I have the accessory plate, and it works very well. Perfect for stuff like wireless mic receivers that can't go on the camera.

- Mikko

Thought I'd share some experiences with the Merlin/Z1 combination...

Having previously used a PD150/steadicam JR, I can confirm that operating is similar although the merlin immediately feels more precise and controlable. I always felt the JR was going to fall apart (although it never did!).

I used the merlin on a couple of live music gigs, getting general footage for a 3 day trade show at which bands were playing in the evening... One evening I was using it for 2.5 hours, although had to take regular breaks by jamming the lower spar into my belt and staying still to rest my arm. I'm going to see if I can try out the vest/arm when generally available in the UK, although am a little apprehensive as when I tried a full size rig with a DSR-450 I could move!! (Respect to all of you that do that for a living - you earn every penny!!)

When I upgraded, I was a little concerned that the Z1 monitor wouldn't be in the right position as I was used to the JR monitor, but if anything the larger, 16:9 Z1 monitor was better - although it throws the balance way out if you forget to flip it out!!

The footage was much better than I was expecting and despite leaping around following a Freddie Mercury lookalike in a Queen tribute band, is quite watchable unedited! I'll try to digitise a bit and upload it... It also cuts together better with my DSR-450.

Regarding cases, I got a pelicase for the Z1 and a customer foam cutout from my camera supplier. A bit of work with the stanley knife adjusted a cutout for a rain cover to fit the Merlin so the whole lot fits really neatly and safely.

So in summary, a worthwhile upgrade (the Z1 is much better for me than the PD150) and the Merlin is much better than the JR.

Just my thoughts...

Well, I'm happy to say I got my Merlin working and balanced today! The thing flows like a dream now, and all I have left to do is practice till my arm falls off, or the arm/vest ships, whichever comes first! (Honestly not sure at this point)

Finally, my Merlin arrived today! Went thru the DVD and manual step by step. The thing is tricky to balance, but got it quite good.
My first shots are even better than I expected. I'll try to post some samples when I get time.

I have one problem. When I try to fold it, the lower arc hits into the locking lever. I should be able to fold it using some force, but is that the way it's suppose to be?

Do you mean that the lower spar hit's the lever on the side of the stage? And then doesn't fit under the stage?

- Mikko

Yes, it hits the lever and when I open the lever, then it hits the side of the stage.
Here are the pics:

Pictures! Cool!


Loosen the locking knobs on the spar (by the Arc-adjustment knob), then you should be able to move the lower spar down a little to give it clearance to fold under the stage.

- Mikko

When I loosen them I still need to use the same amount (not talking about finger pressing) force to put it in. Is that the way it's suppose to be?

There should be a *little* bit of force needed to "click" the spar into place under the stage (you can see the indentation where it's supposed to lock into). But you shouldn't have to force it.

There is a bit of play in the system, especially when those knobs are open, to allow you to lock it into place.

- Mikko

Well with knobs taken off, here is how much it's off.

wow. Yeah, it appears that there's something wrong there.

Start by putting the nobs back on so you don't loose them ;)

Did you buy the unit locally?

- Mikko

Oooh no, now comes the bad part...
Bought it from BH on the 9th of August, shipped to my relative in LA and he brought it today to Croatia (Europe).

hmm..

Give Tiffen a call directly (http://www.steadicam.com/steadiCusService.html) and they will either be able to find a fix for you over the phone, or will most likly ship you out a replacement unit quickly (they are normally very fast!).

- Mikko

When I loosen them I still need to use the same amount (not talking about finger pressing) force to put it in. Is that the way it's suppose to be?

There is NOTHING WRONG with your Steadicam. I have two and they do the same thing. You simply need to push the lower spar below the stage-plate and it will detent in any of the 3 small recessed cut-out sections in the plastic underneath.

Trust me, I toured the factory, I seen enough of them and they all work the same way, just like the one you have. Hope this helps so you can now spend time practicing flying the cam! lol

PS: Just got my Tiffen arm/vest last week and OMG! What an amazing and well designed system! Worth every penny I spent. I'm taking their 2-Day Training class possibly this weekend.

Well, looks like it's not supposed to be that way.
I emailed the Tiffen support (phone is too expensive from Croatia) with the pictures and they told me to send the unit back.
The problem is that I need the unit from the 15th for weddings that I already said the Merlin will be at, and sending the unit back to US for repairs is going to be too long.

The unit like this is constantly in need for re-trimming if I push it enough to fold. That's really bad for weddings.

I'll see if they can offer me any alternative.

Can you wait 10 days and then send it right after your shoot?

- Mikko

I need it every 7 days till December. But from the 15th I specificly told the Steadicam would be on their wedding. :( (thought a month of training would be enough- I was supposed to get it 14.08.)

Perhaps Tiffen could send you a replacement unit first and then you send yours back? Maybe using a credit card as a security desposit during the exchange?

- Mikko

You mean it's supposed to click into place and stay there by itself?

Not on my unit! The arm just flops down so I've been using a piece of velcro tape to hold it in the folded position.

Now that I look carefully at the bottom of the stage I can see that the tool that was supposed to cut the latching indentation apparentlly made 3 passes and that whole area is chewed up so there is no longer a detent!

Glad I read this - I'll call Tiffen Friday (Client meetings all day tomorrow!)

And all this time I've been muttering to myself about why there wasn't some kind of detent to hold the arm in the folded position!

Marko -

Don't bother trying to get it "fixed" - mine is like that too. I have the recent SE model, serial # 100601xx, and I suspect there have been changes since it first came out. The manual states the the arc size varies from a max of almost 13" to a min of 7", but mine is 13 3/4" to 8 1/16". I don't use the latch when folded because it puts way too much stress on the hinge.

Hi! Can someone explain me - what is the difference by adding this one weight in front? I am using Canon XHA1.

I'm not 100% sure what you're asking, but if you're wondering about the purpose of the weight out in front, I believe it is to increase rotational inertia about the vertical axis through the center of gravity.

In other words, to eliminate some of the tendency for the whole unit to spin freely about the vertical axis

That's what I think it is, but I couls be wrong. Just my opinion.

Or I could be misunderstanding your question.

Adding weights to the front (as opposed to the bottom) serves 2 purposes:

It does in deed ad greater horizntal inertia - making "pan" more stable.

It has a smaller effect on the drop time, and allows you to slightly more fine tune the drop time.


In addition, it also has an effect on dynamic balance - you need some (even just one start-weight) weight on there to be able to dynamically blance the sled properly.



But, yes, it's mostly to increase "pan" stability to match the allready huge "tilt" and "roll" stability of the Merlin.

- Mikko

Thanks guys for the Answers. My new Merlin works fine, but i am still not sure to use this one "full weight" (in add to start weight) in front or not. I will trainig with both options.
(Sorry for my bad english)
Ivan

Yup, try both options and see what works best!

Exprimenting is the best way to learn & understand Steadicam.


- Mikko

Merlin works wonderfull. I have Flycam stabilizer with the Vest too - but i was never able to tune this thing so fine as a Merlin.
But where is the best place to mount my Manfrotto 521 LANC Steering? Merlins hangrip is too small. Is there a chance to change it for a bigger one?

Is a properly balanced Merlin rock steady when held or balanced on itself?

Mine just keeps every so slowly bobbing around like a boat on a calm lake. I just can't stop this movement. What's the deal?

The metal gimbal seems super sensative compared to the plastic one I tested.

Any suggestions?

once balanced and steady it will reamin in place - it shouldn't move by itself.

That said, once you accelerate it (or slow it down, or turn a corner at speed), due to the dlight bottom heaviness, it will want to act very slightly like a pendulum .. so as an operator, it's your job to use your guide hand to very gentally counteract this swaying as you accelerate to prevent it from happening.

With practice you quickly learn what things will cause it to sway and how to prevent it.


- Mikko

Hi,
the side-to-side trim roller of my merlin is very hard to rotate. What can i do?

Is the Merlin level as you try to rotate the roller? Try rolling the rig very slightly to the side so that the roller is moving the camera "down hill" so it's not having to move the weight of the sled up.

- Mikko

i mean the roller under the dovetail to adjust the left/right level.
Another question is: have the gimbal to be exactly under the center of gravity of the cam?

Yes, I know which roller you are referring to.

Is it hard to turn even if there isn't a camera on the Merlin?

And yes, you do want to get the gimbal directly under the CG of the camera.


- Mikko

boy this thread is choc full of good info - I solved 2 problems I didn't even know I had!

..now back to the cross on the wall..

Yes, I know which roller you are referring to.

Is it hard to turn even if there isn't a camera on the Merlin?


- Mikko
Without camera ist easyer to turn, but not as easy as the for/back roller.
Any idea to get it smoother?

It doesn't need to be super easy to turn - too loose and it might not hold balance as easily.

Try rolling it all the way to one side, and cleaning the underside of the stage beteen the side-to-side support rods. Then roll all the way to the other side and clean to other side. Try going too the way forwards and all teh wya back too, to get as much of the underisde of the stage cleaned as possible. - It's possible you have some dirt in there.

My side-to-side roller is also a little tighter than the fore-aft - and both are fairly stiff. I fyou can still adjust it without too mcuh teouble, then it's probably ok. Inly if the rollers are so tight that thye are actually preventing you from makign trib adjustments with your fingers, are they actually too tight.


- Mikko

And yes, you do want to get the gimbal directly under the CG of the camera.


- Mikko

If cameras cg and the gimbal not aligned does that mean the merlin isn't dynamic balanced?

Dynamic balance refers to how the rig acts when you pan. If when you pan at a mederate speed, the rig stays level (doesn't tilt or roll on it's own) then you are in dynamic balance.

Watch the Steadicam Pilot video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3PgqKF6ugY
Dynamic Blance is discussed starting at 6:40


- Mikko

Ah thx i see. But what happens if cg and gimbal not in the same place?
Any bad things happens?

If the rig isn't correctly balanced, it will simply hang with the camera at some undesired angle.

- Mikko

I'm selling my Merlin (used it twice) because of upgrading to the Pilot. Please check the 'private classifieds' if intererested!

My Merlin appears to be balanced correctly, but it drifts when I hold it still. Does anyone have a suggestion, please? The drop time appears about right and I can move my Merlin laterally without any resulting pendulum effect, but it drifts when I hold it still.

When I hold my Merlin still without touching the guide, it starts to rock very slightly fore and aft, and also side to side. It rolls a little, too, and it drifts on the z-axis. Does anyone have a suggestion, please? My camera is light, only 1 lb. 3 oz. with its smaller battery and all accessories, and 1 lb. 5 oz. with its larger battery and all accessories. Thanks in advance to everyone who has a suggestion.

I find that under 3lbs or so, the Merlin will tend to do that as there is so little mass to the whole rig. If you have a way to mount more weight on it, see if that helps things.

I'm having trouble balancing the merlin when I added a HVL-20DW2 to my Sony FX1. I've tried trimming and moving the dovetail plate but the top just seems to want constantly flop to one side. Do I need to add more weights on the bottom? If anybody has it balanced with this please let me know what settings they used or point me in the right direction to getting this balanced. Thanks in advance.

yes... you will need to add more weight.

The accessory plate really helps as well, you can add batts or wireless receivers to it for more weight.

to be honest though... I never put a light on my cam when flying. The footage always looks like a POV shot to me.

Hi...

I recently purchased a used Merlin and Vest/Arm rig. I have been through the setup portion of the manual and DVD for the merlin, but have a few questions.

The lower spar, even with the locking knobs tightened has a bit of play to it. It will wiggle up and down a bit. Is this normal?

When I fold my merlin into travel mode, the lower spar will hit into the stage. I saw some discussion about this earlier in the thread. Some said that it was normal, others said it was not. Has there been a final verdict on this? Applying a small amount of force to the lower spar does cause it to slide down and catch in the groove under the stage.

I have been trying to balance an XH-A1 with the 970 battery, lcd out, tape in camera, and lens cover off. I try to trim the fore-aft and side to side balance. I hold the camera level and let go. It seems fairly well balanced but the camera wants to rotate (pan) around toward me, and as it does this it begins to fall to the side ever so slightly. Is this a sign of any out of whack adjustment?

I am also wondering if the 45 degree arm post that the merlin sits upon is supposed to rotate? Mine is tight, but it seems like it should rotate. Reading through Charles' review of the system it sounds like it should rotate. I will try loosening the bolt underneath with an allen wrench...

thanks for any insight,
matt

well I have been re reading the directions. I tightened up the locking knobs a bit tighter which got rid of the movement in the lower spar.

i took a look at the pilot video posted earlier, and it would seem I have a dynamic balance problem with the pan and tip problem. Is the best way to adjust this by making adjustments to the positioning of the dovetail plate on the stage?

I am still wondering about the lower spar when folding into travel mode, and the tightness of the arm post. I loosened the post a bit with an allen wrench. How tight should it be... or is it more of a user preference? Should it rotate freely, or require a bit of force?

How are you Merlinites using your guide hand?
If you have your thumb and index on the guide (or thumb/index/middle), where are the other fingers?
Are they touching the support hand's fingers?
Is your guide pinky under the handle?
Or do your guide fingers not touch anything except the guide?
Are your fingers on the guide all the time, or do you sometimes disconnect?

I normally have the other fingers of my guide hand helping support the rig, or at least touching the support hand to "lock" my hands together.

- Mikko

Had my Merlin for two hours today, and the metal gimbal already broke. I'm using it with a Sony HVR-A1U, so it's not exactly a heavy camera. For the 20 minutes that I had a balanced camera, it was great. One of those puny little silver things that connects the two gimbal pieces snapped while I was flying straight and level.

The good news is Tiffen's support has already sent me a replacement. That's impressive technical support by any measure.

I used to fly merlin handheld with FX1 and A1 lately, and I got really comfortable with it, I can re-setup merlin for the WA or oncamera light , or large battery very fast and get a perfect balance, I mean perfect, but that's handheld;
Now, I've got merlin arm and vest , and I've got EX1, and that's where things got complicated;
Before my main concern was weight of the camera, now it's inertia, I can't get rid of pendulum effect, as soon as Increase drop time the cam. goes completely out of the balance;
I understand that going from handheld to a full rig makes a big difference and takes a lot of practice, but I'm really thinking of getting a pilot sled;
Chris Witzke says that EX1 on merlin works nicely for him, not for me :-(

I need 90 seconds to get perfect balance with A1 on merlin, I can't even get close to that with EX1 for the last 4 days.
Chris? Mikko? Any advise?
Many thanks!