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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 :)

Letus Gimbal

Peter Corbett said:
And that feature is.......?
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Not enough room behind the camera to accommodate longer brain configurations. Again - for the record - this is not something "wrong" with the product. Just a limitation of this type of layout common to all gimbals with similar arrangement of axis.
This better illustrates what I need - complete freedom of length along the roll axis...:

pro-PhotoHigher-mount-AV200.jpg


The Letus is indeed an amazing product - just not what I need...

:sifone: Peter
 
Scanned through this thread again, looking for delivery estimates.
The only thing I saw was "3 weeks" quoted at NAB.
Another mentioned 'software issues' .... on what , bascam is done, so what is that ?

Basic question : When will 3-axis versions be shipping to Reduser pre-orders ?

Thanks!
 
Aaron,

I'm a Sony F5 owner but I hang out here on the Red forum. Can the Helix fly the F5 and F55 easily? Body weight (no VF) for the F5 is 5.9lbs but with the top plate, cards and mount for follow focus, this will increase. I think the Epic is under 5lbs?
 
Peter Majtan said:
Not enough room behind the camera to accommodate longer brain configurations. Again - for the record - this is not something "wrong" with the product. Just a limitation of this type of layout common to all gimbals with similar arrangement of axis.
This better illustrates what I need - complete freedom of length along the roll axis...:The Letus is indeed an amazing product - just not what I need...:sifone: Peter
Click to expand...

I understand. Now you mention it, I'm just wondering about the length thing before I commit. I have a Sony F5 which I would think is a bit longer than the Red Epic.
 
Les Dittert said:
Basic question : When will 3-axis versions be shipping to Reduser pre-orders ?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I believe they are still forecasting May for the pre-orders. The website says for non-RED users (placing preorders starting tomorrow) that shipping is expected to be late May, early June. So that sounds consistent with May for RED users.
 
It looks like that axis is on a dovetail - you can slide the whole thing back - Or do you need to slide it back more than 1-2 feet?
 
Matthew B said:
It looks like that axis is on a dovetail - you can slide the whole thing back - Or do you need to slide it back more than 1-2 feet?
Click to expand...

Your CG needs to be as close as possible to the center of the three axis - in fact is should be dead-on, which is why you need to balance your rig in the first place. The weight capacity of each gimbal is calculated as such. I doubt any gimbal would manage its load weight if offset from the axis even by few inches, let alone feet... ;o)

:sifone: Peter
 
+1 on confirming on the 'maximum length of the camera question... ' (In this version of the Helix)
 
Maximum camera length is impossible to set as it is more about the CG balance. Some might have a super compact and lightweight lens with the rear XL module making the CG leaning more towards back, while other might have the same overall camera length, but consisting of large and heavy lens and side handle for battery - resulting in CG being far more forward (not good for this type of gimbal). So there is not one simple answer. From my own experience (I currently have a gimbal with same axis arrangement) - you will need to stay rather compact. That means no long (and heavier) lenses and certainly nothing on the back of the camera - powering via custom cable that hopefully comes with the gimbal. Once you add matte-box and filters things get even more complicated, never mind any FIZ control...

:sifone: Peter

EDIT - The question needs to be along the lines of what weight is supported at what distance between CG and the rear mounting joint of the roll axis (which is where the weight matters). There is a limit on how far forward can you move the CG at each particular weight load. That is the proverbial million dollar question...
 
Dimitri Boschma said:
+1 on confirming on the 'maximum length of the camera question... ' (In this version of the Helix)
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I'm convinced now that this is a "design flaw" or rather a limitation that restricts the Helix to RED Epic, Canon C-series and other small cube-style cameras or DSLR's. For F5/F55 and Alexa users, I think the extended length of the camera bodies are incompatible for the rear design of the Helix. Sad as I so want to get one. But I don't want to buy a new camera to go with it. :sad:
 
Peter Corbett said:
I'm convinced now that this is a "design flaw" or rather a limitation that restricts the Helix to RED Epic, Canon C-series and other small cube-style cameras or DSLR's. For F5/F55 and Alexa users, I think the extended length of the camera bodies are incompatible for the rear design of the Helix. Sad as I so want to get one. But I don't want to buy a new camera to go with it. :sad:
Click to expand...

Guys, chill out. They already at NAB stated that they will come out with a model that can hold Alexa and other larger camera bodies.
 
I am curious if this model would take a red one body w/ Nikon prime?
 
My take on this whole CG thing is this:

If you know what camera configuration you might want to put on this, build it up that way and measure where the fore-aft CG is. You can easily get a good approximation just by setting it on a pencil (or rod) on a table and moving it until it would be about balanced. Measure how much is in front of and behind the center point and then you can eyeball the renderings that Hien has posted to get a sense of how far back and forward you can shift the sled on the 3rd axis U bracket. (Maybe he will even be kind enough to post some measurements.)

Having limits is certainly not a "design flaw." It just means you can't use it in situations for which it clearly wasn't designed. Let's not forget that a really big, heavy camera won't do so well in most uses of a handheld device anyway; unless you are The Hulk. :-)
 
Terry VerHaar said:
My take on this whole CG thing is this:

If you know what camera configuration you might want to put on this, build it up that way and measure where the fore-aft CG is. You can easily get a good approximation just by setting it on a pencil (or rod) on a table and moving it until it would be about balanced. Measure how much is in front of and behind the center point and then you can eyeball the renderings that Hien has posted to get a sense of how far back and forward you can shift the sled on the 3rd axis U bracket. (Maybe he will even be kind enough to post some measurements.)

Having limits is certainly not a "design flaw." It just means you can't use it in situations for which it clearly wasn't designed. Let's not forget that a really big, heavy camera won't do so well in most uses of a handheld device anyway; unless you are The Hulk. :-)
Click to expand...

From the back to the furthest camera mounting point is 142mm. Remember, this is only to the mounting point of the camera. The camera can stick out from that point. To get it in perspective, the demo version was 122mm, and Red Scarlet sits around 30mm from the furthest point. I then increased it by another 20mm for wider range of cameras. FYI, the F5/F55 body would mount no problem on it. With the recorder/battery, it's too long
 
Hien,

Is it possible to offer a longer mounting plate that can be used with F5/F55 or longer Epic configurations (ie with +1 module, Redlink Module, perhaps even Pro IO)? I know people will want to have a relatively light camera setup, but I would think the less breaking down that needs to be done on the camera side of things before putting it in the Helix will result in a generally more content and diverse user-base. They may not have happy biceps, but for all the other potential uses for the Helix given the 4th axis, some expandibility re:camera length (within reason and weight considerations) would be a welcome thing IMHO.

Personally, my plan would be to use the Helix with an Epic with at least the +1 module, primes or small zoom, but if there was ever a need to add something additional onto the camera (battery plate and dionic, for instance, or who knows, a revived proxy module), I would want to have that flexibility. Same goes for when a producer insists I shoot on a different camera like the F55...just hope it could still be feasible provided the weight falls within a certain limit deemed manageable by Letus.

Thoughts?

Best,
Clint
 
I would also like the flexibility to use the new REDlink module on the back of my Epic, or some module of similar size that has yet to be developed. I suspect that with the additional 20mm Hien added, this would probably work, but, then again, if the lens is very heavy, it could require more clearance in the back to get the COG coincident with the tilt axis. So +1 on trying to get enough rear clearance to accommodate setups with a small module on back of the Epic and at least a medium weight lens (whatever that is, LOL), for me, something like a Canon 24-70 f2.8 L series.
 
hienle said:
Aaron will setup a private chat room so all the early adopters will have a private conversation with us. NDA will be needed as we will disclose a lot of cool stuff.
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I find myself wondering when this chat room will be set up. :smiley:
 
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