I would be interested in this solution as well, as I was looking into the Sony A1U, but was very hesitant, because of the bottom loading problem.

LCD Remote View options?
 

Hello,
I'm building a jib arm and am looking for some good LCD options to attach for viewing from the weighted end. Hopefully something relatively innexpensive.

Appreciate you pointing me in the right directions!
Best,
Jeff

I just bought the little Marshall 4" LCD, comes with a battery pack & the necessary cables to hook up to my old VX1000. I attached it to my Glidecam 2000 pro and the picture isn't bad for the price/value. It's my first monitor though so I can't compare the image to others.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

pretty darn neat!!!
 

Sorry if this is already been posted but I thought it was pretty neat!!!! Check out the demo video. Seem like a semi-fair price too.
http://www.dvmoves.com/products/bodycrane/index.cfm#

Polecam
 

Hi
I'd be interested to hear if anyone's used a polecam and what they think of it. The web link is http://www.polecam.com ...

I haven't used one. I had a good look at the site last week and it seems that it would be a great tool but at £15000 for SD - no way!

Any computer programmers out there?
 

Someone should make a program that allows users to input what kind of camera they have, how much it weighs and any accessories it has. It then processes the information and determines what tripods are compatable with the user's setup. Heck, it could even arrange them in different orders (ie- price, manufacturer) and give links for where people could go buy them.

That would be neat.

DRAGANFLY not allowed to shipping out of Canada !!!
 

Hello
I know there's a lot of people is Canadian in this site so may be they can help me for my question , I bought DRAGANFLY from RC TOYS its wireless camera fixed on wireless helicopter so you can shot a very high area , we will use this product for some drama shooting and also for some documentary film , the problem that we are surprise for it that is Canadian government detain this product when the company send it to my country by FEDEX they said its not allowed to ship some thing like this product !!!! the product is Canadian and the price is only 1.600 USD and its will go out of Canada not enter to it , I wander how and why Canadian government do some thing like this and how supposed this company work
You can see the product at http://www.rctoys.com/draganflyer5tipro.php

Could always have it drop shipped to someone in canada and have them re-mail it to you. But before you do that did you try contacting the company and see if they could declare it as something else when they ship it. I don't see a logical reason to keep this from moving between borders so I don't see a reason to block it and not find a way around the problem.

Great (cheap!) way to take steadier shots with a handycam!
 

Hey Everyone,
I bought a $5 "Mini Tripod" at walmart the other day so I could use my camera as a web cam. I then picked the camera up with the tripod using my left hand, and thought to myself "Wow, I could take much better footage but using my right hand on the camera and my left hand on the mini tripod". Lo and behold it works.

Anyways, Just thought someone might find this useful -

Teleprompter/tripod for XL2
 

Has anyone found a good combo for a good teleprompter and tripod for the XL2? I'm about to get the tripod, but waited to see what teleprompter I was going to get and how much it would weigh to know what kind of tripod to get. Anyone have a good combo they are using for their XL2? THANKS!!

Sony AIS plug converted to standard hot shoe?
 

I've got a sony HC1 HDV camera that has one of those new proprietary AIS shoe/plugs on the top of the camera. Has anybody made a piece of gear that can convert that to a standard hot shoe (Like on the Sony A1)?

Teleprompters are a pain in the ass! But they sure are helpful. They're a Godsend, regardless of the experience/ability of the person in front of the camera. Insist on getting the text of the speech before the shoot date so that you can input it into the prompter before the shoot. This way, you can format and set the type for their use before you get onto the set. Better yet, if they own the prompter, that's their job. They should have all that loaded before the day of the shot, so you're not held up.

Check out the particular model prompter if you can. I always have some 3/8 - 16 and 1/4 - 20 screws, bolts, wing nuts and fender washers, so I can mount my camera on almost anything. Washers can help raise up the prompter so knobs don't interfere with sliding the rig on and off the head. Washers are good to put between the prompter and a nut.

The prompter will be very front heavy, since that's where the computer and plexi will be. The XL2 is already front heavy, so you'll probably have the plate mounted somewhere between the body and the computer. You may need some time to find the right center point. Budget a lot of time for set up, since you'll want to find the center. It's really gonna suck if you're off and the front end completely nose dives. Be sure to put a sandbag on the spreader, if you have a ground spreader, or on a couple of the feet, if you have a mid level spreader.

Adjust the counterbalance on the tripod head because the center of gravity will changed dramatically.

Get a head that can acommodate around 30-50 pounds. Check out Vinten, Sachtler, Cartoni, Miller and O'Connor and see what meets your needs. You'll probably want a head and tripod with at least a 100mm ball.

Be sure that the prompter's glass is clean. I have a client that has their own prompter and the plexiglass has a lot of scratches and gouges in both sides. I remind them to buy a new one every time and I'm always moving it to see if I can see any bad spots.

If you can get a couple of 1/4 - 20 knurled thumbscrews, those are helpful for mounting the camera to the whole rig.

how to clean old setup?
 

ok i got a real nice studio tripod and head setup, heavy duty stuff, i cant remember the model numbers off the top of my head, the head on this thing is big, i think its a 116 or a 3066 or something like that, i get confused with those number things, the legs are i think 3016 or 3068 or something like that, anyways, i can tell its been sitting unused for awhile so i was wondering what the best way to clean/oil or 'tune up' this tripod and head, i got it off ebay for a great price, also the levels on it are dry with no water, any way to fix that?

How Stabilization Software Works - Dramatic Demo Video
 

If you have never seen how it works behind the scenes this is a demo of how Steadimove and probably other stabilization software does it.

The software basically places your video on a virtual gimbal to adjust the X, Y and Z axes. You ordinarily wouldn't see the borders because it performs a slight push or zoom to crop out the border as it corrects for X,Y or Z axes motion. This correction looks as though a slight zoom has been added to your footage to hide the border. When viewing, open your player to it's largest frame to see the dramatic correction taking place. There is a setting to reduce that zoom effect but more cropping is applied to offset it. To see the smooth result of this demo, simply mask the edges with a piece paper so you can't see the border or just cup your hand and look through the hole, like a monocular, to see how stable the image really is. You can do this in Steadimove with your footage by choosing none as the edge handling value.

How it works
http://161.58.78.36/asx/dvinfo/produ...LIZERFRAME.asx

Lens support issues
 

I inherited a large angenieux zoom and while it has a matte black support ring that is off to the left (arri brand?) it has no bracket for me to attach to my 15mm rods... any ideas how to make one? It seems to buy one new would run me over $200... and since I have to get a PL adapter and a mount I'm running outta cash. Ideas?