Helix letus " gimbal" tests

[rudo_fr]

https://vimeo.com/111800857
I tried several gimbals on my FS100, DJI Ronin work well but it is too heavy for me, the Movi M5 work well, it is very light but it can only support SEL 10-18mm lense.
My solution comes from Letus Hélix.
Here is my first tests on vimeo:

 

[rudo_fr]

Here is my first work with Hélix "gimbal" and FS100.
http://youtu.be/G76sb3vIkXw
no software stabilisation.
i have tried Sony A7S, it run very well with Hélix. Next step Sony FS7.

 

[biffmitchmalibu]

Did you ever get the FS7 to work on the Helix? If so, I'd love to see picture of how you rigged it up. Stuff looked good, liked the concept.

 

[rudo_fr]

Hi, here is picture of fs7 and helix: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152568347105566
i will try this month to mount fs7 on my Helix.

 

[bill totolo]

Anyone rig an a7s + O7Q + wireless FF to the Helix?
I tried it this weekend with mixed results.

 

[powervideo]

Hi, here is picture of fs7 and helix: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152568347105566
i will try this month to mount fs7 on my Helix.

I tried for two months to make the F5 work on my Helix without success, but I now use it with a A7S much more successfully. That FS7 looks awfully front heavy. I can't see how that looks balanced.

 

[rudo_fr]

Hi Peter, i just tried to mount FS7 on my Hélix yesterday, i just need 30 minutes to mount it and that run well. i will post pictures and video and commentaries later...

 

[powervideo]

Good luck with the weight. I run around with the A7S/Helix for 30mins and my back is stuffed

 

[rudo_fr]

The FS7's weight is 1.7kg + 150g VF and hélix with battery is 3.2 kg a total near 5kg what i can do is attach a vmount on my belt and plug dtap cable that will power FS7 and Hélix so virtualy i could remove 700g (hélix and sony batteries). For the FS7 we need an long base plate from Hélix. I noticed that shooting with the FS7 in Slow motion mode desactivate AutoFocus. The FS700 can do slow motion with autofocus.... i know that a7s is lighter but with his restrictions (no 4k, no slow-mo, and 30 minutes battery...)



video here
http://rudproductions.com/FS7Helix.zip

 

[rudo_fr]

So to do slow mo with gimbal for the moment my choice is FS700 because there is autofocus not FS7.

 

[paulcurtis]

Anyone rig an a7s + O7Q + wireless FF to the Helix?
I tried it this weekend with mixed results.

I'm trying to get this combo working on a Helix Jr, would be interested in exchanging some ideas, i've PM'd you.

cheers
Paul

 

[skatajkid]

I'm trying to get this combo working on a Helix Jr, would be interested in exchanging some ideas, i've PM'd you.

cheers
Paul

I got this working on a full size helix after a lot of toying, but when I finally got a good setup it was perfect. I'll try and post pics the next time I build it up. The most important issue is getting the monitor mount as LOW as possible to the A7S. I'm getting the Letus monitor mount and I think it will work even better than my solution right now (which is basically mouting it right on a nato rail right above the lens at about a 45° angle. Keeping the weight as low as possible helps tons with the helix I'm finding.

 

[paulcurtis]

I got this working on a full size helix after a lot of toying, but when I finally got a good setup it was perfect. I'll try and post pics the next time I build it up. The most important issue is getting the monitor mount as LOW as possible to the A7S. I'm getting the Letus monitor mount and I think it will work even better than my solution right now (which is basically mouting it right on a nato rail right above the lens at about a 45° angle. Keeping the weight as low as possible helps tons with the helix I'm finding.

I've been balancing on the Jr.

What i've found is that you can use the two vertical rails and put a rod clamp on that and have the monitor over the top and behind the motor at the back, this counterbalances the front. The one thing i found that doesn't work very well was connecting direct to the A7s itself (via a cage) and over to the back, i didn't have much faith in that connection as it would need to be quite long to reach from the camera to behind the motor. I have the Letus monitor mount (the one the site at the moment) but for an O7Q it's a little flimsy and created a bounce.

I would love to see the pics of your arrangement and i'll post some too when i get back home.

My issue are wobbles which i think are motor created, and i hope that's just a tweaking issue. What settings do you have the helix on, there are two weight profiles on the Jr and i've only tried one.

I see a similar wobble on this guys vimeo test, if you look at the edges you will see a wobble that looks artificial

https://vimeo.com/120268112

cheers
Paul

 

[Nakean]

The JR!!

The JR!!

I've been balancing on the Jr.

What i've found is that you can use the two vertical rails and put a rod clamp on that and have the monitor over the top and behind the motor at the back, this counterbalances the front. The one thing i found that doesn't work very well was connecting direct to the A7s itself (via a cage) and over to the back, i didn't have much faith in that connection as it would need to be quite long to reach from the camera to behind the motor. I have the Letus monitor mount (the one the site at the moment) but for an O7Q it's a little flimsy and created a bounce.

I would love to see the pics of your arrangement and i'll post some too when i get back home.

My issue are wobbles which i think are motor created, and i hope that's just a tweaking issue. What settings do you have the helix on, there are two weight profiles on the Jr and i've only tried one.

I see a similar wobble on this guys vimeo test, if you look at the edges you will see a wobble that looks artificial

https://vimeo.com/120268112

cheers
Paul

I'm really worried about getting a rig that's too light. Are you getting footsteps in your footage and did you fix the issue you were having with the artifical wobble?

 

[paulcurtis]

I'm really worried about getting a rig that's too light. Are you getting footsteps in your footage and did you fix the issue you were having with the artifical wobble?

I've not had any time to take it further, hope to get some time this week.

But i don't think the Jr is too light or underpowered, out of all the smaller gimbals i think it's the best.

I just totally forgot to take into account the physical size of the O7Q monitor, you can see on various NAB videos that Hien says they have 12lbs+ on the Jr and in fact one of those videos has a red running on it.

I do think that running a gimbal needs practise and a different technique, it's not magical but another tool to use.

Once you load up the Jr it can be really quite heavy, i was hoping to do away with the whole easy rig approach but there are times as which i wonder if something like that is inevitable.

It's a very solid piece of kit

cheers
Paul

 

[jshbckr]

What profiles are being used with the FS7? I keep having issues with wobbling. Even after painstakingly balancing the whole thing.

 

[rudo_fr]

What profiles are being used with the FS7? I keep having issues with wobbling. Even after painstakingly balancing the whole thing.

Is your problem with helix Jr?

 

[matg]

I've never taken the time to properly get my Red Dragon working on the full size Helix (Aluminum Version)

The Red Touch monitor swinging around is very much in danger of hitting the motor and cracking. It's not worth putting a 3k monitor at risk.

Here are some a7s frankenrig pics.

A7s, Rokinon (needed something light and cheap to bang around), SmallHD ac7, and RedRockMicro with FingerWheel. Again, quite the frankenrig and footage did have a lot of vertical wobble. Too much mass separating top and bottom... and too much mass on length.

 

[bill totolo]

@ matg There's a 1/4" 20 on each handle of the Helix that you can attach a small Noga arm to. This will allow you to mount your monitor off the gimbal and reduce the topside mass on your camera.