At the last DVExpo, Garrett Brown said that the HVX balances beautifully on the Steadicam Merlin. (At over 5 lbs., it is the heaviest camera that can fly on the Merlin). So I ordered mine from B&H, got it last week.
First impression: the Merlin is mostly very rugged aluminium (except for the plastic handle, guide ring and gimbal, so handle it with care!), but overall it is much more solid than the Steadicam JR. It comes in a nice foam-padded case, with instruction manual and dvd. These are essential reading/viewing before you take out the Merlin.
For a week I used the Merlin with my little 2.5 lb. sony handicam for practice... until my HVX arrived a few days ago. I noticed how the HVX dwarfed my handicam in size. It almost seemed impossible that the little Merlin could handle the weight of the HVX. I followed the instructions, and got it perfectly balanced on the Merlin, but damn, it was a heavy mother. I had maxed out the counterweights(one start, six-mid, one finish weight), and the caliper (knob to control size of curved bar under camera) was at maximum extension, and the guide (“z”) ring was all the way up, but it did balance.
Then I realized something... I didn’t have a P2 card in it. Damn.
So I loaded one P2 card (a 4GB), and the camera was now top-heavy. And all measures against top-heaviness had been exhausted. I finally found a solution by attaching a counterweight from my old steadicam Jr to the bottom weights using some rubberbands (I’ve since gotten hair bands, much better), and I got it balanced. As I said it’s a heavy mother... after a couple of minutes, I need to switch hands... but here’s the good news: the fact that it’s so massive makes it more stable! It doesn’t sway as much as the smaller handicam did. I got some shots that looked to me (on a 34" HDTV) just as super-smooth as any big budget feature film.
I recently got in touch with Garrett Brown(email is a wonderful thing), and he told me that when he balanced the HVX it was with the Medium size battery. The HVX ships with the Heavy battery. So all I need is a medium battery, and I can lose the extra weight. Problem solved. Once I get my updated FCP system up and running, I’ll be able to post some footage.
I give the Merlin & HVX a definite thumbs up. But you do have to learn/practice the art of using it. (The DVD & manual give a lot of essential tips on operating...as do folks like Mikko on these boards!)
And remember: you can't use this baby with any additional weight (wireless mic receivers, matteboxes, 35mm adapters, wide adapters), or it will be too heavy.
But if you can record sound double system, or shoot MOS, or can just use camera mic for certain shots, the Merlin can add tremendous value to your production, giving you shots that look like $$$$$$$.
Just make sure you do a few sets of push-ups every day. (or better yet, use the Merlin a lot, and you won't need to!)
Richard
_________________
www.richard-gale.com
First impression: the Merlin is mostly very rugged aluminium (except for the plastic handle, guide ring and gimbal, so handle it with care!), but overall it is much more solid than the Steadicam JR. It comes in a nice foam-padded case, with instruction manual and dvd. These are essential reading/viewing before you take out the Merlin.
For a week I used the Merlin with my little 2.5 lb. sony handicam for practice... until my HVX arrived a few days ago. I noticed how the HVX dwarfed my handicam in size. It almost seemed impossible that the little Merlin could handle the weight of the HVX. I followed the instructions, and got it perfectly balanced on the Merlin, but damn, it was a heavy mother. I had maxed out the counterweights(one start, six-mid, one finish weight), and the caliper (knob to control size of curved bar under camera) was at maximum extension, and the guide (“z”) ring was all the way up, but it did balance.
Then I realized something... I didn’t have a P2 card in it. Damn.
So I loaded one P2 card (a 4GB), and the camera was now top-heavy. And all measures against top-heaviness had been exhausted. I finally found a solution by attaching a counterweight from my old steadicam Jr to the bottom weights using some rubberbands (I’ve since gotten hair bands, much better), and I got it balanced. As I said it’s a heavy mother... after a couple of minutes, I need to switch hands... but here’s the good news: the fact that it’s so massive makes it more stable! It doesn’t sway as much as the smaller handicam did. I got some shots that looked to me (on a 34" HDTV) just as super-smooth as any big budget feature film.
I recently got in touch with Garrett Brown(email is a wonderful thing), and he told me that when he balanced the HVX it was with the Medium size battery. The HVX ships with the Heavy battery. So all I need is a medium battery, and I can lose the extra weight. Problem solved. Once I get my updated FCP system up and running, I’ll be able to post some footage.
I give the Merlin & HVX a definite thumbs up. But you do have to learn/practice the art of using it. (The DVD & manual give a lot of essential tips on operating...as do folks like Mikko on these boards!)
And remember: you can't use this baby with any additional weight (wireless mic receivers, matteboxes, 35mm adapters, wide adapters), or it will be too heavy.
But if you can record sound double system, or shoot MOS, or can just use camera mic for certain shots, the Merlin can add tremendous value to your production, giving you shots that look like $$$$$$$.
Just make sure you do a few sets of push-ups every day. (or better yet, use the Merlin a lot, and you won't need to!)
Richard
_________________
www.richard-gale.com
which can take a while...
