<<<-- Originally posted by Dean Sensui : Hi Brad...Nice stuff! -->>>

Hi Dean,

Thank your for the nice compliment!

<<<-- Which monitor are you using? My problem is trying to find a monitor that works in full sunlight. A shade helps but whenever the sun gets past the shade it becomes impossible to see what I'm framing. -->>>

I'm using the L7-Pro 16:9/4:3 LCD Monitor. It is a little difficult to see in the full sun, but works well enough to monitor my frame. I've thought of adding a different shade to help, but for now it seems okay.

<<<-- The setup I work with is similar to yours. Another problem was the XL1's lens vibrating whenever I'd take a hard step. I solved that by mounting the camera on a thick plexiglass plate which was designed to also support the lens. -->>>

I haven't noticed the lens vibration, but have noticed a few "hits" on the tape. I don't know if that is caused by the lens vibration that you refer to, or crud in the record heads. I would like to see a picture of your plexiglass modification. I suppose I could add some other padding between the lens and the base plate. I'll look more closely next time I saddle up to see if I'm having the same problem.

If you can, post a link to some of your video and/or your modification. I really enjoy seeing what others are doing with stablizers, and it helps me gauge how good...or bad...my progress really is. Besides, I just think it's fun to watch flying video!

<<<-- Originally posted by Cosmin Rotaru : Very nice! Looks like more than "less than three hours of stabilizer experience"! But if you say so.... :) -->>>

Hi Cosmin,

You are too kind...thank you for the nice words of encouragement. Of course, if I had posted the out-takes then you might think that I only had about three minutes of stabilizer experience and was shooting in ski boots <G>

That's why we edit... to shape the story and save embarrassment. That was some nice flying. Good work!

Nice work Brad.
 

Make sure you get nice and comfy with the rig, it makes it easier to run for your life when the wife and rest of the family comes after you for chasing them around!

Dean,

Although most monitors don't do well in direct sunlight, we replaced the supplied monitor with a 5 1/2 inch monitor from Delvcam with pretty good results.

You can see the rig at:

http://home.mindspring.com/~ricks-pi...pedglidecamv8/

And the monitor specs at:

http://www.tecnec.com/products/pages/delv-pro56.html

RB

Brad...

Your shots didn't seem to have that vibration problem that I would occasionally have. I'll see if I can post a few shots of the Plexiglass plate in a few days. The stabilizer rods of a matte box would probably serve the same function as the Plexiglass.

Regarding fatigue, I've learned how to adjust my posture to reduce the muscle required to support the weight. But I still sweat like crazy wearing this thing. I've had some days where I ended up wearing the rig for nearly an hour at a time. The takes for this locally produced home improvement show are from five to 7 minutes. Rehearsals and re-takes add up fast!

Rick...

I'll check out the Delvcam. The Glidecam L7 looks good, too, but if the Delvcam can do the same at 1/3 the cost then the decision shouldn't be too difficult :-)

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions

Rick: Thanks for the nice compliment. I have a long, long way to go though! I hope to get comfortable enough with the rig that the wife and kid won't even notice when I'm walking around with it...they will eventually get used to living with some strange guy walking around with all that stuff hanging on him <G>

Dean: One hour at a time is quite a hump! I'm sure that you aren't too happy when the talent blows their lines at the end of the take! I've thought about a matte box, as I often get flare from the .06 wide adaptor, but haven't decided what to get yet.

I look forward to your pics of your plexiglass modification.