DV Info Net - Best nonbody mount stabilizing system

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Thanks for the tip Marco. I actually used to shoot stuff using a full tripod as a "steadicam", so I guess my idea was not far off from what you are suggesting, just a lot heavier! I will defiintely look into the mono pod as another option.

Charles--Would the Panasonic 7"monitor create a lot of balancing issues? I'm assuming that Steadicam factors in the monitor when they balance the system, so by rigging on an aftermarket LCD am I going to mess up the balancing of the rig? Thanks for the tip on the monitor, though--it looks perfect for what I'll be doing. Can you suggest a place to buy one? I checked B and H and they had it about $30 under list. Any good deals out there?

Thanks for the heads up on correct lingo--still a bit of a mouthful, but that's Deana for you (please pardon the off-color joke).

Peter

Peter:

It would become an issue of adding weight to the back of the JR. The original model used C cell batteries as counterweight and power to the monitor; I'm not sure what is used for counterweight on the monitor-only version. I would normally say, call Tiffen to ask, but since they are "re-organizing" I'm not sure what to tell you at the present!

The JR monitor was mounted with a yoke system that allows you to tilt it to the best angle without changing the balance of the system. This would be great to emulate with the Panasonic but this is assuming you have access to a good machinist. LCD's do require constant tweaking to get the image optimized for any given camera height, so having a locking ball mount as used for still photography would be an inexpensive alternative, but a royal pain in the ass on set.

At a certain point it may seem like why buy a JR if you are going to be modifying it that much, and there is some validity to that (being molded plastic it's going to be harder to work with than the aluminum rigs out there) but the top stage aka camera mounting platform on the JR is capable of more subtle adjustment than most, and it has a top-notch gimbal performance-wise, which are important considerations.