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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

Brad Crawford said:
looks great, seems well balanced and working well. Also thanks for posting the total weight how much did just the camera weigh in at? How long did it take to achieve balance?
Click to expand...
Right now my brother does the balancing and it takes him 1-2 minutes (usually).

The weight is about
BMCC + SSD + Cage = 5.2lbs
Sigma 18-35 + Speedbooster = 2.167lbs
Smallhd DP7 Pro + 2 Sony NPF950 + thin SDI = 1.687
= ~9.05 lbs

Gimbal is roughly 6-6.5 lbs (I have not measured)
 
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Note thanks for all your posts on this unit :)

Sitting on the fence here between HELIX and RONIN.

Sure the price helps lean towards the RONIN but I cant help think the HELIX makes more sense to me tech wise.
 
WARNING: These comments are from a guy who is biased, albeit on the basis of a careful personal analysis of the different designs, but with no prior experience with either product. So...

It was always my position that the unique design of the Helix is its main strength. Positioning the camera between the hands rathe than 15-18 inches below just made sense to me. I still feel that way after having spent some time operating the Helix. An additional benefit of the design that I have now experienced is the ability to go from high shots (as high as you can reach) down to ground level (suitcase mode) in one continuous motion. Other designs can shoot high and low, but I see no way that a single operator can drop from the high to the low shot. Others may have more information about this.

Weight - 3 axis system comes in at about 6 lbs.

Another unique capability: the ability detach the first axis and put it on to a steadicam sled for steadying the horizon.

The 4th Axis allows mounting on a steadicam arm/vest easily and quickly and works well, in my experience so far. Another somewhat unique feature although I think others are trying to get this going as well.

The build is excellent. The customer service is phenomenal. There have been tweaks and improvements in hardware since the initial design and there are ongoing improvements in software which is really just at the beginning. This is a system that is going to grow even more than it already has. The firmware profiles have gotten very good in just a couple weeks and will continue to improve, albeit in smaller increments since they are pretty solid now. The commitment to this product at Letus is absolute. They are an already successful company that can deliver. Hien, the president and "main design guy," is a great combination of genius and pragmatism. He got the initial product out quickly and then listened carefully to feedback.

Portland, OR based and very accessible. Heck, drop by if you are in the vicinity. I hear they'll buy you pizza! :smiley:

Be forewarned, you will get immersed in working with this product as it is immensely flexible and you may find yourself wanting to master its use. You may enjoy it immensely as I do, but don't say I didn't warn you.
 
Thanks Terry nice post :)

Have you tested the Single Axis on a Steadicam?

Do you have the Fourth Axis?

Can you upgrade form Third to Fourth?
 
Eric - I have not personally tested the one axis set-up yet, although I plan to. I think Paul Kalbach may have done so. Perhaps he will chime in.

I do have the 4th axis option and have just briefly used it. It seems to work well and just may be the best way to go with a heavier setup (fully dressed Scarlet/Epic). One observation here is that you really don't seem to need a heavy duty arm/vest set-up. I have a Zolinger unit that is rated for around 9 kilograms (IIRC) and it seems to be overkill.

Upgrading from 3 to 4 is simply a matter of purchasing the 4th axis arm whenever you are ready. In fact, you can start with the one axis set-up if you want, then progress to 3rd, then 4th incrementally.
 
Great to know about the upgrade paths.

I will def start at Third Axis.

I am curious about the use of the Fourth Axis with a vest.

So basically its a best with arm attached to the HELIX?

I haven't seen any videos or pics on this setup to date.
 
Eric - The 4th axis is set up like in this picture:

http://letushelix.com/4th-axis-stabilization/

Then, the bearing that you see in the middle of the lower bar is placed on to the pin in the steadicam arm. At that point, the 4th axis can be moved freely on the arm, and rotated via the center bearing, while you still control the pan and tilt in the normal 3rd axis manner. The 4th axis will remove much/all (if you're good!) of the vertical movement of the whole unit.

I may have a photo of me with this set-up. I'll post if I can get ahold of it.

BTW - you didn't hear it from me but I think the clever folks at Letus are looking at a variety of different ways to utilize the 4th axis set-up with other types of vertical stabilizer technology. The one specific one being looked at is the Serene unit that is being promoted elsewhere on RU. (But there are other ideas being floated around, too.)
 
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I have photos of mine experience I'll put up. Yesterday I had technical questions about the Letus—it was around 930pm. I received a response and Skyped Hien at 950pm.
 
OK - here is me with 4th axis on arm/vest. Not as clear of a view as one would like but you get the idea.
 

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Terry/Note

Thanks and man that stealth vest setup is crazy cool ;)

So far Im 99% sold on the HELIX :)
 
Well I'm in the que at #178.

I don't know what that means but I'm excited ;)

Thanks Terry and Note for the push :)
 
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