Steadicam/Glidecam for the 5DmkII?

Nigel Barker · September 15th, 2012, 03:13 AM

I'll confess to being one of those that Charles describes who plops a 5D (or nowadays a C300) onto a little rig & shoots very wide angle at a deep stop or keeps a fixed distance to the subject. I shoot mainly weddings & there is no way that I will ever have a remote focus puller let alone afford a decent remote follow focus. So for me choosing between the Scout & the Pilot I would still choose the Pilot as it's almost half the price. I have the SD model as I am only really using the monitor for framing as either my DoF is deep enough I don't need to worry about focus or I am at a known fixed distance that is in focus (the DoF calculator app on the iPhone is a boon here). My Pilot is a V-lock battery. The AA model is cheaper but the idea of mucking about with recharging & loading the battery carrier with handfuls of those little AA batteries just doesn't bear thinking about. Besides I can use the lovely light Li-ion batteries to power a video light when I am not using the Pilot.

Below is a link to the Pilot that I have which is priced at about £3.4K whereas the equivalent Scout is £6.4K. If money were no object I would buy the Zephyr at just over £10K. The arm is great (actually it may be the same arm as the Scout) & the vest is fantastic just like a big rig vest & light years ahead of the minimalist Pilot vest with chest ratchet buckles instead of clips and velcro.
Steadicam Pilot System Production Starter Kit with V-Mount, E-7S Batteries (x2) and IDX VL-2Plus Dual Sequential Charger (PILOT-VLSP)
Steadicam Scout System Production Starter Kit with Sled, V-Mount, Arm, Standard Vest, SD Monitor, E-10S Batteries (x2) and IDX VL-2 Fast Dual-Sequential Charger (SCBXSDGVFA)
Steadicam Scout System Production Starter Kit with Sled, V-Mount, Arm, Standard Vest, SD Monitor, E-10S Batteries (x2) and IDX VL-2 Fast Dual-Sequential Charger (SCBXSDGVFA)

Kris Koster · September 16th, 2012, 03:27 PM

Thank-you Nigel, Charles and others for your valuable information.

I do see there is a lot of variance in price on the Steadicams. I was looking around to see if it was worth buying from the States rather than a UK dealer, there's often a grand or two added before slamming on the VAT. (although all credit to CVP, they are a superb outfit and have bought from them many times).

I've seen an outfit operating in the USA calling themselves AMG Studio. They say they are a Tiffen Authorised dealer and their Scout sells for £4244 with free shipping. They actually have a Zephyr for £5537 brand new.

Even with customs duty added on the way in, that packs a mean price.

Nigel Barker · September 17th, 2012, 01:45 AM

Kris, are you sure that free shipping means free worldwide shipping? VAT will add 20% I don't think that there is any import duty on a Steadicam. Be sure that you are comparing like for like. The three links to the Pilot Scout & Zephyr at CVP are for comparable models including 2 batteries & charger. The Zephyr that I found at AMG costs $12500 for the equivalent configuration ($15000 including VAT or about £9250) Steadicam Zephyr Camera Stabilizer with HD Monitor (V-Lock Battery Mount, Standard Vest)

September 15th, 2012, 03:13 AM	#61
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Steadicam/Glidecam for the 5DmkII? I'll confess to being one of those that Charles describes who plops a 5D (or nowadays a C300) onto a little rig & shoots very wide angle at a deep stop or keeps a fixed distance to the subject. I shoot mainly weddings & there is no way that I will ever have a remote focus puller let alone afford a decent remote follow focus. So for me choosing between the Scout & the Pilot I would still choose the Pilot as it's almost half the price. I have the SD model as I am only really using the monitor for framing as either my DoF is deep enough I don't need to worry about focus or I am at a known fixed distance that is in focus (the DoF calculator app on the iPhone is a boon here). My Pilot is a V-lock battery. The AA model is cheaper but the idea of mucking about with recharging & loading the battery carrier with handfuls of those little AA batteries just doesn't bear thinking about. Besides I can use the lovely light Li-ion batteries to power a video light when I am not using the Pilot. Below is a link to the Pilot that I have which is priced at about £3.4K whereas the equivalent Scout is £6.4K. If money were no object I would buy the Zephyr at just over £10K. The arm is great (actually it may be the same arm as the Scout) & the vest is fantastic just like a big rig vest & light years ahead of the minimalist Pilot vest with chest ratchet buckles instead of clips and velcro. Steadicam Pilot System Production Starter Kit with V-Mount, E-7S Batteries (x2) and IDX VL-2Plus Dual Sequential Charger (PILOT-VLSP) Steadicam Scout System Production Starter Kit with Sled, V-Mount, Arm, Standard Vest, SD Monitor, E-10S Batteries (x2) and IDX VL-2 Fast Dual-Sequential Charger (SCBXSDGVFA) Steadicam Scout System Production Starter Kit with Sled, V-Mount, Arm, Standard Vest, SD Monitor, E-10S Batteries (x2) and IDX VL-2 Fast Dual-Sequential Charger (SCBXSDGVFA) Last edited by Nigel Barker; September 15th, 2012 at 04:28 AM.

September 16th, 2012, 03:27 PM	#62
Kris Koster Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Gatwick, UK Posts: 185	Re: Steadicam/Glidecam for the 5DmkII? Thank-you Nigel, Charles and others for your valuable information. I do see there is a lot of variance in price on the Steadicams. I was looking around to see if it was worth buying from the States rather than a UK dealer, there's often a grand or two added before slamming on the VAT. (although all credit to CVP, they are a superb outfit and have bought from them many times). I've seen an outfit operating in the USA calling themselves AMG Studio. They say they are a Tiffen Authorised dealer and their Scout sells for £4244 with free shipping. They actually have a Zephyr for £5537 brand new. Even with customs duty added on the way in, that packs a mean price. __________________ http://kriskoster.com

September 17th, 2012, 01:45 AM	#63
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Steadicam/Glidecam for the 5DmkII? Kris, are you sure that free shipping means free worldwide shipping? VAT will add 20% I don't think that there is any import duty on a Steadicam. Be sure that you are comparing like for like. The three links to the Pilot Scout & Zephyr at CVP are for comparable models including 2 batteries & charger. The Zephyr that I found at AMG costs $12500 for the equivalent configuration ($15000 including VAT or about £9250) Steadicam Zephyr Camera Stabilizer with HD Monitor (V-Lock Battery Mount, Standard Vest)