Custom Steadicam for REDusers <1800USD - Post your ideas

[nickmilo]

That was me, very nice to know you and hope this vests can suit we all
P.S. Sopranos was the best show ever

+1

Back on topic, on the low end- I believe the vest should run fine, David commented that his seemed to run a little small (Laing/Came) I think the only tight part are the midsection adjustments that didn't leave too much room in terms of adjustment, but I'm hoping someone who owns this setup can jump in with some helpful and precise input...

 

[Jean Maurizio]

+1000

This Lyle is the man

 

[Andrew PC Smith]

Someone posted a general thread about (large) body size and vest fit, but I thought I'd post here from the opposite view point because this has occurred to me. I'm female, obviously, 5'7" and 125 pounds. My shoulders and chest are not going to be as large as a man of even a very light weight like 150 pounds. Will the vest of the Laing be adjustable to the point that it can fit me as snugly as it should? I can provide actual tape measure sizes for chest and waist, if that's necessary.

On the flip side, I'm a foot taller than you, (6'7") thin body build, with a very long torso. I've tried on several vests and the ones I liked best were the Sachtler and the Zephyr. Most didn't fit because they were either too wide or didn't quite reach a comfortable place on my hips. Unfortunately, the ACT2 Sachtler vest costs about as much as the ProLine system.

I'd love to try out the Steadicam Fawcett Exovest, (supposedly it's also one of the most female-friendly vests on the market) but sadly I'm not going to NAB this year.

It would be safe to say the vest comfort definitely affects the usability of any rig. After all, who wants to use something that is ill-fitting, uncomfortable and potentially damaging to their long term health?

 

[Elizabeth Lowrey]

Thanks for your thoughts, Andrew. The Exovest really looks interesting. I'm sure I couldn't afford it at this point (I've no ambitions to be a for hire steadicam op), but it would be interesting to try one on and compare. I certainly plan on asking more questions of Vitaliy when he's back online with a firm proposal from Laing for the custom rig. At the very least, I want a guaranteed return with no penalty or restocking fee if the vest doesn't fit me comfortably.

 

[Chris Poynton]

Someone posted a general thread about (large) body size and vest fit, but I thought I'd post here from the opposite view point because this has occurred to me. I'm female, obviously, 5'7" and 125 pounds. My shoulders and chest are not going to be as large as a man of even a very light weight like 150 pounds. Will the vest of the Laing be adjustable to the point that it can fit me as snugly as it should? I can provide actual tape measure sizes for chest and waist, if that's necessary.

The range of vest fitting sizes does need to be properly specified by Laing, and it is likely the vests are sourced from a third party. Being very slim myself, I have had "minimum fit issues" with a generic Chinese vest which is almost identical to the Laing vest in the image below (taken from a current Laing listing on AliExpress) ... (the only major differences being that the tails on my rear straps were incredibly and uselessy long with little velcro on them and the front shoulder pads were longer too) ... The rear strap tails in this picture seem conversely to be incredibly short and I wonder how they would fit big people?

I am still learning a lot about achieving best fit for Steadicam vests and I am no tailor when it comes to taking precise measurements. But regardless of body size/shape I think that buyers should expect to spend quality time re-working their vests slightly for best fit, perhaps needing to sew extra velcro onto some of the straps and/or tweaking the padding slightly so that there is minimal twisting room or pressure on particular areas.

:rolleyes5: ABOVE ALL : AVOID ANY TINGLING SENSATIONS IN YOUR LEGS AT ALL COSTS AS THIS CAN BE AN EARLY FLAG FOR POTENTIAL PERMANENT NERVE DAMAGE.

(The following comments are based on the generic vest and may not strictly apply to Laing current version vest, but these are pointers worth double-checking ...)

WAIST: A key issue is the waist/hip adjustment for slim people. In terms of design, the main side straps do not clip directly to each other, but instead they clip to a third pad which is the small square lumbar pad. I found on my generic vest that the side straps cannot be pulled very tight because they foul on the middle pad. As a result, there is room to put two fists between my back and the pad = mega twisting = no good. For my solution, I need to remove the middle pad entirely and make a small pad/clip system to close the resulting 20cm gap. Haven't resolved this entirely yet.

RIB/CHEST: The rib/chest strap on my generic vest can be pulled in **just** tight enough for me, to the point where taking a full breath feels a bit constricted, but I would have expected it to be able to go a few inches tighter for smaller people.

SHOULDER: The Chinese vest/s actually offer an extra point of strap adjustment compared to say the Steadicam Flyer vest. The shoulder buckle attachment points can be pulled higher, thus effectively shortening the torso length of the vest.

I suggest that there will need to be a few Skype sessions for us all to learn more about Steadicam vest tailoring and fitting and mods, if/when we do eventually get these systems. I have not found the best fit for my slim build (trying various vests) as I find an excessive amount of leverage pressure being exerted on my lower belly. Maybe I am setting the waist band too high. I basically make the vest as snug as possible at all points to minimise twisting and so that when I pull firmly down and outwards on the top of the chest plate there is little movement in the vest and the weight seems to be borne fairly evenly between my hips and shoulders.

 

[Kwan Khan]

Range of CAME's vest fitting size;

Rib/chest = up to 45"/47" MAX
Same to waist = up to 45"/47" MAX

 

[Brett Harrison]

I've started a thread about accessories for anyone like me who doesn't yet have a daylight monitor or wireless follow focus.

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?96611-Steadicam-Group-buyers-Accessories

 

[Elizabeth Lowrey]

Chris, thank you for that very informative and thoughtful post. Will be referring back to it!

 

[Vitaliy Kiselev]

The range of vest fitting sizes does need to be properly specified by Laing, and it is likely the vests are sourced from a third party. Being very slim myself, I have had "minimum fit issues" with a generic Chinese vest which is almost identical to the Laing vest in the image below (taken from a current Laing listing on AliExpress) ... (the only major differences being that the tails on my rear straps were incredibly and uselessy long with little velcro on them and the front shoulder pads were longer too) ... The rear strap tails in this picture seem conversely to be incredibly short and I wonder how they would fit big people?

Let make it from big pile into points:

1. Fitting data for vests must be provided, it is obvious.
2. Third party speculation is just pure unfounded specualtion here and is not true.
3. Attaching different vest you got somewhere and making assumptions based on it is weird.
4. Same goes with pasting photos and discussing vest that is not supplied with M-02 steadicam offered on deal.
5. Idea to provide vests suitable specifically for thin, tall or big persons had been discussed with members of group buy long before this post. And it is very good idea, of course.

Just so it'll be clear, Chris do not own Laing steadicam.

 

[Greg Cheng]

Vitaliy, when will we get an update of what the Liang system will have? Tomorrow, couple days, next week, a month? I think we need more feedback and communication with the rest of the group on the progress of the system, if it will ever be built. This is an open group forum that thrives on open communication, not just private PM's. I would like to know more than just that developers have received our information. At this rate, I'll be placing an order with ProLine before the Liang system gets an update.

If you could, give us a list of changes that will be made from the standard M02 system and what is still on the drawing board, as well as an eta for these. Perhaps provide a product video demo of the newer Liang rig or point out what will be done. Its just all so confusing at this point, I don't know what's happening with it.

I feel like if you spent more time telling us about your new modified product and selling it, rather than trying to defend it by telling people they are wrong, you would gain more interest. You must gain the respect of others, not demand it, especially if they are your customers. Its just common business practice. I say this to benefit you, not to insult you, as a potential customer.

 

[Vitaliy Kiselev]

Vitaliy, when will we get an update of what the Liang system will have?

I already told that I'll post info as I'll have it.

I feel like if you spent more time telling us about your new modified product and selling it, rather than trying to defend it by telling people they are wrong

Thanks for suggestions, unfortunately sometimes you have to do things that you also do not like much. I also like more to tell about product and features..

 

[Greg Cheng]

So it is safe for me to assume I won't see any sort of update soon. Thanks, that's all I need to know.

 

[Vitaliy Kiselev]

So it is safe for me to assume I won't see any sort of update soon. Thanks, that's all I need to know.

Hmm, it is strange conclusing from my post. I never said that I won't make update soon.

 

[Peter Lan]

Vitaliy, I believe Greg wanted an ETA as to when you are going to post update/photos since you said close to a week ago that you would provide updates in the next "two to three days". We need some confirmation things are being done or else its all just smoke and mirrors. Can you provide an definitive ETA as to photos and what has been done in terms of modifications?

 

[Steve Das]

Patience guys...believe the wait is for Laing production people to see what they can do...and at what price.

Still am curious on the centerpost diameter if it can be increased to 1.5 or 2 inch without breaking the bank on price.
Seems like a Laing with a cables through larger diameter centerpost and optional connector boxes to keep price down...
would offer the most potential since it could be sold to any camera owner

 

[Vitaliy Kiselev]

Still am curious on the centerpost diameter if it can be increased to 1.5 or 2 inch without breaking the bank on price.
Seems like a Laing with a cables through larger diameter centerpost and optional connector boxes to keep price down...
would offer the most potential since it could be sold to any camera owner

Increasing centerpost diameter is one of most complex things you can do with sled, as it requires redesign of top, bottom and gymbal parts.
Today many different cables exist and it is not so hard to find suitable cables for your rig that will fit inside.

 

[Vitaliy Kiselev]

Vitaliy, I believe Greg wanted an ETA as to when you are going to post update/photos since you said close to a week ago that you would provide updates in the next "two to three days".

Hmm, I also want to know this. Just remember that it is not my who invented "two to three days". Delays happen. Unfortunately.

 

[Peter Lan]

Hmm, I also want to know this. Just remember that it is not my who invented "two to three days". Delays happen. Unfortunately.

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showth...1800USD-Post-your-ideas&p=1166209#post1166209

your words, not mine. Anyways, we just need an ETA please.

Also, assuming from your words above, the center post probably will not be expanding in size. Its mainly a control issue more than just cabling through the center column. A thicker center post produces a more rigid rig to carry much more weight, while at the same time allowing finite control to a rig when flying.

 

[Greg Cheng]

I just want to hear some sort of communication about the product at hand. It is good to hear that there is a delay, rather than not telling us anything at all. Keep in touch on how things are going with the changes being made. If you need an extended amount if time, just say it. If You need a couple weeks to change the diameter of the post/gimble/sled design, just let us know.

 

[Vitaliy Kiselev]

Its mainly a control issue more than just cabling through the center column. A thicker center post produces a more rigid rig to carry much more weight, while at the same time allowing finite control to a rig when flying.

As far as I understand idea of bigger diameter of center post arised from two things - some guys like to have bigger diameter below gimbal to "have better control", plus like to put many thick cables with connectors.

As for more rigid rig, I have doubts here.

It'll be interesting to collect posts diameters for various sleds. One that i checked is that Zephyr has 28mm/24mm diameters (one of other measurements show 27mm/23mm).