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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

I'd be willing to kick in $$ for a kickstarter for legal fees for a polish lawyer. At the very minimum we should provide accurate info about this company and the pitfalls of buying equipment from Poland, I imagine their trade bureau would be interested in this. Bottom line no one needs to invest in kit and have it not work or be supported.

The shame is that it actually seems like a potentially good bit of kit but the dishonest behaviour of the people involved has clouded this and shouldn't be rewarded. Consequences in the market place should take effect.
 
To answer the "who has one" question... I have had my unit since March and have had no issues yet. It came as V2 already so no need to send it in.

The only nagging problem was waiting for the lock n load V2 to ship so I could get this on my Flowcine Black Arm that came in last month. As much as I hated the stability and performance of the RONIN-M I bought during the wait for mine, I loved the quick release dove tail system. Peter responded to my emails every couple of weeks checking for a status update and kept me informed. I just received the shipping confirmation from DRONENERDS.com (New US distributor for ACR) and will have the new components on friday.

I really don't think that ACR/ Besteady are trying to steal anyone's money. I have seen other companies push vapor products and take money and disappear. They don't invest in the time and money it takes to be an exhibitor at NAB as these guys did this year. And from what I saw at the show they were engaging with other manufacturers and distributors trying to improve their presence. I really hope that everyone on this buy gets a resolution and ACR can continue to grow (AND LEARN) so that all this wasnt a big waste of time.

anyway...just my 2 cents. I really hope that ACR can find a way to do what is right for everyone that deserves a resolution and provide a solution that they the customer deem fair...not that ACR or Poland deems fair.
 
Ryan P. Kelly said:
To answer the "who has one" question...
Click to expand...

I have my unit since April and I can't complain about it.

I made some "user mistakes" when I first tried it but ACR support always replied to me really fast and Maciej has always been really helpful.

It's not perfect but this is the best gimbal I've ever used, I still don't like that quick release plate but the Beast works really well and is super easy to use, it's light and well made.

I'm glad I have my unit and stoked about what I shoot with it and I really hope all of you will receive what you paid for.

I'm not really worried about after sale service as since I received the Beast, Maciej and Piotr always replied to me in less than 24 hours, for example I broke my quick release plate and received a new one in France within two days.

Nobody deserve to wait that long for something paid in advance and sometimes the communication was really weird... I guess the fact Prokopi (remember that dude?) jumped off the boat then came back to leave again didn't really help too...

Anyway we should really think about how we jumped into that adventure: we sent some money to an unknown guy, the one mentioned before, we didn't sign any agreement with anyone and never received a proper invoice and we ended up being lost in translation...

The terms of that GB were not clear since day one and we could have been skunked, at least for some of us it ended up well.
 
Such a sad situation this has turned into......

I was fortunate to be early enough on the list to receive a V.2 Beast in December '15. Like everyone on the GB, I was on the "rollercoaster" of not knowing if I'd lost my money or if someday I'd be rewarded for the wait. Everyone here knows all to well that we waited much to long, and some have been more fortunate then others in getting their units. Not knowing how the Beast works (or if it works) while waiting years, is not a warm fuzzy felling.

After reading the posts here lately I thought I should let the folks who are still waiting for their units my thoughts after having used it for the past six months......

I've had a fair amount of experience with other gimbals (while I waited) and have to say I've been very pleased with how the Beast performs with a loaded Epic with all the wireless. It does in fact work and it works well! Sure, there's some aspects of the system that can be improved (as with all gimbals), but when the unit finally does arrive you will have a nice working gimbal.

Customer support at ACR, has been very helpful. The time zone difference (from US west coast) is an inconvenience, but that aside, Maciej, has always been available to get on Skype to answer questions and offer solutions to the few issues I have had. And with the addition of Drone Nerds as a US distributor, getting parts, and the updated Lock 'n Load has been simple, timely, with no customs hassles.

Sure, waiting three years to get something which is paid for is unacceptable, but if those with no units wait it out, there may be a fine working gimbal at the end of this nightmare.
 
I've used my unit a fair bit over the last few months and it has performed really well. Two things though....

1. The lock and load is stuck not quite at the closed position so my gimbal points a little off center - so mail that shit back to Poland and wait x months or risk breaking it by forcing it close?
2. The quick release plate thing SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS SOOOOO BAD. Who's the genius who came up with that design?

Finally, Maciej has been awesome but I just don't trust this company. Other than accessories to keep this thing working (like maybe an extra battery), I will never buy anything else from them or recommend them to anyone in the industry unless they get their shit together and start addressing people's problems quickly and promptly.
 
Look I was number 53 or somewhere with in a couple of that number and I have really put my gimbal through the riggers of daily use over the past couple months. Sure there was a learning curve.
Basically every day of a 39 day production I had to swap from regular camera setup on sticks to the gimbal and back again and some times we did this a couple times a day. My rig had my Weapon a Pag battery and a 19mm Leica 2.8 on it almost all the time but I did use the 24, 28 and even the chunky 35mm Sumlux on it and I have to say that yes it took me a few times of reseting the entire system to factory default and starting again but after I got the hang of how it worked I shot some really amazing stuff. I do experience what I call the Wobbles now and then but its usually a gyro setup and a little adjustment to the pan settings and back to work. It has also taken me a good amount of time to learn how to walk with the gimbal. Its not a steady cam where you have a lot more latitude with your step in the up and down movement which also affects the wobbles and everything else.
Now the fact that I can get my gimbal to do what my production needs are it does not excuse any of the path that was taken to get here with missed deadlines and misunderstandings about time, space and distance but all in all its a pretty good gimbal and I will be keeping it and using it until the wheels fall off. Which Im sure we are all wondering about how these gimbals will hold up in the long run and what the service plan will be when we really need to have a complete overhaul.
Now the refund system seems to be the stumbling block for now and Im just as curious to see how it all irons out.
But the Gimbal formally known as BeSteady 4 and now the Beast seems to fill the basic needs of a gimbal...
 
From what I've seen the Beast has performed flawless the times I used it. Unfortunately I've only spend around 40 hours with it in total so I wish I had more experience. The other gimbals I've used so far all have had tendency to do randomly to do weird stuff all to often, something I haven't seen on the Beast yet.

Since I don't own a Beast, so I can't chime in on how direct support for the actual unit works. However, I've been in contact with the ACR team a lot the last couple of months for other reasons, and I do believe their response rate is faster than most companies and are very eager to solve all kind of issues. I really hope that the last people will get their unit soon, since its a fantastic device.
 
Wow. I've found this thread just today and spent the last ...JESUS! 4 hours reading through everything from the start. I have so many thoughts, comments, replies, and reviews to offer that I feel like if I were to post them all, the length would deter anyone from reading it. So I'm going to try and surmise this the best I can.


To those pissed of group buyers:


Thank you. Thanks to you we have such a great product out there. I don't know if you hear that or think about it, but I appreciate your ability and willingness to invest in an immerging technology. I've spent a lot of close personal time with Peter and Max over the last two years. Even though I hadn't seen or heard of this REDUser debacle, it was always a burden on them, weighing them down, depressing them, and made them feel like they had fucked up in some way that they couldn't control themselves. They talked to me about it daily, throughout the days I spent with them at the last two NABs. I would like you to know that you are not just some "annoying customers" that won't go away, you are people they care about who are hurt and angry, and they feel the same as you would if your significant other was pissed at you.


I know those wanting refunds want answers and money. It is my personal belief that you should instead take the gimbal to keep and use, but more on that later. In regards to answers, you are well deserving them, as is Peter. Again, as an outsider to this situation, I recall talking to him about the BeSteady/ACR issues to which are messy, confusing, and thoroughly fucked. I know there is no love lost between Peter and the owners at BeSteady. And it fucking sucks. They want everyone be happy, satisfied, and stabilized. Based on my personal interactions with them, I am fully convinced they'd love nothing more than to satisfy the expectations of everyone here, and it is a heavy burden with daily reminders.


I would say try to remind yourselves that these are guys just like you or I, but they are trying to produce the most advanced gimbal on the market from nearly scratch. They aren't a faceless Fortune 500 company, or the criminal asshole persona some of you have concocted in your heads. I'd be pissed too, but try to remember these guys want you to like them and their products. Having pissed off people is the worst for a company, and they want to fix it, just like you would want to fix your name and reputation if were of ill repute.


To those curious about the gimbal/quality/service:


The Beast (BeSteady 4) is fucking awesome! I ran the first production MoVI M10 shipped, and have worked as a professional tech/op since the start. And I still cannot believe how incredible the Beast is! It is the only gimbal that is fully comparable to the M15, and yet offers SIGNIFICANT improvements and features that you can't get anywhere else. The Beast is also over $3000 more affordable than the M15, even at Freefly's new sale prices. I fucking love it. It is seriously the fastest, most remarkably designed, and simple system I've run.


A recent shoot really took advantage of all the Beast has to offer. I wandered the Long Beach convention center for several hours with my FS7 on the Beast bringing nothing but media and another camera battery with me. No stand, no gimbal batteries, no tablet or "gimbal phone/computer", and it was incredible. The gimbal is half the weight of Ronin, and a pound over the M15, so not an issue hauling it around all day. They have had a built in shortcut to toggle the motors off since the beginning, so no worries just setting it down wherever between shots. The batteries run the gimbal for lengths of time that are absurd, so no need for batteries or setting up a charging station. And the best feature of all, the screen and keypad. I've never used another piece of technology to tweak, tune, or tamper with the Beast. No tablet to lose, forget, have a dead battery, etc. Nothing to slow me down, and I truly can't say that about any other gimbal I know of.


And the stabilization? Amazing! Literally the best footage I have shot has been on the Beast. And going through the footage of users, I see how much more natural, and organic the movements are. When they say it is the most advanced, I see it as far more than a marketing tagline. If you're not excited about the Beast, it means you haven't used it yet.
 
So are they selling these things new now? Or still back ordered?
 
Beast Experience

Beast Experience

Hi Guys, just a couple of words from a Person using these Tools on professional Sets every week:

Last Spring our company bought 2 of the Beasts because we started shooting a big German Feature ( Auf Augenhöhe / Eye Level, Ratpack Production ) It were V1s. From Day one we really had absolutely Stunning and personal Support, at the very frontline of Shooting. Max from Bestady /ACR really was just there for all our Questions and especially together we quite a bit improved on some features and concepts and so far it has evolved good. Now they are upgraded to V2 since last Fall and from our experience it just beats every Gimbal out there looking at the whole package. And from our experience also the Support, It is there, it is as enthusiastic as we are as shooters and very personal. Never been let down, even when it was the Night before shooting. I think there will be even more improvements and features down the road, and i think they are similar to RED in their pursue of making great products and do everything for the end user to get them great tools.

my 2 Cents.

Alex Jentz, well done www.welldone.tv
 
alexjentz said:
Hi Guys, just a couple of words from a Person using these Tools on professional Sets every week:

Last Spring our company bought 2 of the Beasts because we started shooting a big German Feature ( Auf Augenhöhe / Eye Level, Ratpack Production ) It were V1s. From Day one we really had absolutely Stunning and personal Support, at the very frontline of Shooting. Max from Bestady /ACR really was just there for all our Questions and especially together we quite a bit improved on some features and concepts and so far it has evolved good. Now they are upgraded to V2 since last Fall and from our experience it just beats every Gimbal out there looking at the whole package. And from our experience also the Support, It is there, it is as enthusiastic as we are as shooters and very personal. Never been let down, even when it was the Night before shooting. I think there will be even more improvements and features down the road, and i think they are similar to RED in their pursue of making great products and do everything for the end user to get them great tools.

my 2 Cents.

Alex Jentz, well done www.welldone.tv
Click to expand...

Did you get your unit through this group buy?

Because that's what upset everybody... everyone who bought a "Beast" outside of this group buy was being treated better and preferentially to the people whose dollars are the very reason those people were able to buy one in the first place. The money ACR received from this group buy IS the only reason the company exists today. We all just wanted to be treated with even one ounce of respect for our part in keeping this company alive.
 
Ours has arrived today, very impressed with the build and finish. Charging batteries and tests with Alexa Mini this week.

Didn't think this day would come so I'd just like to say thanks to ACR for honouring the group-buy when they could have very easily let us all down. I feel like there are improvements in communications and I hope to see it continue.

Groovy
 
Carey Lee Coffey said:
Did you get your unit through this group buy?

Because that's what upset everybody... everyone who bought a "Beast" outside of this group buy was being treated better and preferentially to the people whose dollars are the very reason those people were able to buy one in the first place. The money ACR received from this group buy IS the only reason the company exists today. We all just wanted to be treated with even one ounce of respect for our part in keeping this company alive.
Click to expand...

As I stated, I am thoroughly grateful for the GB people. For that exact reason. I took over a heavily used unit that was returned by a complaint filled buyer that didn't understand how to use it.
 
Hello Guys,


I have good news for you all. Max asked me to share information about new firmware 3.0 that he is working on right now. It is a part of our constant work on The Beast to make it even better and improve it functions and usability.

Information from Max:
What we are changing completely:
- autotune algorithm (2 minute total, based on setup weight);
- ergonomics/UI (simple navigation, 4 main screens, 'wizards', animations);
- new voice banks;
- new app for updates, with change list, and simple support options;
- better power management.

What will be improved:
- time left math and aglorithm;
- stabilization accuracy;
- behavior when working in follow mode tilt+pan+roll (when looking straight up and down);
- less drift on roll during high acceleration;
- better gyro calibration process (takes slightly longer yet is more user friendly and accurate);
- slightly improved behavior in follow mode in general;
- pan wobble visible in some circumstances has been fixed.
Click to expand...

That new firmware will be released soon as it is in early beta test phase right now.

Best
Peter
 
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well I spoke to soon!

2 days before my first real shoot using the BEAST and it appears to be dead. For no reason. Same camera package that had on there 2 days before for testing. Turn in it on and instant hard tilt backward and motor cut off. Emailed support and they were back to me within an hour ( this was around 8pm last night california time) went through things with them (sent videos and photos ). At 2:45am it was determined that it has to go back...to Poland. I received an RMA but no return shipping label (prepaid) I have emailed support and Peter asking WTF? For one I thought we had service in the US now? Dronenerds?
Next big s hoot with gimbal is Aug 18. If they cant remedy this I am once again renting a gimbal. Super pissed at myself for selling the ronin-m when the beast arrived. Peter...ball is in your court. My case is a perfect example to show what the process will be like for users in the states to get service.
 
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