Anyone use these two together yet? I have both, but am missing a little pin on the Merlin.... Where to get it, I don't know. grr... Hope to try them out soon.

Any tips? Observations?

If you don't have a huge rig, I think you can use the merlin just fine (for short bursts):

This is a video of the 5D on the merlin: Sunday Shoot - Canon 7D - Merlin steadicam on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/groups/merlin/videos/7514143)

Here's a 7D on the merlin: Canon 7D + Steadicam Merlin Test on Vimeo

Of course there are 2 problems:

- No AF on the 7D so you have to shoot accordingly
- heavy... even without a kit, the 7D and merlin will need a strong arm.

That's the dealbreaker for me. lol I am going leaning towards a redrock micro field kit which will obviously demand a bigger steadicam rig.

Great post! Thank you!

I liked the arm falling off on the video.

I have used my Canon A1 on the Merlin, so I don't really think the weight will be a deal breaker, but the autofocus (or lack thereof) was something I was thinking about too... Hmmm..

I tried my 5D out with a Merlin. It worked fine, after a bit of fiddling.
Used an old Nikon 28mm 2.8 lens.
It wasn't heavy.
The depth of field was deep so everything was in focus.

I have a Merlin with the arm and vest and got it for the XH A1. The 7D would be a little lighter so it should work fine. However, one of my main reasons for not selling the XH A1 is for Steadicam work. I seem to do lots of shots where I move up to a closeup of a thing or person. Auto focus is very nice for that. In fact, that's the only time I've ever used auto focus. For the kinds of shots where you're simply walking along with the subject, then it's not a problem. And if you're outdoors in bright light and stopped down on a wide angle, it should be OK. If you can afford the complete Merlin package, the arm/vest will change your life.

I found the 7D on the Merlin pretty tiring... and I'm used to holding an HV20 with wide angle combo for one or even two hours.

I'd be curious to use the 7D with a deep focus wide angle on an arm/vest and see if that fixes most of the problems I have: focus and weight being the two main ones.

The reason I got the Merlin over the Pilot was so I could just use the Merlin without arm/vest for shooting inside cars where there wasn't room for everything. It gets really tiring very quickly using it that way and I've only done it once. But with the whole package, I can wear it for as long as necessary without tiring. I've used full size rigs before with 2/3" chip cameras, and I'd be good for a couple of takes, then have to take it off. I think the 7D with most wide angle lenses would be at least 2 or 3 pounds lighter than the XH A1 fully loaded, so it ought to be easy. That's assuming you can use it with the LCD and no have to add a monitor.

I have an indicam (indicam.com - Home (http://www.indicam.com)) with vest, arm and gimble, and it works pretty well with my Canon A1. I've tried it with the 7d, and haven't had much luck. Too much boating and minute panning. I haven't tried readjusting my entire rig, because I don't want to screw up the balance I have for the a1.
I found that with the arm as it is, the 7d bounces all over. It's somewhat better when I just use the gimble, but still not acceptable. I've tried 24 and 30, with my Tokina 11-16 at 11mm and Canon 17-55 is at 17mm. Exposure and focus was fine ( shooting outside stiopped down) but the panning and boating is still way to much. Looks pretty jerkey.
I plan to give Terry at indicam a call, and hopefully Charles Pappert will chime in.
Any ideas?
Bruce Yarock

This is a test flight with the 5D2 and a Glidecam 2000 and 17-40 f4L. It was the second time I've tried it. I really need to practice some more. Especially I find panning/tilting to be tricky. But I've seen some really nice footage from this combo, so I'll keep working at it. The only difference with the 7d would be that you would need a 10mm lens to get this wide. I'm going to try it at 40mm which would replicate roughly a 24mm lens on the 7d.

5D2-Glidecam 2000 F4 17-40L - Test Flight on Vimeo

With that design of arm, Bruce, more weight is generally better to "quieten things down". I'd recommend adding some ballast up top, however you can get it.

I've read a ton of stuff on DVinfo in the Support Your Local Camera section and elsewhere the last few days since I'm considering a Merlin Steadicam for my 7D soon (with it's Canon 17-55 F2.8 lens set at 17mm or Canon 10-22mm on it). From what I've read, the Merlin looks more suitable (for my needs) than the Glidecam HD2000 or Blackbird - but I'm still undecided.

I'm fully prepared to put the time in to get skilled with this type of setup (but I'm still struggling with the potential cost, about £600, getting close to that of decent long lens - something else on the near horizon for me!)

Just wondering how people are getting on with a 7D + Merlin combination?

One other question, all my other support gear and cameras (Sony EX3, Sony HC1, 2 Libec tripods x and Manfrotto monopod) have Manfrotto slide plates on them, similar to the one in the amazon link for illustrative purposes, so I assume it would be OK/best to attach one to the Merlin too? Merlin would only be used with 7D and maybe HC1 (The EX3 is way, way too heavy to fly - on a Merlin and for me!)

Manfrotto 357 Sliding Plate Adaptor: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manfrotto-357-Sliding-Plate-Adaptor/dp/B000JLK5Q4/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_1_1)

Any and all info much appreciated.

There's no reason to use that plate on the Merlin, since it has a plate that slides back and forth, and left and right.

The Merlin comes with (and requires) its own multi-holed dovetail plate that attaches directly to your camera's mounting hole. To ALSO attach any kind of Manfrotto tripod adapter plate, you would need to drill and tap a standard camera mounting hole (and a guide pin hole) into the BOTTOM of your Manfrotto plate, so that it could accept the Merlin dovetail plate. I wouldn't recommend a plate screwed into another plate.

Thanks for the replies. Is that what this guy did with his 5DMkII and Merlin then? (It was n't clear from this video that I've just found).

Canon 5D Mark II and Steadicam Merlin on Vimeo

The Merlin comes supplied with a Tripod Adaptor Plate so that you can quickly remove the camera from the Steadicam & fit it onto a tripod.

I just watched the video which is an excellent introduction to using the 5DII with a Merlin. That is definitely a Manfrotto Quick Release plate he is using. The principles should be the same with the 7D as they are much the same weight.

If you are considering purchasing a Steadicam Merlin heed the warning on the video. You need a very strong arm to fly even a camera as small as the 5D/7D for more than a few minutes. It also takes a lot of practice to get comfortable with balancing & flying. For the first couple of days I was almost in tears with frustration at my inability to balance my Merlin.

Incidentally if you are using an IS lens you should switch off stabilisation when flying on the Steadicam otherwise the IS will fight the Steadicam. The IS system won't know what is unintended movement & will try and compensate for any and all motion. So it will actually look more jittery with IS on than with IS off.

Thanks for the info Nigel and Dale. I'm certainly aware that there is a steep learning curve with Steadicams and knew about the IS but it's good to have that confirmed. I'm also aware that I'll have to set my zooms at a fixed wide angle and leave them there and use a mid range F stop to get deep depth of field etc. if I want flying/balancing to be slightly simpler/possible! I'm also aware that it will be for a few special shots, not something I'll be using all day! (but on that front I believe the Steadicam Merlin is lighter than some of the alternatives) - and the arm/vest is a future possibility if not.

Up to now I've been using a big dolly (B Hague) with my EX3 on it, shooting at 720p (50 fps) to get some "floating type shots" (corporate videos I've done at 3M in Dublin and O2 in Slough - if anyone's interested see the '3M Showcase' video on my website or YouTube/Vimeo etc. for example - some of the early shots about 20 seconds on). The clients involved loved the effect and I'll use it more with these/other clients I'm sure - but as we all know a dolly is yet more big heavy gear to cart around and assemble and you are restricted in mobility/fluidity. The possibility of using one of my much more portable, small cams (7D or HC1) on a Merlin for those types of shots has many attractions for me (since I've yet to earn enough to have an assistant to carry all my gear!).

Anyway, back to the Merlin Steadicam and Manfrotto slide plate question. Can anyone confirm if I will need to drill any holes etc. to mount the slide plate on (assuming that's the route I take) or not? I had read on another thread that without any additional mounting plate the 7D (or maybe it was a 5D MkII - but they are so similar) has a tendency to rotate/move all too easily if attached directly to the Merlin's plate. I'm aware that the cams position on the plate will need to be marked/kept the same each time it's mounted to aid balancing.

Again, all info is much appreciated!

Just a bump on this thread regarding the question I had in the post above. Thinking of pushing the button on a Merlin Steadicam very soon for some upcoming corporate work I've just had confirmed (I should have plenty of time to get up to speed with it before I use it 'in anger').

As always, any advice is appreciated!

This is a test flight with the 5D2 and a Glidecam 2000 and 17-40 f4L. It was the second time I've tried it. I really need to practice some more. Especially I find panning/tilting to be tricky. But I've seen some really nice footage from this combo, so I'll keep working at it. The only difference with the 7d would be that you would need a 10mm lens to get this wide. I'm going to try it at 40mm which would replicate roughly a 24mm lens on the 7d.

5D2-Glidecam 2000 F4 17-40L - Test Flight on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/7744683)

Wow! Thats great for only the second time. I have the flowpod and I am still getting a lot of left right tilting.

Just a bump on this thread regarding the question I had in the post above. Thinking of pushing the button on a Merlin Steadicam very soon for some upcoming corporate work I've just had confirmed (I should have plenty of time to get up to speed with it before I use it 'in anger').

As always, any advice is appreciated!
Hi Andy
I can't add much to what I said before. The Merlin works fine with my 5D and a wide angle lens. I've used it a few times before with my A1. That's all. I don't have masses of experience. It worked OK first time with the 5D.
My Merlin at least seems to have a mind of its own. Depending on which side of the bed it got out of, no doubt. It doesn't seem to like being reduced to a formula or being too predictable.
The trick is to use a basic setup for the plate and then get used to finessing it. As you are probably aware, the plate has a various locating holes and which ones you use varies from camera to camera. These get the camera in the right ball park in terms of balance. The rest has to be done by feel and by using the adjusting screws. It's fairly intuitive though one you get a sense of where you are trying to get the centre of mass located in relation to the pivot point.
However, once you think you have got it all sorted it then seems to be different the next time you set it up.
I used an old Nikon 28mm prime lens which doesn't weigh much. I think you may run into trouble if you are using something like the Canon zoom lenses (or any other big lenses) because of the extra weight on the nose.
But if you can shoot with a small wide angle I think you will get good results quickly.
I can understand the seductiveness of using a Manfrotto plate. Personally I very rarely do any steadicam work and when I do it's a one-off within a film. So using a quick release plate isn't such an issue.
If you do use one I suppose that it's going to cause more trouble if you decide to use the Merlin with another camera.
I'd buy the Merlin and give it a try before deciding whether to go to the trouble of attaching a quick release plate.

Thanks Richard. Merlin just ordered! Let the fun (or will it be frustration?) begin! One way or another I'll master it though!

Will use it with my Canon 10-22mm set on a fixed zoom point to reduce variation in the centre of gravity.

Hurray! Good luck.
Looking forward to hearing how you get on.

Andy, did you order the arm & vest as well? Unless you do short takes or have the arms of Popeye even the little Merlin is very, very tiring just supported by your own muscles.

I hear you Nigel! I'm not a weakling... but accept that I may have to go down that road as many have mentioned this weight thing before! One step at a time!

I just ordered the basic Merlin Steadicam for starters (590 quid inc VAT from a reputable UK dealer with the words Park and Cameras in their name - no UK sponsors on here so I think that's OK to mention). I nearly bought one on Fleabay UK a few days ago - watched the auction and was amazed that it went for 495 quid + 8 quid delivery. Because my business, Shooting Image Ltd, is VAT rated, by the time I claim the VAT back of my quarterly tax bill I might as well have a new one for a fraction more. I'd rather that than a second hand one that might come with an unknown history/abuse as when I get gear I baby it and keep it like new anyway.

I envision using it for the odd shots here and there to "spice up" some of my corporate video work rather than the extended use that I suspect Wedding/Event videographers have to contend with. But if I need a vest etc., sure I'll buy it! The great news is that the budget on the 3 new films I've just landed will more than cover any extra gear I need to buy like this if push comes to shove - or I'll start lifting more pints to excercise my right arm! (a more probable scenario!)

EDIT: One more thing. I found this guys blog a few weeks ago (and film within it) about the Steadicam Merlin and Canon 7D combo very useful in helping me decide on spending the dosh on the Merlin. Posting it here as others may find it very useful too.

http://www.elskid.com/blog/?p=583

I'll be sure to post in the coming weeks on how I get on!

I've used the Merlin with my A1 for half an hour with no discomfort.
The 5D is lighter I think.
Wouldn't want to use it all day though (without a vest).

Hi again Richard. Merlin arrived today - what a wonderful piece of precision engineering!

I won't have time to try it properly for a week or two...maybe 3...I've just started (yet another) big corporate job in the Midlands and I'm also trying to redecorate the living room and juggle stuff I'm doing in York...my wife going to Vienna with work/me looking after the kids whilst she's away etc....and so it goes on...but I'll spend any spare time (if I get any!) reading the manual/watching the DVD.

A few days ago I did try walking my 7D around on a Manfrotto monopod loosely held at the top just to get the "feel" of the likely weight on the arm. Sure, 15-30 minutes would be fine - I think. After all, for what I envision, 10-20-30 seconds of resulting "wow" shots edited in with the other stuff should be enough for the type of work I do. I'll report back when I've had some proper play time.

I can see it's going to be a big learning curve but I'm very excited!

Agreed. They are nicely made and designed.
Older versions had plastic gimbals. Which they replaced with metal. So you might have bought one of those off Ebay. Good that you didn't go down that road.
Have fun with it. Glad to hear you are so busy.

OK, been so busy that the first time I had a chance to try the 7D and Merlin was this morning - yep, up until now all I could manage was a quick peak in the case and a read of the instructions/watching the DVD.

Anyway, after a bit of trial and error I've found some settings which, whilst I'm sure they are not the best, seem a good start point so posting here.

This is for a 7D with strap removed, Canon 10-22mm F3.5, with UV filter on and Canon sunshade. Lens initially set to 14mm. There is no IS on that lens but if it had IS that would obviously have been turned off (I'll master this lens before I attempt it with my Canon 17-55 IS F2.8 anyway). No other attachments - I have a Manfrotto 577 quick release adapter and slide plate but did not need/want to use it.

Merlin plate Hole 'O'
Merlin plate straight front edge positioned at exactly plus 3, with the 3 mark showing i.e. quite a way forward.
Front/Back and L/R blue thumbscrew adjustments to balance by trial and error (front/back is nearer the front and left/right is nearer the left)
One start weight at the Elbow.
One start, 2 middle and one end weight at the end of the Spar.
Spar opened out to about mid marked position (about 12.5 inches from top of Merlin camera plate to top of spar where the start weight is. As others have noted, there is a little play on the Spar elbow even when tightly locked so make sure you just gentle open it to it's maximum drop position (about 10mm lower than the other extreme).

I tried various other combinations - some fouled the sunshade onto the upper Spar as the camera was further back - so were unworkable as I really want the sunshade on to stop any flare etc.) but those mostly seemed much too bottom heavy anyway whereas this one seems to "float" and is more stable (to my very amateur Merlin Steadicam operators eyes). No way am I ready to post an example yet but I can see this is going to be a fun (and at times frustrating, as well as long) learning experience. And obviously, I'm not saying these are the best settings for this lens set-up - but it seems to be a good start. It's not a heavy rig (but I would not want to use it all day). For what I want I can see this is going to be just fine.

One thing that did (pleasantly) surprise me was how in an hour or so of trial and error (after watching the DVD and reading the instructions beforehand) I got to something "workable". The other surprise was that changing the focal length of the 10-22 between either extreme seemed to have little effect on unbalancing the system - nothing that a quick tweak could not easily sort out.

UPDATE: Played around a bit in my back garden - lovely sunny day with blue sky and fluffy white clouds despite the doom and gloom aircraft grounding volcanic ash weather forecasts...and (amongst some awful stuff) I got a few clips I'm pleased with. It was a little breezy - which I know is the enemy of Merlin Steadicams - and whilst I need a lot of practice I think my settings are certainly getting near to where they might need to be.

In the spirit of this forum, I'd love it if an experienced Merlin/7D with Canon 10-22 person could dial in my settings and give us (and specifically a Steadicam novice like me!) some pointers on shortcomings/directions to improve on them. My drop time is about a second.

At least I have something "workable" so I can get dramatic moving shots of the kids when the volcanic ash starts snowing down later today against a darkened dramatic red sky at sunset.....(British humour) :-)

UPDATE 2: Been having tons of fun with the Merlin tracking my younger daughter as she learns to ride a bike on Palace Green near Ely Cathedral today. Sure, still lots of junk shots (90% I should think) but the 10% make it well worthwhile, as do the strange stares some gave us! Used the Merlin for an hour or so without serious arm fatigue. Maybe if things go well I'll post a few clips strung together in a rough edit in the next few days - depends if I can squeeze a quick edit in around all my other 'to dos'. Still nowhere near where I want to be with this Merlin but I can definitely see the potential. Got some relatively stable shots even when running!

I've also found one revision to the settings posted above. If I use Merlin Plate hole 'M' then the door on the base of the 7D for battery changing is fully accessible (it's partly covered if I use hole 'O'). This is an obvious advantage. Using hole 'M' means that the Left/Right trim thumbwheel needs to be moved almost to the extreme right (when looking at the 7D from the viewfinder end). It's close to maximum travel but still allows enough exposed thread (2-3 mm) for fine trimming - which is all you need I think - at least with my setup today (7D/Canon 10-22/B+W Circular Polarizer/Canon Lens Shade EW83E).

Fun times ahead!

Here you go!

Steadicam Merlin & Canon 7D - Test on Vimeo

First time test with the Steadicam Merlin and Canon 7D with Canon 10-22 EF-S (mostly set on 10 or 14mm), B+W Rotating Polarizer and Canon 83E lens hood. All shot in Manual at 1080p25 and converted to 720p for quick web uploading.

Video is in 2 parts. Initial test shots in my back garden and then much tougher "running alongside" type shot's as my little girl learns to ride her bike (only her second try at that - did n't she do well!). This part was on Palace Green in front of Ely Cathedral (with some very bemused onlookers...)

You'll see lots wrong with this (very) quick rough edit of these test clips in Final Cut but the odd moment of magic that only a Steadicam can give. You'll spot my sometimes futile attempts to control the Steadicam, including an unplanned shot of the cameraman early on, numerous shots with my shadow/reflection in shot and quite a few pendulum/angle errors etc. But it was great fun and bear in mind was my FIRST TRY (with only an hour's flying experience under my belt with some settings I derived only yesterday). It was also a little breezy today here in England as the volcanic ash cloud heads our way from Iceland!

Music is 'African Hero', a royalty/copyright free purchase from AKM Music.

Whilst I'm sure my Steadicam Merlin settings need improving, I post them at the end of the video as they might prove a suitable start point for anyone with a 7D and Canon 10-22mm. If you have this set-up and have better settings I'd love to know them - thanks!

Your certainly getting the hang of it. Nice footage.

what lense you suggest to have maximum range of focus.?

Thanks for the encouragement Chuck!

All that was done one handed (because I did not feel confident fast walking/running on uneven ground/risking a trip/heavy fall with camera or more importantly onto my little girl). The manual/DVD clearly states that 2 handed is easier and I'll try that next time. I can see I'm using a little too much over control and need to learn the ever so light touch needed - there is a lovely shot - about 3.40 on - where I'm following her and I keep overcorrecting as she weaves (with the almost inevitable resulting collision course between her and the two blokes walking ahead!)

John, regarding the depth of field, most skilled in the DSLR/Steadicam art (and I certainly don't count myself in that clan yet!) recommend a wide angle focal length of around 20-30mm - I see 24mm mentioned often as the sweet spot. On the crop body 7D (1.6x) this would be a setting of around 15mm on my Canon 10-22mm, the lens that was used here. Many shots were done close to this, mostly 14mm. I set the focus to about 4-5 ft on most shots. F stop was about F8-F9 (yes I know, a bit high but I don't have any neutral density filters yet, just the polariser that cut a little light) with ASA at 100, shutter at 1/50th. This set-up, as you can see, gave a very deep depth of field and so was very forgiving in the practice runs in the film. Extreme wide angle shots (some of the 10mm ones in the film, 16mm effective focal length) obviously give the greatest depth of field but will look very unflattering in any close up facial shots - the unplanned shot of myself early on in the film is a very good example of that!

Hope this helps.

Being that I just got my rig complete for the 7D, I am about to break out my Merlin and give it a whirl. Balancing the thing can be tedious, but with what I have seen, it should be worth the time.

Hi Thomas. How's it going with the 7D and Steadicam Merlin?

I used my set-up for some non-critical factory shots on a corporate job last week (most of it was shot on my EX3) and, despite the fact that 90% of the stuff was junk (the 7D Merlin stuff that is!) the shots where everything went right/I managed not to screw up looked absolutely stunning - they are in the Rough Cut I've just sent the client this morning - so we'll see what they think! (can't post them as it's currently client confidential).

So, bouyed up with seeing that, after 5 days day & night editing, I took a break this morning (lovely weather here in England!) and tried the 7D & Merlin again with some different settings to see the effect.

Similar type shots to the previous video in my back garden but in this case the settings were:

7D, no strap, Std Canon battery in it.
Canon 10-22mm set on 10mm,
B+W Circular Slim Polariser
In Full Manual at 100 ISO this needed about F8.0 at 1/50th shutter speed (for 25fps PAL) because it's a nice sunny day - I don't have any ND filters yet.
Canon EW-83E lens hood
Merlin Plate hole M (i.e. battery compartment accessible)
Merlin Plate at +2
1 Start and 1 Mid weight at the Elbow
3 Mid and 1 End weight at the end of the Spar
Re-trimmed to level - took 2 minutes max! L/R Blue Thumbwheel still over to almost the extreme right and Front/Back Blue Thumbwheel forward of centre - but not as far as is needed with my first posted set-up.
Spar unmoved at 12.5 inches - for now.

This set-up is surprisingly a lot heavier to hand hold, especially one handed, but at times seems much more stable so I may try a few times with this to see if it's a better way to go. Starting to get the hang of two handed and the 'oh so light' touch needed but still a long way to go.

If I get time I'll post another short clip in the next day or so...my wife will be horrified as all our washing is hanging out to dry in the back garden and "features".

I've got some Steadicam work coming up Wednesday and Friday, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to try it out with the 7D. I have the Merlin with the arm/vest package.

I worked with it for 2-3 hours and never could get it balanced properly. I get a good balance and I get way too much yaw as well as fore and aft movement. I think one problem is that the camera body is so light and my lens is so heavy (16-50 Tokina f2.8) that my balance is moved all the way to the extreme just to get rid of the nose heaviness. If I had something like that Zeiss 18mm, it might be better. Widest angle prime I have is 35mm and that won't do for my shoot.

So I went back to the XH A1. Took me about 15 minutes to rebalance everything. When I get more time I'll try out that setting above and a lighter lens and see what happens. For the upcoming shoot I'll stick with the XH A1 for Steadicam work.

The Tokina lens is probably as heavy or heavier than the Canon 17-55 S lens. This experience today made me lust after that Zeiss 18mm even more.

Like Bill, I haven't had much luck with my rig either. I have an Indicam, which works great with my A1, but not with the 7D. I get it balanced ok, but the minutest movement makes it jitter and creates that "boating" effect (yaw?).
On another thread, Charles Papert reccomended more weight up top, but I haven't figure out the solution yet.
Bruce Yarock

Back in my 2/3" camera days I had a Hollywood Lite (now marketed by Varizoom, about $6500). I bought it for use with a DSR500, but occasionally I wanted to use it with a lighter weight camera, a DSR250. When I bought it, direct from the manufacturer, I gave him the weight of the 250 and he cut me a bolt-on plate that sat on the rig's top plate and, in effect, made the 250 weigh the same as the 500. I think that's what I need for the Steadicam. I don't know if they have anything like that or if I might be able to come up with something on my own. A simple plate with some 2/4"-20 threaded holes ought to work. I weighed the 7D with lens and battery and it's right at 4 pounds. The XH A1 with what I have mounted on it is just over 7 pounds. So about a 3 pound weight should work.

I haven't given up on it yet, but my second thought was that using a smaller chip camera on the Steadicam is a lot easier then the 7D if you don't have a wireless follow focus setup and focus puller. Also, the tilt LCD is better for the Merlin, which doesn't allow for a monitor. My Steadicam shots are always so different from whatever comes before and after that I can get by with the quality difference.

This is where I'm at with this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odznQorFctU

Shot a few hours ago on a glorious hot Saturday afternoon, this is my second time out really testing the Steadicam Merlin and Canon 7D with Canon 10-22 EF-S (set on 10mm), with a Tiffen 0.9 ND filter and Canon 83E lens hood. All shot in Full Manual at 1080p25 and converted to 720p for quick web uploading after a very quick edit in FCP using ProRes files ex Compressor.

Shots of my little girl riding around (on her scooter this time) on Palace Green in front of Ely Cathedral. Second half of the video is a long run (and I mean run!) down the obstacle course that is Ely High Street/through part of the Market as she goes to meet one of her friends. This part of the video is basically unedited so you can see exactly how my Steadicam set-up behaves, warts and all. Despite the fast pace as I try to keep up with her, I managed to (more or less!) keep control of it as we both weaved through the crowds. I'm pretty pleased with how the Market place bit came out at the end of the video in particular.

Unlike my first Steadicam test video (see earlier in this thread), most of this was done with both hands on the Merlin. I'm starting to get the hang of the ever so light touch needed to guide the camera direction - still lots of practice required though. Whilst I'm sure my Steadicam Merlin settings need improving, I again post them at the end of the video as they might prove a suitable start point for anyone with a 7D and Canon 10-22mm. I've experimented with other Steadicam set ups (more weights etc.) but have gone back to these settings, the same ones used in my first test video. Music is 'Green Light Alternative', a royalty/copyright free purchase.

Lot's I'm still not happy with/trying to improve on but it's just starting to come together. It's going to take a lot of practice before I'll be totally happy with it...good job I like challenges!
__________________

Andy:

The old saying "you have to learn how to walk before you can run" is never more appropriate than with Steadicam.

While it's undoubtedly fun to run down the street chasing someone with a stabilizer, the basics of control are best learned with more methodical practice without a subject. The "line dance", where you run a length of tape or chalk along the ground and walk towards/away from an x at a slow and controlled speed, will allow you to develop the basics of control as you have much more opportunity to focus on the nuances. Yes, it's boring and repetitive, but it's critical for the beginning of your journey.

If you can master the slow and steady walk, you will find the other stuff will fall into place.

Thanks Charles for the excellent advice.

I used my set-up for some non-critical factory shots on a corporate job last week (most of it was shot on my EX3) and, despite the fact that 90% of the stuff was junk (the 7D Merlin stuff that is!) the shots where everything went right/I managed not to screw up looked absolutely stunningBe careful! Playing golf is supposed to be addictive because every so often even the biggest duffer is able to hit a brilliant shot by accident. So ever afterwards he thinks "If I could only get a bit more consistency & hit the ball like that every time then I could soon be giving Tiger Woods a run for his money" Likewise with the Steadicam because every so often when you manage to get it balanced just right & there is no wind & you are travelling in the direction that the Steadicam wants to point then you think "If I could only get a bit more consistency & fly the Steadicam like that every time then I could soon be giving Charles Papert a run for his money"

I actually got my Merlin out the other day & was surprised at how easy it was to balance & fly with my Canon 5DII & 24mm F1.4L lens. It was much easier than with my Canon XH-A1 & not only because it is lighter & easier on the arm & back but because the camera is more compact & the weight more evenly distributed so the rig balances much easier. Now if I could only get a bit more consistency...:-)

Well, at the point at which you do achieve consistency and produce great results every time, you have indeed arrived! (and thank you Nigel for comparing me to Tiger Woods, but in comparison I've still got plenty of duffer in me...plus I don't have quite as many stripper mistresses).

The Merlin is in some ways the hardest Steadicam to master--such a light touch is required. Those of us who are used to much heavier (=inert) rigs tend to have a hard time mentally dialing down to the featherlight control needed with that setup.

Just wanted to chime in regarding the 7D and Steadicam Merlin. I own both, and have been able to balance it fairly well! Flying it is another story but...

anyway, I use the 7D with a Canon 17-55mm. I noticed that it was easier for me to balance this lens, which is considerably heavy and long, rather than my 50mm 1.4. I dont know why, but the extra weight seems to keep me much more balanced.

Here's the requisite Steadicam Merlin test with the setup listed above... just remember, I never said I was any good!

Steadicam Merlin action on Vimeo

Nik

PS - Help, I'm new to embedding. Not sure why the video isn't appearing!

I have a nice balance going with the Merlin, 7D, 17-55IS, and the Canon lens hood. Parameters set for 17mm:

Spar opened to one line shy of max opening
(1) mid + 1 finish on the front
(1) start + (2) mid + 1 (finish) on the bottom
Camera mounted in Hole "M" on mounting plate
mounting plate registering at "-0.75" mark

The L-R adjuster is almost totally to the Right
The F-R adjuster is about 3/4 forward

Obviously the fine adjusters take some tweaking, but both have play and work well.

I tried 3 Mid weights on the bottom, but it was too bottom heavy and had a pendulum effect. Going back to 2 mid weights gave me the 1 sec drop and very smooth action.

Hopefully this can help anyone get in the ballpark with this combo.

Hi Nathanael,

You're right! Curiosity got the better of me so I just tried your setup with my 7D and Canon 17-55mm IS set at 17mm, focussed at about 1.5m (but in my case with a cheap Marumi 83-J hood on plus a filter on the front of the lens). Got the Merlin Steadicam balanced in a just a few seconds with no problems at all.

I will say it seems much, much heaver than flying with the Canon 10-22mm on (so I'll probably stick with that for my main flying stuff as it covers the same focal range). However, I imagine it might be less susceptible to light breezes when outside.

Seems an excellent start point (really stable!) so thanks for posting!

Andy,

Glad it worked for you - these things really ought to be fairly repeatable! Your reply did make me realize that I also have a UV filter on the front and I forgot to list that. The camera, lens and lens hood are around 3.5lbs. I don't have the 10-22, to compare weight, but it isn't for indefinite use for sure... That's why they make the vests, I'm sure.

Was considering Merlin to replace my glidecam 2000 pro. Still undecided but lots of great material here.

Hi Patrick,

Yep, DVinfo is the place to look for anything Video related for sure!

The Merlin gets better and better with lots of practice (doesn't everything!). There are a few shots using the Merlin/Canon 7D in my new showreel (it's on my website if your interested) which shows I'm getting better at it - I hope! Many talk of the Blackbird being an easier stabiliser to master than the Merlin but I'm very happy I went with the Merlin - albeit it still frustrates me at times - less and less now. Which stabiliser is one of those really difficult choices that many seem to agonise over - good luck in choosing what's right for you but be aware it's very susceptible to breezes as mentioned a bit earlier.

But since you already have it, what is not working for you with the Glidecam 2000 Pro that you think a Merlin might fix?

On a side note, I spent many happy years doing a different kind of flying - into STL on business from the UK every few weeks. Used to hang out a lot in Riddles Penultimate and a few other bars and restaurants on "The Loop" in University City. Hope they are still as good/still going strong!