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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 :)

BeSteady FOUR Thread

+1 Paul Christopher & Carey
 
Frustrated, Losing patience, but still agree with PC and Carey. It's best to stay in, trying to "get out" whatever that path is, is just going to start another waiting game.
 
I have to agree also. We're in so deep now that lawyering up now will only succeed in making some lawyers a little richer in the end.
ill patiently wait until they sort out the bugs and then make some great images and every time I use my BS4 quietly think what a pain in the but it was to get. And then go and make some more great pix's.
thanks for the update and half review Carey, looking forward to when you can realy check it out.
 
I'm keeping the faith. Lawyers = lose/lose. BS4 is clearly the real deal. BS as a company clearly has some maturing to do. The only chance for a positive outcome at this point is patience.
 
Esteban Mesa said:
Yes, but where are they? still exists Besteady
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They exist. I'm shipping my unit back today. Once they fix the hardware malfunction, they'll ship it back and I'll continue my testing. If it works without any flaws, it will arguably be the best gimbal on the planet. Can't wait to test and post my results.
 
another update about progress and shipping schedule would´t hurt. The Nov 3rd batch is overdue and we haven´t heard anything since last week !!!
Guys wake up !!!
 
I got my DHL call tag to send mine back today.

I am also Skyping them to get the schedule updates posted here asap.
 
Dude, you are out of line! I can ask what ever I need to when I see fit. I like others have invested money in this GB. So please, if you must hear yourself speak., direct it to others on this form, not me!

Thank you.

Brian F Kobylarz said:
Just some thoughts to help keep this thread accessible…

I understand the issues that some mods have expressed about having the REDUser site be utilized as a means to communicate with a product manufacturer without sponsorship.
It is unfair to those sponsors that contribute financially to keep this site accessible to all of us.

I want to ensure that this thread - or any other started on this subject - not be deleted due to a violation of the "rules".
I believe that if we keep this as an open exchange between users in this group - to report problems, share results and information, we can likely keep it open for a long time to come.
The danger comes into play when we request this vendor to use this site as a means of communication with us.

As far as BS4, there was a commitment by this particular manufacturer to use a private portal on their website to facilitate communications - which has not been happening.
That needs to start now. There is no reason or justification to not keep us in the loop.

They also certainly have the means to send us emails. After all, at less than 70 addresses, we are not looking at outrageous data management.

The lack of updates is extremely troubling as this issue has been a systemic problem for longer than I care to remember.

As far as the transparency issues - at least one moderator has indicated this thread is being watched carefully - best to keep this in mind.
if we are able to keep this thread open, there should be no problem sharing information - including updates on the level of support by BS.
The real danger is when we lose the means to communicate with one another.

That said, to be fair, everything should be equal - there are threads on other gimbals wherein manufacturers are providing input as well as responding to end-users and potential customers without any REDUser sponsorship associated with their names. They should live by the same rules.
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BeSteady FOUR Quirks

While there are many, many positives to list about the BeSteady Four, I thought it would be useful to list some of its quirks so that Max and team can be aware and possibly address some of the issues.

1. The stand -

Personally, I like the concept. But for the life of me, I cannot understand why there is not a simple locking mechanism that locks the two vertical tubes into place. This could be achieved very easily. As it is now, you have to step on the center where the tubes intersect and pull the gimbal up off of the stand, OR you need a second person to hold the vertical tubes while you pull the gimbal up. If there were a simple way to click the tubes into place, it would eliminate that problem. Also, it would be nice if you could offer a riser plate, with various industry standard holes, that mounts to the bottom of the stand for those of us who want to mount the stand to a tripod.

2. The quick release plate -

It took me over an hour to figure out how to get the camera onto the camera shelf. I call this a "quirk" instead of a bad design because once I "figured it out" (through trial and error), I could mount the camera to the shelf in seconds. The trouble (quirk) is that there is a small center piece with rails that needs to float freely in order to align it correctly with the baseplate that mounts to the bottom of the camera. This is very touchy because if you tighten the knob (which loosens and tightens that tiny center piece) too tight, the rails won't line up, and if you loosen the knob too much, the center piece becomes "unseated" and shifts, making it impossible to line up the rails. It is like holding a butterfly: hold it too tightly and you kill it, hold it too loosely and it flies away. I'm not saying this design is bad, or needs to be changed. But you, at the very least, need to have a thorough explanation/video showing how to mount the quick release. God forbid someone is on set spending over an hour trying to figure out how to mount the camera to the camera shelf. :(

3. The roll axis adjustment knobs -

These are very quirky. Yet, they make it easier to balance the camera than on the MōVI. The reason they are quirky is because you can tighten them down with a decent amount of force, but if you tilt the rig too far (roll) the whole set up will slide. So, you have to REALLY tighten them down very strongly in order to keep the camera sliding at the roll adjustment point... but then you're stuck trying to loosen them later in order to put the gimbal in its case and it will be very difficult because they had to be tightened so much. The same butterfly analogy applies here too. Very touchy. Quirky. Bad design? Not necessarily. As said, roll axis on the BS4 is easier to balance than on the MōVI. In fact, fore/aft, COG, roll and pan are all easier to balance on the BS4 than they are on the M15. Especially COG and pan. Pan axis balance is almost impossible to do on the M15 (with a heavy set up) without a second person there to support the weight of the camera. The BS4's pan axis is ingenious. I had it done, by myself, in literally 10 seconds. Same with COG. The numbered lines, and the lack of a top mount, make it 20 times easier to balance than the M15. I had it balanced in 5-10 seconds on the BS4 - several minutes on the MōVI.

4. Camera plate hardware -

Since you are not using a cage (top and bottom) to mount the camera, it is essential that you mount the camera to the quick release baseplate with 2 screws. 2 screws locks the camera in firmly. 1 screw does nothing but allow the camera to shift. You guys sent 0 screws. Please send out the necessary hardware (2 screws - 1/4-20 & 3/8-16) in order to mount the camera firmly. I had to grind down a 1/4-20 screw in order to fit and use a makeshift 3/8-16 screw from my existing tripod mount. Again, please send out these necessary screws with all future units so that everyone can secure their camera to the baseplate using 2 screws. (This is not a quirk, its a necessity.)
 
My BeSteady FOUR is on its way back to Poland. I hope when it returns to me, it will be in perfect working order, have all cables and accessories agreed upon when I created the group buy and maybe even have some tiny improvements which I alluded to in my "quirks" post earlier.

1509998_10152592638112732_6044870791380312735_n.jpg


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Hello BeSteady ??? Anybody at home ???
I´m really getting sick of this strange behavior. Why in the world should i still trust this company, which are unable to fulfill simple tasks like posting once a day in here whats going on. Another deadline missed without any apology, new schedule or explanation whats going on. this lack of communication drives me crazy!
 
Ok. Firstly, sorry for not posting on here all week. There's no excuse except for things being manic for me in the UK. I'll do my best to

Remaining upgraded units will be shipping back. Michael's took a little longer because we had to modify the rear arm to test the prospect of swapping out the DC to lemo connectors.

An updated shipping schedule is coming. We're looking at being a week delayed for the next 4 units but following that we'll be shipping over 20 in one batch. This was caused by the delay in assembly to swap out the defective encoder cables but I've been assured that the issues with executing that have been ironed out and we'll pick up from a snails pace. With the constantly fluctuating schedule I'm pushing to have the spreadsheet updated on a more regular basic. Possibly even every day if possible.

Currently we recalled all the BS4 units shipped because of this issue with encoder cables.

If there's anything I've missed let me know. I've sent all the usernames PM'd me on the BeSteady forum to Mike and he'll be adding you to the GB thread there...
 
Pro. I am glad you are still here and broke a long silence!
Please ship the repaired units as soon as possible so we at least see some working BeSteady Four units in the field.
 
Personally, I don't think it's worth pushing ahead with the next batch (I'm in this batch) until EVERYTHING is 100%.

As PC and others have said, we're out of season now - and I'd rather wait for the unit to be fully functional AND all the extras, cables and promised accessories to be ready - it just makes more sense than trying to push units out of the door (and then having them come back).

Focus on getting Carey and the first batch fully functional - test 'seriously' at BS HQ... ie do a few days of rigorous testing (with a fully loaded Epic) and make sure it performs as it should...

Start taking the bull by the horns and QC properly - otherwise units will constantly be going backwards and forwards in a state of flux and repair.

Lastly, start taking comms seriously, it's been said a 1000 times before, but bad news is better than none. If this means pushing back into later delivery dates, so be it - just communicate on a regular level.

My 2 Cents (or 2 pence - UK based :)
 
Thanks Pro -

I'd still like you to address the overall state of the BS4 and remaining issues. What is the status of accessories etc.

I'm less interested in unattainable timelines and the pressure they bring and more interested in straight forward communication.

We (if I may speak for others) are at the level of wondering if the company even exists/will continue to exist rather than the "luxury" of a delivery schedule.

Help us out.
 
This 100%.

Andy White said:
Personally, I don't think it's worth pushing ahead with the next batch (I'm in this batch) until EVERYTHING is 100%.

As PC and others have said, we're out of season now - and I'd rather wait for the unit to be fully functional AND all the extras, cables and promised accessories to be ready - it just makes more sense than trying to push units out of the door (and then having them come back).

Focus on getting Carey and the first batch fully functional - test 'seriously' at BS HQ... ie do a few days of rigorous testing (with a fully loaded Epic) and make sure it performs as it should...

Start taking the bull by the horns and QC properly - otherwise units will constantly be going backwards and forwards in a state of flux and repair.

Lastly, start taking comms seriously, it's been said a 1000 times before, but bad news is better than none. If this means pushing back into later delivery dates, so be it - just communicate on a regular level.

My 2 Cents (or 2 pence - UK based :)
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