Cinesaddle in a helicopter

C

cwpost

Active member
I was wondering if anyone has used the cinesaddle with an hpx500 or similar sized camera in a helicopter. Need a way to get rid of some of the vibrations but don't want to rent or buy any gyros. I heard it works great for as a car mount, but not sure if the vibrations are more severe in a bell ranger. Thanks for any feedback.
 
if you want good helicopter footage you need to go with someone that has a tyler mount. Trust me, it freaking rocks!
I rcommend Robin Petgrave 1-877-999-2099 I've gotten amazing footage with him.

Another very important piece of advice is to have a real good ENG lens like the Canon HJ21ex7.5 and hopefully a preston and focus puller to sit in the front seat with an LH80 and pull focus for you. If you are going to stay wide the whole time it shouldn't be a problem, but if not, then it isn't easy to handle the camera on that rig and pull your own focus at the same time if you are trying to do really creative and quick moves.

another big piece of advice is to take some motion sickness preventive medicine before going out. It can really get to you staring at the small screen with all that motion.

and make sure you tech scout well so you know lighting and time of day you need to get the shot you want.
 
cwpost said:
I was wondering if anyone has used the cinesaddle with an hpx500 or similar sized camera in a helicopter. Need a way to get rid of some of the vibrations but don't want to rent or buy any gyros. I heard it works great for as a car mount, but not sure if the vibrations are more severe in a bell ranger. Thanks for any feedback.
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A safety problem you could have is the fact that the cinesaddle is not connected to either you or the aircraft. If you are going to try it make sure you can secure it. Even if you sit it on your lap it is possible for LTE to make you loose it out the door and I'm sure you wouldn't want to have to explain that.
 
I think Ryan Walters used a cinesaddle in a helicopter before, I think it helps more than it hurts? I would just rent some gyros though, should be cheap and you could even build a sort of handheld/gyro rig.
 
Years ago when I was shooting alot of copter shots, I used a wide angle lens, 5 to 10,etc. Usually you shoot at the widest. You talk to the pilot for distance and moves. AND, make sure you rent at least a 3 blade copter. 2 blades will shake a whole lot more.

I never needed a focus puller. At that distance, just about everything is in focus.

JD
 
We just recently shot out of a helicopter with a cinesaddle and used both an hvx500 and a red. the idea was to stabilize the shots in post.

Success with a cinesaddle and a 500 depends upon the type of helicopter you are using and how wide you can shoot. You can get acceptable results but they are not likely to be very long shots. Expect usable shot lengths of about 3 to 6 seconds as a rule.

Using the red shooting at 4K is a completely different animal. You have lots and lots of room in post to pick your spot and stabilize it.
 
cwpost said:
Thanks guys! Since this is might be an ongoing thing, I may get the gyros. Has anyone ever tried the Micro Gyro Mount by Aerial Image?
http://www.aerialimage.com/page5.htm
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I can't see how a single gyro will give you much stabilization. A gyro only stabilizes in one axis so the configuration they show would only help for left and right roll while you would have a lot of vertical vibration on a helicopter.

The earlier comment about the number of blades making a difference is right on. A 3 bladed helicopter will generally have less vibration than a 2 bladed and a 4 bladed one less than a 3. With that said, the more modern helicopter blades have better stability as you would find very evident with a newer Robinson R44 Raven 2 as compared to an R44 Raven produced 5 years ago...
 
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AAS2 said:
I can't see how a single gyro will give you much stabilization. A gyro only stabilizes in one axis so the configuration they show would only help for left and right roll while you would have a lot of vertical vibration on a helicopter.

The earlier comment about the number of blades making a difference is right on. A 3 bladed helicopter will generally have less vibration than a 2 bladed and a 4 bladed one less than a 3. With that said, the more modern helicopter blades have better stability as you would find very evident with a newer Robinson R44 Raven 2 as compared to an R44 Raven produced 5 years ago...
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Each Kenyon gyro has 2 gyros in it so 2 axis are covered. If you position it parallel to the lens it covers the tilt and pan.
The only problem with the micro mount is that it covers roll and tilt. Panning is not covered. When ever I used one I Mounted a KS4 at the bottom of it just to give a little more stability and to cover all 3 axis.
 
A less expensive option for a Tyler Mount is one made by Aieralexposures.com. Works as well and much smaller so you can use a smaller copter which will also cost you less per hour.

Good Luck,

Jan

PS, the cinesaddle won't work well enough.
 
Jan_Crittenden said:
A less expensive option for a Tyler Mount is one made by Aieralexposures.com. Works as well and much smaller so you can use a smaller copter which will also cost you less per hour.

Good Luck,

Jan

PS, the cinesaddle won't work well enough.
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That mount does work well but at $10 000US for 5 pieces of metal and a couple of pieces of bungy cord is way overpriced. Much cheaper to make your own and if you design it so no tools are needed to install it you don't need CASA approval.
 
We are starting to use our XHA1 for the aerials and aerialimage make a nice little mount which is only one piece of metal that holds both gyros, one perpendicular to the other. Put foam underneath to sit on your legs and connect a Ilink control and you get great pics, and for only $100, at a very reduced price.
 
MikeD said:
That mount does work well but at $10 000US for 5 pieces of metal and a couple of pieces of bungy cord is way overpriced. Much cheaper to make your own and if you design it so no tools are needed to install it you don't need CASA approval.
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I think it is a little more than just 5 pieces of metal. We are talking about a camera with lens that weighs in a smidge more than the Canon you were using. It is a little more sophisticated than that. But if you think that $10,000 is expensive, go price a Tyler Mount.

Best,

Jan
 
Jan_Crittenden said:
I think it is a little more than just 5 pieces of metal. We are talking about a camera with lens that weighs in a smidge more than the Canon you were using. It is a little more sophisticated than that. But if you think that $10,000 is expensive, go price a Tyler Mount.

Best,

Jan
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I've used one. Go have a look here

http://www.gyrocam.com.au/gyroplat.html

It is basically a platform for the camera and gyros. It Isolates the camera from the aircraft by the use of 2 Bungy cords on either side. At 3 or $4000 it would be a good buy. Not $10 000.
 
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Hi,

That is the Aieral Exposure Gyro platform. Not only does it say so the review click through on the guy's web page shows that gyrocam is the one made by Aieral Exposures. Arnie, the designer, does a review of the system. And it is a little more sophisticated than 5 pieces of metal. Arnie has gone through various stages of invention on it and right now has used it for some pretty big name clients. He owns an HDX900 and just recently got hooked on P2 by sending his signal to a P2 Gear for recording. He found that the solid state wasn't as sensitive to some of the mechanical frequencies inherent in some helicopters.

All the best,

Jan
 
I always use a Tyler Mount, otherwise I'm wasting money. Another tip is to over-crank a little (depending on your content) and you will get longer good shots in playback. The other thing I try to do when I need to put a helicopter in the air is check with other clients and with other local production companies. Often times there is interest and if you can spread the cost over a few clients, it becomes a better deal for everyone.
 
It is never a waste of money if you understand what your limitations are. I have shot with Tyler Mounts, Aerial Exposures LSG2, Micro Gyro Mount DV and Cineflex HD. They all have their roll in aerial production, and if they are used properly, they can be extremely effective.
 
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