Steadycam Merlin and bad back
 

Okay, I really need a steady cam for an assignment I'm doing. I'm planning on getting a Merlin. However, I've just been diagnosed with degenerative disk disease of the cervical spine. I have back and neck pain and my arm goes numb. I realize these steadycams with A1s put a lot of stress on you to hold but I can't afford the ~2K vest to help bear the weight. Is there any other (cheaper) alternative or work around people have found that works?

Thanks in advance for any help.

You really need the vest. Varizoom may have a cheaper version, as well as Glidecam, but to get equivalent quality, they're all in the same general ballpark. Can you use a dolly instead?

Thanks, Bill. No I can't use a dolly. This is going to be shot over very rough uneven terrain.

Have been reading the zen descriptions of handling the Merlin :) As a pretty steady handed still phoptog as well, I think I can do this is with practice and if my back will hold up. I can perhaps get away with very short segments at a time. They just need to be visually compelling.

Are you saying I could use the Varizoom, etc., cheaper versions with the Merlin? Or do they need to go with the steadycam of the same brand?

Varizoom has a cheaper system that's similar...a hand held version and then a vest, both together probably around $2K, I don't remember for sure.

I had back surgery some years ago and have shot with a higher end system with a much heavier 2/3" chip camera. I can wear the vest, mount the rig (which hangs on a C-stand spud), do a shot, then set it down again. It's a pain to stand around for very long. I've never used anything with the XH A1 yet, but presumably a Merlin or equivalent with vest would be a lot easier.

I don't know the nature of your back problems, but you might try the Merlin just hand held, if the vest system is unaffordable. Set up a shot, make a run, then put it down. You'll probably have trouble carrying it around for long. One thing with a regular steadycam type system, even with the vest, when the rig floats out away from the body, it's a serious strain. The key to working with it is balance. I got to where I could keep it in close to my body and it wasn't so bad, but that took some practice.

The thing about the vest is that it transfers weight to the hips, and that might or might not be worse for your situation. I don't think the Merlin itself is all that heavy and if you can keep it in close, you might be able to work with it. When I do things that stress my lower back, I do it for short periods, then rest, then do it again. An all day shoot with lots of setups with a steadycam would not work for me. Although...after switching to an XH A1, lighter weight tripod, and fewer heavy bags to carry (using mostly LED lights now or fluorescents), my trips to the chirporactor after a long shoot have dwindled to about zero. My camera bag, set of 3 500LED lights, stands and tripod all weigh less than the old camera and its battery bag with 8 BPL batteries and charger. There are some benefits to smaller cameras, for sure.

Dang-- moved :(
 

I specifically wanted info from those who've used the Merlin with the A1.

Oh, well. Thanks, Bill. Good info. I'll go on and get the Merlin and see how I do. I'll be able to control how long I spend on each shoot.

One more question if you see this -- do you need to re-balance each time you set it down to rest or is that not a big factor?

Hi Denise,

Among my various Steadicams (3 at last count!) I do have a Merlin and I use it with an A1.

For me, the primary muscle strain that one experiences with a handheld rig is in the arm (wrist/forearm); I will also start to feel it in the shoulder and upper back after a while. I haven't ever experienced a lower back or spinal sensation with that setup. I would think that assuming you have decent arm strength or intend to practice plenty to build that up, you would be fine with the handheld version. I can't be absolutely sure because I'm not that familiar with your particular condition (so sorry, by the way).

The Merlin/A1 combo is pretty chunky for handheld operation but when spread out via a vest and arm, becomes marginal at best. Most people find that the weight essentially "disappears". Again your particular condition may affect this but it would be worth investigating. Hopefully you are able to visit a dealer that may have the complete package so you can at least try out the different options. As far as third party vest/arms that are less expensive than the Steadicam version, most are not immediately compatible but I would contact Terry at Indicam to see if they make a mating post for the Merlin. His is an affordable alternative.

In any event, make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to learn the particular skill of working with the Merlin. It's not the sort of thing you want to pick up the day before.

p.s. which section of the forum did you have this post in originally? If it was the A1 forum, understand that your question relates much more specifically to the Merlin than it does to the camera--the weight bearing issues would be virtually identical with a Z1, HVX200, etc.

Denise
I have the A1 and the Merlin. Personally I don't think it is the greatest combination and suggest you either have the vest (I don't) or consider a smaller lighter camera. I have a Sony HDR HC1 for HD work and a Panasonic DVC30 for SD work. Both balance out very well and are easy to "fly" on the Merlin. Even so these two small cameras are heavy after a day's shooting.

Thanks for the input, guys. I originally posted on the A1 forum mostly due to wanting to know about the weight balance of this cam with the Merlin but I'm happy to hear of any similar experience.

Thanks again.

I have an XH A1 and a Merlin.
Personally I don't think that I'd want to risk it if I had a bad back. It's quite ungainly.
You can hold it into your body and use both hands to support. The strain then seems to be mainly on the forearm but I think that it must in turn be distributed up the back too.
I'd get someone else to do the shooting if that's an option.

Thanks.

Well, I got it today and have been watching the instructional DVD. I'll try balancing tomorrow during Hanna since I'll be inside.

I don't notice many if any women posting on using this thing. That kind of worries me too. I'm not very big either -- 5'3" and 115 lbs soaking wet. I guess I'll just have to see how it goes.

I wouldn't let your size be of concern. There are many women Steadicam operators flying even the biggest of rigs. Technique is far more important than size!

I once read about a workshop where there was a big football-player type guy who was having difficulty getting a shot. Then they put the same rig on this tiny woman who was barely over 5 feet tall. She really knew how to fly and embarrassed the poor guy by not only getting the shot but making it look easy!

I guess that balancing a Steadicam is a great indoor activity during a hurricane! Have fun and let us know how it goes!

Hi Frank,

Was this woman using a vest arm thingie?

Hanna pretty much just missed us. I mean by maybe a mile or two east. Still, I'm inside trying to get up the courage to get this thing going. I'll let you know.

Denise-

Yes, she was wearing a full big rig with a 35mm film camera on it.

Glad you're safe from the storm Still, it is a great excuse to get acquainted with the "Noble Device".

still working on it
 

I haven't got it perfectly balanced yet but I was up till 2AM messing with it last night. I think I'm pretty close.

The good news is, although I haven't actually gotten it out there and shot anything yet, I have been practicing holding the weight and the handling techniques with the viewfinder and I may be okay for short periods of time. Techniques I used to hand hold my Canon 1D Mark II still cam for long periods, which could get quite heavy with certain long lenses, may work to help me out here as well.

We'll see. I'm little but determined ;)

Hey, Denise, did you ever get it balanced and use it on a job?

goin' okay
 

Hi Bill,

Thanks for asking. I did get it well-balanced with the A1 and have been practicing so I can use it the first weekend of Nov. My arms are stronger than I was expecting. I use some stabilizing techniques that I use for still photography with heavy cameras and lenses. Not that I can use it for an hour but for short periods of time no problem.

It's like I read though - you need to get used to it enough so that it's second nature so you can concentrate on framing your shots rather than your balancing technique. (Results of first practice efforts were disappointing.) I find I do better with my second hand (gimbal guiding hand) over the grip holding hand with my little finger curled under the bottom of the grip. Not sure yet if this is wrong.

The technique you describe with two hands is exactly right, Denise.

Love to see some video of your efforts Denise

The beauty of the arm & vest is that it makes the Merlin & camera totally weightless, so you only need to concentrate on framing.

Denise.


If you are having degenerative disk problems in your upper spine, chances are there is another ambush waiting furthur below in the lumbar area. Neither location is funny when the condition progresses.

This is only speculation however a good vest should function somewhat like a corset designed to assist back conditions.

The mechanism is to apply compression to the abdomen area which naturally limits forward bending and rearwards bending to sensible levels. As suggested above, it also transfers the weight from the spine to the hips.

The forward bending also causes the compressed abdomen to become a second fulcrum point and reduces the compression loading on the disks from back muscles resisting the forward bending movement.

Rearwards bending of the mid-lower spine and forwards bending of the mid-upper spine, a natural tendency to balance an upper body load may also be resisted by the vest, probably to a lesser degree.

Talk to your doctor about lower back issues. He may recommend either going for the vest, or a medical corset as a hedge against any future problems in that area. Carrying a camera by hand outboard of your body centre and bracing for steadyness is an unnatural workload of an unnaturally long duration.

The tendency is for a person also to ignore warning signals and endure discomfort and pain for the sake of the craft.

The loading is also offset to one side if you use one hand for some other task.

An upper spine becoming unstable may eventually transfer added strain to the neighbouring lower joints. It might also be worthwhile enquiring whether a bridge across the shoulderblades and shoulder straps may be worth a look. There may be some industrial back supports to do the job.

At showbiz Expo some years ago, I saw a small woman of 4ft 4, strap on a latest and great version of the real steadycam with a big camera on it and glide all over the place with apparent ease.

Just don't dismiss the warning signs. If the vest or a medical corset makes them go away, try to go the extra mile and use it.

Knee supports are possibly not a bad thing, especially if the arm runs away outboard and pulls you over. Your primary instinct will be to protect the camera and your knees will cop it when you go down. Charles will be best adviser here on this subject. He is certain to have done the scramble by now.

"the scramble"...haha Bob, nice description! It's been a number years since my last flat-out pancake, knock on wood, but perhaps that is more of a sign of "maturity" and less likely to put myself into situations where falling is possible (and I always use a competent spotter when running now).

For anyone looking to reduce strain on their back, the backmounted harness concept has been a real game-changer as it redistributes the load to the operator's legs and glutes from the lower back. I've done brutally long days and feel a much more "natural" fatigue than I used to. However this is a much more complicated design to work with the body mechanics and I'm not sure how many of the lesser backmount harness/vests out there are as good as the industry standard (the Klassen, which I use). I've seen some particularly overseas cheapie knockoffs that don't look too well-thought out.

However with a small camera load, the strain is minimal enough that a front mount should be acceptable to nearly all users. I do agree that a vest and arm system will make a massive difference over handheld operation particular for extended use. It turns what is a noticeable weight into one that is virtually invisible, as Nick points out.

Denise, you're not using a vest, right?

I'm interested in some hand held option. I don't do weddings or anything like that, and my use would be for specific scripted shots. I guess I'm hesitant on the Merlin because the specs say 5 pounds, and my XH A1 stripped naked, wireless receiver off, shotgun off, just a battery and tape loaded is 5.25 pounds (on our commercial digital postage scale).

I've used a steadycam type device before with a 2/3" chip camera. It was the Hollywood Lite, now sold by Varizoom for about $6500. Lots of weight there, but the above comments about balance are right on. As long as I kept the arms in close to my chest, it was OK. When it would drift out, there was lots of lower back strain. But that's the beauty of a small camera like the Canon--you can use a lightweight handheld device. For my purposes, the vest and arm is cumbersome and not very good for confined spaces, although I agree it would make things better and smoother.

Anyway, I'm still interested in whether you can get it perfectly balanced. I've seen lots of posts saying yes you can, and others saying the camera is too heavy for it.

Thanks to all for your responses.

Charles G., I would be embarrassed to show anything I've shot so far. After watching footage from the pros, I'm positive I won't have the technique down to really use it to its fullest extent for quite a while, if ever. If I get anything I feel like I can put up, I'll be happy to as long as you don't expect too much :-)

The shots I'll actually be needing the Merlin for will only need to be short, few second clips. Because of this, my plan is to shoot lots of footage off and on with it so I'll be able to pick out some clips good enough to use. It's not something where there's a one time thing I need to capture and do it right the first time. It's just event and spectator footage for a promotional video in a situation where I'll be unable to use a tripod, etc.

Bob H., Thanks for the info and warning. My back is already a horrible mess, unfortunately. I also have scoliosis from a hemivertebra (extra half of a vertebra) in the lower lumbar region so those corset things aren't good for me. They try to hold something straight that can't be straight. Plus I'm already pretty beat up overall from riding horses when I was younger. After using that Canon 1DmkII still camera they call "the brick" (and rightly so) with heavy lenses, this Merlin/A1 doesn't seem so bad to me at all. It's just for short periods of time anyway.

Bill P., No, I'm not using a vest. I really can't afford or justify the vest at this point. I'll have to see how this shoot goes, and if I have other work like that first. Then maybe...

I really do think it's perfectly balanced when I finally do get it right, but I can see why people just give up. Both the balancing and the learning to use are highly labor and time intensive at first. If you're willing to go through all that, I think you can make it work. I just hate having to strip the A1 down so much to use it. The quick release and tripod adaptor that come with the Merlin are really nice though.

Thanks again.

possible interesting discovery
 

So to continue this saga I've drug all who care to read through, I found out something interesting today. As an aside, I've been making myself go out for a few minutes every day with the A1 and the Merlin to build my skills (and muscles!). I'm left handed but my right arm has more strength. As in, I write left handed except on a chalk board, I write right handed. I bat right handed, etc., I've been using my right hand as the grip holding hand and the left to wrap around the first hand and guide the gimbal. For some reason I reversed this today and things went MUCH better. My shots were much steadier and I had more control.

Does anybody else find their second, gimbal guiding hand requires more strength than their main grip holding hand? I was positive it would be the opposite. I apologize if this has been discussed before.

Denise,

We just returned from a long business trip to the South Seas so I'm 31 days behind on this forum.

Charles P. mentioned that we at Indicam might have an arm that will fit the Merlin sled and indeed we do and have been selling it to various customers around the world. We even have a special "Barbie" sized vest for very small individuals. We made one for a young lady in Australia (picture attached) and decided to make an extra just in case. Although she is very petite she said the system worked great for her.

Our arm will work with both the Merlin and JR, as well as our Indicam sled with an inexpensive adapter. Our sled will also work with the Merlin vest with the before mentioned adapter.

When you get around to needing a support vest and arm system let us know and we will see how we can help you. We like to take good care of our customers with personal interaction.

Best of luck to you! You've chosen a great place to gather information.

Tery
Indicam

Ive been going to the gym to really build up my knee and back strength. I havent used my rig for a few months now so will see in 4 week when I have our next wedding and another 6 hours in the suite.

We all know you have to start somewhere....And you're right about the technique coming over time and some people just never get it down pat IMO.
BTW, I feel your pain.. I have to walk with a cane now from lower lumbar troubles of 21
years of handheld camera work including Steadicam

Danny, let me know how it goes and if you think the working out helped.

Charles G., I have decided to make this a challenge to myself. I'm going to try to get something to show you. I think it'll make me try harder to be ready for my assignment. I only have seven days left.

My back hurts all over after this AM's attempt. To add insult to injury, the footage is awful :-/

two thumbs down for me
 

Well, I got (or I should say tried to get) the footage this saturday that I bought the Merlin for. Not happy. It was pretty windy and I had a time both trimming to perfect balance and getting steady shots once I started shooting. I shot and shot and shot so I think I'll be able to ferret out what I need but geez it's a good thing nobody else will see the rest. I honestly think I could have done better hand held with the IS on. Some of the better footage came from me using it sort of like a monopod squatting on the ground. It was pretty discouraging.

And lest anyone try to comfort me by telling me how hard it is to use the Merlin in the wind, I must say I'm not exactly doing great with it under the best of circumstances.

Oddly enough, the thing that made me start this thread in the beginning was I was worried about my bad back. That's actually been the least of my problems.

I'll have to see if things get better over the next few months with more practice. I do think it would work fine with the A1 if I were just more skilled at using it.

OK here's the comfort you were asking for...

It is hard to get good stable shots with any light stabilizer when there is wind around. Because a properly stabilized rig is very touchy it's too easy for the thing to get thrown off.

When we shoot with our system and it's windy we balance our sled quite heavy with a short drop time. We then have to be careful to control it's tendency to pendulum on the bottom when doing direction changes and starts and stops.

If you can have someone hold a wind baffle to block off the wind somewhat that can help as well.

Tery
Indicam

Camera stabilizers are not "out-of-the-box" equipment, meaning that it takes a lot of learning, time, and practice to get (in my opinion) usable footage. There is a pretty steep learning curve so it's not for everyone, especially those without the spare time to put towards learning a new skill.

It is rewarding, though, if you stick to it.

If shooting handheld works better for you and the needs for your shot, I say go for it, especially if you only want to use a stabilizer for a few shots. For some people, Final Cut Pro's SmoothCam filter is good enough to smooth out shaky handheld footage.

Looking at the bright side, at least you didn't hurt your back!

Wind is probably the biggest enemy of Steadicam, very hard to manage. The Merlin has a tiny footprint which helps to a degree, but it also has little mass so the advantages are cancelled out.

The best wind baffle is somewhat permeable so that it literally baffles rather than blocks; we use a 4x4 double net (standard grip gear) for a full-size rig but a 2x3 would probably be fine with a Merlin. Yes, it does require another person to wield it, and they need to be nimble and attentive, but that's unfortunately the only real way to deal with gusts.

Hi Peter,

I did give myself two months of practice so i wasn't expecting to use it right out of the box. However, I may be one of those you mention who will never really be skilled enough with it for pro results. I'll give it another couple of months to see.

Handheld is definitely not good enough for me with the HD under normal circumstances. I used handheld footage all the time back when I was shooting with my Sony PD150. I don't know if it's the extra resolution of HD or me getting older and less steady, but the A1 footage I shoot handheld is unacceptable. Now, this past weekend, in the wind, it may have worked out better. Still, not good.

I do use FCP and have tried the smoothcam filter briefly. Not enough to really get into it. But I don't think it works for pans?

And yes, it really didn't bother my back. Yet. Thanks :-) However, I think some of the techniques I was using that came from hand holding and stabilizing heavy DSLR still cameras and big lenses actually might not have helped the steadicam shots. I'll sort of lock my upper arms against my body for stability which only gave flexibility to my forearms and wrists. I'm thinking that is causing more of my body movement to be transfered to the steadycam, making my movements more difficult to stabilize. Just a theory.

Thanks for your reply.

Thanks to everyone for their sympathy and suggestions. I knew wind could cause big problems from my practice at home. I did have it weighted a little bottom heavy decreasing my drop time to compensate. I had no one to hold a wind baffle for me. Plus, I was trying to blend in as much as possible. I just made do by shooting the same thing over and over using several different strategies. In the end, I got what I needed as far as footage. i just wanted to whine a little ;-)

You can practice steadying the camera by walking around with a cup of water filled to the brim and trying to keep any water from spilling out. This will help you to take some bounce out of your step and keep your camera position more steady while also building your forearm strength to maintain your shots.

Thanks for the suggestion, Peter. I'll work on that.

I'm going to Chicago tomorrow to try out a Merlin with the arm and vest and my XH A1. I'll let you know how that works out.

What, the windy city? Please let us know.

Denise,

OK, I'm laughing seeing that you have had problems with wind and now Bill is going to the "Windy City". What a great place for a test run.

Thanks for all your posts. They have been interesting to read.

We just bought an A1 (Peter's suggestion) as we had our Z1U stolen at the San Francisco Airport. The A1 seems to be a very nice camera and will "fly" well.

Tery
Indicam

I met the Steadicam trainer guy at Calumet Photo in Chicago and he put the system all together, balanced my camera, gave me a demonstration, then instructed me by following me around while I used the system, pointing out what I was doing wrong. I spent about 2 hours or so with him. You don't get customer service like that from the discount stores. After awhile I was able to get reasonably smooth moves and on occasion stop without lurching. This lightweight system is a lot more touchy than a heavier rig I'd used before with big cameras. However, once you know what you're doing, it will move just as steadily as big systems.

I was tremendously impressed with the build quality and precision of the unit; it's really a high tech piece of equipment. I like the arms and vest too. On the old big system (Hollywood Lite, now the Varizoom Blackhawk), the arms were big and bulky, and adjusting spring tension was not something you could do while wearing the vest. With Steadicam, you simply turn a knob to increase or decrease spring tension. Plate adjustments can also be done quickly while wearing the rig.

My XH A1 was able to balance very nicely fully loaded, meaning with my Lee Filters bellows matte box, one 4X4 filter, Sennheiser wireless receiver on the hotshoe, Sony short shotgun mic in the mic holder, battery and tape. All the system's weights are in use, including the two you get with the arm/vest. Because of all the adjustment possibilities, there's still some room for adjustment if I needed any.

This isn't intended to knock Varizoom -- I like their stuff -- but it's easy to see why Steadicam is considered so cool. The attention to detail is amazing. The photos don't do justice to the system when you see it for real. I'm going to try to put in 1-2 hours a day in practice and hopefully will be ready by the time I have to shoot. Based on past experience, I'd say I'm going to need a good 10-20 hours or more to become proficient. The old full size rig with a big camera was difficult for me to use for more than a few minutes, but it was easier to use in terms of getting smooth moves quickly. The light weight of the system makes your body movement and even finger pressure on the gimbal more critical. On the other hand, the light weight means I can do it without the back pain of the past. After a few minutes, making pretty smooth moves isn't very difficult, but stopping and holding without bouncing around is the tricky part that requires all the practice.

A couple more things I like--the plate that goes on the bottom of the dovetail arrangement. Clamp it on when you're through, then screw your tripod quick release onto it. The Steadicam plate you so painstakingly aligned and put on the bottom of your camera lives on it--never have to take it off again unless I want to. Also, I got the bag that allows you to fold the Merlin arm up under the camera, leave it attached and set it into the bag, camera and all. That way if I break for lunch, I don't have to go through all the initial balancing when I start up again. I wouldn't want to leave the camera and Merlin dangling off a C-stand unless I'm there with it. So the bag was worth the extra $125, I think.

My next step is to watch the DVD.