I just ordered a Magiqcam!!

[Rob Lohman]

If you have cable usually someone is behind the operater to
"manage" these cables. You will usually see them having the
cables on a loop in their hands so they can have a line to the
camera avoid of tension.

[Steven Wills]

Yeah, I know about the grips but, where (or how) do you get the cables "to" the camera and control them? Do you run them down the arm or what?

[Scott Balkum]

You would have to run them down the arm. It could "mute" some of the free-flowing but it should work.

I shoot with an XL1s on my Magiqcam.

[Ed Liew]

steven,
follow the link http://www.bbc-safety.co.uk/guidance/steadicam.html it has a pic of steadicam vest with a triax cable build into it.

ed

[Steven Wills]

I suppose that vest with the triax adaptors is a option...uh huh.

Nice rig...

[Charles Papert]

Busy little thread, here!

OK. Avoiding the swaying thing--that's why we make the big bucks, gents. Controlling the rig so that the horizon stays level even when changing directions is part of the acquired skill of operating. Any kind of dampening effect would undermine the effects of the stabilizer. That three-axis gimbal must be as frictionless as possible to isolate the camera assembly from the operator, but that also means that the system is prone to the effects of acceleration as well as operator input and wind. Practice is the only way to get around all of this, I'm afraid.

As far as cabling, the idea is to minimize the twisting action of the cable. My preferred method is to have the cable exit the camera as close to the gimbal as possible (tape it back along the camera), then make a good sized loop so that it hangs down about a foot to a foot and a half; then attach the other end to the shoulder of the vest (opposite the side that the camera is mounted). From there you can tuck it in in the back of the vest as a strain relief. Alternately to the shoulder mount, you can run it down the arm if you prefer. The important thing is having the loop so that the "pull" of the cable is minimized.

Triax is the stiffest, thickest cable imaginable and a real pain. Use a coax to triax adaptor if at all possible, this allows you to use BNC cable. In general, select the most flexible, thinnest cables you can find for cabling off the rig.

[Steven Wills]

It's a great thread and very informative.

I always try and research a major purchase as best I can. Too much is on the line and this is about as close as I'll get to other operators giving first hand views...and I'm much more informed and educated about a product.

It really helps to make an informed decision.

[Wesley Wong]

... do I really need lanc / remote when I'm operating a magiqcam rig ? esp when the DVX-100 isn't a full lanc control and I can remote focus with one ?

Anyone please explain this to me ? I have a celebrity wedding coming up and hopefully I can do this right as a favour to the friend

(p.s. I haven't had both the cam nor the rig in my hands just yet - I hope the magiqcam arrives before this coming shoot)

[Charles Papert]

Wesley:

Just as a warning--based on the experiences of the folks here (as well as my repetitious burblings of "practice! practice!"), it might be good not to expect to get great at operating your Magiqcam for quite a while (like months, not weeks). It all depends on your expectations. I just hate to see folks get disappointed with stabilizers. This forum alone has had plenty of "I just got my rig, and I don't think it's working right--it's hard to keep level". Mostly that's with the handheld stabilizers, I have sort of seen a trend with those who buy the strap-on rigs have a more realistic sense that it will take time to get good.

So if this shoot is as important as it sounds...and weddings are a big one, there's not much room for error!...

[Scott Balkum]

I have to agree with Charles P. I didn't expect to get good results when I got mine just from all the reading. I does take a lot of practice. I am getting better and better but I can see where the level of improvement, only goes up a little each time.

If it were that easy, wouldn't everyone have one?

[Charles Papert]

<<If it were that easy, wouldn't everyone have one?>>

Maybe...if it cost the same as a tripod!

Incidentally, there's a new game in the bigtime Steadicam world called the Revolution. An NDA prevents me from explaining how it does it, but I can say what it does: you can flip the rig from high mode to low mode and the camera stays level the whole time. Fly it sideways (horizontal post) and the camera can glide over objects. It AUTOMATICALLY controls the roll horizon. That's right, no matter what you do, the camera itself stays level. It's a big deal, the first major advancement in the nature of Steadicam since its invention thirty years ago. And it costs about $40K and is optomized for a new rig which costs $30K, so for many operators it means a whopping $70K investment in addition to the gear they already own...

Don't expect this technology to trickle down to the prosumer level any time soon, however!

[Scott Balkum]

I was thinking, I could just strap a couple of 15k rpm hard drives on 3 axis of my Magiqcam and it would be stablized nicely...


I used to joke to people that I had so many hard drives in my computer that I could kick it on it's side and it wouldstand right back up... . :)

Seriously, it sounds like a gyroscopic stabilized steadicam. I knew it was just a matter of time before Wescam or someone got into the steadicam market.

Am I close? :)

[James Emory]

Charles. Can you talk about the size of the Revolution? Does it make wearing the Steadicam rig look even more profound than it already does? That's all we need is more staring. When will it be available to view?

[Wesley Wong]

thanks for all the tips. as important as the shoot sounds, its a free labour/ my practice kinda gig. so I don't think my friend would be too bothered if it gets wobbly. hehe.

I know I have to clock the miles to get good results. I will put in hard work !!! (and not forsake the tripod at this gig , just yet)

Charles P : would this amazing advancement make dolies obsolete then ? hehe.

I still can't figure out how they did the Alien POV floating sequence in Alien 3... spydercam ?

... and was the steadicam operator on a helicopter all the way and seamlessly got down to the groundlevel and walked into the house, in the opening sequence of the US 'The Birdcage' ?

[Charles Papert]

Oh so many questions!!! Here we go:

James: the Revolution does add a bit of heft to the rig, but not radically. So far it has been shown to a select few operators but will be "exposed" to the industry at large within a month or so.

Wesley: the racing around in the hallways of Alien 3 was Steadicam--I never got a good answer on how , when inverted, it got CLOSER to the ceiling rather than lower to the ground. I'll bring that up with the gang on the Steadicam forum, see what shakes out.

The Birdcage was an early example of digital compositing; the initial shot was a standard helicopter shot that "morphed" into a Steadicam riding down a crane and into the front door of the nightclub; the image of the inside of the nightclub was yet another Steadicam shot (this time shot on stage) by a different operator! So it was three shots combined in one. If you look at it critically, it's pretty easy to see the first transition as the people on the street essentially dissolve in a rather clunky fashion. The second transition is a bit more subtle, but you can still see some weird registration as the camera approaches the doors. Not bad for its time, but hardly impressive in this day and age (gee, all of, what, eight years later??)