I was wondering, how is the instructional video
that comes with the JR? Is it pretty helpful?

Yes. Many goodies in there, plus it's hosted by none other than Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown, who after all knows a few things about the subject!

There will be a new video on the subject coming out by Spring '04--keep watching this space for details...

...and when will we see your instructional video Charles? :)

Spring '04, I bet.
One thing that is not mentioned very often regarding
the handheld stabilizers is the placement of the handle.
Some, like the Glidecam 2000, are offset. It appears
that the Hollywood Lite VS-1 handle is also offset.
I would think this could contribute to wrist fatigue
as it seems you'd always be trying to keep the whole
shabang from going nose down. Anyone know if the
JR has the hand grip positioned directly under center?

Originally posted by Dave Largent : Anyone know if the
JR has the hand grip positioned directly under center?
I guess the answer would be: sort of.

It is in the center of the rig, but it's just in front of where you screw the camera onto the Steadicam. So it would be just in front of the center of gravity of the camera.

I am fairly convinced that the offset handle does contribute a bit to fatigue, which is why I like the JR design. There are some other stabilizers now with a similar design, Hollywood Lite makes one for instance.

I had a couple of questions regarding the practical use of the JR.
If I want to go quickly from tripod to JR, can I set the
stabilizer up ahead of time (i.e. balance and so forth)
so that I can just put the cam on and not have to
re-balance? Would some type of quick release plate
be good in this situation?
Also, between flying shots, how does a person set the
cam and JR down?

"Anyone know if the JR has the hand grip positioned directly under center?"
It is directly under the CG, as far as I know. The camcorder is set back a litle but because of the lean V shape of the JR, you have some weight in front of the stabilizer that balances the camcorder. When the JR is properly balanced, the CG of the system is just over the hand grip...

Always weird how I post sometimes and it doesn't show up. Hmmm...

Some use the Bogen quick release, but you are adding weight, shifting the vertical CG and possibly adding vibration to the system as a flex point.

To rest, you simply fold the hinge on the JR and it sits flat on its base. Very easy.

I'd like to try the JR, but with a wide on my VX2000,
and bigger battery, it's probably pushing the
specified weight limit of the unit. Anyone have info
on how the JR works out with the heavier cams
such as is my situation, or with a DVX100.
I'd like to go without the wide but due to the
close distance I'm shooting from, I don't think
I'd be able to get away with it.
I've also read that the JR is easy to tripod mount,
and also to shoulder mount. Does this mean
I can set it up on a tripod, and for a quick release
remove it from the tripod and "fly" off? Any one
else have experience using the JR tripod mounted?
Any VX2000/PD150 JR users?
I see at the Steadicam site that it's listed that
there is an "optional weight kit" available for use
with the PD. Must the PD be stripped down to
the bone? Anyone used this optional kit?

Hi Dave, I can only answer a few of your questions so please, anyone who can address the issues specific to these cameras, chime in. I haven't flown my JR since my old Hi-8 camera died about 5 years ago!

People have overloaded the JR for a while, and it will work, but you have to add weight to the bottom if you are overweight on the top. Make sure you have the "heavy" stop block in and the weights you add are as low as possible (I would even tape them underneath the battery housing rather than on top, if that doesn't interfere with your other activities).

You can attach your quick release to the bottom of the JR for tripod mounting and be off and flying in seconds. Sorry, I should have mentioned this in an earlier post--again, I haven't flown the thing in a while! Thanks for reminding me.

Other units out there advertise higher weight capacities. Just be aware that the more weight one piles on, the shorter shooting time you will have until fatigue takes you out. If you are seriously considering doing a lot of stabilized shooting with this class of camera, perhaps saving up your pennies for a body-mounted rig would be a worthwhile investment.

I have the quick release plate that comes with the Bogen 503 head. So, instead of attaching the plate to the bottom of my VX, I attach the JR to the bottom of my cam and I attach the plate to the bottom of
the JR? And it'll come off the tripod balanced
(assuming it was balanced when I put it on the tripod)?

That's right! In fact, that quick release will help add a bit of needed bottom weight right there...

Is there some type of counterbalance on the unit
to account for the LCD screen being open, or
isn't this required?
I know of someone who uses the Steadytracker
and he said it has helped, but it has no gimbal
and I seem to recall you saying that non-gimbaled
is okay for walking with but for the standing-still
shots gimbaled gives better results.
Isn't it true that the Steadicam gimbal itself is
one of the best in the stabilizer industry and
this is one thing that sets the Steadicam apart?

To compensate for the open LCD you would rack the camera the opposite direction on the top stage. Most stabilizers allow for this, including the JR.

Using a camera's flip-out LCD vs a stabilizer with an integrated LCD is not ideal for a couple of reasons. One is that if you need to pan hard right, you will lose sight of the image unless you are able to make a body pan, which isn't always physically possible. When you are following someone through a doorway and they turn right, you will want to start panning the camera to the right well before your body is able to get through the doorway, so there is a second or two of blindsiding going on. With the monitor mounted centrally on the spar, you get a better view at most times, plus you can peripherally see where your feet are going (it's a big help!)

Another reason is that the screen is like a little sail, making the system a bit more likely to wander in gusts of wind. Not nearly as big a deal as the previous issue.

Thanks for your help, Charles. I'm gonna take the plunge and get a JR. I may just write a "First
Experiences With A JR" post to give other newbies
an idea what they're getting into.
The Flowpod was Plan B.

Great Dave. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. I think you'll like it.

Or maybe my "thoughts" will scare everyone off. :-)
Should have it in about a week or so.

Well, I just got it in today. Spent a few hours
with it.
It wasn't too hard to balance, especially the fore/aft
and side/side trims. I could see from how the gimbal
is that practice would lead to improvement. But
overall, I was impressed with the unit.
The instructional video was helpful, especially
the parts about shooting from in front of people
but not having to walk backward (you walk
sideways), and how you
can switch hands when fatigued (hadn't
thought of that one), and one-handed operation
(hadn't thought of that one either).
I probably could've done some passable first-time
footage my first time out if I hadn't run into an
entirely unexpected problem. I set my VX up as
advised. Hole 2. Heavy stop block. Two D
battery size weights and two of the standard
weights. I started to do a drop test for correct bottom weighting when the cam unexpectedly
went straight nose down. The force almost
pulled the cam and JR out of my hand.
This is how I came across the only thing I
don't like about the JR: unless I'm doing
something wrong (which I don't think I am)
and unless I got a bad unit, I think the
JR may not be designed to handle the VX'
weight.
Here's exactly what the problem is. There is
a hinged joint where the upper spar (i.e. the
tube between the monitor and the plate that
the cam sits on) meets the stage (i.e. the plate
the cam sits on). This hinge is there so that the
JR can sit flat once you set it down.
This hinge is about 2" in front of the gimbal
(top of the handle). See the linked picture.
This hinge is not locked in position. It is held
by a light resistance. If you have the VX balanced
and you are holding the handle as is shown in the
picture, if you push lightly downward on the battery
and weight compartment at the
very bottom of the unit (the weights are inside of
there), what happens is the hinge lets loose and
your VX goes nose down with a jolt. If you
had a light grip on the handle, the whole thing
could jump out of your hand. If you hold the cam
level as is shown in the picture, it's okay. But if you tilt the cam about 20 degrees downward, the hinge breaks loose and your cam is pointing toward the ground in an instant. If you try to do a drop test to set the bottom weight, it breaks loose and folds right over. If you
don't get what I mean, look at the picture again.
What happens is the the plate that the cam sits on
goes from horizontal to vertical (in a 90 degrees counterclockwise direction) in about 1/10th of a second and the lens is pointing at the ground.
I suppose if you wrapped duct tape around that
hinge it might stay for awhile. But you shouldn't
have to. And you can't trust the tape. Like I said,
when it lets go it almost jumps out of your hand.
So what's going on here? Operator error? Design flaw?
Marketing exagerating the true capacity of the JR? (I
had my VX stripped down as much as possible, including the smallest 30-minute battery.)

http://www.inyourface.com.au/steadicam.jpg

Dave:

That shouldn't be happening. I would contact Tiffen customer service and describe the problem. You may have a bad unit. If the rig is balanceable without having to add external weights, it doesn't sound like you have overloaded it.

Good luck...sorry to hear you are having problems.

Bump! I would really like to hear the follow up on this! I am contemplating buying a JR, and would like more info. Hope it worked out!

Never did contact customer service, never got it
worked out. I think the VX is pushing the design
weight limit of the JR.
And, once I actually tried using a handheld stabilizer,
I realized that I would only be able to use it for
a *very* brief time before the arm shakes would
set in, so I decided to go with a rig.

What rig are you going for Dave?

John.

Hi John.
First off, I want to make the observation that no one has
responded to my comments on the JR along the lines
of "I have a VX and a JR and the JR works out fine for
a VX". Wonder what to make of that.
A competitor of mine let me hold his GL2. Man, it's
noticably lighter than the VX -- the VX feels like a
brick. If I were shooting with a GL, I might give the
JR a try. *Might*. That hinge that I mentioned is
made of plastic and *may* loosen up in time, so
that even the weight of the GL *might* cause it
to break loose. Can't say for sure, though.
Most of my competitors use either the Flowpod or
the Glidecam 2000. I've heard the Glidecam
can be a real bear to balance. Like I said previously,
the JR didn't seem all that hard to balance. One thing
I don't like about the Glidecam is the offset handle,
which I think will contribute to wrist fatigue.
Some newbies in my field have liked the Flowpod, some
not. I hear it's easier to balance than the Glidecam
but it ways a lot. One guy got one for his XL1 and got a
big surprise when he tried to fly it, due to the weight.
Now, my one competitor with the GL2 uses the SteddiePod
and is very happy with it. I've included a link to it.
It doesn't have a gimbal, but I've seen some of his
footage and I must say it works for him. He also mentioned
that he uses it some of the other ways, such as "short tripod"
and he also mentioned latching the feet onto his belt.
If I were looking for a handheld stabilizer now, I''d take
a look at the Hollywood Lite models.
The rig I went with is the Magiqcam. I haven't
received it yet. I understand normal delivery is about
4 weeks. After about 5 weeks I contacted the company
to inquire as to when to expect it and was told that
unavoidable delays had set things behind a couple
weeks.
One of the reasons I went with a rig is that I shoot
longer takes than my competitors. Yeah, their footage
looks good, but the shots last only 5 or 10 seconds.
Mine can run into minutes.

http://www.barbertvp.com/steddiepod.htm

Dave:

My feeling is that while a non-gimballed rig will smooth out footsteps and the like, making a decent walk-and-talk possible, it will never have the subtlety of a gimballed system. The learning curve is significantly less, so for a novice user they will produce better results at first, but over time a user of a gimballed system will be able to produce more subtle, smooth results. The acid test would be a walk-through of an environment, say an art gallery, with the camera stopping to linger and take in paintings, panning slowly across details or wrapping around statues. The non-gimbal system will quickly show its coarseness without the visual distraction of a human in the frame. And you are right about the length of shooting time---that's a major factor also. kudos on buying the Magiqcam.

And regarding the title of this thread and my endless threats to make an instructional video--I'm locking in a production date this week, so this thing WILL happen, folks!

Not everyone loves the Flowpod, either.

http://www.videouniversity.com/wwwboard/wedding/messages/63089.html