Steadicam Pilot Review
 

My long-promised review of the Steadicam Pilot is up at:

http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/camsu...icampilot1.php

It's a great review Charles - very insightful and a good explanation of what your thoughts of the rig are and why, and the test shot was an excellent showcase of what operators of smaller rigs can aspire to.

Thanks!

Great one Charles............
 

I've never really got my head round these gadets up to now, but your review and that stunning video at the end have really given me a "heads up".

I must say you make it look absolutely effortless, which is one of the things holding me back from diving in and getting one, 'cos I know how much practice you've had.

The other one is the look on my wifes' face when I broach the subject - yeah, THAT LOOK!

Exceedingly well done. Congratulations.


CS

Great review Charles, thanks very much for taking the time to put that together.

Just picked up 5 sony v locks and a quad charger second hand, perfect for the pilot.. its nearly time to make my order.

Excellent review Charles.

It is very helpful in understanding the Pilot.

Regarding your video, you say you used fixed focus.

What distance did you use?

Did you reset the focus for the different shots? (For example, from the wide shot to the closeup toward the end?)

And at the beginning, when the actress walks into a closeup, does she stay in focus, or is this too close for a fixed setting?

Thank you! I know the questions are more about the camera than the Pilot, but the answers would be helpful.

Thank you
 

Charles,

that was a really good read & I definately did learn a thing or 2 from that. Will definately take your words of wisdom into account next time I play with my pilot.

Loved that video at the end, it really inspires me (and I'm sure many else) to really think and plan out our steadicam shots.
Thanks again!

In the hands of a master. Well done as usual!

It does show how a good DP would set up a good steadicam shot.

Amy and the house look great. Did you rent both of them...HaHa.

Tery
Indicam

Thanks all, glad you liked.

Jack:

With DV (HDV, etc,) I pretty much set the focus at around 5 feet and it holds for anything from perhaps 2 feet to infinity with a wide lens. I imagine I set the focus specifically on the tight shot, but the move was lateral so it held just fine. I purposely kept things simple by not using a 35mm adaptor, as I wanted to show that the use of a moving camera can be powerful enough by itself (and most folks who might attempt to use a 35mm adaptor with a Pilot would not have remote focus capability, which would make these particular shots hard to achieve).

Terry:

haha indeed!

Thanks Charles,

I think this will be the definitive review of the Steadicam Pilot. It's great to hear how the Pilot compares to a real Steadicam big rig. It's also great to see what kind of footage you can get with the Pilot in the hands of a master.

Charles,

I would be extremely interested to know your opinion on how the Pilot operates with lots of additional screw on weights, and how that compares to your big rig.

When I took the class with Tom, they had a Pilot set up with no additional screw on weights, and it felt like a toy. The additional screw-on weights really make a huge difference, especially at the bottom.

Specifically, with the XH-A1 weighing in at 5 pounds (including it's battery), I would add:
- 2 middle weights plus 1 end weight to each end of the bottom crossbar
- 6 middle weights plus 1 end weight to each end of the stage

The total weight for this would be about 9.5 pounds, and the gimbal would be 2-3" away from the stage.

I did a quick photoshop of your picture from the review to see what this would look like (I hope you don't mind). The picture shows the 6 middle weights and 1 end weight on the front of the stage. It looks like this would fit under the lens hood and not get in the way.

This would require a total of 16 middle weights. Since the Pilot only comes with 4 middle weights, you would have to order 12 more. You can order additional screw-on middle weights directly from Tiffen - Part # 801-7920-05, $6.25 each.

I really think Tiffen should include a lot more middle weights with the Pilot. After experiencing the added control with more screw-on weights, I think every Pilot owner will want this. 12 weights would cost $75, which is pretty cheap in the scheme of things. The real issue is the hassle of ordering from Tiffen, and the wait time for the order to ship (I had to wait a month). It would be much better if Tiffen just included these weights so new Pilot users could feel this added control right away.

Anyway, Charles - if you ever get a chance to use a Pilot that's fully loaded up to around 10 pounds, with some of that weight at the ends of the lower crossbar, please let us know what you think.

Thanks Dave. That all makes a lot of sense and I am quite sure that it would make a considerable difference to the feel of the Pilot.

I wouldn't agree that it feels like a toy without extra weight as that implies lesser functionability (I know it is just a term but I wouldn't want to mislead people). After all the bare Pilot will still demonstrate more inertia than the Merlin with all weights up. It is however much nicer and more stable and frankly easier to operate with the added inertia of a compete brace of weights.

I would never expect a Pilot to have exactly the same feel as my big rig. It just doesn't have the mass. However, both the gimbal and arm are smooth enough that they create a similar operating experience, as opposed to various other systems I have tried that force me to overcome their deficiencies in these areas which obviously is a distraction. For rehearsal purposes (like I noted in the article), the amount of weight I was using worked fine as the system was feather-light and I could easily approximate any shot that I would then subsequently do "for real" on my full-size rig. But yes, if the shot was ultimately to be performed on the Pilot I too would want to add ballast up to the full capacity of the system to give it more "oomph".

The Pilot in class had no weights at all (up or down), and with the DVX100 which is much lighter, it was really light. With the XH-A1 and all weights up, it would be much better. With weights on the bottom, and with the total weight up around 10 pounds, I think it feels way more stable, but would be interested to see what you think.

Yes, I think we agree on this.

Hi Charles,

May I ask what level of dynamic balance was achieved on the pilot+XH-A1 rig of yours? I'm thinking of trying to mimic your pilot setup with my xh-a1 (no wide angle, same level of merlin weights and post length) just to see how comfy and stable it feels compared to my usually setup.

Thanks in advance.

I got a chance to use a pilot the past week with both an A1 and XL2. Here are some observations:

I used a Giottos quick release adapter and extra long plate. It makes front to back balancing a lot easier and it definitely beats unscrewing four screws each time to remove the camera. The Giottos also comes with levels which are a great help. Monfrotto also has a QR plate but no levels (This also add a bit of extra weight to the entire assembly) The qr lever needs to be tweaked a little bit but it will work fine with an A1 and does lock securely in the tight space between the camera and mounting plate.

Keep a few pennies around for removing the mounting screw. Cheaper than a screwdriver, easier to replace and works fine.

The heavier XL2 (about 8 lbs) feels a lot more stable but it is pushing the limits of the arm (the front spring is fully cranked to the max). If I put a anything else on, it will start to sag down.

On the A1, extra weight really helps. I put the Steadicam weights on the bottom (battery and monitor). I was able to mount a shotgun and wireless receiver on the camera itself + the extra weights and the feel was much nicer than no accessories and weights.

I definitely like the feel of the XL2 but with some extra weight the A1 come very close. 7-8 pounds seems to be the top limit on the Pilot even though they claimed 10 pounds. I would really like to see them fly a 10 lb camera on that rig. The total weight of an XL2 + sled came to around 14 lbs on my scale.

The product has a far more substantial feel than a Merlin - If you are comparing a Merlin + Vest vs a Pilot + Vest, the extra $1,000 (25%) is well worth it (still not cheap though).

A1 focus - Use manual fixed focus if you can. The A1 likes to hunt around on the focus and it has ruined some shots in the past. (Not sure if this is a defect on my camera or an A1 flaw in general). Another tip for A1 users, use manual gain set at -3 if you can - the A1 loves to boost gain in auto mode and it generates a lot of ugly grain and noise. At -3 gain, the image is silky smooth if you have sufficient light.

The vest - I don't know why they placed the velcro with the hook side exposed. If you are wearing short sleeves, it will scrape your arm. In the future, if they reversed the velcro it will be a lot more comfortable. For now, I have covered parts of the velcro with another piece of velcro and my arms don't get scratched. Velcro is fine for the belt and chest portion but I wish they would have used buckles on the top so the setting can be locked and snapped it without having to guess where to place the velcro. Buckles only cost a few dollars and it might be a worthy retrofit.

Right vs Left. The stock unit came with the arm fitting for right side operation. I switched my unit to the left side. This allows me to view the A1 flip out monitor and controls a lot easier. I still used the A1 screen to monitor camera functions and audio. Make sure you balance the rig with the screen flipped out with tape and battery.

The case - as mentioned in the review, the foam insert that comes with the case is useless. Trying put everything back into the foam cut outs will require excessive takedown and set up. The backpack case is fine, you will need to reconfigure the components to fit with minimal reassembly. Steadicam also sells an extra large "Merlin" case - currently <$70 at Amazon that is perfect for the A1 - makes a great matching set of luggage.

You will also need a stand - I am currently using a C stand that is heavy and not very portable. There is a custom steadistand available for about $160 - $200 - I have been told by the factory that there are 2 versions. A new version has just been released with a few new features and will fit into the backpack case. You may want to confirm which version a dealer is selling before making your purchase.

Training - If you search for steadicam on youtube, you will find a bunch of videos on how to use a steadicam but the best I found so far is the EFP DVD available through Tiffen for $20. The DVD that comes with the pilot is marginal.

Practice - The only way to use this effectively is by practice, practice, practice.

Steadicam and HDV - If you are familiar with the HDV format, you should have learned that fast camera movements are a No No. I found the best results are obtained when you perform you moves in super slo mo. The slower the better.

Operator fatigue - Depending upon what physical shape you are in, you will feel the weight of the unit after wearing it for about 15 minutes. After a week I was comfortable with wearing in for about 30-45 minutes. Contrary to the advertising, I doubt anyone can wear a Pilot and Camera continuously all day long.

Give a kid a hammer and the whole world looks like a nail - It is not necessary to use a Steadicam when you can achieve the same shot with a tripod or monopod. I loved playing with the unit but a 30 minute Steadicam sequence is very boring - even 2 minutes of a continuous shot can be boring. It is a specialize tool than can achieve some incredible shots. Using this tool appropriately is one of the toughest thing to master.

Overall, a very well built unit. It is not cheap, (>$4,000 when completely configured). It is a very specialized piece of equipment that will require a lot of practice before producing quality shots. It is not a magic wand that will instantly transform shakey shots in smooth footage. It takes time to set up balance and tune. Not ideal for run and gun and I am still learning to how to use it effectively for continuous event videography such as concerts.

I believe I was able to achieve a flat spin with this setup. I had the battery pushed in towards the post about as far as it would go, and the monitor as far away from the post as possible. Your mileage will vary, of course (but let me know how you make out).

Same observation here. The battery tray was pushed all the way towards the post. You can also experiment with different weight on each side at the bottom as well as changing your accessory mix on the camera. The Canon A1 has a larger high capacity battery that can affect the total weight and balance. The tilt of the monitor is another area for tuning as well.

I felt the same way you did for a while. Even during the workshop I took, my back just ached, even with a lightweight camera. Over the past 4 months though, I've gotten to the point where my rig doesn't hurt me anymore, even with around an 8-9 pound camera setup on it. And, when you think about it, it shouldn't, considering that the pro operators can fly the big rigs with huge cameras for decent amounts of time. Just this last Friday, I did a shoot where for 3 hours, I took off the rig all of twice, and both times were so that I could cool down (90+ degree heat and high humidity in a forest isn't exactly perfect operating weather!). Afterwards, I noticed something funny - no pain at all! The workshop helped me refine my posture, and practice has allowed me to strengthen my back the amount that was needed, and learn to just instinctively get my posture correct.

Charles,

When using my Glidecam 4000 Pro, I've noticed the XH-A1 is right-side heavy. Were you able to balance the Pilot and A1 so that it didn't have a tendency to rotate? I'm just getting ready to get the VLB version of the Pilot.

Good observations Tom. Having your body "learn" how to maneuver and even stand still with a stabilizer onboard takes a while; meanwhile you are also strengthening the muscles required in the back and legs. Over time it becomes second nature to exert the minimum amount of energy required to get the job done. One thing that is not immediately obvious is that the further away from your body you hold the rig, the more torque is applied to the body and fatigue will be greater. With a big rig this is immediately obvious, with these little ones it would manifest itself over time but still be relevant.

As I mentioned in the review, I had the rig on for two solid hours and felt virtually nothing--not to say I am a big manly man (!), I'm just used to wearing these things. I think it wouldn't be out of the question for a big manly man/experienced operator to wear one for a full day if that was required for some reason.

Regarding Hoy's comment about tilting the monitor for balance purposes, my feeling is that an LCD is fairly restricted in useable tilt angle for best viewability and it is important to give yourself the best image possible, so I would preset the angle of the LCD to this before balancing and do the best you can after that. If given a choice, I'd rather have an optimal view of the image than perfect dynamic balance. In any event, adding weights to one end of the spar or the other would assist with the process.

I've found the best way to dynamically balance the Pilot is to move the whole bottom crossbar using the hex screw.

At this point, I never move the battery or monitor to achieve dynamic balance. I always put the battery as far out as it will go, and leave the monitor in it's same spot which is pretty far out as well.

I think the instructions talk about moving the battery because this is how you would balance other Steadicam rigs. But with the Pilot, it's easy to just move the whole bottom crossbar toward the front or back.

I've gotten up to about 3 hours with no problem. The trick is to be "under the rig" at all times, and with the sled close to your body as much as possible.

When I took the class, I started with everything in balance, but as soon as I started doing anything challenging with the framing, Peter reminded me that I was "not under the rig", meaning that if I were to let go of my hands, it would fly away from me. So the Monday after the class, I decided to just forget about framing for a while, turn the camera off, and just practice hands-free for a solid week. After a few days, I was able to control the sled position pretty well with just my upper body. After 5 days, I was able to control the sled position and keep it close to my body. After a week, I was comfortable enough that the whole balance thing became second nature, even when changing positions. So now I tend not to lose balance as much when I'm struggling to hold frame correctly. If I do ever notice myself getting significantly out of balance, I'll run hands-free during a break as a little refresher.

The bottom line here is that being in balance with the sled close to your body enables you to fly the Pilot for hours at a time. And by the way, it makes the shots more stable as well!

Now if I could just get the framing, booming, and horizon like Charles...

uhhh... My pilot case does not have the wheels or pull out handle.... Bummer. Us early adaptors get hosed.

Mine doesn't have the wheels or a pull out handle either.

No one told me I wasn't supposed to use this as a backpack, so I've been doing the Sherpa thing all over Manhattan, with the Pilot on my back and 2 Storm iM2700s, one in each hand. I have to take rests every once in a while...

Dave-

Great observations about being "under the rig". During your camera-off practice period, how long each day did you work the rig?

1-3 hours per day.

Dave:

I recall when you posted about your success with the hands-free exercise on the Steadicam forum that Jerry H. added that it would be good to keep your hands in close proximity to their proper position on post and gimbal, just wanted to re-iterate that here as I believe this is a good practice also.

The classic rule of thumb with Steadicam is that if you were to take your hands off the rig at any point during a move, it should hover in place rather than flying off in any given direction. That's all about maintaining the proper attitude of the system via your hips, or keeping it "under you" as you noted. The hands-free exercise will definitely contribute to that. Any time one is having to muscle the rig into position with the gimbal hand it will contribute to fatigue (and ultimately the precision of the shot). The dual-axis adjustment at the arm socket combined with the easy-to-position arm makes this a much easier task but the rest is up to the operator.

I may have made an error regarding the case--I've had two Pilots in my possession, and I had made the note about the wheels and handle from the first one (didn't bother looking for these on the newer one) I'll check with the factory to see what the story is on this.

Once again CP...a darn fine review by on of the industry finest. I made a link to it from within the Review forum on HBS.

Dave, Christopher--you are right, the Pilot case does not have wheels or a pullout handle. I will be fixing this in the review asap. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Ed. note: review updated! -- CH

Excellent article and clip Charles, nice looking home as well btw.

The use of manual focus makes it possible with Sony EX1 which hunts a lot as well. I'm trying to figure out what is the COMBINED weight of the sled+batt+monitor+cam+extra weights that the arms can handle. I attempted a few weights previously on the EX1 but I didnt record the settings. Dave had informed me about the total weight but I have not had the chance to try out the unit again.

The Pilot systrm will support 10 pounds of stuff you add. In other words, the sled, battery, and monitor are not part of the 10 pounds. The 10 pounds includes the camera, camera accessories (e.g. camera battery, wireless equiptment, on-camera shotgun microphone, hard disk recorder, tripod adaptor, etc.), and all screw-on weights.

You can buy a nice accurate scale from the post office to weigh this stuff for $40:
http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stor...1049&langId=-1

Hey Dave, I have found out from Tiffen tech support that the Steadicam battery is part of the 10 pounds. To quote: "The reason we have to include battery powering Steadicam in the total load is because there are so many different types of batteries that can be used for powering Steadicam. With all these different batteries, it’s almost impossible to set an absolute figure for battery weight. Since it varies so much, battery for powering Steadicam is part of total load."
So it looks like for those wanting to use more accessories it would be best investing in the lightest possible battery...

Yeah, that makes sense.

With my current setup, the arm is level with a little thread room to spare. Not counting the battery, my stuff weighs exactly 9.9 pounds. If you count the 10xAA battery pack, the weight comes to 10.6 pounds. So I guess there's a little extra margin with the 10 pounds.

For those who haven't seen the AA packs, I've attached a picture.

I had a stock Canon XL2 (no microphone - stock or otherwise) with an IDX battery and a quick release plate (which I find is an absolute necessity). Total weight 13.8 lbs (The whole assembly, battery, cam, monitor, etc.) That was about the absolute limit as the front arm screw was cranked to the max. At that weight the arms are barely level and if I just tap on the camera, it would boom down. The additional mass was great but you can feel that it was at it's upper limits.

I believe the EX1 is lighter than the XL2 and it should work, but if you plan to add a quick release plate, microphone, or wireless receiver(s), you will be getting close to the limit.

I normally shoot with a Canon A1 and if I were shooting with the heavier XL2 on a regular basis, I would be concerned about running the rig at maximum load with the springs cranked all the way up. The springs will wear down and I suspect the XL2 configuration would eventually sag.

Dave,

What equipment do you have loaded on your Pilot?

I'm thinking of getting the Pilot VLB so I can run a Firestore FS-C from the IDX battery in addition to the monitor. The IDX battery weighs 1.25lbs, the FS-C about 1lb, and the XH-A1 weighs 4.5lbs, for a total of about 6.75lbs. I'll have to use the weights supplied with the Pilot, so I'm sure that'll bring it up close to the 10lb limit. With your set up, how many pounds in weights do you use (I know you have extras on there)?

Charles, great work! Thank You.
Amedeo

Very nice, and informative review Charles. Thankyou for taking the time to do it.

And an equally nice house and wife. You are a fortunate man :)

Configuration #1
Middle Weights (4.0 oz each) Qty=6 (2 high, 4 low) 1.5 pounds
End Weights (2.0 oz each) Qty=4 (2 high, 2 low) 0.5 pounds
Panasonic HVX200 + Mic Muff MM3 + Tripod plate (no battery) 5.9 pounds
Tripod Adaptor, Manfrotto 577 0.4 pounds
Wireless Video Transmitter, Supercircuits AVX900T4 + cables 0.2 pounds
HXV200 battery 0.6 pounds
Shotgun Mic, Rode NTG-1 + SM3 + Deadcat 0.5 pounds
Shotgun Microphone Cable 0.2 pounds
Total Steadicam Camera & Accessories Weight 9.8 pounds

Configuration #2
Middle Weights (4.0 oz each) Qty=8 (4 high, 4 low) 2.0 pounds
End Weights (2.0 oz each) Qty=2 (0 high, 2 low) 0.3 pounds
Panasonic HVX200 + Mic Muff MM3 + Tripod plate (no battery) 5.9 pounds
Tripod Adaptor, Manfrotto 577 0.4 pounds
Wireless Video Transmitter Supercircuits AVX900T4 + cables 0.2 pounds
HXV200 battery 0.6 pounds
Wireless Audio Receiver, Sennheiser EK-100-G2 + Cable 0.6 pounds
Total Steadicam Camera & Accessories Weight 9.9 pounds

I'm presuming that you get four ends weights with the pilot but how many middle weights come with it?