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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

Just ordered the helix an hour ago! Will be sure to post some vids with some test footie and thoughts on the device once i get my grubby mitts upon it.

My main deciding factor to go with helix over ronin is quite silly, batteries. Most jobs I shoot on both the epic and my motion controlled time lapse rigs, thats a total of four battery types and chargers on top of laptop + phone. Adding yet another set of batteries and chargers to the mix would make my brain melt. With helix I can power off my red bricks and battery belt...Done.

Also looks easier to operate solo and looks like I don't need to carry around a stand to calibrate it.

Stoked!
 
I denifitely see the advantages of the Helix design, specially since I'm not a very strong person, the fact of having the camera already almost at eyelevel is a big plus. And the fact that I can see my elbows close to my body, will also help a lot after a few minutes of operating. I'm still on the fence, thinking it is all so new, that is surely must get even better. No hurry...
 
The new update is a lot better in my opinion. Haven't tested it yet (going to today.)

Got DP7 Pro SB and it's thicker but smaller and easier to mount on a gimbal.
 
Enrique Blein said:
See what I mean? Here I am mouth watering over the Helix and this comes out: http://steadxp.com

Times are changing too fast...
Click to expand...

However, post stabilization has plenty of issues. Motion blur from the motion bumps when stabilized ruins the footage. Lens distortions from wide lens's or just general causes jello looking results.
You don't even need that gadget. Modern stabilizers can figure out where the camera is pointing anyhow. Sure , the actual data would help, but not that much IMO.
 
Enrique Blein said:
See what I mean? Here I am mouth watering over the Helix and this comes out: http://steadxp.com

Times are changing too fast...
Click to expand...

Hardly something new. This technology is already used though packaged differently. Results are not as exciting as they are portrayed. Of course it's nice to have yet another option in stabilizing though.
 
I have Spektrum DX4e (about $60) and I know others have the DX6. I think pretty much any Spektrum device will do. The more expensive ones have more capabilities but I am not sure if that really translates to better/more control of the Helix.
 
Terry VerHaar said:
I have Spektrum DX4e (about $60) and I know others have the DX6. I think pretty much any Spektrum device will do. The more expensive ones have more capabilities but I am not sure if that really translates to better/more control of the Helix.
Click to expand...


Thanks Terry. The DX4e looks like a good choice. The perfect controller for us would be small (if possible).
It seems that tilt and pam would be the critical controls. Are there other controls on the transmitter that could be beneficial?
 
I haven't used mine since the one outdoor test I did on a playground in late July, which went well, all things considered, and gave me great confidence that -- with practice and some software fine tuning -- the Helix would give me everything I hoped for in a handheld stabilizer. I certainly had planned to do a lot more with it by now, but weather, lack of assistance, and time were factors the first couple of weeks I had it. And what I didn't anticipate was that something would happen in early August that radically affected my personal life and the unfolding story that is the subject of my passion film project, a documentary about the intense, often excruciatingly painful spiritual transformation that started for me over five years ago.

That project had more or less been on hold for 18 months, and I felt like I'd hit a motivational/emotional wall where it was concerned. So this latest, turbo-charged impetus to continue literally came out of the blue. I'm devoting nearly all my time these days to writing and working on the structure for the film, shot descriptions, etc, with hopes to resume actual shooting in early 2015. The Helix will figure into the project in more ways than just as a production tool since it proved a pivotal symbol in this very important, perhaps culminating phase of my journey. In that sense, it's already been invaluable to me, even though I have yet to shoot a real scene with it.:-)

My experience probably isn't typical, but I'm sure others have their own reasons for either not shooting as much as they may have planned or not feeling motivated to share what they have shot. I still hope to do some real testing with it once the energies in my own mind and psyche calm down enough to let me split focus away from writing. But I'm in NW Florida, and, for some reason, the hottest, most humid time of the year wasn't July, as usual, but August and even into the first week of September. It is so muggy and YUCKY outside right now (rumbling thunder, 90 degrees, and nearly 90% humidity) that it's been easy to just say "I'll wait."
 
Hey Samir,

I'l'l echo Elizabeth and say that time has really been at a premium this summer. As well, I'm not able to share much of what I've shot regrettably due to client agreements.

That said, I'll reiterate that the Helix Hardware design and Support is simply among the very best there is, and every day the software - and my understanding of it improves tremendously.

My goal is to shoot something exciting with it that I can actually share in the next 2-4 weeks and will let you know when I do...sorry it can't be sooner.

If you're itching to get a gimbal today, I can't recommend the Helix enough and would be happy to chat offline or on the phone as I own 3 different gimbals since I started collecting em last November and am even awaiting a 4th lol.



Thank you,
 
Elizabeth and PC I understand time is in little supply sometimes. I was just surprised even Letus themselves wouldn't hire a couple people to go out and shoot all sorts of random stuff to create interesting things to show and create some more buzz and show differences between this gimbal and others. I've had my deposit in for a while. I received my email already for making the full payment. I still suspect I will close on the purchase but I don't have the funds at the moment. So it would have been nice to at least see more and more sample videos from actual users out there to definitively make a decision to take delivery of one of these rather than devote future income towards something else in the short term.
 
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