Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • 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

Jack Lam said:
Thanks Kwan. The video of the Helix as remote head really seals the deal for me, and it clears any doubt I have about my purchase decision by going with the Helix.

I am still a little confused by the software side of things. I know there an Android app that is required to tweak the firmware settings on set. What kind of settings exactly? Is it something that needs to be adjusted all the time in the field? I am an iPad user, but I don't mind buying an Android tablet just for this purpose as part of the kit. Can I just buy any android tablet out there? Does it need to be "rooted"?

What's the recommended model of choice for the RC controller? I know Spektrum is mentioned a lot. I want something that is not too complicated (less thing to go wrong on set), but one that has all the features we need. It also needs to be robust & reliable, and most importantly, I plan to buy the Hurricane 3-axis Wheels in the future to control the pan&tilt in geared head style.

Lastly, how much delay is there when pan&tilt remote controlled? In the demo video by Matthias with the Hurricane Wheel and Movi on YouTube, I see a fair amount of delay when he reserves direction on the pan/tilt wheel. It takes a second or two before the Movi catches up. I don't know if that is due to the "feather" setting on the remote controller, or if that is something inherent in the Movi-Spektrum link. Does the Helix perform similarly in this aspect?
Click to expand...
Jack- You can control the Helix with Mac OS using BluTooth or USB if you don't want to buy an Android tablet. No iOS app yet, but if you don't mind carrying a laptop into the field...

For RC control any DX series Spektrum will do. A DX 8 or 9 is overkill. I'm using a Spektrum DX6i, and although i haven't worked with it much I haven't noticed any delay. I haven't tested with Hurricane Wheels.
 
No need for root. You can just download the free Simplebcg app from the Google Play store.

IOS is by third party and its limited. I have an iPad and I do wish I could use it though.
 
Emailed 24shot about their silencer pro but I'm not sure if it would work easily with the letus helix or how well it works. Requested a review system but was declined.
 
Hi guys, sorry if I'm out of the loop. Which batch shipment are we on right now... has batch 2 been released?
 
https://vimeo.com/103678200
(excuse "All of me", we'll be replacing that soon.) Scenes aren't fully matched and I'll probably match them later.

Used the gimbal for a wedding.
Didn't calibrate properly (switched edelkrone to magic arm) and used warp stabilizer (you'll see me at the end).
FS700 also on gimbal.
 
Last edited:
update is ok !!!
but i don't understand how autotune works with Helix.
with other gimbals during process, you should firmly hold your gimbal in hands but with the helix it's impossible !
 
Does anyone actually have a Helix in their possession yet? I saw on Letus' deposit page tonight that reservations being taken for Batch #2 are not expected to ship until late September at the earliest. I have had a reservation deposit in Letus batch #1.5 for 12 weeks now and have been "promised" the end of July, the beginning of August, and this week! I took the online GT training class on balancing the Helix yesterday and learned that Letus made a big firmware upgrade to the Helix onboard controller software this past Monday that is still being tested with the latest Basecam GUI and mobile android software.

I hate to say it, but it's starting to feel like the Helix has problems that Letus isn't talking about and they are slow shipping (if they're shipping at all) to keep from getting too many units in the field with problems.
 
Last edited:
Bob Berg said:
Does anyone actually have a Helix in their possession yet? I saw on Letus' deposit page tonight that reservations being taken for Batch #2 are not expected to ship until late September at the earliest. I have had a reservation deposit in Letus batch #1.5 for 12 weeks now and have been "promised" the end of July, the beginning of August, and this week! I took the online GT training class on balancing the Helix yesterday and learned that Letus made a big firmware upgrade to the Helix onboard controller software this past Monday that is still be tested with the latest Basecam GUI and mobile android software.

I hate to say it, but it's starting to feel like the Helix has problems that Letus isn't talking about and they are slow shipping (if they're shipping at all) to keep from getting too many units in the field with problems.
Click to expand...
If you look back a number of us have the units. We have posted a ton of video.

What update are you talking about? Because the basecam update came out.
 
Bob Berg said:
Does anyone actually have a Helix in their possession yet? I saw on Letus' deposit page tonight that reservations being taken for Batch #2 are not expected to ship until late September at the earliest. I have had a reservation deposit in Letus batch #1.5 for 12 weeks now and have been "promised" the end of July, the beginning of August, and this week! I took the online GT training class on balancing the Helix yesterday and learned that Letus made a big firmware upgrade to the Helix onboard controller software this past Monday that is still being tested with the latest Basecam GUI and mobile android software.

I hate to say it, but it's starting to feel like the Helix has problems that Letus isn't talking about and they are slow shipping (if they're shipping at all) to keep from getting too many units in the field with problems.
Click to expand...
If there is a problem guys in US can ship it back. It becomes a big hassle to resend through international shipping and customs. So it is better that they ship gimbals that are free from defects and work as promised. Having said that, Hien had earlier posted a mirror test with a wide angle lens and it passed that test. So till date we have only seen mirror test of Letus Helix and not from any other gimbal. It takes time to get the software mature. MoVI has a lead of a year and half and hence one can see its software working great. So if Letus continues to upgrade the software then it is good news and nothing to be worried about.

Gimbals are in the hands of people for a month or two. Not everybody has experience of 3 axis gimbals. So not many are posting videos. I understand there are others who are busy using it and not bothered to share feedback here. In this thread Note Suwanchote has been posting his trials with the Helix and one can get a fair idea of how it works. Hopefully Letus can ship more gimbals soon.
 
Helix is fantastic and were getting a lot of great footage with it, but as stated, many are learning new gimbal handling skills, or like me, have gimbal experience but not enough time to tune perfect settings for their config right now.



Bob Berg said:
Does anyone actually have a Helix in their possession yet? I saw on Letus' deposit page tonight that reservations being taken for Batch #2 are not expected to ship until late September at the earliest. I have had a reservation deposit in Letus batch #1.5 for 12 weeks now and have been "promised" the end of July, the beginning of August, and this week! I took the online GT training class on balancing the Helix yesterday and learned that Letus made a big firmware upgrade to the Helix onboard controller software this past Monday that is still being tested with the latest Basecam GUI and mobile android software.

I hate to say it, but it's starting to feel like the Helix has problems that Letus isn't talking about and they are slow shipping (if they're shipping at all) to keep from getting too many units in the field with problems.
Click to expand...
 
Bob Berg said:
Does anyone actually have a Helix in their possession yet? I saw on Letus' deposit page tonight that reservations being taken for Batch #2 are not expected to ship until late September at the earliest. I have had a reservation deposit in Letus batch #1.5 for 12 weeks now and have been "promised" the end of July, the beginning of August, and this week! I took the online GT training class on balancing the Helix yesterday and learned that Letus made a big firmware upgrade to the Helix onboard controller software this past Monday that is still being tested with the latest Basecam GUI and mobile android software.

I hate to say it, but it's starting to feel like the Helix has problems that Letus isn't talking about and they are slow shipping (if they're shipping at all) to keep from getting too many units in the field with problems.
Click to expand...

I got my Helix. Was shipped as promised. I believe I was Batch #1. We'e been crazy busy, and are about to put it through it's paces. But yes....they are shipping. I have one. Immaculately packed in a gorgeous, laser cut pelican.
 
Thanks Nick and everyone. It's good to know that a few Helix are actually getting out into the world. We had been hoping to have one in hand with enough testing time to use it on a production starting next week (that we've had in pre-production for six months), but that seems VERY unlikely now. Given the time it takes people to tweak these devices to make them useful, the leading edge of this technology is still a bit too soft to reliably replace our more "old-school" slider, Dana Dolly or SteadiCam. We wear our "Don't believe everything you hear at NAB" t-shirts with humility.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top