Feedback on Animagique SteadyCam?

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DarkOne

Active member
Has anyone in DVX land ever heard or even used the steadycam from the Animagique company? They seem to have a really nice steadycam vest outfit suitable for the DVX100 for about $1450. If you haven't heard about them, check out their website www.magiqcam.com.

I'd love to hear some reviews on this product. Thus far it is very appetizing for the price.
 
Re: Feedback on Animagique SteadyCam?

I own one of those rigs. I will get back with a review later on when I've had some more time with it. So far it seems very well built and for that money you can't find anything better.
 
Re: Feedback on Animagique SteadyCam?

..its awsome. definitely worth the money. the new modified version i have has a Bogen quick release plate on the sled for mountin the cam.  the arm  absorbs shock well..small and large. and ive pulled off numerous shots with it substituting it for a dolly to save setup time.  ive worn it for hours on end during shoots.. probably 4 hours at the longest..it gets heavy of course, but was pretty comfortable the whole time. correct posture certainly helps. i still plan on reviewing it when i have time to take all my junk off it, and strip it down to do a good review, but.. man ,  i dont want to have to set it all up again.even though it only takes a couple minutes..lol its set up so nicely now. anyway if your thinking about getting one i would reccommend it. the only downside is the shipping . they custom build them to order, so it is supposed to take 3-5 weeks for shipping, but i did not recieve mine untill apx 8 weeks after ordering, and i only got it then because i called asking why it had not shipped yet. but they did overnight it to me, and pay for the upgraded shipping once i pointed out it was very late and was supposed to be there almost a month ago.  I know others have had  longer than expected shipping times as well though. long story short. its certainly worth the money  and a good product, but make sure that you have time to wait for them to make it. its a family run business, and they are good guys and i assume like jarred shipping the DVXuser batteries, have alot to do  and  cant always get it out asap. but i certainly like the product.   it works great, and is good quality build. handles way more than enough weight to fly the DVX, and is easily adjustable for other cam weights as well. the vest is comfy, and  ive devised a system to fit it all in the cusioned carrying case without breaking the sled down, or moving any parts resulting in mis weighting it at all, so i just pull it out, and slide the cam on the quick release plate, and make sopme small balance adjustments  ..which takes  about 30 sec cause the balancing system is quick and easy. and im good to go.
 
Re: Feedback on Animagique SteadyCam?

Iam, great review, thanks for the detailed feedback. You've touched on several key factors that every steadycam operator wants to know, namely, weight, setup time and overall quality.

Does anyone have any online demo reels using the animagique steady-cam? I was not too impressed with the fluidity of their online demo.
 
Re: Feedback on Animagique SteadyCam?

Will shoot some demo footage, will write review. It's just all a matter of time. =)

I agree on everything IAL wrote in his post. I got mine in about 4-5 weeks, but I know many people have waited a long time on theirs.

IAL, how can you fit it in the case without pulling it together? When dynamically balanced mine is too long for that. Are your dvx carrying any extras or are you using very lightweight monitor?
 
Re: Feedback on Animagique SteadyCam?

.. i take the cam off to stick it in there.. im not sure if you thought i had the cam in there too, :P but the i use the matteblox with large flag on the cam when on the rig cause its lighter than the hard boxes. .. once i take the cam off, i can stick the arm in the bottom of course, and then i put the sled over that at a slight angle, and the vest over that, i put the pads inbetween so no scratching or anything. but it does all fit. i didnt lentghen or shorten the main sled shaft at all from what they set it at on shipment.. i have the wireless recivers mounted on the bottom of the sled wherethe monitro batt normally goes, and dont have a monitor for it yet. i use the filpout lcd with a sun shade instead. it works well for me. but ill get a monitor soon anyway :)
 
Re: Feedback on Animagique SteadyCam?

Here goes a short mini-review of the magiqcam series IIa:

I've had my magiqcam for a couple of weeks now. So far I haven't had much time with it mostly due to other work. However it seems to be a very well built and good rig. For the price I think it's a great deal.
I'm not unfamiliar with steadicams, but I would definetely call myself newbee as operator. I have tried bigger "real" rigs a couple of times and the big thing with them is how tired you get after just about 15 minutes with them. They really hit your back if you are not used to them. I find the magiqcam very back friendly though, and I have no problem running around with it shooting for an hour or so. It is so much easier on your body. The downside with such a light rig is that it's not as stable in the air as the bigger ones. When shooting outside, wind certainly can be an issue.

I'll write a few words on each of the parts of the rig based on my experience with it so far.

The vest:
Comfortable, pretty lightweight and easy to adjust. Haven't played with the adjustable socket block yet, but it seems to be a nice adjustment to have.

The arm:
Double articulated, feels very smooth and nice, yet small and lightweight. You feel that it's very well made. The springs are covered with some kind of black "dirt protector", pretty much like stockings pulled over the springs, which is a good thing, since the springs will easily collect dust and dirt otherwise.

The sled:
The sled uses a pretty simple construction, with telescopic parts which you can adjust to desired lenght and get it properly balanced. There are two small "arms" at the bottom of it with plates that you can mount your monitor and battery pack onto. There are also a set of weights (metal bricks) included, complete with mounting screws that will screw into holes located at the front and back of the lower sled. This will help you compensate when the monitor or battery is more heavy than the other.
The plate for mounting the battery could in my opinion have been fixed in position rather than being able to rotate and then locked with a knob. I find it quite hard to get it locked tight enough to stay completely in position.

The camera stage uses a Manfrotto/Bogen quick release plate, which unfortunately was of a bigger size than the one on my 503 head. Since the rig is made for lightweight cameras I think the 503 plate would have been a better choice since many people use the 501/503 head for such cameras.

The stage is adjustable in both axis, but it's not as convenient as on the bigger rigs where you can really really fine tune it as shooting goes on. Of course this can be done with the magiqcam as well, it's just not as easy and precise. This is something I would like to see improved in newer versions, since it is an adjustment that you will change all the time during a day.

Worth to mention although you already heard it a dozen times before is that this is not something you just put together and it will give you great pictures. Using any type of steadicam systems requires alot (and I mean alot!) of practice and patience. If you are up for it though, you will get better every time you use it, and have a great time in the meanwhile.

All in all,
The magiqcam is a very well made rig that is pretty easy on your body and feels smooth in operation. There is no doubt that John made a great work. For the price it's unbeatable!


This was meant to be some short words on the magiqcam, but turned out a little more well covered than that. =)
Anyway, I will work out a real review of this system, complete with pictures and demo footage as soon as I get some more time with it.
 
Re: Feedback on Animagique SteadyCam?

Hey Johan, can you take a pic of the adjustable socket block so I can see how they achieve thier version? Thanks. I know of two versions but I would like to see what thier version look like.

"The vest: ...but it seems to be a nice adjustment to have."

It is almost a must. One of the causes of fatigue is not having a feature like that. It help makes life easier. :)
 
Re: Feedback on Animagique SteadyCam?

Johan. Have you used your magiqcam lately on any shoots? Listen, if you ever made any modification on your rig please send in a couple of descent clear pics so I use in my 4th book. Also a little explaination of the changes.
 
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