Merlin vs Blackbird, who wins?

Bo Dechphant · August 24th, 2009, 07:59 PM

How long can you guys hold the blackbird for with your camera fully set up, light, mic, etc. I need something that i can pretty much just pick up and go. The last time i did a wedding, i used the flycam and while the footage turned out great it just took too long to set up (and pack up).

Sean Seah · August 29th, 2009, 06:35 AM

the trick is a quick release plate. Once you have that, the balance can be easily obtained with minor adjustments.

There are several options like Slik DQ-L, Bogen, etc

Chiayi Fun · September 25th, 2009, 09:15 AM

Flycam 6000

not bad.

???????HDV?????????-????????? - Yahoo!?????

Terry Esslinger · September 25th, 2009, 01:13 PM

I would be interested in Pauls use of he FX1 with the Blackbird. I have an FX1 and am worried about the heavier cam. Otherwise the Blackbird looks very enticing.

Douglas Joseph · September 26th, 2009, 11:03 AM

I'm kind of torn here, but becoming less torn on which one to buy... From what I've been able to gather, the Blackbird is the better if you're shooting with a light camera, right? I'm filming with a 5DMII. Has anybody tested out both the Merlin and the Blackbird with the 5DMII?

Sean Seah · September 29th, 2009, 04:13 AM

I have done both.

Both can work with the 5D2 and even the 7D. Thing is, merlin requires the low profile Slik DQ-L quick release adapter to work. Otherwise the cam body will spin on the original merlin QR plate. The flying shots (about 4 scenes) were done with the merlin. Pls skip to the center.

Canon 7D Quick Review Firewerkz Films by Sean Seah

BBird will work as it is. A lot easier to operate, BUT the long post gets in the way sometimes. U have to be aware of that when flying it. Boom range is also limited compared to merlin. However, it is easier to get nice long stable shots due to the smooth touch feature. The shots in there are mostly the BBird directly and I have "behind the scenes" shots in there.

HWM CMR Blackbird Review Firewerkz Films by Sean Seah

Jim Forrest · March 30th, 2010, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich Greb

Marcus: The Blackbird introductory price is $645 and there is a $50 discount for forum/board members. We do indeed ship internationally.

Amedeo: The Blackbird handle is designed to fit over a ½ in post and is entirely compatible with the Merlin arm and post.

Rich Greb
President, Camera Motion Research, LLC

Will the Blackbird support the Sony EX3?

Paul Wags · April 3rd, 2010, 06:06 AM

Hi
Shot this using a Blackbird and Canon 7D.
Seems to work pretty good.
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

The raw 7D clips were edited as is on my Vista PC laptop with EDIUS.

Buba Kastorski · April 4th, 2010, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Forrest

Will the Blackbird support the Sony EX3?

with additional weights it will,
but will you be able to handle that weight?

Sean Seah · April 5th, 2010, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Forrest

Will the Blackbird support the Sony EX3?

Jim, yr arm must be made of steel I tink!

Andy Wilkinson · April 19th, 2010, 01:43 PM

Well here's a short demo of the EX3 on a CMR Blackbird. Personally, I don't think I'd want to risk my relatively heavy EX3 on a Blackbird (but what do I know). Watch the video and make your own mind up.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/stabiliz...ab-2010-a.html

I recently decided I'd rather fly a much lighter camera with a compact stabiliser to allow maximum flexibility so got a Steadicam Merlin for my 7D. It's early days but I'm absolutely delighted I went the route I did. Seeing this video convinced me I'd made the right choice (for my needs).

Sverker Hahn · April 19th, 2010, 04:17 PM

The merlin is a fast little falcon. The blackbird will sometimes get away and be safe in a bush or a tree - but the blackbird never eats a merlin.

Just playing with trademarks-words ... :-)

Dave Brown · May 7th, 2010, 05:20 PM

Well, how's this for customer service: I just unpacked an unexpected surprise from Blackbird. It is a complete upgrade kit, with the new resting stand, universal tripod/tabletop mounting bracket, tabletop clamp, a new platform and a bag of mysterious parts that I haven't quite figured out yet.

(Thanks Rich!)

I think that is exceptional customer service and it makes me glad that I traded in my old Steadicam JR for the Blackbird.

Rich told me the mysterious upgrade parts would be ready before the instructions to use them were, and he promised to get them out right away, even if I didn't know yet how to use them. (The instructions for the new resting stand and tabletop/tripod bracket are in the latest manual on the Blackbird website.)

I don't know if I should just wait for the instructions to be posted or if I should just play around with the parts until I figure out what they do!

Just kidding Rich ... I will wait until the instructions are ready!

Thanks again.

Mike Dulay · May 7th, 2010, 09:51 PM

Hi Dave, I have the new kit as well. The resting stand, clamp, and bracket seem pretty intuitive to me (and I'm a complete beginner, see my thread post here someplace).

Some tips:
1) The rubber on the resting stand appears to move, not sure if it affects balance.
2) When you deploy the resting stand, make sure the weights are secured tightly, one side of mine came loose when I didn't notice. I was scratching my head for 1 minute trying to figure out why it lost balance again.
3) The table top clamp I've been using with the hole that was marked C-stand in the new manual. Seems to work either way to me.

Good luck. Please pass along any discoveries you find.

Dave Brown · May 8th, 2010, 09:10 PM

I am not the swiftest guy in the world. I was flying my Sony A1U on my Blackbird today to check how much the stand affected the balance. (Answer: not much, by the way.)

As always, the Sony has a lot of weight on the nose and on the right side so I use the left hole in the mounting plate, and as always, when the mounting plate is on the Blackbird properly, it tends to overlap the rear front/rear adjuster knob.

No big deal; I am used to it.

Hey ... wait a minute! Didn't that NEW mounting plate seem to have more holes in it?

YES! I can now mount the camera farther to the rear on the plate and the adjuster knob is no longer blocked by the plate protruding out the back! Woohoo!

So now I know what the new mounting plate is for. It may not be necessary for a lot of folks but it sure was a nice upgrade for my camera.

I can't wait to try to figure out what the rest of the gadgets are for!

Anyone else got their early Christmas present from CMR?

August 24th, 2009, 07:59 PM	#31
Bo Dechphant New Boot Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 5	Just curious How long can you guys hold the blackbird for with your camera fully set up, light, mic, etc. I need something that i can pretty much just pick up and go. The last time i did a wedding, i used the flycam and while the footage turned out great it just took too long to set up (and pack up).

September 25th, 2009, 09:15 AM	#33
Chiayi Fun Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: taiwan Posts: 62	Flycam 6000 not bad. ???????HDV?????????-????????? - Yahoo!????? Attached Thumbnails __________________ http://blog.dcview.com.tw/tmtcman filmtool http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/tmtcman/ DOF

September 25th, 2009, 01:13 PM	#34
Terry Esslinger Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Sacramento, Elk Grove. Calif Posts: 306	I would be interested in Pauls use of he FX1 with the Blackbird. I have an FX1 and am worried about the heavier cam. Otherwise the Blackbird looks very enticing. __________________ Puttin the wet stuff on the red stuff!

September 26th, 2009, 11:03 AM	#35
Douglas Joseph Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Zanesville OH Posts: 205	I'm kind of torn here, but becoming less torn on which one to buy... From what I've been able to gather, the Blackbird is the better if you're shooting with a light camera, right? I'm filming with a 5DMII. Has anybody tested out both the Merlin and the Blackbird with the 5DMII? __________________ "Warriors... Come out to play..." www.importexporthd.com

April 19th, 2010, 01:43 PM	#41
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Well here's a short demo of the EX3 on a CMR Blackbird. Personally, I don't think I'd want to risk my relatively heavy EX3 on a Blackbird (but what do I know). Watch the video and make your own mind up. http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/stabiliz...ab-2010-a.html I recently decided I'd rather fly a much lighter camera with a compact stabiliser to allow maximum flexibility so got a Steadicam Merlin for my 7D. It's early days but I'm absolutely delighted I went the route I did. Seeing this video convinced me I'd made the right choice (for my needs). __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

August 29th, 2009, 06:35 AM	#32
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	the trick is a quick release plate. Once you have that, the balance can be easily obtained with minor adjustments. There are several options like Slik DQ-L, Bogen, etc

September 29th, 2009, 04:13 AM	#36
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	I have done both. Both can work with the 5D2 and even the 7D. Thing is, merlin requires the low profile Slik DQ-L quick release adapter to work. Otherwise the cam body will spin on the original merlin QR plate. The flying shots (about 4 scenes) were done with the merlin. Pls skip to the center. Canon 7D Quick Review Firewerkz Films by Sean Seah BBird will work as it is. A lot easier to operate, BUT the long post gets in the way sometimes. U have to be aware of that when flying it. Boom range is also limited compared to merlin. However, it is easier to get nice long stable shots due to the smooth touch feature. The shots in there are mostly the BBird directly and I have "behind the scenes" shots in there. HWM CMR Blackbird Review Firewerkz Films by Sean Seah

April 3rd, 2010, 06:06 AM	#38
Paul Wags Ruler of the DownUnder UnderWorld Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Cairns- Queensland - Australia Posts: 248	Hi Shot this using a Blackbird and Canon 7D. Seems to work pretty good. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. The raw 7D clips were edited as is on my Vista PC laptop with EDIUS.

April 19th, 2010, 04:17 PM	#42
Sverker Hahn Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 157	Merlin eats blackbird The merlin is a fast little falcon. The blackbird will sometimes get away and be safe in a bush or a tree - but the blackbird never eats a merlin. Just playing with trademarks-words ... :-)

May 7th, 2010, 05:20 PM	#43
Dave Brown Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 46	Box of surprises just hit my door! Well, how's this for customer service: I just unpacked an unexpected surprise from Blackbird. It is a complete upgrade kit, with the new resting stand, universal tripod/tabletop mounting bracket, tabletop clamp, a new platform and a bag of mysterious parts that I haven't quite figured out yet. (Thanks Rich!) I think that is exceptional customer service and it makes me glad that I traded in my old Steadicam JR for the Blackbird. Rich told me the mysterious upgrade parts would be ready before the instructions to use them were, and he promised to get them out right away, even if I didn't know yet how to use them. (The instructions for the new resting stand and tabletop/tripod bracket are in the latest manual on the Blackbird website.) I don't know if I should just wait for the instructions to be posted or if I should just play around with the parts until I figure out what they do! Just kidding Rich ... I will wait until the instructions are ready! Thanks again.

May 7th, 2010, 09:51 PM	#44
Mike Dulay Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Somerville, NJ Posts: 304	Hi Dave, I have the new kit as well. The resting stand, clamp, and bracket seem pretty intuitive to me (and I'm a complete beginner, see my thread post here someplace). Some tips: 1) The rubber on the resting stand appears to move, not sure if it affects balance. 2) When you deploy the resting stand, make sure the weights are secured tightly, one side of mine came loose when I didn't notice. I was scratching my head for 1 minute trying to figure out why it lost balance again. 3) The table top clamp I've been using with the hole that was marked C-stand in the new manual. Seems to work either way to me. Good luck. Please pass along any discoveries you find. __________________ DIY, 35mm, HV20: http://www.primitivebuteffective.net

May 8th, 2010, 09:10 PM	#45
Dave Brown Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 46	I am not the swiftest guy in the world. I was flying my Sony A1U on my Blackbird today to check how much the stand affected the balance. (Answer: not much, by the way.) As always, the Sony has a lot of weight on the nose and on the right side so I use the left hole in the mounting plate, and as always, when the mounting plate is on the Blackbird properly, it tends to overlap the rear front/rear adjuster knob. No big deal; I am used to it. Hey ... wait a minute! Didn't that NEW mounting plate seem to have more holes in it? YES! I can now mount the camera farther to the rear on the plate and the adjuster knob is no longer blocked by the plate protruding out the back! Woohoo! So now I know what the new mounting plate is for. It may not be necessary for a lot of folks but it sure was a nice upgrade for my camera. I can't wait to try to figure out what the rest of the gadgets are for! Anyone else got their early Christmas present from CMR?