Steadicam Merlin my next investment?

MatthewC

MatthewC

Well-known member
Hey guys,

I've been using a Glidecam 4000 vest free for over a year. I've done a fair amount on student shorts and indie projects, enough that people are finding my work on Facebook and asking me to come shoot. Now my GC is falling apart and I feel its time to upgrade. I'm looking at the Steadicam Merlin with an Arm and Vest. I'm curious about any restrictions its might have. I was reading it can do up to 7.5 pounds of camera weight. If I'm hoping to make money off this thing, am I shooting myself in the foot? Will it be able to support an HVX with rails and 35mm adapter? What about RED One with some extra lenses, etc.? I seem to recall some modifications you could do to allow it to support more weight. I'm just wondering how much of the sky is the limit when it comes to investing in this and profibility of it's purchase.

Any input would be great, thanks!
 
Hi,

I have flown the merlin on its own and witht he arm and vest.

Its a good rig, but it has its limitations.

Since im used to the bigger rigs, I found it quite hard to steer it with no centre post, but this is pretty quick to adjust to.

Theres absolutely no way it will support a RedOne body, let alone the redone with allt he stuff you need to make it work. I had a redone on a flyer and it was struggling, and the flyer can support three times that of the Merlin.

You might get an HV20 with a very light weight adapter on, but you wont get an HVX with an adapter. an HVX stretches the merlin to its limits as it is, but adding an adapter isnt going to help at all.

You should consider the Pilot which has a higher weight limit (10lbs if I remember correctly) or you should invest more money and get the new Flyer LE. The LE is a very nice rig, and it flys like the big fancy ones.

The merlin is great, but its really designed for wedding videos and thats pretty much it.
 
The merlin is great, but its really designed for wedding videos and thats pretty much it.
Click to expand...

This just isnt true. It's not made for a RED or an HVX with adapter, but that doesnt mean it's only good for weddings, it means it's made for lower weight cameras.

It is more than fine with a DVX, you can fly a bare HVX, but you're pushing it.

Regarding using an adapter on a Steadicam: how did you plan on pulling foocus?
 
Ok, its not ONLY good for weddings, but the merlin and pilot vest was specialy designed to go under a dinner jacket, which does say afew things about it.

Its a good rig, its just a small one.

For focus, I think you should get a Hocus-Focus remote... :-D
 
I just bought the Merlin with arm & vest. I can fly my Canon XHA1 fine with it, and if I want to shoot with a 35mm adapter, I'll just shoot with an HV20 when I shoot the steadicam shot.
 
MatthewC said:
Hey guys,

I've been using a Glidecam 4000 vest free for over a year. I've done a fair amount on student shorts and indie projects, enough that people are finding my work on Facebook and asking me to come shoot. Now my GC is falling apart and I feel its time to upgrade. I'm looking at the Steadicam Merlin with an Arm and Vest. I'm curious about any restrictions its might have. I was reading it can do up to 7.5 pounds of camera weight. If I'm hoping to make money off this thing, am I shooting myself in the foot? Will it be able to support an HVX with rails and 35mm adapter? What about RED One with some extra lenses, etc.? I seem to recall some modifications you could do to allow it to support more weight. I'm just wondering how much of the sky is the limit when it comes to investing in this and profibility of it's purchase.

Any input would be great, thanks!
Click to expand...

your GC is falling apart? would you recommend purchasing one based on this?
 
I'm a big fan of the Merlin. Not a big fan of the vest/arm as I feel it takes away all of what makes the Merlin charming. Without the vest, it's small, compact and you can go down to a foot off the ground to above your head. If you plan to use it alot, invest in some dumbbells and do curls or something to work up the endurance. Also learn to work it with the left and the right. It'll give you more staying power.
 
pernell91 said:
your GC is falling apart? would you recommend purchasing one based on this?
Click to expand...

Well, it's not really falling apart. I'm just missing a bolt here or there and I originally bought it cracked where you tighten the post. I'll be honest, I love my Glidecam, and while it takes a bit of getting used to once you learn how to balance it, it really doesn't take that long to balance it after putting a camera on it. I'm thinking I may just forgo buying a Merlin and grabbing the Smooth Shooter arm/vest so I can fly this thing like a pro and put some heavier cameras on it.
 
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