Best place to buy the MERLIN?

lmp

lmp

Member
Any suggestions? The B&H kit is sold out, but they have just the merlin for $800. I also saw the merlin on AMAZON.

Just curious to know where everyone bought theirs.
 
Here.

EDIT: Oh... sorry, I didn't see that they were sold out.

EDIT AGAIN: The so called "kit" is just a carrying case. The merlin already come's in a pretty nice little case... don't waste money on the $100 case they're trying to sell you.
 
Actually BHPhoto now says in stock. THey arent taking purchases right now... probably change Monday AM.

EDIT: Sorry you already saw that. well as rcbrown said they already have a cool little case thats enough for them.
 
this is my problem. ive been putting off getting one, and now i really need one by saturday night. b&h is closed for the week. amazon cant deliver for 1-2 weeks. but ive found a place called jr.com. 3-5 days. 800 dollars for the merlin, and i found them using the Tiffen national store locator. should be legit right? anyone buy from them?
 
I hope you don't plan on shooting something too important with it on Saturday. Learning Steadicam takes time, and even the Merlin will need some practice before you go out on a serious shoot with it. "Picking it up for a shoot this weekend" unfortunaly won't get you the results you are looking for.

I've never heard of jr.com, but that means nothing. If you found it through Tiffen's dealer locator then it should be legit.

- Mikko
 
JR.Com is J&R Computer World in New York. It's a perfectly good store. I've bought plenty of stuff there in the past.
 
if you don't need a merlin, but rather an efficient steadicam product, look into the glidecam 2000 or 4000, I've got the 2000 and I love it.

But prepare to practice, it takes some time to balance and if it ain't balanced right, you can't get anything good out of it. But when it is balanced right, you'll love it.
 
I think a Steadicam Merlin would be much simpler to use out of the box than a Glidecam because GC users have told me about the amount of practice needed.
 
meta4 said:
if you don't need a merlin, but rather an efficient steadicam product, look into the glidecam 2000 or 4000, I've got the 2000 and I love it.

But prepare to practice, it takes some time to balance and if it ain't balanced right, you can't get anything good out of it. But when it is balanced right, you'll love it.
Click to expand...

I think you mean "if you want something cheaper"? Anyway, either way the Merlin is more efficient than glidecam as its much lighter.

Glidecam or Merlin will both require some solid practice. Good luck!
 
I used a Glidecam 4000 on my short (borrowed it from a friend). It was a pain in the butt to balance and I didn't have nearly enough time to practice with it. Not bad results though. If I had the money, I'd by a Merlin tomorrow!
 
I've owned a Merlin and can't say enough good things about them. However, my rig must have suffered from bad QC - the gimbal came apart after about a month of very light use. Took it back to the store and traded it in for a decent tripod. I'll probably get another Merlin someday... They are fun!
 
It really depends what you are flying (total weight). Once over 5 lbs of camera, Merlin is tough. And I second the vote for practicing lots before flying for real. Anyone can run around and get a few seconds of smooth footage, but the real finesse is in the starting, slow movements, kissing off, and holding shots.
 
rat6666 said:
I've owned a Merlin and can't say enough good things about them. However, my rig must have suffered from bad QC - the gimbal came apart after about a month of very light use. Took it back to the store and traded it in for a decent tripod. I'll probably get another Merlin someday... They are fun!
Click to expand...

Bummer on a lemon. :(

Stuff like that is totally covered in the warranty and Tiffen will express send you a reaplacement part as soon as you call them. :)

- Mikko
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top