Steadicam JR and WD-58H on Canon GL2 at DVinfo.net

Joe Collins · March 19th, 2004, 08:44 PM

Has anyone been able to get the Steadicam JR to balance properly with a WD-58H mounted on a Canon GL2?

I just purchased the Steadicam JR and I can get it to balance properly with just the camera mounted. It flies smoothly so I think I grock the set up pretty well (only my handling technique sucks :).

If I add the wide angle adaptor it makes the camera so front heavy I can't move it back far enough on the mounting plate to get a decent balance.

I've tried the heavy stop block and all the weights but I can't get anywhere close to balanced with the wide angle adapter on the camera.

Any help is appreciated.

John C. Chu · March 19th, 2004, 09:14 PM

What you need is an offset plate...

You first mount the plate on to your camera and then screw the plate on the stage of the JR.---effectively moving the camera back further to compensate for the front heaviness of the camera.

BH Photo has it or you can get it from Tiffen

<<<Steadicam
Price: $ 28.50

178-2010 Camera Mounting Plate - to mount select Sony and Canon with LCD Screen on Steadicam JR

MFR# 1782010 • B&H# STCMP>>>

What really bugs me about my camcorder is that the tripod mounting hole is no where near where the center of balance is[side ways and front and back] --which makes balancing trickier.

Joe Collins · March 20th, 2004, 01:09 AM

Thanks for the info John, the mounting plate looks like it will do the trick. I can't wait to try the wide angle adapter with the JR.

I know what you mean about about the tripod mounting hole but I was surprised how well I could balance out the JR (without the wide adapter). The video that comes in the kit really explains things well.

I'm also surprised that the JR isn't that hard to hold. Reading all the threads I could find on the JR had me kind of scared that my arm would fall off after a few minutes. Now I need to practice so my shots don't have quite as much of a lost at sea look :)

Thanks again, this board is invaluable.

Marco Leavitt · March 20th, 2004, 01:06 PM

Have you tried using a bigger battery? My GL1 seems real well balanced with the WD-58 and a LIC941 battery.

Joe Collins · March 20th, 2004, 02:53 PM

Marco I haven't tried the bigger battery. I have the bp-930 but it makes sense that the heavier battery would add the needed counterbalance and the longer shooting time would be good.

Thanks for the tip.

John Heskett · March 21st, 2004, 11:03 PM

I have also taped an extra battery to the back of one I had installed. That added more weight, but balanced the camera.

March 19th, 2004, 08:44 PM	#1
Joe Collins Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Athens, Ga USA Posts: 33	Steadicam JR and WD-58H on Canon GL2 Has anyone been able to get the Steadicam JR to balance properly with a WD-58H mounted on a Canon GL2? I just purchased the Steadicam JR and I can get it to balance properly with just the camera mounted. It flies smoothly so I think I grock the set up pretty well (only my handling technique sucks :). If I add the wide angle adaptor it makes the camera so front heavy I can't move it back far enough on the mounting plate to get a decent balance. I've tried the heavy stop block and all the weights but I can't get anywhere close to balanced with the wide angle adapter on the camera. Any help is appreciated.

March 21st, 2004, 11:03 PM	#6
John Heskett Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Terre Haute Indiana Posts: 181	I have also taped an extra battery to the back of one I had installed. That added more weight, but balanced the camera. __________________ Illuminate the Vision

March 19th, 2004, 09:14 PM	#2
John C. Chu Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Rego Park , NYC Posts: 665	What you need is an offset plate... You first mount the plate on to your camera and then screw the plate on the stage of the JR.---effectively moving the camera back further to compensate for the front heaviness of the camera. BH Photo has it or you can get it from Tiffen <<<Steadicam Price: $ 28.50 178-2010 Camera Mounting Plate - to mount select Sony and Canon with LCD Screen on Steadicam JR MFR# 1782010 • B&H# STCMP>>> What really bugs me about my camcorder is that the tripod mounting hole is no where near where the center of balance is[side ways and front and back] --which makes balancing trickier.

March 20th, 2004, 01:09 AM	#3
Joe Collins Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Athens, Ga USA Posts: 33	Thanks for the info John, the mounting plate looks like it will do the trick. I can't wait to try the wide angle adapter with the JR. I know what you mean about about the tripod mounting hole but I was surprised how well I could balance out the JR (without the wide adapter). The video that comes in the kit really explains things well. I'm also surprised that the JR isn't that hard to hold. Reading all the threads I could find on the JR had me kind of scared that my arm would fall off after a few minutes. Now I need to practice so my shots don't have quite as much of a lost at sea look :) Thanks again, this board is invaluable.

March 20th, 2004, 01:06 PM	#4
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	Have you tried using a bigger battery? My GL1 seems real well balanced with the WD-58 and a LIC941 battery.

March 20th, 2004, 02:53 PM	#5
Joe Collins Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Athens, Ga USA Posts: 33	Marco I haven't tried the bigger battery. I have the bp-930 but it makes sense that the heavier battery would add the needed counterbalance and the longer shooting time would be good. Thanks for the tip.