Mt Rainier: Steadicam Merlin with Sony HC7?

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sbcooler

Member
I am going on a climb up Mt. Rainier with a friend and 2 private guides in mid July 2010. Temperature range from 65F at the bottom to about 20F at the top with windy conditions as we get near the top. Was thinking about bringing my Sony HC7 (similar to Canon HV20) and buying a Steadicam Merlin and wondering what people thought of the idea here.

The hike is real strenuous (did it last year). It's over 2 days mostly. The first day is easier...5 hours...not steep. I'm sure I can get some great footage, but was wondering how tired my arm would get. The vest for the steadicam is probably to bulky and heavy I'd imagine to wear that? Is that correct?

I really just want 2 minutes of hiking once every 45 minutes...and then some interviews at our breaks (every 45 minutes). At least the first day.

On day 2, the summit day (12 hour day), I would love to do the same thing, but I don't know if I'll have the energy. We are roped up to our private guide and have 1 hand with our ice axe (more for balance) and the other hand is on the rope letting it slide through our hand...BUT, that hand can be free for a couple of minutes to capture footage say for 2-3 minutes every 45 minutes.

I bought the GOPRO HD for a wearable cam, but I don't like how the footage looks. I feel the HDV cameras are quite a bit better, PLUS the biggest difference is the STEADICAM footage looks awesome...I'd rather capture 45 minutes of PRO FOOTAGE than 4 hours of mediocre footage.

Again, I've never used a steadicam, but was thinking of buying it and experimenting with it. Any thoughts and suggestions. Anyone ever use something like this on a 2-3 day strenuous hike?

Thanks. (I could borrow a friends Canon HV40 for this or use my Sony HC7...both HDV cams...any thoughts on this?)
 
Brother, I hope you are FIT! Tackling a climb like that will be tough enough, but adding a camera and a Merlin? That is going to be tough!

Batteries are going to be an issue. Once you get close to the freezing level, battery life goes to nil. And you will experience fogging/frosting issues once you hit below freezing. Buy plenty of those heat packs.

Sounds like you'll get some decent footage, but you are going to have to really work for it. And having never used a stabilizer before, it may take the fun out of the climb for you. Good thing is, you have time to get ready for it. Every chance you get, carry the merlin with weight equivalent to the camera (and sometimes the camera). Make it heavier than the actual weight and do everyday chores with it. Go jogging with it. Do everything possible with it.

You are going above 14,000 feet. Believe when I say things seem way heavier at that elevation. I did Gorgonio down here in SoCal, and it was only 11+. The air is very thin up there.
 
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I was up there last year and my batteries were fine. I am going in the middle of July...so the first day I would say the temp varies from 70 to 50 or so. And the 2nd day (summit day) I'd say varies from 50 to 20. But most of that is around 40 I'd say...its just near the top that it gets below freezing...at least last year. I had no trouble with fogging nor cold. I kept some dry pellets (shoes) to keep camera dry in a plastic bag inside my backpack and only took it out at breaks.

But the summit day was too difficult so I did not video! This year though I have a private guide. So we can take unlimited rest stops and breaks to capture 2-3 minutes of video at least once or twice every hour. And getting some while moving should be real challenging but in easier spots it could be a great thing.

My other choice is I could just bring the GOPRO HD up there..wear the damn thing the whole trip..it weighs ounces...and then try to SMOOTH out the footage in post when I get back from my trip. The thing is the GOPRO HD is so-so footage...not nearly as good as my Sony HC7. And nothing can smooth footage as good as that steadicam merlin (from the demos I saw). My private guide is an ox. Maybe if I tip him late on summit day, he can do some so I can rest more!

Summit day is a little easier because our backpacks will be nearly empty (just warm clothes and water and and dried fruit)...so a light pack...hmmm....like you said I'll have to train with it a lot if I go this route.

One last idea...I could use the GOPRO HD for moving shots and bring my Sony HC7 for interviews at rest breaks and perhaps a couple of shots (me ahead filming my friend and private guide walking towards us, me off to the side 200 feet filming friend and guide walking up..me behind shooting friend walking up the mountain...or right past me)...the 1st day most of these shots would occur...the 2nd day more limited as we will be more strained with the altitude and tired. Anyway, that is another option...GOPRO HD and SONY HC7 for rest stops....or I could just bring the Merlin Steadicam and Sony HC7 and use it when I can.

As I said I'd rather get 30 minutes of great footage than 4 hours of so-so fooage....

Lastly I could buy the Canon 7D or 5D and use that instead of my SONY HC7 or I could borrow my freinds Canon HV40...I wonder if those would make the video any better. In 2 years I'd LOVE to bring the Scarlet and a steadicam up there!! Yes I know I'll have to be in awesome shape for that!
 
I did some shooting on Mt. Kilimanjaro a few years ago, and I think the likelihood of you being able to carry and use a Steadicam while climbing is very, very small.
 
I'm in good shape. And I did it last year BUT without the steadicam. The Merlin weighs less than 1 lb..and again I would only whip it out for 3 minutes once every hour.

I just wonder can I hang the steadicam from my body on a carabiner to keep it handy or must I disassemble it and stick it into my backpack?

Realize this trip is a HIKE only, albeit ia long one..no rock climbing or scrambling.
 
your merlin will end up weighing more because you need to add the balance weights to it which pretty much equal the weight of your camera. its also not built like a tank all though built well i would not suggest you hang it off of you you could fold it up and secure the arc to the baseplate with a strap or something but it doesnt lock in tight and theres a good chance your fine tuning knobs will get bumped so you will be spending time trimming the merlin every shot. I say go with GoPROHD cam and wear it all the time . you could get probably get two of em for the price of the merlin.

if anything i would rather strap a figrig to the back of your pack than mess with a merlin. if you havent used one yet then you dont understand it is really difficlut to use and set up and takes tons of practice . its not instant bu i have only used one with a dvx or 150 so a smaller cam may be easier to work with.
 
I would almost think it would make more sense to get a shoulder brace. Lighter and easier to use (especially when you're half way up Rainer). Also, the winds up there could have an effect on a Steadycam type set up, so a shoulder brace may be steadier.

It won't look nearly as nice in ideal situations... but some friends did St Helens and Baker last summer, and if Baker is even close to Rainier in terms of terrain, then you're not going to be in ideal situations for shooting anyways.
 
Sounds like a good idea since Rainier is hardly Everest.

Just make sure of your footing when you use the Merlin.

btw, you don't need to put away the Merlin, just keep it from swinging around free.
 
Interesting comments...the terraine on 80% of Rainier is not hard at all...I think those are a few shots I'd get with the steadicam...the hard stuff...I'll get up ahead and shoot down or shoot up with my friend being the subject and his guide.

The GOPRO HD is really pretty mediocre footage and is further destroyed by how shaky it is...I did some practice runs and am now considering returning it...most of it is not very watchable or at least not for more than a few seconds...can get you dizzy is how my mother described watching that.

The GOPRO HD in the 1080p mode (127 degrees field of view) does not take well to smooth cam (Apple's Shake) as the 30p is not enough and too slow a reset time so the frames look distorted even though they are smooth...or rather stretched out like on a fabric blowing in the wind....at 60p (1280 x 720) most of that is better, but then I have a distorted 170 degree field of view and even less resolution, less of a bit rate (more actually but less when you consider how many frames per second) so its a little bit fuzzy.

Nothing compares to how sharp my Sony HC7 is here. This is also why I am considering the Merlin...with my HC7...I used the Merlin's cookbook...my camera, the weights and the merlin will weigh a combined weight of 2 lbs 15 ounces...

So how hard is it to hold the Merlin while hiking straight in front of me...no camera moves and walking slowly on the path for 3 minutes. If I can do that 4-8 times per day that's all I need the steadicam for. Plus when we get to the top if we do, that could be fun to get some shots I have in mind with the steadicam.

I will go into NYC this week I think or next week and demo it. On YOUTUBE 2 amateurs used it on a ski run and it looked awesome...that's much harder than doing it on what I'm doing it on.

My biggest challenge I think will be setting it up quickly and not wasting a ton of time...I'm thinking if I fold it up part way and get a good system to put it on my body/harness, secured into me, it could be easy to take out and put away relatively..if not maybe I only use it 3 or 4 times each day. And capture less with it.

I'd rather get 20 minutes of AWESOME footage than hours of mediocre shaky footage. I'm really curious if anyone has climbed any mountains with a steadicam merlin or more accurately HIKED a mountain with a steadicam...I know PRO's did it on Mt Everest with the Steadicam Archer...only 45 minutes and they were dead tired and done for the day...but Rainier is a FAR FAR cry from Everest.

Those of you who commented have you used this device much?
 
I have done mountaineering, and I am just worried about you having a "lack of focus" on the job at hand (surviving the trek). The body cam sounds like a much safer way to go. Go handheld for those detail shots.

Either way, I want to see the footage.
 
If you are going to take a stabilizer on this trip; the Merlin is by far the best unit for the job. It's light, it's quick & easy to set up, it's light, you can use it one-handed if you need to, it's light, it's pretty robust (I've heard stories of people who hike with them all the time just hanging from their hip or pack, Merlin is beat to hell, but still works flawlessly), and of course it's the lightest unit out there!

Be sure to allow yourself some time to learn how to use it before you go - the more time the better!

And, as always; fly safe!

- Mikko
 
sbcooler said:
So how hard is it to hold the Merlin while hiking straight in front of me...no camera moves and walking slowly on the path for 3 minutes.
Click to expand...

A Sony HC7 on a Merlin for 3 minutes?

Not a problem, plus with the Merlin your peripheral vision is excellent, so getting over and around obstacles isn't an issue at all. I don't see any problems.
 
Thanks Pookie. Do you own a Merlin..have you gone out hiking with it? I did not mention on day 1 both of my hands will be free to video. On day 2 summit day, that is when I'll scale back my footage and use the camera and steadicam sparingly...3 minutes per clip roughly...maybe 4 times during the hike to the top...then another 10 minutes or so at the top of video...and some more at our tent at the end of day 2.

Day 3 is down the mountain...easy day. If i can get 40 minutes of steadicam (I have 2 hands free) the first day and say 20 minutes on summit day, that would be awesome. If I can only get half that, I can live with that too. As long as the footage is good.

Thanks for the tips. I'll be trying the merlin out and demo it hopefully next week.
 
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