scale to weigh it right now. I would be surprised if it could support a 33lb camera, and counterweights.
 
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Look forward to hearing your experiences, based on this I shall order it ;)
 
Noel R. said:
I think it may be the arm that can support up to 33 lbs. That might include the weights, the sled, weight of your camera, and rig. I'll have to do some further testing. Unfortunately I don't have a scale to weigh it right now. I would be surprised if it could support a 33lb camera, and counterweights.
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That sounds more realistic, Noel. If I recall, my Scarlet with side handle, redvolt, Obox, FF, 230WH Vmount, LCD, 7" Marshall monitor, Zeiss ZF was about 21 lbs. That sled looks light...at least I hope.
 
steven moreno said:
That sounds more realistic, Noel. If I recall, my Scarlet with side handle, redvolt, Obox, FF, 230WH Vmount, LCD, 7" Marshall monitor, Zeiss ZF was about 21 lbs. That sled looks light...at least I hope.
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The sled is light, good thing they went with carbon fiber. I'll try to weigh it tomorrow if I get a chance and I'll post my findings.
 
Very interested in buying the Leopard iV or the Came. 15kg. Could this be accurate? I want to be able to fly a BT Red One MX with a Canon L Zoom and Red Drive.

Too heavy?
 
Layi B said:
Very interested in buying the Leopard iV or the Came. 15kg. Could this be accurate? I want to be able to fly a BT Red One MX with a Canon L Zoom and Red Drive.

Too heavy?
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My rig at the moment is about 24lbs fully rigged. Once I remove the monitor and battery and put it on the bottom of the sled it will shave a few pounds off... there'salso a few more items I can remove to lighten it up a bit. I'm hoping it will handle that kind of weight. I'll just have to wait and see. I should have it in about a week or so. I'll let you know how I make out.
 
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