Slight bounce in picture

[Phil Hanna]

I really appreciate all the help for you guys on the Flycam 6000. I wish I had the money to have purchased the Steadicam system, I am sure I would not be going through all the trials I have had to undergo. I now have a fairly stable platform. The camera is not swaying as much since I moved the gimbal and added a bit more bottom weight. It has a heavier feel though. In reviewing the footage, I can see a slight bounce in the scene as I walk. I believe this to be the adjustment to the arm. Is this indicative of too tight a setting on one of the arms or not tight enough. I see other footage and it is effortless and fluid, mine is not quite there yet. I thank you in advance for your advice.

Phil

[Terry Thompson]

Phil,

You might want to weigh it heavy so your camera rides low and lift it into shooting position. This allows your own arm to "buffer" the shot somewhat which in turn helps smooth out the bounce.

Practise moving as smoothly as possible as if you're holding a glass of hot water and don't want to spill it on you. You can actually try that practise exercise by the way but not too hot of water of course.

Tery
Indicam

[Phil Hanna]

I appreciate the advice. I will give this a try. I might find out this thing is just too much for me and requires an younger back! I hurt myself yesterday playing with this thing and I figure I will give it a few more tries, then off it goes to ebay. I know this is not an easy art, but I sure didn't think it would be this much of a fight. Some think it is the EX1 and how it is balanced, at this point I have no clues.

Frustrated,

Phil

[Terry Thompson]

Phil,

Attached is a picture of a guy who bought our system for his EX1. He actually flew in to our local airport to try out the Indicam PILOT with his EX1 and ended up taking a full system home with him.

When properly set up, operating our system (and others) isn't that hard although you will notice a muscle in your lower back (right side) getting a work out. It's a muscle that is called by steadicam operators "that muscle" and it gets stronger with normal steadicam practise and use.

Make sure the weight of the system is going through the center of your body and not pulling in any other direction. This will help greatly to minimize strain and allow you to operate your rig longer. The adjustment for this is different in different rigs but it has to do with the angle that the arm leaves the vest. When properly adjusted you should be able to have your sled in correct operating position without it wanting to pull away from you in any direction including towards your body. Do some searching on this website for something like "socket block adjustment" and read what others have said. There are some very smart people on this forum who give up hours of their time to help all of us.

If I can be of further help let me know.

Tery
Indicam
indicam.com - Home

[Danny O'Neill]

the problem is due to the way the flycam works. Its the same technology as the Glidecam and its just because their springs are springy and you need to manually compensate.

Ensure your holding the sled and arm with the lightest of fingertips. Never grab full hand like ive seen some people doing as the natural bounce your own body has will be transfered to the rig.

Steadicams use Isoelastic arms so need an even lighter touch, they just stay where there supposed to be.

The extra weight is also a good thing to check, the springs work best when they are close or at their maximum load. i.e my Glidecam can use 1 or 2 springs depending on the weight of the sled. If I use 1 spring I have it set to its maximum setting and all is nice and steady. If I use 2 springs I need to set it to its lightest setting and then I get lots of bounce.

[Phil Hanna]

I really appreciate the advice. I wish I had the money to purchase your system. Maybe I can sell this down the road and put some money with it to get a real steadicam system like yours! In the meantime, I will do my best to learn the basics on this one.

Phil

[Phil Hanna]

I appreciate all the help. So much of this is just trial and error. Even though there is not an adequate manual, I have learned a great deal through trying something and noting what the result is. I have made great strides (until I hurt my back...That muscle Terry spoke about!), so once I get a little more time with the unit, I will continue to grow. I did download a Glidecam manual and found the information very helpful. It talks about the forearm bar being parallel to the ground when operating. I tried this and I think it needs not be that extreme due to how the camera mounts on the Flycam.

Phil

[Danny O'Neill]

I too wish I had a steadicam, I have a glidecam which is much the same as your flycam.

I got the Steadicam EFP video which was a great help and only $18.

You cant really let go of the glidecam arm like you see the steadicam people doing as it goes wild, no matter how much you try and control it with your body.

But hey, you get what you pay for.

[Phil Hanna]

The video sounds like a good investment. I think your comment about the unit going wild is what I needed to hear. My expectations were to have this perfectly balanced system. It is fair to say that that expectation comes with an up-charge! So, I will play with this thing some more and learn to operate it within its limits. Later, I can invest in a better system.
At 58, I don't know how many more Steadicam years I have left!

Phil