Indiecam arm on a steadicam stand and wheels? at DVinfo.net

Chris Klidonas · August 5th, 2007, 11:00 AM

was curious if anyone has hooked a indicam arm up to a steadicam stand on some dolly wheels?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._f_Merlin.html

any reason to get this over a good lightstand and a set of tripod wheels?

Jaron Berman · August 5th, 2007, 11:16 AM

What are you going for?

If you're looking for a place to dock, then no - the steadicam brand stand's only advantage is that it folds very small - small enough to fit inside the Flyer case, and is also quite light.

If you're trying to hard-mount a stabilizer, this is not the right tool no matter what brand you're looking at. The right tool would be a "garfield" mount... though that would entail purchasing a socket block to fit your arm as well. All-told, this particular piece would cost you roughly $900. There are other ways though... so first - what's the intended use?

Chris Klidonas · August 5th, 2007, 11:50 AM

Well docking is one use, but I was thinking of the possibility of mounting the arm on the stand and wheels as a makeshift dolly on occassion on flat smooth ground of course. I figure using an arm this was may work out for smooth pan shots and with a correct track system and wheels maybe suppliment a dolly in a small way. Obviously I am not thinking it will be as good as a dolly designed for this purpose but more as a possible alternative.

edit, I have seen videographers using just a tripod and wheels which is likely more vibration and bump prone than using the arm to help smooth it on the same setup, I just think the tripod would possibly be in the way and a c stand or sturdy light stand may be better, and the steadicam stand looked to be a possible, I have never seen one, only saw it advertised recently.

Afton Grant · August 5th, 2007, 01:09 PM

Hi Chris,

Using a tripod (camera mounted normally) works as a makeshift dolly in certain situations because the bulk of the weight is centered directly over the legs where the greatest support is.

Adding an arm to the equation would extend the mass away from the support of the legs, creating leverage the legs of the tripod could not overcome. Without a great amount of counterweight at the base of the tripod, the system would quickly topple over. Worse would be true if a lightstand was used rather than a tripod.

Jaron is correct in that you simply need the right equipment to do this without problem. A hard (aka: vehicle or garfield) mount is where to start. Variations of the mount take the socket block and mount it to speed rail. Regardless of what you mount it to, it has to be extremely secure. Google "steadicam hard mount" or "vehicle mount" and you'll likely find a number of pictures of different setups.

Best of luck!
Afton

August 5th, 2007, 11:00 AM	#1
Chris Klidonas Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: NY, NY Posts: 129	Indiecam arm on a steadicam stand and wheels? was curious if anyone has hooked a indicam arm up to a steadicam stand on some dolly wheels? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._f_Merlin.html any reason to get this over a good lightstand and a set of tripod wheels?

August 5th, 2007, 01:09 PM	#4
Afton Grant Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: New York, Boston Posts: 54	Hi Chris, Using a tripod (camera mounted normally) works as a makeshift dolly in certain situations because the bulk of the weight is centered directly over the legs where the greatest support is. Adding an arm to the equation would extend the mass away from the support of the legs, creating leverage the legs of the tripod could not overcome. Without a great amount of counterweight at the base of the tripod, the system would quickly topple over. Worse would be true if a lightstand was used rather than a tripod. Jaron is correct in that you simply need the right equipment to do this without problem. A hard (aka: vehicle or garfield) mount is where to start. Variations of the mount take the socket block and mount it to speed rail. Regardless of what you mount it to, it has to be extremely secure. Google "steadicam hard mount" or "vehicle mount" and you'll likely find a number of pictures of different setups. Best of luck! Afton __________________ Afton M Grant, Steadicam Operator www.aftongrant.com \| www.steadishots.org

August 5th, 2007, 11:16 AM	#2
Jaron Berman Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 439	What are you going for? If you're looking for a place to dock, then no - the steadicam brand stand's only advantage is that it folds very small - small enough to fit inside the Flyer case, and is also quite light. If you're trying to hard-mount a stabilizer, this is not the right tool no matter what brand you're looking at. The right tool would be a "garfield" mount... though that would entail purchasing a socket block to fit your arm as well. All-told, this particular piece would cost you roughly $900. There are other ways though... so first - what's the intended use?

August 5th, 2007, 11:50 AM	#3
Chris Klidonas Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: NY, NY Posts: 129	Well docking is one use, but I was thinking of the possibility of mounting the arm on the stand and wheels as a makeshift dolly on occassion on flat smooth ground of course. I figure using an arm this was may work out for smooth pan shots and with a correct track system and wheels maybe suppliment a dolly in a small way. Obviously I am not thinking it will be as good as a dolly designed for this purpose but more as a possible alternative. edit, I have seen videographers using just a tripod and wheels which is likely more vibration and bump prone than using the arm to help smooth it on the same setup, I just think the tripod would possibly be in the way and a c stand or sturdy light stand may be better, and the steadicam stand looked to be a possible, I have never seen one, only saw it advertised recently.