C100: Helix Jr. with C100 and 5D3

Michael Thames

Michael Thames

Carbonite Member
Here is a very short video we shot using two C100's and two 5D3's. Only two cameras were used in this video because of the editing of the performance. I had to use both C100's on tripods so that left me with a 5D3 to use on the Helix. The 5D3 behaved very well on the Helix, better than the C100. The 11 to 18 lens I've been using on the Helix/C100 is unusable for anything other than a wide landscape, IMHO its too fisheye for my tastes and what I need it for, so I was forced to use my 50 mm 1.4. Of course the 5D3 has no auto focus, but it does have face recognition which worked as long as I didn't move too far away..... better than nothing. We shot from 9:00 in the morning to midnight for 5 days straight and have now actually experienced just how hard it is to hold a gimbal for any amount of time. We took turns using the Helix. Don't think I would have survived if I had the C100 on it. It made me realize I need a smaller camera with auto focus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd6qT7OIgLw
 
Use a 5D Mark IV or 1DX Mark II on a gimbal and you'll never use anything else again.

The touchscreen AF combined with 4K/60p (on the 1DX) is just awesome.
 
NorBro said:
Use a 5D Mark IV or 1DX Mark II on a gimbal and you'll never use anything else again.

The touchscreen AF combined with 4K/60p (on the 1DX) is just awesome.
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Ha! The last thing I want to buy is another DSLR, but I suspect you are right. There is no way to touch the screen while holding a Gimbal so the best I can hope for is AF.
 
It could be both? I bought a Helix and returned it after spending 2 days on Skype with Letus support trying to get the wobble/shake out. This can happen if you don't balance correctly (mine was balanced) and if your PID settings aren't correct (I spent a lot of time with them trying to tune them).

Ultimately it was determined that I may have received a bum unit and it was returned. If you contact them, they can help you troubleshoot.

If you are not walking (just slightly panning, rotating, bobbing back and forth– it should look VERY steady).

Michael Thames said:
Is it me, or the gimbal? Im new to this.

Unfortunately when shooting a performance and the musician does 3 or 4 takes then edits the best takes sound wise, you never know which video shot will be used.
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mizzar said:
It could be both? I bought a Helix and returned it after spending 2 days on Skype with Letus support trying to get the wobble/shake out. This can happen if you don't balance correctly (mine was balanced) and if your PID settings aren't correct (I spent a lot of time with them trying to tune them).

Ultimately it was determined that I may have received a bum unit and it was returned. If you contact them, they can help you troubleshoot.

If you are not walking (just slightly panning, rotating, bobbing back and forth– it should look VERY steady).
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Hum, I never felt any wobble or shake with the Letus, but I did feel vibration like the motors might be over working sometimes. Of course if you do some crazy moves the whole thing goes nuts, and you have to set it down and turn it off and then back on again to reset it. But under normal use it never did that. Perhaps its me just moving around. Im curious though if you see any shake in there that could be attributed to the Helix.
 
Michael Thames said:
Ive looked at that one. If I end up using the C100 again on the Helix that might be the lens to get.
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I have to say, as much as I like the Helix Jr., I am selling it. It just doesn't make sense for how I need to use it. The C200 will be too heavy on it for me to hold for more than a few minutes at a time, not even sure it will physically fit onto it and I am getting too many requests for 4K which means I will be adding a Fujinon XT-2 to my Zhiyun Crane. It will be a 4K gimbal that I can shoot with for hours while the Helix and the C100 tire me out too quickly and are not 4K.
 
Michael Thames said:
Hum, I never felt any wobble or shake with the Letus, but I did feel vibration like the motors might be over working sometimes. Of course if you do some crazy moves the whole thing goes nuts, and you have to set it down and turn it off and then back on again to reset it. But under normal use it never did that. Perhaps its me just moving around. Im curious though if you see any shake in there that could be attributed to the Helix.
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It's the shot from the side starting at 0:39. It looks like either the operator is bumping into objects while moving side to side or the gimbal is shaking. (Ha, or it is just a handheld shot??)
 
mizzar said:
It's the shot from the side starting at 0:39. It looks like either the operator is bumping into objects while moving side to side or the gimbal is shaking. (Ha, or it is just a handheld shot??)
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I think its me then, I was walking around a bit. I kind of wanted some motion in there, otherwise I would have used a tripod. I never felt any kind of shake in the Helix that would have cause that. Also I think it might have had something to do with the lens being a 50mm instead of the 11-18. I think the 50mm is less forgiving to any movement where as in the wider lens it doesn't show up as much.
 
puredrifting said:
I have to say, as much as I like the Helix Jr., I am selling it. It just doesn't make sense for how I need to use it. The C200 will be too heavy on it for me to hold for more than a few minutes at a time, not even sure it will physically fit onto it and I am getting too many requests for 4K which means I will be adding a Fujinon XT-2 to my Zhiyun Crane. It will be a 4K gimbal that I can shoot with for hours while the Helix and the C100 tire me out too quickly and are not 4K.
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Funny I was thinking of selling mine too, but after this last week of shooting I ended up really liking it. It really made some great shots and the guitarist and others there thought it was a hit! But yea, having actually experienced shooting from sun-up, to midnight for 5 days straight it became very tiresome and we had to trade turns using it. I have a feeling the C200 will behave better on the Helix because of the lower height, but you still have the weight problem.

I have come to realize I want to sell my Kessler Second Shooter. We are recording a CD while shooting videos and for CD quality, the Kessler makes too much noise, for Youtube stuff its fine or dialogue you might not hear it or it wouldn't matter, but in total silence and sensitive mics it doesn't work. Also I have to set the Kessler very far away from the guitarist and in that case you can hardly see any motion. Up close its very good for getting nice motion.
 
Michael Thames said:
Funny I was thinking of selling mine too, but after this last week of shooting I ended up really liking it. It really made some great shots and the guitarist and others there thought it was a hit! But yea, having actually experienced shooting from sun-up, to midnight for 5 days straight it became very tiresome and we had to trade turns using it. I have a feeling the C200 will behave better on the Helix because of the lower height, but you still have the weight problem.

I have come to realize I want to sell my Kessler Second Shooter. We are recording a CD while shooting videos and for CD quality, the Kessler makes too much noise, for Youtube stuff its fine or dialogue you might not hear it or it wouldn't matter, but in total silence and sensitive mics it doesn't work. Also I have to set the Kessler very far away from the guitarist and in that case you can hardly see any motion. Up close its very good for getting nice motion.
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You should try the Rhino EVO for a motion control slider. It makes just a tiny bit of noise but I have shot interviews in quiet rooms and it really doesn't show up in the recording.
 
puredrifting said:
I have to say, as much as I like the Helix Jr., I am selling it. It just doesn't make sense for how I need to use it. The C200 will be too heavy on it for me to hold for more than a few minutes at a time, not even sure it will physically fit onto it and I am getting too many requests for 4K which means I will be adding a Fujinon XT-2 to my Zhiyun Crane. It will be a 4K gimbal that I can shoot with for hours while the Helix and the C100 tire me out too quickly and are not 4K.
Click to expand...

How are you planning on cutting between the xt2 and c200? I have a a6500 on the crane and it works amazing but it is a pain getting it to match with my c100 and I was thinking about using the xc15, although not sure how that's work with the crane. Any ideas?
 
Michael Thames said:
Here is another video we did, a quick teaser for my clients...... no color correction or anything. Let me know if you see any problems with the helix other than motion from the operator.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NHIFPz0_EVc
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Three notes...

1. The lighting in the first long shot needs some help, it's very muddy and murky
2. There is major jitter at :45 that would bug me a lot.
3. The second shot is out of focus

Nice performance great audio, but the lighting needs some help, the first and second shots look as if they were shot in different locations and that (I assume) Helix shot at :45 looks pretty shaky, look at the mic stand vertical in the BG.
 
puredrifting said:
Three notes...

1. The lighting in the first long shot needs some help, it's very muddy and murky
2. There is major jitter at :45 that would bug me a lot.
3. The second shot is out of focus

Nice performance great audio, but the lighting needs some help, the first and second shots look as if they were shot in different locations and that (I assume) Helix shot at :45 looks pretty shaky, look at the mic stand vertical in the BG.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feed back.

Yea, had to use the 5D3 with a 50mm lens at 1.4. I do think a 50 mm lens will show more shake than my 11-18, at least that's what I've heard. Yea wish the 5D3 had AF that would have helped.

Hope i can brighten it up in post a little.

But I'm primarily interested in whether the Helix is shaking or me...... I think me yea?
 
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