dont laugh too hard..

[Zakaree Sandberg]

what the hell is this?
claims it can handle 40lbs on ebay
it looks like it was made from homedepot, but wtf?
has anyone heard of this or tested its claimed weight capabilities?

http://www.thecinecity.com/product.php?productid=16193&cat=243&bestseller

[Zakaree Sandberg]

.....

[Joe Gill]

I've bought some stuf from them, and its functional but rough - they're sorta the russian arri camera of he new century - familiar but somehow a little coarse, and inexpensiveand some times cheap. They are very nice to deal with, I'll give them that....

[Zakaree Sandberg]

i mean.. it would be great to have such an inexpensive steady system for personal use.. but I cant believe the claim of holding anything more than 10 lbs

[Emmanuel Decarpentrie]

but I cant believe the claim of holding anything more than 10 lbs


I, for one, don't have any doubt about the fact it really can hold 22 lbs. Heck, a few years ago, I bought a very similar system from "Aigle-France" and it really could hold more than 20 lbs. If the arm's springs are strong enough, there is no doubt you will be able to hold 22lbs. But that doesn't mean everything is gonna be perfect though.

The real issue is that, with such low end, very cheap stabilizing systems, you will suffer from several point-of-views:

1) Your back will suffer because the vest isn't strong enough to do "its job properly" (it's pretty hard for me to explain this in English, for I don't know anything about the medical or mechanical vocabulary). To make a long story short: if you want to keep away from "pain-in-your-back" and from the "evil chiropractor" and make reasonably long shooting days with your "steadicam", better get the very best vest you can afford... Unfortunately, a good steadicam vest doesn't come cheap: 7000 US$ seems a reasonable minimum!

2) Your horizon will be very hard to keep, because the gimbal is/looks like crap. There, you really get what you're paying for: such a crappy gimbal is very hard to manipulate accurately.

3) The arm is gonna be anything but iso-force, which means you're gonna be forced to keep the camera always at the same height (which is approximately eye-level)

4) Your stabilizer will often be unusable because something (like a simple screw) broke down. Cheap steadicams exactly are what they are meant for: to be cheap!

This seems to be a perfect system for an amateur, keeping it for occasional personal use. But wannabe professional steadicam-flyers beware! This system certainly isn't for you!

[Mark L. Pederson]

I am pretty sure you would be laughed off any professional set with that.

We just got the new Artemis by Sachtler - they have a new model specifically for the RED - I'll be posting on it soon - Ian Bloom came over and flew it around the office -

http://www.artemis-hd.com/

They are also offering two years interest free financing on a lease to own.

It is a VERY impressive rig.

[Emmanuel Decarpentrie]

The Artemis seems to be an impressive rig indeed. But I've never heard any good feedbacks from professional flyers about the artemis though. Sachtler certainly makes very good fluid heads, but their reputation among steadicam builders isn't very strong so far.

OTOH, I've heard good things about Actioncam products (http://www.actionproducts.ch/), as well as the Glidecam V25, which I personally know very well and would recommend without any hesitation.

[Zakaree Sandberg]

Mark,
god i know.. i would never even think of using it on a pro set..
i would maybe use it in the confines of my bedroom with padded floors.

[Mark L. Pederson]

The Artemis seems to be an impressive rig indeed. But I've never heard any good feedbacks from professional flyers about the artemis though. Sachtler certainly makes very good fluid heads, but their reputation among steadicam builders isn't very strong so far.


The unit we have, which is new, and specifically build for the RED, is extremely impressive. We will be posting pics and footage soon -

[Mark L. Pederson]

The Artemis seems to be an impressive rig indeed. But I've never heard any good feedbacks from professional flyers about the artemis though. Sachtler certainly makes very good fluid heads, but their reputation among steadicam builders isn't very strong so far.


The unit we have, which is new, and specifically build for the RED, is extremely impressive. We will be posting pics and footage soon -

[Shawn Nelson]

Mark, you liked it better than the ActionCam unit that was built for Red?

[P Andersson]

a cheap steadicam is perhaps steadier than just handheld

[Priyesh P.]

The unit we have, which is new, and specifically build for the RED, is extremely impressive. We will be posting pics and footage soon -

on which of the existing rig is it built upon? the EFP?
I`ve never tested the Sachtlers for myself but thought it looked well built. I wonder what the issues were that arkham heard of.

I`ve heard some time back that Tiffen had plans for a Red specific Archer. Unfortunately it always takes ages for them to present new stuff - but then it`s extremely well built and functional.

[Priyesh P.]

a cheap steadicam is perhaps steadier than just handheld

depends on what you mean with "cheap" - working with a regular steadicam is not a walk in the park (it`s not just the vest, arm and sled but lots of additional equipment you have to bring with you, the system takes time to be properly set up (basic setup, rig, balance, dynamic balance, arm tension) and good shots need well planning and rehearsal) - not speaking about the physical power the operation requires.

Now put a "cheap" steadicam into the equation...

[Mark L. Pederson]

Mark, you liked it better than the ActionCam unit that was built for Red?
Yes. But I am also pretty sure the ActionCam is much cheaper. You get what you pay for. We have the new carbon fibre spring-arm from Artemis as well.

Again, I'll get some details, pics and footage up after IBC.

[Joseph Ward]

The unit we have, which is new, and specifically build for the RED, is extremely impressive. We will be posting pics and footage soon -

Can it take the weight of two RedOnes for Stereoscopic?

[Shawn Nelson]

Yes. But I am also pretty sure the ActionCam is much cheaper. You get what you pay for. We have the new carbon fibre spring-arm from Artemis as well.

Again, I'll get some details, pics and footage up after IBC.

The ActionCam, without monitor or batteries, is around $15k i believe, to go much more than that, you might as well be rockin a real steadicam. I'm very curious why you went with the Artemis over a steadi!

[Priyesh P.]

The ActionCam, without monitor or batteries, is around $15k i believe, to go much more than that, you might as well be rockin a real steadicam. I'm very curious why you went with the Artemis over a steadi!

even the archer (from tiffen/steadicam) comes around $30k - and that`s a rig for a lighter configuration.

[kidrobot]

I'm not laughing. This thing looks perfect for a hundred US pesos. I think they ship from India, atleast on Ebay. Maybe I won't need that monopod after all.

[Zakaree Sandberg]

ouch..