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Tilta Armor Man 2 vs Ready Rig

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B Kanegson

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Looking for feedback from gimbal users: Ready Rig can start a shot with lens walking low at ankle level and boom up to eye level continuously within a shot. Does Armor Man 2 have basement to eye level (or higher) range? Is Armor Man more comfortable? Does it have any clear advantages over Ready Rig? If anyone has experience with both rigs, appreciate your opinion.... Thanks!
 
Easyrig isn't really designed to walk around with (the desginer of it himself was surprised people are using it for that purpose!), you can quite noticably see how movements from your hips can transfer up and down to the camera rig.

But I didn't notice that to the same degree when using the Tilta Armor Man, because your arms' flexbility help act to isolate the swaying of the walking movement from the camera movement.

On the downside.... Armor Man is kinda a pain being locked into that without your hands free to the same extent as when I use an easyrig (althugh this is improved a bit in v2 of the Armor Man), so they each have their pros/cons.


I've never used the Ready Rig specifically, but from viewing it online I can't imagine that is has noticably greater degree of movement than you would with an Armor Man (if anything, I'd lean towards guessing the Armor Man has a slightly greater range of movement).
 
David Peterson said:
Easyrig isn't really designed to walk around with (the desginer of it himself was surprised people are using it for that purpose!), you can quite noticably see how movements from your hips can transfer up and down to the camera rig.

But I didn't notice that to the same degree when using the Tilta Armor Man, because your arms' flexbility help act to isolate the swaying of the walking movement from the camera movement.

On the downside.... Armor Man is kinda a pain being locked into that without your hands free to the same extent as when I use an easyrig (althugh this is improved a bit in v2 of the Armor Man), so they each have their pros/cons.


I've never used the Ready Rig specifically, but from viewing it online I can't imagine that is has noticably greater degree of movement than you would with an Armor Man (if anything, I'd lean towards guessing the Armor Man has a slightly greater range of movement).
Click to expand...

I don't know the price for the Ready rig but for the same money I would pick armor man. I love that thing.
You arms are free on the tilta, if setup correctly you can let go of it and it just floats in front of you. I got the FF on the bar and can easily dail in focus while walking and making a smooth move.
Another trick with the tilta us that you can set the gimbal overslung and get camera fairly high without having to work with your arms so high, that way I can shoot for hour long takes without stressing my arms. As if you hold your arms out at head level for a while even without carrying anything it gets a bit difficult after a while.

You can have the camera a bit below your knees and run with it below that you need to crunch a bit, then up just above eye level before you need to change to overslung.

For the price its amazing what tilta delivers. The two arms are really well built and the battery feature on the back is also very nice, Makes it easy to run camera, fiz etc from a V lock for really long takes or if you don't have the power distro box and many batteries for the ronin.

Also to me it seams like the stiff arms of the ready rig does not low much paning without turning your body, running and shooting sideways in smooth motion mood seams not really possible. More like it's built to hold the bar only quite straight. where as on the tilta movement seams to be more free.


I was amazed by it today. My wife wanted to test the ronin, first she tried to carry the quite heavy setup without the armorman and then she lasted for less than 10 seconds. With the exo she could do it until she got bored.

14045642_10154046353988043_4546621637784449239_n by Björn Benckert, on Flickr

14102475_10154046354008043_8949132801166587211_n by Björn Benckert, on Flickr
 
Yes, rotating torso does effect pan with Ready Rig. You can reduce the effect/ free it up by moving attachment points inward toward center of cross bar. You can also use only one support connected to center of cross bar (though I have not tested weight limit) in order to shoot sideways and freely pan at least 180. I think the "pro" version with higher weight limit and longer arms better at this.

Mrs. Benckert is helping to make a pretty good argument for the Armor Man 2! .... though I will probably never look as good in either vest....

May I ask, what is the procedure for coming off the dock into inverted mode with the Armor Man? Can you do it solo? Smoothly?

Thank you for sharing your experience.
 
Armor Man 2 Setup

Armor Man 2 Setup

Björn,

I now have an Armor Man 2 and I am using a Tilta Gravity with a Sony Fs7. I saw your street walking footage and was totally impressed! I have had the Armor Man for 3 days and I am struggling to tune it correctly. It came with no instructions and I hope you can help me.

Did you adjust the tension knobs on the elbows? If so, was it a matter of loosening them? Any other adjustments? Did you move the gimbals handles (in or out)?

What is your secret to getting rid of footsteps in your video?

I understand experience and practice goes a long way, but any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

Mike
 
Personally, huge fan of the ReadyRig. Very adjustable for your body type (I'm a little on the far side right now)... Well made, and easy to use. If you need to go from high to low or bottom basement low to high in a single shot - I think the ready rig is for you. It's just a more fluid design I believe. I will try to put my hands on Armorman 2 to try as well.
 
Hi there,

I am also on the lookout for the most practical gimbal support. I have reduced my choice to these 2 guys - the Tilta Armor Man 2 and the Ready Rig GS.

The information on the net for the the Armor Man 2 is still scarce, but the review of Mr Björn Benckert has given me some great insight. Thanks!

Now I also have stumbled upon this video:

https://vimeo.com/125273115

So as we can see, the Ready Rig seems to be very practical and more light-weight. Also the arms/hands of the operator are completely free. But maybe that freedom will sacrifice the Y-axis stabilization, that the mechanical arms of the Armor provide.

Any out of experience thoughts about the Ready Rig?
 
Have the ready rig right now and think its great. Just ordered the Armorman 2 to see if its any better. Just checkin it out to make sure. When I get it ill post back with my findings.
 
Alright Brody that would be great, when you have both items, you could do a real world comparison. I am concerned about the Y-axis stabilization especially during slow movements.
 
Hi, started this thread when Titla GB began, having had good experience with ReadyRig and wondering about Armor Man 2. Like Brody, opting to own both. Thanks to GB, not too painful a decision :-)

- Hope never to max out the Gravity while carrying, as load + gimbal + handle bar accessories could total 45lbs, which is a whole new ballpark. But anticipating that possibility, Max capacity of Armor Man 2 rated 46 lbs, where ReadyRig is 30 for regular and 40 for ProArm version.

- Armor Man 2 made by same design team as Gravity, so integrated design probably a plus with Gravity. Will experiment with the M-15.

- And, while hope never to be caught in rain (but it's gonna' happen), there are those drizzly days when there's a ton of ambient moisture. The ReadyRig, with carbon fiber and elastic working parts, seems much less vulnerable to moisture by its nature, so expect will appreciate having as my go-to option then.

Expect each vest will have advantages for different shots and circumstances, and like many Steadicam operators, will pick the tool for the job given parameters. (EG Klassen vest not good though a narrow doorway, so out comes the conventional vest...)

As far as the up-and-down axis, moderation of gait/ operator technique has a lot to do with results, so will see which is more forgiving under similar circumstances. Might be the case that one rig or the other favors a higher or lower weight range. (I know from experience the ReadyRig very adjustable) Will experiment to see what Armor Man 2 likes to do.

My thinking so far.
 
Hello, just checking in to say that I now have the Ready Rig and I am very happy with it. I think it is very easy to operate, and I do not need an assistant to get it on and off the Ronin. And it really gets the weight off my back. So far I do not have experience with any other exo, so I cannot talk about comparisons.
 
Mike Bailey said:
Björn,

I now have an Armor Man 2 and I am using a Tilta Gravity with a Sony Fs7. I saw your street walking footage and was totally impressed! I have had the Armor Man for 3 days and I am struggling to tune it correctly. It came with no instructions and I hope you can help me.

Did you adjust the tension knobs on the elbows? If so, was it a matter of loosening them? Any other adjustments? Did you move the gimbals handles (in or out)?

What is your secret to getting rid of footsteps in your video?

I understand experience and practice goes a long way, but any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

Mike
Click to expand...

I'm just adjusting the arm lengths so that they feel comfy and then fiddle with the spring loads so that the arms are in balance and folds in a nice way when pushing / pulling the rig up or down. So no secret tricks to share sadly. I try to make it so that it floats nicely infront of me when having the spring arms pretty much straight out and I let my hands go of the bar.
 
Mr Benckert, with a properly adjusted arms, does the Armorman perform a nice vertical stabilization as a steadicam would? Does it smooth your footsteps?
 
Hi Brody, (and anyone else who has used both systems)
Are there any updates to your thoughts on the ReadyRig GS and the Tilta Armorman 2?
I have not been able to compare the two myself. One downside for me with the Tilta is how heavy the rig itself is, especially the entire travel case it comes in, the huge heavy pelican compared to the more nimble ReadyRig system. Any thoughts on functionality? These units are priced similarly. Thanks!
 
Bjorn - I think you (BTS) and your wife (fashionable operator) should do promotional video for Tilta - maybe they can reward you with free products.
 
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