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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?

Ethan Knight said:
Hey kinda late joining the party... I canvassed this thread (and others) trying to find an answer but no luck. Would it be possible to use the LAING steadicam WITHOUT the V-mount batteries and external screen at the bottom of the sled? I mean would it still balance?

I'd like to keep it as light as possible and would be using RED VOLTS, the 5 inch for viewing, canon lenses and a the redrock micro remote.

Any ideas?
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Hey ethan,

I would say you can definitely use it without the monitor at the bottom and v-mount, but you are going to need a decent amount of weight at the bottom to keep the rig balanced.
 
Thanks for your input John

John Galeano said:
Hey ethan,

I would say you can definitely use it without the monitor at the bottom and v-mount, but you are going to need a decent amount of weight at the bottom to keep the rig balanced.
Click to expand...
 
Having worked with this setup since January, spent a considerable amount of time adjusting, soldering, and multiple visits to the macine shop. I highly recommend powering from the bottom as you need the weight down there anyway. For $600 you can buy a few generic AB / Vlock batteries and charger.

Or, continue to power the camera from above, use the bottom battery as monitor power. In my glidecam days back in the late 1990s I did the whole washer small weight thing, it is a huge time suck. You need the ability to trim the weight position quickly, each day without bits shifting in the wrong direction when you touch it. A 1/8" battery position change, isolated to one axis, makes all the difference... And I'm not the precision obsessed carrier steadi operator, I'm the guy with a hacksaw and hammer.
 
The best name I've heard so far for Chinese steadicam knock offs was "Hot Wheels" ...yep like the toy cars of childhood complete with flames . LOL

Wonder why the owner painted that name out real quick.
 
Over a year now and wondering how everyone feels about their purchases.

On the fence with this one and wondering if anyone has any tips or warnings.

Thanks!
 
interested as well. Came makes nice stuff overall, i don't think i've seen anyone have significant issues with any of their stuff really.

but nowadays, if you happen to be flying something in the DSLR size, you might want to give gimbals a look, lotsa interesting stuff happening in that area
 
Hi guys! this post has been a really useful reading! For now i'm coming to New York in october (from Bordeaux, France) with our epic for a music video, and i wonder if one of the owners may rent us a steadicam and explain me the basic balancing settings. We have tight budget but we are open to proposals. Coming from october 16th for 3 weeks, and i would need it for 2 or 3 days max between the 21th and 25th.


Thanks!
 
I recently got the came-TV Steadicam.i ordered it straight from the came-TV.com website and it got dropped off in 4 days which was a nice surprise. I got the $1200 one which i think is worth it; for the extra 200-300 bucks you get the stand mount (which helps but doesn't lock tight on regular c-stand :-/). A bunch of cables to connect almost anything you want, the low mode bracket, as well as the v-mount battery plate with 15mm rod mounts.

I balanced and flew it yesterday for the first time and my first impressions are very good. I am not s steadicam operator, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly for a beginner. I flew the scarlet with a mattebox, Nikkor 24, 5" LCD up top (dp6 down below), switronix brick on the top and bottom.

The vest was kind of big for me, but there are zippered pouches so you can essentially add more padding to any section of the vest. Once I padded it up it was a ton more stable. It is super important for the vest to be super secure so it can distribute the weight evenly.


One thing i didn't count on was having to balance the arm so the Sled didn't drift into or away from myself when I would let go. There are 4 adjustment knobs on the arm to vest attachment and after some fiddling I got that adjustment close enough to take it for a walk.

Overall the build quality is excellent. Everything is made of metal and looks robust- I don't foresee any of the main components breaking anytime soon. The only thing I am potentially worried about are the connections at the top of the sled. I've only used the hdmi as of now but I'm worried to start relying on those connections and then something going mid-shoot. I'm sure you could rewire it if need be but the connections up top may be tricky.
 
Christopher thanks for this, Ive been meaning to post on users experience.

Do you have any pics of your set-up?

How are you weighed at bottom sled?
 
I just ordered one of these, and I'm curious to see if its as good as advertised (I'm obviously suspicious due to the price). Hopefully it works as least as well as a pilot for the handful of shots I will use it for.

Anyway, what can you do about the docking bracket? I don't understand why it won't fit on a normal c-stand...you would think that they would design it for use with one.

Also, please tell me about the in-post wiring. Is it SDI, or HDMI only?
 
RobMNeilson said:
I just ordered one of these,
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Please let us know how it/if it meets your expectations. I have been thinking about getting one of the CAME-TV units but would like to power my EPIC from the lower battery position. I really cant see on any of their pictures how that can be accomplished. I see a DC connection but its not a LEMO type. Any thoughts?
 
i got the $900 version and have been quite happy with it, has taken some time to really dial in but its coming along nicely. I customized mine a bit, but removing all the cables included as well as the upper power box, I then made the opening coming out of the top of the post larger so that I could run my battery belt clip through the post, adding some stick on foam to the battery plate allowing me to attach the belt clip as is nice and snug. I just wanted it to be as affordable as possible and as simple as possible. So far so good after a year and half.
 
16466185942_7cbd734ac9_n.jpg
[/URL]photo 5 by B.L.K cinema, on Flickr[/IMG]
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[/URL]photo 4 by B.L.K cinema, on Flickr[/IMG]

16441128616_6fc8e80a95.jpg
[/URL]photo 3 by B.L.K cinema, on Flickr[/IMG]
16280888599_af532554a0.jpg
[/URL]photo 1 by B.L.K cinema, on Flickr[/IMG]

a couple iphone pics, I just set it up quick to take a pic, so not perfectly balanced or anything. You don't need to cut the hole bigger at the top of the post if you want the battery plate to be on there full time. Otherwise I did this so I can still use my plate for other shooting. Also, the belt clip is attached to the provided plate at the bottom just with sliding it on like its your belt, i added the stick on foam to keep it on sung so it doesnt move at all, its secure.
 
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Got the Came TV one. Use it on about 50% of my shoots. Great tool and haven't had any issues with it yet. Have had it for about a year and a half, really started using it after 4 months of ownership. Here's a review I did with some test footage. I don't use a monitor on the sled since the one on the Epic is sufficient for framing.

 
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