Exciting News: HVX Will Work on Steadicam Merlin!

R

R Gale

Well-known member
I was at the LAFCPUG (final cut users group) meeting Wed. night at the DVExpo...
Garrett Brown was a guest, demoing the Merlin, and he said that he
tried the Merlin out for the very first time that afternoon with the
HVX200, and that the HVX balanced "beautifully" with all of the Merlin's weights attached.
(The HVX weighs in at 5lbs., 5 oz.) Someone in the crowd asked if you
could have a wide angle adapter on the HVX (while on the Merlin), and Garrett
said "no, that would be too heavy."

I'm thrilled about this news, as I own the Steadicam JR, and according to Mr. Brown,
the Merlin operates much smoother than the JR, largely due to the fact it's made of aluminum,
while the JR is plastic, so there are fewer vibrations. :thumbsup:

Richard
 
Whoa. I was just a few minutes ago looking at the Merlin brochure and thinking to myself that this would be great way to pull off some moving shots. I was searching for the weight limit and found it on the back and it said 0.5 to 5 lb at which time I thought...aww too bad, the hvx is too heavy and promptly chucked the flyer in the trash. But I guess not. I guess this means no firestore then either....which is another reason to have some P2 cards handy. Anyone check out the FigRig, that would work pretty good I think but I wish someone could do a comparison between the two.
 
Three words...
"Iso-elastic-forearm" aka tennis elbow.

Forgive me, I really should go to bed, I'm getting punchy.
 
The Fig Rig (named after its creator, director Mike Figgis) is an interesting cheaper
alternative to the Merlin. The Merlin lists at $850. and the Fig Rig is only $300.(!)
I tried out the Fig Rig at the Expo, and it's basically a steering wheel-sized wheel with a cross bar with several mounting holes to attach a camera in the center, while the operator holds the sides of the wheel. no gimbals or other mechanical wizardry, just a simple way to (partially) reduce shakes while shooting handheld.

The Fig Rig is cool, but it lacks the silky sweet smoothness of a well-operated steadicam, which can be achieved if you know what you're doing with the Merlin. Any stabilizer takes a good deal of practice before you can get pro-looking results.

Richard
 
Yet to try the Merlin, but the Flyer rocks! I use it regularly. There really is no substitute for a real vest and arm but the closest thing is probably the Merlin.
 
Richard,
Thankyou for your post.. it's good news :)

I have tried out all the rigs in question, and operate the Flyer regularly.

Yeah for just the HVX the Merlin will be great.. and we have seen over the past few days that the HVX produces fantastic shots without any extras on the front.

However Evinsky also has a point, they Flyer really is the more 'perfect' rig for the HVX it will allow you to stick all that extra junk on the camera, and you'll last longer (no tired arm).

Fig rig is a handle, not a (steadicam type) stabilizer... i'd put it in the same class as the DVrigPro without the shoulder-mount. It's for handheld so you can grab the camera anywhere with a wider grip, thats all.

Fig Rig: A neat peice of gear, but not for this prupose
Merlin: A awsome rig that will produce fantastic results with the bare HVX
Flyer: The best option, for those who want to fly more than just the bare HVX

- Mikko
 
interesting...
but as I may end up with something extra - a battery, a wide angle, even a Mic, or wireless mic transmitter maybe... a firestore?
I fear it is a little too close for comfort

What about a flowpod (also a Mono pod) that supports up to 8 pounds ?
 
I'm going to be playing with the Melin with an FX1 on top this weekend... not quite as heavy as the HVX, but it'll be relatively similar. Right now, I use the Glidecam, so balancing that with the FX1 esentially doubles the weight of the rig, making the whole rig around 8 to 10 pounds. An arm can be turned to putty after using that all day. The Merlin on the other hand, only adds something like a third of the camera weight to the whole rig because of it's unique balancing setup. So that being conidered, a whole HVX rig would weigh less than my current FX1 rig... I'm up for that!

-pasty

P.S. I'll try to post my thoughts on the Merlin after using it this weekend.
 
R Gale said:
I'm thrilled about this news, as I own the Steadicam JR, and according to Mr. Brown,the Merlin operates much smoother than the JR, largely due to the fact it's made of aluminum, while the JR is plastic, so there are fewer vibrations. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I don't know how to tell you guys this, but the Merlin IS the reincarnated Steadicam DV... the shape is identical... just no on-board monitor. I have a Steadicam DV, and this looks identical in shape. If it's half as good, you guys will be happy...
 
Mitch_Ives said:
I don't know how to tell you guys this, but the Merlin IS the reincarnated Steadicam DV... the shape is identical... just no on-board monitor. I have a Steadicam DV, and this looks identical in shape. If it's half as good, you guys will be happy...
Click to expand...

Actually, in addition to no monitor, it looks like there are some subtle differences.
The upper spar on the Merlin is round in shape, whereas on the steadicam dv it's more squarish and flat, to accomodate the monitor. Here's a pic of the dv model... here's a pic of the Merlin.

When Garrett Brown demoed it at DVExpo, the results were amazing, of course, he's the Man.
He gave us some words of wisdom...
he said operating a steadicam is like playing a guitar,
you can't be expected to play beautifully as soon as you pick it up for the first time.
I just ordered mine from B&H, can't wait to start guitar practice! :)
 
mikkowilson said:
Fig rig is a handle, not a (steadicam type) stabilizer... i'd put it in the same class as the DVrigPro without the shoulder-mount. It's for handheld so you can grab the camera anywhere with a wider grip, thats all.
Click to expand...
I have to respectfully disagree with you there. Your arms themselves create a certain degree of movement isolation when they're extended in front of you. Imagine if you carried a cup off coffee up against your body as you walk. You'd spill it and burn yourself! But putting the cup in your outstretched arm allows your body to cause it to float and remain relatively stable. As stable as a Steadicam? Of course not, but the Fig Rig still allows you to create a fair amount of that isolation. (And tired arms.)
 
jeffyjones said:
I have to respectfully disagree with you there. Your arms themselves create a certain degree of movement isolation when they're extended in front of you. Imagine if you carried a cup off coffee up against your body as you walk. You'd spill it and burn yourself! But putting the cup in your outstretched arm allows your body to cause it to float and remain relatively stable. As stable as a Steadicam? Of course not, but the Fig Rig still allows you to create a fair amount of that isolation. (And tired arms.)
Click to expand...

And I will then respectfully be happy to debate this (again).

Aah, but could you not get the benefits of out-stretched arms with just a camera?
A "proper" (Steadicam type) stabilizer uses distributed mass within the rig to stabilize - and a gimble to isolate bumps from the camera. They work regardless of their location (even hard mounted to a vehical!) A fig rig doesn't stabilize your shots, it (is a handle and there for) helps the operator stabilize them some.


Regarding the Steadicam DV/Merlin issue. The idea and the rough design is the same. However there are massive differences between the rigs. The Merlin is LIGHTER, it folds smaller, easier to trim, more ridged (=more stable) etc...

- Mikko
 
mikkowilson said:
Regarding the Steadicam DV/Merlin issue. The idea and the rough design is the same. However there are massive differences between the rigs. The Merlin is LIGHTER, it folds smaller, easier to trim, more ridged (=more stable) etc...
Click to expand...

The pictures of the Merlin make it look considerably more rigid and strong than the DV. As a DV owner, it had some issues with rigidness... the Merlin does look like an improvement. I do wish it held more weight... as it's on the ragged edge for a HVX...
 
Hi all:

As an experienced Steadicam DV operator, I would say that the Merlin cures the DV's biggest problem - it's fragility! My Steadicam DV, even though I essentially babied it, fell apart. The fore and aft and left and right balance controls on the plate just cracked and fell to pieces.

The other thing all of you hopefuls should know is that using an extended, hand-held Steadicam is the same as that old bar bet - even the strongest person in the world can only hold two full beer mugs in outstretched arms, palms up for just a minute or so. I don't care how strong you are and how well you have worked out, an HVX on a Steadicam Merlin will only work for you for perhaps 10-15 minutes at a time tops, followed by a rest period. AND by the end of the day, you will be getting a considerable amount of wobble and shakes coming through because of muscle fatigue.

If you plan on operating for any extended amounts of time, rent a Flyer. The Merlin will be great for a few shots here and there but if you are planning on shooting all day or even for an hour or more straight, good luck!

The Merlin with an HVX-200 is quite an armload, especially at full extension away from your body where the floating effect is the best.

Dan
 
Hi Dan,

I agree what you said.

Regards
Leigh

puredrifting said:
Hi all:

I don't care how strong you are and how well you have worked out, an HVX on a Steadicam Merlin will only work for you for perhaps 10-15 minutes at a time tops, followed by a rest period. AND by the end of the day, you will be getting a considerable amount of wobble and shakes coming through because of muscle fatigue.

Dan
Click to expand...
 
puredrifting said:
The Merlin with an HVX-200 is quite an armload, especially at full extension away from your body where the floating effect is the best.

Dan
Click to expand...

I just ordered the Merlin, and am now considering gym memberships!
Is the floating effect really best at full arm extension?
I would think one could only do that with a vest system, or you'd get tired way too quickly.

Would the ability to switch from left to right hands (for different shots) help in coping with fatigue? Thanks.
 
The Merlin will work just as well regardless of where/how it is mounted. - You can hard mount it if you want.

However it depends on what you are shooting. - If you are shootign a close up of a person, then a ridget mount till show the operator's movement (without wobbling) - but with a bit of distance, it becomes less noticable.

Now when you carry the Merlin, you do use your arms to average out the bigger operator movements - esentially keeping the camera in place in 3D space (at the same hight for example). The rig infact works best in positions where you can flex your arms most. - And normally I have most control of my hands when they are closer to my body. If you reach out all the way your arm becomes ridged and has less range of movement.

And yes you can also switch hands on the fly with Merlin if you feel like you are gettign a little tired during a long shoot.

- Mikko
 
I have been in touch with an inventor/engineer who's been collaborating with Tiiffen to produce an aluminum mounting bracket for the Merlin. It's really intended for a wireless mic receiver, but just about anything small and self-contained (like a FS) could be put there. (You want to avoid cables going from the Merlin to an external device, because they'll throw your balance off. But a FS/wireless cable can be wrapped around the Merlin's arm to the camera.) This takes the place of the Merlin's weights, so the receiver/FS doesn't count against your 5+/- lb limit.

Anyway, he expects his first batch of prototypes to come in this week.
 
powerdog said:
But a FS/wireless cable can be wrapped around the Merlin's arm to the camera.) This takes the place of the Merlin's weights, so the receiver/FS doesn't count against your 5+/- lb limit.
Click to expand...

sounds interesting! To use a wireless mic receiver attached to the merlin would be great, but tricky. I would think that wrapping a cable (especially an XLR) around the spar would throw it way off balance, but maybe it could be trimmed ok...

I hope they can get it to work!
 
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