7D + 17-55IS + Merlin
 

I have a nice balance going with the Merlin, 7D, 17-55IS, and the Canon lens hood. Parameters set for 17mm:

Spar opened to one line shy of max opening
(1) mid + 1 finish on the front
(1) start + (2) mid + 1 (finish) on the bottom
Camera mounted in Hole "M" on mounting plate
mounting plate registering at "-0.75" mark

The L-R adjuster is almost totally to the Right
The F-R adjuster is about 3/4 forward

Obviously the fine adjusters take some tweaking, but both have play and work well.

I tried 3 Mid weights on the bottom, but it was too bottom heavy and had a pendulum effect. Going back to 2 mid weights gave me the 1 sec drop and very smooth action.

Hopefully this can help anyone get in the ballpark with this combo.

Canon 7D and Canon 17-55mm IS plus Merlin Steadicam
 

Hi Nathanael,

You're right! Curiosity got the better of me so I just tried your setup with my 7D and Canon 17-55mm IS set at 17mm, focussed at about 1.5m (but in my case with a cheap Marumi 83-J hood on plus a filter on the front of the lens). Got the Merlin Steadicam balanced in a just a few seconds with no problems at all.

I will say it seems much, much heaver than flying with the Canon 10-22mm on (so I'll probably stick with that for my main flying stuff as it covers the same focal range). However, I imagine it might be less susceptible to light breezes when outside.

Seems an excellent start point (really stable!) so thanks for posting!

Andy,

Glad it worked for you - these things really ought to be fairly repeatable! Your reply did make me realize that I also have a UV filter on the front and I forgot to list that. The camera, lens and lens hood are around 3.5lbs. I don't have the 10-22, to compare weight, but it isn't for indefinite use for sure... That's why they make the vests, I'm sure.

Thanks
 

Was considering Merlin to replace my glidecam 2000 pro. Still undecided but lots of great material here.

Hi Patrick,

Yep, DVinfo is the place to look for anything Video related for sure!

The Merlin gets better and better with lots of practice (doesn't everything!). There are a few shots using the Merlin/Canon 7D in my new showreel (it's on my website if your interested) which shows I'm getting better at it - I hope! Many talk of the Blackbird being an easier stabiliser to master than the Merlin but I'm very happy I went with the Merlin - albeit it still frustrates me at times - less and less now. Which stabiliser is one of those really difficult choices that many seem to agonise over - good luck in choosing what's right for you but be aware it's very susceptible to breezes as mentioned a bit earlier.

But since you already have it, what is not working for you with the Glidecam 2000 Pro that you think a Merlin might fix?

On a side note, I spent many happy years doing a different kind of flying - into STL on business from the UK every few weeks. Used to hang out a lot in Riddles Penultimate and a few other bars and restaurants on "The Loop" in University City. Hope they are still as good/still going strong!