Steadicam à la French

[Monglane]

Hi all,

For the past couple of months, I've been using a French steadicam called "L'Aigle" ("The Eagle"). It's a beautifully designed and very carefully engineered system, very comfortable to use and as efficient as can be, in my opinion. *And* the retail price is just below 2100 Euros for the complete system, which is, I believe, significantly less expensive than the US equivalents.

The English version of the website is here : http://www.laigleparis.fr/home.htm and in the "Films" section, there are 5 short movies to download that show how to assemble it, set it up and use it... with some useful tips for newbie steadicamers.

I don't think the Aigle is distributed in the US at this time, but it is available in several European countries, so maybe it could interest some European folks--and some US distributors as well !

I did a complete test-drive (or should I say test-flight ?) of the Aigle on my CineDV website, but sorry, that is in French only (there are many detailed pictures, though). If interested, go to http://perso.wanadoo.fr/cinedv/ and look under the "Matériel" menu ==> Aigle Imperator item.

I have no personal nor financial interest in pushing this product. I mention it just because I think it does the job very well and is *relatively* affordable, as these things go.

 

[EShy]

I saw this product about a year ago, I was going to look into it next time I'm in paris, it's much cheaper than the steadicam mini, it would be great if you could post some footage and if you ever used one of the steadicam rigs, how does it compare?

 

[mikkowilson]

I'd strongly sugest mounting the monitor in line with the battery - not off ot the side.
To the side may make it easier to see, but it throws it badly out of balance.. (notice how far ot the right the camera is on the stage?)
With the rig by yoru side, you can still see the monitor just fine with it centered.

- Mikko.

 

[Monglane]

EShy : there is some footage on the official website of the Eagle (see link above). There is also a short sequence of my website, which I shot on my first day with that system.

I'm not a steadicam specialist, however this one was much more comfortable to use than the traditional models I've tried. Otherwise, all I can say is it does what it's supposed to do very well, no glitches, no problems. It's all (or most) up to the operator, though, as you know.

Mikko : yes, I've reneged on my monitor-off-to-the-side trick since I wrote that web page. I'm actually doing some extensive testing now, with and without some of the accessories, to ascertain what configuration suits me best. I'll update the page afterwards.