Steadicam Merlin available at B&H!!
- Thread starter powerdog
- Start date
drivinhard
Active member
On the BH site is lists the accessories...what do you need to make it work right out of the box? Ie, one of the accessories is t he gimbal assembly, are they saying that's not included with the steadicam assembly?
I received my Merlin on Friday. Had a lot of fun chasing the dogs and taping them over the weekend.
As an aerospace engineer for a living I may be a little more critical than the average joe but I am dissapointed in the construction. I currently have a Sony HC1. These weigh 1.5 lbs. After studing the construction I would be scared to put my 5+ pound HVX on it when it gets here. The gimbal is a tiny piece of plastic and will definately break eventually. The bearings are pins riding in the plastic which I bet will get sloppy over time.
A couple other gripes are: The Merlin comes with a beautiful case. The problem is if you configure the Merlin with the weights it does not fit in the case (very stupid). So to transport it you need to disassemble the Merlin. The case is big enough but the foam cutout in it is too small. Time to get out the razor knife I guess. Another gripe is the large plate you attach to the underside of your camera. This plate is what you use to connect your camera to the Merlin. It slides on and there are some marks to help you get is located. The problem is the plate never goes on the exact same spot twice. So you have to spend a few minutes rebalancing the rig.
One last comment is the fold up feature. The ability to use it shouder mounted is a joke. If you put it on you shoulder the viewfinder is behind your ear and the flip out lcd is in against your nose. I guess if you dont want to see the image you are recording you could use it this way. Even with that issue I do like the fact it folds up. Makes it very compact for storage and you can rest it on your shoulder to rest.
My final rating would be a 7 out of 10. Functional but slightly off the mark. Not really worth $800, more like $500. I bet we will soon see some competition to fill in some of the shortcomings of the Merlin.
As an aerospace engineer for a living I may be a little more critical than the average joe but I am dissapointed in the construction. I currently have a Sony HC1. These weigh 1.5 lbs. After studing the construction I would be scared to put my 5+ pound HVX on it when it gets here. The gimbal is a tiny piece of plastic and will definately break eventually. The bearings are pins riding in the plastic which I bet will get sloppy over time.
A couple other gripes are: The Merlin comes with a beautiful case. The problem is if you configure the Merlin with the weights it does not fit in the case (very stupid). So to transport it you need to disassemble the Merlin. The case is big enough but the foam cutout in it is too small. Time to get out the razor knife I guess. Another gripe is the large plate you attach to the underside of your camera. This plate is what you use to connect your camera to the Merlin. It slides on and there are some marks to help you get is located. The problem is the plate never goes on the exact same spot twice. So you have to spend a few minutes rebalancing the rig.
One last comment is the fold up feature. The ability to use it shouder mounted is a joke. If you put it on you shoulder the viewfinder is behind your ear and the flip out lcd is in against your nose. I guess if you dont want to see the image you are recording you could use it this way. Even with that issue I do like the fact it folds up. Makes it very compact for storage and you can rest it on your shoulder to rest.
My final rating would be a 7 out of 10. Functional but slightly off the mark. Not really worth $800, more like $500. I bet we will soon see some competition to fill in some of the shortcomings of the Merlin.
drivinhard
Active member
Does anybody have any footage posted while using it? I'd like to see some real world usages shots...
mikkowilson
Steadi-Guru
*stops the stopwatch*
15hours...
- Mikko
15hours...
- Mikko
Filmjunkie677
Master of Horror
15 hours??
Posted at 7am, its now 4pm
Eastern time.... More like 8 hours.
Nice try anyway, Mikko. Time to brush up on your math skills or your timezone skills
.
Posted at 7am, its now 4pm
Eastern time.... More like 8 hours.
Nice try anyway, Mikko. Time to brush up on your math skills or your timezone skills
.Powerdog - B&H is not very good at their notifications. I asked for a notification when it is in stock but never heard anything. I saw a post by Mikko last Teus or Wed that B&H had the Merlin so I jumped and ordered one. I got an email from B&H this morning saying the Merlin was in stock, go figure.
mikkowilson
Steadi-Guru
Filmjunkie677 said:15 hours??
Posted at 7am, its now 4pm
Eastern time.... More like 8 hours.
Nice try anyway, Mikko. Time to brush up on your math skills or your timezone skills
yeah ... well ... ... "shush".
- Mikko ... sucks at math (really, big trouble in school)
drivinhard
Active member
any other vendors for these that have stock?
Haven't seen any. Rush told me he got 3 originally, sold them out right away, and has had trouble getting more. JR.com is a good company, but I'v never seen it listed as in stock. Same with Adorama.
If you keep checking BH, it looks like about 7 to 10 days between availability.
If you keep checking BH, it looks like about 7 to 10 days between availability.
My poor clips in case anyone interested or hasnt seen them yet:
A begginer with a Merlin
I cant comment as I dont know enough about engineering however I think the gimble does look like it could wear.
Dont you also have tp pack unpack your camera, tripod, anything else you use with your camera? Personally I wa happy with the case, for a start I didnt expect it so to get it was a plus.
My plate goes on the same position everytime I use it, unless I change it deliberately. However this is a true steadicam and as such needs to be retrimmed before any use/take you do. Steadicam says so. ANy slight adjustment will require retrimming.
Personally I didnt buy the Merlin as a shoulder mount but I did try it per the DVD and thought it was sufficient. The lcd was close but I could see it for reference.
I guess that depends on each person. My final rating would be 9 out of 10. THe simple fact is this is a first in hand held steadicams, and there is no doubt in my mind it is capable of much more than any other handheld stabiliser out there. But you gotta pay for that. Personally I feel the possibility to get the shots that you can without paying the prices required for a vest rig, its worth it. I guess any product does not entirely fit everyone.
A begginer with a Merlin
I cant comment as I dont know enough about engineering however I think the gimble does look like it could wear.
Dont you also have tp pack unpack your camera, tripod, anything else you use with your camera? Personally I wa happy with the case, for a start I didnt expect it so to get it was a plus.
My plate goes on the same position everytime I use it, unless I change it deliberately. However this is a true steadicam and as such needs to be retrimmed before any use/take you do. Steadicam says so. ANy slight adjustment will require retrimming.
Personally I didnt buy the Merlin as a shoulder mount but I did try it per the DVD and thought it was sufficient. The lcd was close but I could see it for reference.
I guess that depends on each person. My final rating would be 9 out of 10. THe simple fact is this is a first in hand held steadicams, and there is no doubt in my mind it is capable of much more than any other handheld stabiliser out there. But you gotta pay for that. Personally I feel the possibility to get the shots that you can without paying the prices required for a vest rig, its worth it. I guess any product does not entirely fit everyone.
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