RED and Steadicam

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FXMaster2442

Carbonite Member
What would be the full operating weight of the RED camera with Lens, Battery, ect.

I know the site says 7 pounds or so, but is that full operation weight?

I'm asking because I want to know the best Steadicam to put this thing on... Would the Mini be to light?


http://steadicam.com/videoMini.html
 
For a staedicam rig you would need a prime lens, something to record to and a battery at least. You would also want remote follow focus and a clip on matte box. I 'm guessing you'd want to go for something more sturdy than the mini. I would look at the high end video or low end film model steadycams.
 
FXMaster2442 said:
I know the site says 7 pounds or so, but is that full operation weight?
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No, that's just the weight of the camera body. A lens alone is going to up the number a bit, and then you need the battery, follow focus, etc.

I think the Flyer is probably the best "low cost" Steadicam option for RED - fully loaded it should hit that 12-13lb sweet spot.
 
Some higher end Steadicam systems have their own onboard power via integrated batteries. All you'd need is the RED, prime lens, rods and remote focus motor/transmitter.
 
I'm not sure about that. My instincts are telling me that with the compact zoom, rods, FF, mattebox, and battery that it will go over the 15lb limit. I really want to upgrade to an archer for this reason.
 
Brook Willard said:
Some higher end Steadicam systems have their own onboard power via integrated batteries. All you'd need is the RED, prime lens, rods and remote focus motor/transmitter.
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That's true! The Flyer has an integrated battery as well. I've just never used it because 1) it doesn't power the HVX without some kind of adapter, and 2) with the HVX, I can always use more weight on top. But you're right, for a camera like RED, powering via the sled should definitely be an option.
 
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Hi,

I have been a steadicam operator for 8 years and have flown both the lighter rigs and full size rigs. I currently own a steadicam Masters Rig and a Baer Bel rig from Germany. Looking at the specs and the info it would seem like you would at minimum need an archer but should use a full sized rig since this is the weight range of an Arri SR (20 pounds with lense , motors, mattebox, video transmitter, etc. Plus you will need a downconverter to get the image to NTSC for any good steadicam monitor. Only Steadicam has a good HD monitor available for use on a steadicam rig. The rest of the monitors I have tested and seen fall short in actual shooting conditions.
 
Hm, that runs contrary to my experience. The HVX is just over 5lbs, and I flew it just fine on the Flyer with a mattebox, remote follow focus/motor/receiver, Nikon lens, HVX battery, the M2 adapter, two Anton Bauer Ditron batteries and the 7" Marshall HD monitor on the bottom which is much heavier than the standard Flyer monitor. All of that, and there was still room to spare (I think the total rig was ~13lbs, 2lbs shy of the 15lb "limit"). With no need for the adapter or battery (the camera can be powered via the sled), a RED setup may be close to topping it off, but should work just fine. I've even put a (stripped) Varicam on the Flyer, and although it was definitely maxed out, even that could be balanced. Flyer users should have no problems working with RED, unless the lenses used are extremely heavy.
 
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I think it is possible to be in the 15 lb. range with the zoom lens, battery and drive module (don't hold me to it)... but you have some time to get more info before you'll need to purchase. The Flyer is an option many hope will work.

Jim
 
Perhaps RED might jump in with its own stabilizer eventually? You have to admit it would be pretty sweet to have a comprehensive RED package.
How 'bout the REDRUNNER?
 
James (I think?) from the RED team was over at the Steadicam booth at IBC discussing RED's compatibilty with Steadicam. And it will work very well.
Red can be powered with the 4-pin XLR power cable that is standard with every Steadicam system from the Flyer up. (ok, yes it came with the Mini too, but the Mini is an out-dated rig and not the best choice for RED)
Power draw should also not be a problem, RED shoudl run on most any Battery a Steadicam runs on without trouble.
Mounting for "normal" ("high") mode will be dead easy, as the base of red is (as of IBC) slated to have a row of mounting holes down the center just like a Sony Video camera plate.
How low mode will work wans't decided yet, but it's also in the considerations.

The biggest issue will in fact be monitoring. There is a HD-SDI ready monitor available for the Flyer - it coems stock as part of the "Flyer 24" system. This is probably the simplest monitoring solution.
The next solution is to get a downconverter, but this will ad weight (& power draw) to the system.

as for weight, 15lb is a realistic hope for a very compact package: Camera with RED-FLASH drive, Prime glass, Focus recievier & Motor. (no battery, power is from teh rig, so it doesn't count to the 15lb) That's all you *need*, but normally more gear is used.

The cheapest solution, with a light configuration - and to be honest, the ones that I'm really looking forward to flying some day - is the above setup on the Flyer-24 with it's HD monitor.

Going up from there, all the Steadicam rigs will hold the weight, including a light down-converter for Composite output (Darn it Jim! I still want a composite output on the camera! :) ). Agian power will not be an issue. It'll fly fine in most configurations on the Archer. Though heavier configs would possibly require a bigger rig like the Clipper, etc... Of course we can always throw more crap on the camera, but how much is necesarry will depend on the shot.

So yes, Even the Flyer with a HD monitor should be able to fly a light RED package, with the bigger rigs all working fine.
And yes RED is keeping Steadicam very much in mind and is mostly a Steadicam friendly system. The only Non-steadicam friendly issue I know of is the lack of a composite output, which we use on Steadicam, not only for monitoring, but also transmitting to the director's monitor.
And then the question of low mode. - But I'm sure that a suitable mountign system will be available. And who knows, maybe red can do a vertical flip in camera and make low-mode a even easier change! (Untill the filters fall out of the upside down mattebox)



As for the comments of Red makign their own stabilizer system? Why? There's allready a system out there with 30 years fo development behind it that works very very well. Just as there's no need for a RED-POD or a RED-DOLLY. RED is set to be a great camera system, but no need to re-invent the wheel with other gear.

- Mikko
 
We just had a Steadicam God over at RED last week to make sure we had it right. We will NOT get in that business, but WILL make sure we are compatible with Steadicam rigs...

Jim
 
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