..And what camera's are you flying on it?

Any reviews, photos or video?


There's a lot of talk about it, and I end up fielding a lot of questions, but I'd really love to hear back from those of you who have them now.
How are you using them? Impressions, 'war stories', coments for those considering getting one, or just starting out using one...

- Mikko

Mikko,

I've had my Merlin for about 3 weeks. I'm flying a GL2 (w and w/o a wide angle) and a BP 945 size battery. This is my first experience with a Steady anything so I've got a pretty steep learning curve.

I've probaby only had about two hours of practice with it so far and don't yet feel like I'm ready to charge a client for using it! I've had some problems with getting the right balance. It sounds and appears easy in the DVD and instructions but I've found that it has to be VERY precise to work right and that takes some time.

Don't know if there are enough users out there to support a seperate forum but might be worth it in the future.

I'm using a Panny DVX100a on my Merlin. I'm really happy with it in spite of the fact so far my work has been mediocre at best. I've made just enough progress to feel like with real practice I might even become good at it. Like Rob, my biggest struggle is getting it and keeping it in balance.

i got one..for 2 months and havnt used it once yet lol...soon soon..... my foot broken so i cant walk .. :D

Thanks guys! Anyone else?


i got one..for 2 months and havnt used it once yet lol...soon soon..... my foot broken so i cant walk .. :D
You can still learn to balance and use it, even without walking around! Heal fast!

- Mikko

I've had mine for about three weeks and I'm loving it! I was a jr user since they came out. I have to say, I was worried about not having a monitor, but the fold out LCD works just fine....plus it's closer to my eyes. The Merlin is very solid. I love my jr but when you walk fast or run you can see a little bounce in the picture here and there. One of my first tests was to go out in the parking lot and run by the cars, what a JOY! No bounce or foot steps showing in the video. (sorry video was recorded over) The other great feature is the quick release on the Merlin, going from the Merlin to the Tripod or Crane is just a flick away. Balancing was painless and easy. I'm flying the Sony VX2000, most times with a Century wide angle lens.

The only thing I would change is the case that comes with the Merlin, the Merlin fits fine, but if you want to keep your camera attached you'll have to find a different case. Maybe Tiffin will come out with a Merlin Bag, molded for the Merlin to sit down in vertical with your camera atop.

Hi gents, glad to hear people are using and enjoying.

Saturnin, I feel your pain (literally...figuratively...unfortunately...). I broke my foot last June, clean fracture through the talus bone, and I was out of Steadicam work for 5 months. I was in a non-load-bearing cast for over two months, so it's taking a while for the foot to regain balance and strength--all I can say is, make sure to get physical therapy and stick with it!

The other day I had to chase Jeff Goldblum down a narrow walkway between two houses, my first real running shot since the injury. I got through it but it was definitely a little dicey. Had to chase and follow (i.e. missionary and Don Juan), and the worse of it was a single step right in the middle of the walkway leading to a side door. Once I went flying off it and jammed my bad foot a little bit, so on future takes I had to stutter step to make sure I was leading with the other foot.

Perhaps worth mentioning that I picked up new kicks for this show; Nike Huarache 2K5's. Best sneaker I've ever owned for Steadicam. Lots of support and cushioning but still feel "connected" to the ground, great stability and adjustable ankle support. It's a bit more of an issue when operating a big rig vs a Merlin (about 60 lbs difference!) but I'd still want to use them with a handheld rig.

Tim, great feedback on your setup. I understand the Merlin is a lot more stable especially for telephoto work--great! You guys would laugh if you saw Garrett's prototype for the JR that he built over 15 years ago--it looks much more like the Merlin than what CP came out with as a production model (bureauocracy at its worst).

I've had the Merlin for nearly four months now and I'm extemely happy with it. I use it every weekend shooting weddings on a Sony FX1. At first it was extremely frustrating learning how to balance and use it, but as time went on I improved, and I still am. I recently filmed 15 minutes straight - a long intro/dance sequence. I had to change hands a couple of times, but watching it back I can't notice when I changed hands - very impressive gadget! Clients love the footage as well. The merlin is perfect for wedding videographers because it is so much more discreet than a vest system.

I currently have an older Sony VX1000 - my original plan was to upgrade to the VX2100 but I may need to hold off for now. I purchased the Merlin just before a vacation/business trip to New Mexico, but was not able to devote enough time with it - so left it at home. The setup and balancing went very smoothly, and the preliminary shots I took before the trip - of running through the hallways and offices at work came out great, even though there's no LCD screen on the camera.

Which brings up a question - is there an inexpensive way to attach a lightweight LCD monitor to this camera in the meantime?

Thanks,
Don

I was glad to hear that Nick was successfully using a Merlin with an FX1.

I am waiting for my Merlin to arrive in the next week or so.
I had doubts about the camera weight range.
However after some ideas from Mikko I decided to go with the Merlin for my FX1 and even my Z1.
I realised that if I cahnge from the larger battery pack to one of the smaller batteries - I would get the weight down to within the range.

I will post here at a later date with a report on my success or failure!

i've shot a few things with it and its great. My foot is still messed up, i cant really run on it just yet, might have to go see a doctor and do some therapy, lol.

merlin is a-ok with me:D

broke mine trying to fold back into the travel position. broke the lower spar trying to fold back the wrong way. do you guys know how good the customer service is at tiffen?

Ouch that sucks. Remember never to force any part. How did it break?

Tiffen's customer service is great, call them at: 818-843-4600

- Mikko

i folded the bottom bar the wrong way back to the travel position. i called tiffen and their customer service is great. they are replacing the part that broke. i was honest with them that i broke it and they totally hooked me up. honesty is the best policy.

Well, I finally ordered my Merlin.
It arrived yesterday.
The DVD and Instruction manual are the best combination of instructions I have ever seen in any product!
I spent an hour yesterday just watching the DVD and gettin familiar with the set-up.
Then I did a trial set-up before I fell asleep.
I have it almost perfectly balanced now........later today I will fine trim it and give it a tryout.

I was able to get it balanced to take my Sony Z1 with a NP-F970 battery pack!
So far - so good!

OK here's a question...(!)
I've got a JR which I use with a PD150, Canon WA & Sony NP-F950 battery and it's OK, but the plastic stage adjustment seems a bit fklimsy and I'm sure it will break soon... The merlin looks like a proper bit of kit, all metal etc...

So...
1. Will it balance OK with by loaded PD150 (the JR has all the weights on it)
2. How practical is using the flip-out LCD against the JR's built in?

Any comments gratefully received!

Thanks

The day after I got my Merlin I had it reasonably balanced.
The set-up was a Sony Z1 with an NP-F970 battery pack.

Today I retried with an NP-F570 battery pack.
I could remove on of the weights, and after rebalancing I had a much easier to control set-up.

The difference in weights of the battery packs is definitely something to take into consideration if you have the possibility to buy a lighter battery for the steadicam shooting.

NP-F970 (296 gms - 10.44 oz)
NP-F570 (102 gms - 3.6 oz)

Graham,
Yes the Merlin will fly any setup that the JR will fly.
The on-camera monitor works fine on the Merlin. You can of course try this yourself with youy JR. - just open your camera's screen!

Douglas,
Glad to hear the lighter battery worked well for you.
Don't forget to go and add your succesfull setting to the cookbook for the rest of us!: www.merlincookbook.com

- Mikko

Hi Mikko,

I am going to try it with an HC-1 first, then maybe the Z1.

Haven't set it up yet, hoping to do so this weekend.

Jack

Hi

Does anyone know any UK retailers that may sell the Steadicam Merlin? I want to try it out?

If not i may just have to buy it from the states

Hi Ismail
I think Creative Video are selling the merlin :-http://www.creativevideo.co.uk/public/search.php?q=merlin&Submit=go&w=1
after Optex went into liquidation.

Hi Mikko
I can't balance the JR with the monitor flipped out, but it may just be too heavy with a W/A and big battery?

Also, slightly OT, I worked with a "real" Steadicam guy last week and tried on his rig - I was worn out after about a minute!!! Call me a wimp, but it's made my mind up to hire a specialist when the budget allows, and use the JR (or possibly a Merlin!) when not!

Take care

Graham

Hi thanks for the link,

it works out cheaper from America, any advice on buying from america and shipping it over, is it worth it? pros and cons? anyone tried it

Hi thanks for the link,

it works out cheaper from America, any advice on buying from america and shipping it over, is it worth it? pros and cons? anyone tried it

I am almost certain it will cost you a whole lot more buying and shipping it from the USA.
The weight usualy specified for the Merlin is the weight of the actual unbalanced (weighted) unit.
Included in the pack are all the weights needed to balance cameras.
If you are anything like me you would want the Merlin to be delivered as soon as possible - meaning Airfreight! It will cost you more than the price of the Merlin to have it sent - I think.

Now I may be completely wrong. Hopefully someone else will either agree or disagree with my thoughts on the subject- so you can then judge for yourself.

Anyone using a Merlin with a Sony HVR-A1?

Douglas, $67us to have it shipped to the UK through B&H?

Anybody have thoughts on whether flying an xl2 is a ridiculous idea? HVX is about the same weight, no?

This link was posted up at HDforindies.com, it's a merlin review http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/review_merlin_saraceno.html


__________________
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=68704 - NOW

The A1 works great on the Merlin.

Yes, hoping to use an XL2 is unfortunatly wishfull thinking, it's just too heavy for the Merlin (or to hold on any handheld stabilizer really)

Thanks for the review link, good stuff :)


- Mikko

There's some Merlin footage here...

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=68933

Just thought I'd upload another practice run with the Merlin.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6974186640061567893

You make it look so easy Armin. I was using my Merlin on a shoot a couple of days last week. A couple of the shots came out good enough to use, but I'm still finding it really challenging, but a lot were really wobbly. I still feel like I'm fighting to keep it balanced. (Can't post the source footage because it's work stuff.)

Thats some really nice footage there.
I paticularly like the shot with the stairs, but almost all of it looked very good. :)

- Mikko

Kris,

Did the Merlin cookbook help? It has presets for several cameras in stock form. But maybe you already knew that.

http://www.merlincookbook.com/

It really came down to balancing for me. While I'm no expert, I noticed that the Merlin is very very sensitive to even the slightest adjustment and movement compared to my Glidecam 2000. My TRV900 is lightweight too so that's a plus. But I want to try it with my VX1000 next. I still haven't sold my Glidecam 2000 and I know it might come in handy, especially if I really need to do a hard running shot.

Mikko,

Thanks for the feedback. I enjoy using it and will keep practicing. The Merlin really is a fine piece of equipment compared to my G2K. I think it set the bar in handhelds again.

Mikko,

I have got my Merlin since approx. 4 weeks. unfortunately I am now busy at work, so I don't have too much time to practice.

My reasons to buy a Merlin:
I am now filming DV since 1999, always using the same Panasonic NV-DX100 (3CCD). I have always been happy with theresults, but since I am making DVD's with iMovie, the shaky parts (I shoot all film by hand) have begun to irritate me. In particular zooming looks poor. And as I film a lot when walking I found the Merlin on the internet. I am also considering buying a new (HD) videcamcorder, but then I would still have shaky shots.

When buying the Merlin, the sales man (it is sold at a professional video shop) adviced me that camera's shouldn't ne too heavy, from his point of view HDR FX1 would do, but Z1U would already be too much. And I would need a tripod (which i bought two weeks ago).

I did exactly as was written in the manual and watched the DVD and read the manual simultaneously: it is indeed the best manual ever seen for any product. it took me a few hrs before I had it more or less balanced: it is really not so easy, and in the beginning you forget to put the lens cap on the same place, to fold out the lcd-screen, etc etc.

I have only made a fwe shots in and aroudn the house (not really worthwile watching I guess), but the effect is dramatic: the shaky component disappears almost completely. What is difficult is to aim the camera at the subject you wish without making the shot look bumpy: you must really slightly touch the guide and think in advance how you are going to walk and shoot (if you bump up against something the footage is gone). Also you must switch on the record button first (then it all moves), stabilise the camera, make your shot and switch off the record button. This menas that you use much more tape and that you run out of batteries sooner. I intend to use my remote control, only I don't know where I left it (never use it).

Every time you attach the plate to the Merlin, you have to rebalance again, also during shooting you keep doing this. I would expect that for good shooting you must practice a few hrs a day for some time, just to get the feel and never forget about it (like biking).

At some times I could not make the "roll balance" (don't know the exact wording now, jaw or pitch): in any case the camera mvoed to the left or right slowly. I also felt when moving the gimbal from left to right a small click (as if there was some play in teh bearings) which didn't appear normal to me so I emailed Tiffen (dealer couldn't help me, never seen a Merlin before): the rpsonded within 24 hrs and promised to send me a new gimbal. So service appears to be excellent.

Summary: in my opinion a very good deal, it dramatically improves the footage but requires hard practicing. When it is balanced it is very smooth and the horizon remains horizontal.

Pieter,
Thanks for your review of your experiences with the Merlin. Sounds like you are happy.

You say there's a little click and you can move the gimble a little from side to side? How much movement is it?
Turn the Merlin over (without a camera mounted) and look under the stage. Look at the black metal peice that holds the gimble assembly to the rods. It's the part that has the little blue side-to-side roller in it. See if you can slide this whole piece from side to side - about 3mm. If this is the case, check if the 2 screws on the side clamp to make sure they are tight.

- Mikko

Pieter,
Thanks for your review of your experiences with the Merlin. Sounds like you are happy.

You say there's a little click and you can move the gimble a little from side to side? How much movement is it?
Turn the Merlin over (without a camera mounted) and look under the stage. Look at the black metal peice that holds the gimble assembly to the rods. It's the part that has the little blue side-to-side roller in it. See if you can slide this whole piece from side to side - about 3mm. If this is the case, check if the 2 screws on the side clamp to make sure they are tight.

- Mikko

Thanks Mikko, I tried what you said and the screws are tight. When I turn over the Merlin, I can clearly see that one axis of the gimbal (going from left to right, so the one for tilting) can move a little bit within the plastic (if it is plastic, it looks like), for a distance of approx 0.25 mm. Really not very much, but you can clearly feel it. In my opinion this should not be the case as it increases the acceleration and thus force on the gimbal. I told tiffen The same and they decided to send me another gimbal assembly.

I will tell you once Tiffen has sent me the new gimbal assembly.

And yes, I am happy.

Regards,

Pieter


PS: I have some footage (quicktime, 2Mb), but how can I post this ?

I have some footage (quicktime, 2Mb), but how can I post this ?

You need to host the footage on a webserver somewhere, then post a link here.

- Mikko

Mikko,

I have got my Merlin since approx. 4 weeks. unfortunately I am now busy at work, so I don't have too much time to practice.

When buying the Merlin, the sales man (it is sold at a professional video shop) adviced me that camera's shouldn't ne too heavy, from his point of view HDR FX1 would do, but Z1U would already be too much. And I would need a tripod (which i bought two weeks ago).

I have had similar experiences to Pieter with the Merlin.
I need a lot more practice.....but the difference in footage is already noticeable.

As to the Z1 - if you change to the smallest available Sony battery pack you will find that it can be balanced and used with the Merlin.
The FX1 plus a smaller battery pack can be used with 1 less "weight unit".

I promised Miko I would post my setting on the Cookbook, but I want to test a little more before I do that.

The bottom line is - It works very well, but you must reckon on a lot of time and practice before you can take full advantage of the Merlin.
There is no short cut......

You can add me to the list of happy Merlin owners as well. I've had mine for about two weeks, and I'm beginning to get some decent shots with it. It does indeed take practice, and the list of ways to "blow a shot" is long and growing. It is still, without any doubt, the best stabilizer I have ever owned. The manual and DVD that come with it are a workshop in how stabilizers work all by themselves, and the unit itself is a work of art. A joy to use.

The only downside? Now that I have a taste of what Steadicams can really do, I'm wanting more. That lo-mode stuff looks good....hmmm.

Ah, but one of the joys of the Merlin is that you don't need to flip the rig over and reconfigure to get low angle shots, just bend down and get 'em! And then boom straight up into high mode again! MUCH more convenient, trust me...

Ah, but one of the joys of the Merlin is that you don't need to flip the rig over and reconfigure to get low angle shots, just bend down and get 'em! And then boom straight up into high mode again! MUCH more convenient, trust me...

Very true Charles, it is a nice perk to the Merlin.

That's very true, although the lower spar does provide a practical limit on how low you can go. The real issue is probably the speed at which I can duck walk. Sounds like I just need more practice :-)

I was the proud owner of a Merlin—for a day! I was making adjustments to the device to fly a (very old) Sony PCR-DC100. I was adjusting the lower spar height, when the caliper adjusting knob came off in my hand! I noticed there was a lot of stiffness while turning the knob, but not much movement in the spar. Then, pop! The knob was free-spinning and no longer attached to the Merlin.

I sent the unit back to Tiffen (on their dime, happily) and hopefully they'll turn it around in a week or so. I fond this forum because of the trouble I'm having with the Merlin, but now am thrilled to have found an online community that could further my DV skills!

I'll report back how my repair from Tiffen goes and if I can make good use of what seems to be an awesome tool. Nice footage, Armin!

Nice footage, Armin!

Thanks Arthur. Good luck with your Merlin, I think you'll enjoy it!

Yes, yes I am. I love it and I suck at it so I can't wait to get better. You can see my first flight right here. (http://renodigital.blogspot.com/2006/07/putting-it-all-together-flying-sony.html)

Yes, yes I am. I love it and I suck at it so I can't wait to get better. You can see my first flight right here. (http://renodigital.blogspot.com/2006/07/putting-it-all-together-flying-sony.html)

Yep, it takes some patience. I'm still practicing and trying to get better myself, but the rewards are great! Good luck with yours!

Armin, im glad you posted as i have a little swing to flying the merlin also. I just started about a week about practiceing about 30 mins per day.

Still looks great though compared to what a hand held could do

i went back to my merlin and i cant set it up again, lol... dvx, 9hr batter, .6 wide angle lens, tape inside, lcd open
got 1 mid, 1 finish on top
4mids, 1 finish on bottom

lol?

What is the rig doing Saturnin? How is it out of balance?


- Mikko

hahah i'm going to throw it out the window soon..i dont know what it does ..lol..everything..HAHAH Mikko come to my rescue...
its bottom heavy, its top heavy, it sways to the left and right...the works
i follwed the cookbook..that didnt help, i stripped the camera and left it like the cookbook says still being lame...

You're going to need to cool down your posts a little so I can make sence of them. (Me beeing a foreigner and all..)

If you just hold the rig in place by the handle, what happens?

- Mikko