Dan,

hmm...re-reading my post, I wouldn't want to insult anyone. What I meant by 'stand on the sidelines' is the tendency I have seen is to bitch about what a massive profit companies must be making off this and that piece of equipment because they feel they could make it themselves for a fraction of the cost; while the latter may be true, they are not taking into account the overhead (personnel, operating costs, advertising etc.) that a manufacturer faces, and that many of these companies are not realizing anywhere near the profit that some feel they are. It's the "I think it should cost simply because I want it and I can't afford it" philosophy, as well as the "I can't see why a follow focus should cost half as much as my camera" without understanding the economics of a hand-assembled piece of gear from a small company vs a mass-produced piece of electronics from a massive company.

Let's not forget R&D! When designing rigs for my book, a huge amount of cash spewed forth in trial and error. Frankly, I don't know how a lot of these companies make it considering the small market (Hey, it's not like everybody needs a follow focus like a toothbrush!). I'm working on rigs for Volume 2 of "Killer Camera Rigs" and the cash outlay for parts and experimenting is considerable. And lord knows I go back to the drawing board more than once. And I'm sure once the beta builders get a hold of the new plans, there will be more futzing. I agree with you completely Charles: people just don't know what goes into this stuff. It took a year of sales for Volume 1 just for me to break even, and I don't even have to deal with mass manufacturing! Then there's that nasty fact that we don't have any copyright/patent agreement with China where the threat of cheap knock-offs are always looming over a company's innovation.

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Can anyone explain the purpose of a fig rig? It looks like a bus's steering wheel to me.

Dan and Charles,

Thanks for presenting the product costs so clearly, Thank you for talking about this issue.
We (The Manufacturers) can't do it, If we do, No one will believe us...

Danny Natovich
DvTec

Hi Dan,

There is a patent fee involved too for me. I have to budget US$100,000 for that process and consider a patent law suit will cost on average one million US dollars. All my savings now goes to my stablizer business without seeing one sell.

It is dear.

All these expense must be realized by selling the products.

Regards
Leigh

I guess that the purpose of a fig rig is you can attach lots of extra components on the camera like a holder around the circle.

Regards
Leigh

How could I forget that! I've got a rig in the patent pipeline, and I'll be skipping rent for the next year to pay for it. Hope my Landlord understands!

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Leigh-

There are already several manufacturers of camera stabilizers, as you are aware. Some are selling for much less than the price a Steadicam Flyer, like the Magiqcam, for example.

A manufacturer must also determine how many units they could sell in constrast to the amount of time and money it will require to have a functional unit. Often times, the investment is not worth the return.

Additionally, I am not certain if a stabilizer, using the components and basic technologies required for an economical product, are even patentable.

In the US, we have a phrase, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."
Have you heard of it?

best wishes-
Brian

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your advice.

You are very kind. ;-)

Regards
Leigh