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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 :)

"CAME" 6-17kg" steaidcam is the good

Mine just arrived! $30 for duty to Canada, as they mark it as $100 value. It came in two packages and was well padded. The one little bag with accessory type items had a hole in and a few loose items that fell out, hopefully nothing went missing. Overall it looks pretty great for about $950 total cdn. It came with a small bag which was not expected. It is only big enough to fit the sled itself, with an upside down handle and the zippers came apart on both ends when I opened the bag for the first time, ha. Now time to start figuring this thing out and getting it dialed in.
 
I don't know. It takes SO LONG to learn Steadicam well, I would personally get as good a tool - to put that much work behind - as I could. A friend down the block got one of these, and compared to a Steadicam Zephyr balancing takes longer (and dynamic balance seems almost impossible) the quality of the arm is good, but not as good, and generally speaking it's just not quite as easy nor as fast to get good results from. Even the gymbal is not as clean as her's especially when it's near the weight limit.

Everything on her rig is top-notch, fast to use, won't break on set. If your gear breaks down on set, then you will get the blame for not being dependable.

My wife's Zephyr was 10K - which is a lot more, but for that extra 9K you get something which is in fact better in big and small ways. Since she practices every other day, takes this very seriously, I feel getting her the very best we could afford was worth that $9K. That Steadicam brand is also gold with clients, who know it, and it helps reassure them (they can be right or wrong about this, but arguing with client's values is a fool's errand).

So, a great device for casual use, but there is no real way to be a good casual Steadicam op, so I'm not sure this thing is such a great idea for that many people.
 
Wait..... You know it's only $1000 delivered don't you? Just think about that for a second. 1 or 10....and no doubt the zephyr is 10 times better.... But it's TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. Buy your zephyr AND the Chinese version. There's no point not getting one.
 
Matthew Scott said:
Wait..... You know it's only $1000 delivered don't you? Just think about that for a second. 1 or 10....and no doubt the zephyr is 10 times better.... But it's TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. Buy your zephyr AND the Chinese version. There's no point not getting one.
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If Zephyr is only 4% better (it's much more than that)then its' still worth paying more, because you're applying that 4% to months and months of hard work to learn the craft. Why would I need a second Steadicam? Only my wife knows how to operate.
 
Robert Ruffo New said:
If Zephyr is only 4% better (it's much more than that)then its' still worth paying more, because you're applying that 4% to months and months of hard work to learn the craft. Why would I need a second Steadicam? Only my wife knows how to operate.
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I need some simple steadicam shots NOW for my own project, and if I wait until I can afford a $10 thousand steadicam, it will be months and months of not doing anything.

I remember a couple of years ago I asked about buying Canon L series lenses for my Epic, and a prominent Reduser highly recommended that I buy Master Primes instead. Needless to say I bought the Canon set and learned a ton shooting some project I'm proud of. Projects that wouldn't have been possible if I didn't own my own little lens set.

Rob, I look forward to someday reaching your level of professionalism where every tiny bit of improvement is justified, but you have to remember that you are working the pit stop at the Indy 500 while some of us are just trying to change our tires on the side of the freeway :)

Julio
 
How long did it take you guys to receive the steadicam? I bought on the 4th and hoping to get it by the 18th.
 
Jon Carr said:
How long did it take you guys to receive the steadicam? I bought on the 4th and hoping to get it by the 18th.
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I ordered mine on Sept. 1 and received it in Puerto Rico today (Sept. 9). I quickly assembled the rig and threw my Epic on it this afternoon.

This is literally the first 4 minutes of steadicam footage I've ever shot. I had to google "balancing a steadicam" on youtube to set it up. I left my footage unedited so you guys can see what happens when you really have no idea what you are doing :)

https://vimeo.com/74176678
 
Julio Quintana said:
I ordered mine on Sept. 1 and received it in Puerto Rico today (Sept. 9). I quickly assembled the rig and threw my Epic on it this afternoon.

This is literally the first 4 minutes of steadicam footage I've ever shot. I had to google "balancing a steadicam" on youtube to set it up. I left my footage unedited so you guys can see what happens when you really have no idea what you are doing :)

https://vimeo.com/74176678
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Results look promising! There are small kinks that noticeable if you're looking for it, but if this is the first time you've ever done steadicam it makes me feel really confident that someone who has experience doing it can make the transition
 
Its a great start Julio. Not bad for your first time out. It would be great to see what you thought after about a month of using.
 
Arthur Woo said:
Results look promising! There are small kinks that noticeable if you're looking for it, but if this is the first time you've ever done steadicam it makes me feel really confident that someone who has experience doing it can make the transition
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I was pleasantly surprised as well. I'm definitely not ready for any complicated shots, but simple leading and following of characters seems very doable right out of the box. But in full disclosure, I have never set up or operated a steadicam before this, but I've been a professional reality show camera operator for the last couple of years so I'm pretty good at hand held at this point. I think that's definitely making my transition easier.

Adam Beck said:
Its a great start Julio. Not bad for your first time out. It would be great to see what you thought after about a month of using.
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My first month of practice will actually be shooting my first feature, so all of my mistakes will be recorded into cinema history!
 
I guess apart from a little roll and the moments where you were undecided where you are going it was pretty good. I was trying to imagine 3-4 secinds cuts when following the character. Very very useable even as they are.
 
Julio Quintana said:
I ordered mine on Sept. 1 and received it in Puerto Rico today (Sept. 9). I quickly assembled the rig and threw my Epic on it this afternoon.

This is literally the first 4 minutes of steadicam footage I've ever shot. I had to google "balancing a steadicam" on youtube to set it up. I left my footage unedited so you guys can see what happens when you really have no idea what you are doing :)

https://vimeo.com/74176678
Click to expand...

looks good. Your headspace looks good. It was little bumpy outside, but that could just be the arm tension not being centered for the load? But if that's your first stab at it, your gonna be kicking ass, and taking names. Contgrats!

Mine somehow this morning showed up in NY "out for delivery" notice for 1 of the boxes, and the other was in Memphis, now it's in a city I have no idea is US or not haha. Hoping the sled and docking plate comes today so I can at least balance the sled as I wait for the arm and vest.
 
Jon Carr said:
looks good. Your headspace looks good. It was little bumpy outside, but that could just be the arm tension not being centered for the load? But if that's your first stab at it, your gonna be kicking ass, and taking names. Contgrats!

Mine somehow this morning showed up in NY "out for delivery" notice for 1 of the boxes, and the other was in Memphis, now it's in a city I have no idea is US or not haha. Hoping the sled and docking plate comes today so I can at least balance the sled as I wait for the arm and vest.
Click to expand...

Jon, Did you order one with a case?
 
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