I'm looking for recommendations for steadicams for use with the EX3. My EX3 when loaded weighs in at about 11 pounds. a monitor will add to this weight. What do you recommend that I consider?

I was considering the Flyer F-24, but had no idea it ran nearly $13K! Are there any products that perform similarly but cost less?

Check out the excellent article by my pal Charles Papert -

Steadicam Pilot Review Part One by Charles Papert, S.O.C. (http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/camsupport/steadicampilot1.php)

Hi Ted,

I was looking at the Flyer LE for 5 minutes but decided against any Steadicam/Glidecam. Not so much because of the $10K+ price, but after watching a few DVDs and youtube videos I thought about the long learning time, with some operators never getting the hang of it.

Nonetheless, if I had invested in one, I'm sure that I would have practiced with it to become proficient enough to work its magic.

I may look at the LE in the future but not just now.

Hope you find what you are looking for.
Best wishes

Check out the excellent article by my pal Charles Papert -

Steadicam Pilot Review Part One by Charles Papert, S.O.C. (http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/camsupport/steadicampilot1.php)

On their website, they specify that the pilot is designed for a lighter cam - maybe an EX1 with stock battery...

Ted, your question is a big one on my mind as well. There is a comment here in another thread that the Flyer LE may be in for a sizable improvement come this spring including some of the advantages of the Pilot with the weight system and so on. Here (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/stabilizers-steadicam-etc/) is the Steadicam forum page on DVinfo for those that haven't found it yet.

EDIT:

This (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/stabilizers-steadicam-etc/135415-sony-ex-3-goes-pilot-but-possible-2.html) thread is particularly useful as well.

I have the Flyer-LE for the EX3, and I'm very happy with it. The Flyer had a major upgrade only this year, so I'm not sure you could expect another upgrade so soon. Steadicam product life seems to be longer usually.

With the excess capacity over the weight of the EX3 you have options for the inevitable feature creep with accessories, transmitters, receivers, j-box, rails, matte box, 35mm adaptors, follow focus, etc.

I have the Flyer-LE for the EX3, and I'm very happy with it. The Flyer had a major upgrade only this year, so I'm not sure you could expect another upgrade...

David, curious what config you got of the Flyer-LE (http://www.steadicam.com/video_flyerle.htm). I would assume that you went through a process similar to what any EX3 owner would go through.

I am at a point where I am contemplating an external monitor above and beyond the Steadicam one. So I am not sure if I should hold out on the monitor purchase and simply use the one that you can get with the Flyer or is it cheaper and better to buy it without the monitor and pick up a Marshall (http://www.lcdracks.com/monitors/v-lcd84sb-afhd.html) with the full array of inputs and outputs. As well did you pick up the Anton Bauer mount along with the compact vest?

The full retail price (http://www.steadicam.com/images/content/F24LE_71408_list.pdf) difference between the basic Flyer-LE to the fully kitted out one is $8,000 to $14 to $15,000

Hi Andy:

You could pick up a used Flyer that would serve your purposes nicely for quite a bit less than the Flyer 24 (you likely wouldn't need the 24v aspect anyway unless you plan to shoot film--so far the digital camera world has held to 12v). I myself picked up a used late model Flyer in quite nice condition for $5K this year.

What are the accessories you are running on your EX3 out of curiousity? and FYI--since that camera is a 12v camera (unlike many of its class that are 7.2v), you can power it directly off the rig, eliminating the onboard battery for weight purposes. This would be the case with either Pilot or Flyer. At that point you would be at the upper weight limit of the Pilot but probably still quite workable.

I have the base model, F24LEVLNN SD monitor, v-mount, low-mode, softcase, four Swit 88ah, dual charger. I ummmd and ahhh over the HD-SDI version, but decided the extra cost wasn't worth it for me. The SD monitor is pretty good for framing, and rarely gets obscured enough to force some neck craning. I take the view finder off, so you can use the on camera LCD in a pinch.
I run everything from the v-mounts, through a Remote Audio BDSv2 j-box. I use an Ebay special AV transmitter to keep the director happy, and whatever else is needed, matte box, audio receiver, etc, on Cinevate Proteus rails. Light and very strong. I have the capacity for a 35mm adapter and follow focus, but never used one yet.
For the cost, the quality of the images you can obtain is pretty impressive. It's a very flexable setup. I have a DM base plate and Sachtler quick releases coming to speed up moving to tripod.

What are the accessories you are running on your EX3 out of curiousity?

Century .75 wide angle (alone almost 2 lbs), mattebox, on camera Sennheiser mic with shockmount (not heavy) and Proteus Rails. Less frequently: Sennheiser wireless transceiver & Frezzi light (both are not that heavy either). I also have a Letus Extreme but on a Steadicam it may simply be wishful thinking. Picking up the angled baseplate in a few weeks to deal with the tripod mount problem (again probably not that heavy).

Thanks for your time Charles.

Gotcha, that's a lot of stuff (and amazing that it only stacks up to 11 lbs)! Glad to see you are not wasting precious payload on things like a follow focus--seems sort of obvious that one wouldn't fly with that but I have seen pix of people's rigs with the knob on board while they are struggling to minimize the load--hmm!

Within the next year it is certain that one or another manufacturer will be introducing a sub-$1000 wireless focus system, which will make 35mm adaptor rigs much more stabilizer-friendly, so it's worth leaving some real estate and payload available for that (between receiver and motor, figure 1lb to be safe).

I'm seeing a lot of Glidecam X10 systems on ebay for only a couple thousand [EDIT - about the same price as on their site] - how do these measure up? Some would require upgrading the 2000pro stabilzer to a 4000pro one for another $500 or so. This pricing is more in my range. Am I missing something?

I'm sure I'm tipping the scala slightly with an EX3 package, but I could lighting things by a pound or so if necessary.

No one has asked you what for and how often you expect to use it. State your intentions ;-)

I believe the Glidecams use an old (gimbal) design.

The disadvantage of the Pilot rig is that you're starting out at the max load and you can't use it to fly other heavier setups if you are asked to (or want to rent for projects).

An advantage is that it is probably easier to sell should you want to upgrade or if you decide that it's not for you after all...

As I said I don't know how (often) you expect to (need to) fly the EX. If you need to all the time and/or want to get hired as an operator, invest in versatility and go for a "bigger than essentially needed rig", like an Actioncam. This also goes if you see yourself renting bigger gear for productions or flying anything but your own stuff.

Then again, if it is just something you will use some of the time and only to "fly your own" and/or you're not sure it's for you at all, then go with a Pilot or something less costly.

George/

Thanks, George.

I am thinking of being hired as an operator, and am wanting to get something to begin practicing with. I'll keep your suggestions in mind as I shop and choose.

Thanks.

Boy, those Actioncam systems look nice, but too pricey for me.

Ted:

I'm taking your last two comments into consideration.

Becoming a Steadicam operator for hire is almost always a pricey venture. Unless you are able to maintain a satisfactory business with employers who happen to only use 1/3" cameras, you will ultimately need to work yourself into a rig that can manage cameras up to 45lbs+. A fully loaded 2/3" camera is generally less than this but you never know what accessories or specialized situation might be called for (teleprompter? snorkel lens? 3D setup?). A loaded RED can easily weigh this. Every operator I know that starts with a lower capacity rig at some point realizes they have to bite the bullet and move up, and it's rare that they immediately make that money back (it's more a function of getting a few calls that they have to turn down which gets their head turned around). It is extremely unnerving to be getting paid as a Steadicam operator and having to start sweating whether you are getting close to the top of your load capacity when a DP asks if they can add an onboard light or an unexpected lens etc.--you don't need to add this to the already major list of pressures you face.

In other words, if you want to be an operator for hire, be prepared to spend a lot of money. How much? The Actioncam at $27K is quite inexpensive for the weight capacity it supports. Generally that is the realm of $38-45K rigs. There are even cheaper rigs out there that claim to be able to manage a full-load camera but they are frankly not highly performing and with limited resale value. If you do a lot of homework you can get into a used full-size rig for about the same as a new Actioncam. I won't go much more into detail about this aspect of rig ownership.

However it doesn't end there; you will need remote lens controls that are solid and reliable (no RC motor homemade systems). This can cost anywhere from $10K to 40K. Then there are video transmitter/receivers, a mountain of cables (most of us have probably $10K worth!) and other bits and pieces that start adding up to where you are in the $75 to 100K range or more. The replacement value on my package is somewhere around $140K, but this is about as fully loaded as I would ever need outside of some really obscure accessories that I can easily rent for the one time in 8 or 10 years that they are called for.

This is not intended to scare you off from wanting to become an operator for hire, but to point out that this particular profession is an initially expensive one. Once your gear is paid for, it's a nice income but it takes a lot of commitment.

My suggestion for now is to get yourself into a used Flyer so you can get started with your current setup and see how you feel about it. If you love every minute of it, can't wait to get into the vest and work out, take a workshop and study the masters, find yourself talking non-stop about Steadicam to your friends and family etc., you'll know it's for you and you can start thinking about the next step with your gear and putting yourself out there for hire. But I believe it is useful to get a handle on just how much you may be looking at dropping down the road before you get going.

Charles,

Wow, great post.

Thanks so much - I'll take your advice and start small and work my way up - or not!

Charles I have looked at all of the various courses being offered over the next 6 months or so. Some are offered by the Steadicam Operators Assn (http://www.steadicam-ops.com/workshoplist.shtml) & others by Tiffen (http://www.thesteadicamworkshops.com/) are more brief. From what I can gather the one in Pennsylvania appears to be the most thorough.

Is this the one you would recommend? Also would you recommend that one spend serious time prior to the course with a Steadicam or wait till the course.

Hello :)

maybe I am too late to join this thread, but I miss the Sachtler systems.
To me the best for the money at the moment. And starts from very small but professionel to high end.

Take a look at: Artemis - Sachtler GmbH (http://www.artemis-hd.com)

Peter

Oh BTW ... that's what I found by accident just a few seconds ago.
Interesting how steadicamoperators seem to work in different countries :)

steadicam steadycam basson steady (http://www.bassonsteady.com.ar/shop/index.asp)