Sony Z1 on a Steadicam SK at DVinfo.net

Mark Utley · April 8th, 2008, 02:39 PM

Hey everyone,
A guy I work with owns a Steadicam SK (which I see is discontinued - he got it 10 years ago and hardly uses it because he has a jib). I'm shooting a high school basketball all-star game and he's letting me borrow his rig so I can be on the court for the slam dunk competition, similar to NBA:

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

The problem is I'm shooting with a Sony Z1 (approx 5 lbs.) but the SK would be better balanced with a heavier camera (its capacity is 17 lbs.). The guy I'm borrowing from rented his rig to a guy who was flying a Z1 a couple years ago. He had a steel plate made that fit between the camera and Steadicam plate that apparently added the perfect amount of weight, but I just found out today it has since been melted down.

The shoot is Thursday night so I'm looking for solutions to add weight to the rig asap so I can get used to the extra weight and practise as much as possible. I've practised with a couple maffer clamps attached to the camera handle but the balance is weird and it looks pretty goofy.

There is enough room to attach a maffer clamp on the post above the gimbal, so I could clamp something just below the camera.

I've been reading a lot about Steadicam setups on these boards for the past couple months and have a pretty good understanding of how the system should work, but the only use I've had is with the rig balanced awkardly on the weekend.

Anyway, if anyone has suggestions that I could look into right away, it would be highly appreciated.

Thanks!
Mark

Mark Utley · April 9th, 2008, 06:02 PM

He got two new 4.5 lb plates cut so it flies nicely now.

April 8th, 2008, 02:39 PM	#1
Mark Utley Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 479	Sony Z1 on a Steadicam SK Hey everyone, A guy I work with owns a Steadicam SK (which I see is discontinued - he got it 10 years ago and hardly uses it because he has a jib). I'm shooting a high school basketball all-star game and he's letting me borrow his rig so I can be on the court for the slam dunk competition, similar to NBA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYsappbGHNg The problem is I'm shooting with a Sony Z1 (approx 5 lbs.) but the SK would be better balanced with a heavier camera (its capacity is 17 lbs.). The guy I'm borrowing from rented his rig to a guy who was flying a Z1 a couple years ago. He had a steel plate made that fit between the camera and Steadicam plate that apparently added the perfect amount of weight, but I just found out today it has since been melted down. The shoot is Thursday night so I'm looking for solutions to add weight to the rig asap so I can get used to the extra weight and practise as much as possible. I've practised with a couple maffer clamps attached to the camera handle but the balance is weird and it looks pretty goofy. There is enough room to attach a maffer clamp on the post above the gimbal, so I could clamp something just below the camera. I've been reading a lot about Steadicam setups on these boards for the past couple months and have a pretty good understanding of how the system should work, but the only use I've had is with the rig balanced awkardly on the weekend. Anyway, if anyone has suggestions that I could look into right away, it would be highly appreciated. Thanks! Mark __________________ Mark Utley

April 9th, 2008, 06:02 PM	#2
Mark Utley Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 479	He got two new 4.5 lb plates cut so it flies nicely now. __________________ Mark Utley