EX1, alternative to Steadicam Merlin

davidcheok
They are not fully automated no, but they do compile them from premade sentences/answers.
Not saying that that is a bad thing.

I asked them some of the same questions and their answers were the same as you got.

If all goes well and they get them in in july there is a good chance I might actually drive up to Turin for a little road trip.
 
Astute,

Hehe. Driving across Italia. Gosh. I miss the days when I could do that. If only I got into this profession whilst I was doing my studies near Milan. Lots of beautiful landscapes to shoot there and not to mention le belle ragazze.
 
So ezpop, what you basically do is lengthen the arm of the Merlin so it has more leverage for the weights that connect at the end of the plate.
Or you actually put something on the plate?

I tried finding resellers for the Movcam but it seems to be near impossible. I live in Europe btw, but I cant find anything international.

Which Movcam where you talking about btw? The 350?

Yeah, what the plate does, it lengthens the arc of the Merlin so you can balance heavier load,
I did install all the weights on the accessory plate and just EX1 with the BP-U30 is actually not too bad, but when I tried to add QR adapter, larger battery and WA lens it went off again, plus I was getting feeling that gimbal will brake any second;
www.movcam.com don't make anymore 350, the cheapest sled is from KNIGHT 202 and it's $1300 no monitor no battery, the whole KNIGHT 202 is over $7K, so I guess I'll try SANDA, BTW looks very nice, or the PILOT is my destiny :-)
 
I got the feeling our friends over at Sanda are going to get a lot of customers this summer :)

Going to sell my Merlin tonight for 550,- euros.
 
Just got a reply from Sanda, available in July, euro 350, Manfrotto QR 357 included,
I will get one for sure
 
I'm in downtown LA, does anyone know what the best way to purchase a Sanda100 would be?

I could purchase directly from their website, but I'm not sure they have any English support?
 
knightcom, I wouldn't worry about it that you are downtown LA or not in the outskirts of LA. As long as the friendly folks from UPS or FedEx reach to your front door things will be alright :).

Otherwise, there will be an English site (I saw their test site via via some deep links and besides looking awesome, it has an english version, they also reply e-mail in perfect english so I would wouldn't worry about it at all.)

P.s. I dont think there is much language involved in buying their products, mostly numbers, those of your creditcard ;)
 
Anyone heard any word yet from these guys? I think they said they'll be ready in July... just a few days away. I'm ready to buy sight unseen.
 
I got this email response back when I inquired directly with the company:
----------------------------------------------

Hi Buck,
we think about starting the sale in the middle of July.

B.R.
Enrico Marchisio
-----------------------------------------------

Cool!
 
I'm a bit confused, there seems to be videos of this thing going back to 2006.

Does this mean the current production run was that it was available for a while and now they're making more.

Or was it a case that the various videos were people who had been given one to test, but now that phase is over and they're gonna sell it to us punters?
 
Well, I'm not holding out for this stabilizer any longer. I don't get the feeling they are close to market. They told me it'd be ready about mid-July, but now that it's mid-July they haven't responded to my emails in a few days to let me know if they're about ready. Their website hasn't changed a bit, it's still only a partial website.

My dilemma to find a good handheld EX1 stabilizer continues... the Merlin seems too small and the Pilot too much (I can't find it priced without the whole vest setup). It's like the EX1 is in the gap between the teeny camcorders and the bigger cameras that should be used with a vest system.

What's everyone else out there using?
 
Hello,

This site might provide an affordable "steadicam" solution?:

http://www.thecinecity.com/home.php?cat=243

I haven´t any personal experiences with their products, but their largest "steadicam" seems like a decent bargain. I´ve read somewhere that Mr. Phillip Bloom really enjoys one of their´s camera support systems. Good luck!

Best wishes,
Terje
 
Well I just received an email from the Italian stabilzer guys:

-----------------------
Hi Buck,
sorry for the delay.
The stabilizers are all ready.
The problem is that we don't have received the plates Manfrotto 357 yet.

B.R.
Enrico Marchisio
---------------

I have renewed hope... maybe this won't take very long after all. I don't know anything about Manfrotto 357 plates or what's involved, but Manfrotto is a big company so I think they'd be able to get them anything they want to buy.
 
Aye the italian one seems interesting and here's hoping it won't cost the world. It after all needs to be able to hold an EX1 and prob 35mm adapter too so if it's flimsy!
 
I'm very interested too, but I just got this email from them:

"Please be informed that the Officine Made s.n.c. will be on holiday from
the 1st August to the 31st of August 2008

Sorry we can't accept anymore order for the time being. We will be happy to
meet your requests again starting from September 1st, 2008.

Thank you."

Guess I'll have to wait. If any of you got the Sanda, please let us know if it's the worth it!
 
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