Steadicam Merlin / A1 - Initial Test

R

rslv

Active member
Day one as a Merlin owner...

Disclaimer:
This is not intended as a display of the Merlin's full capabilities, but rather what you might expect from the Merlin "out of the box".

The footage was shot a couple of hours after recieving the Merlin. I had no prior Steadicam experience. The Merlin was configured using "cookbook" settings. I was carrying the large travel case over my shoulder. The g-platz screw wasn't properly tightened on a couple of shots.

Quality will improve considerably with operator experience and proper equipment setup.

33MB H.264 .MP4

http://www.mediafire.com/?c1finlyzwfx
 
Excellent work. I'm astounded at the results you got given your lack of experience using any kind of prior steadicam device.
 
rslv said:
Day one as a Merlin owner...

The Merlin was configured using "cookbook" settings. I was carrying the large travel case over my shoulder. The g-platz screw wasn't properly tightened on a couple of shots.
Click to expand...

Pretty much what you would expect first drive. With practice you will get much better. It's funny though you do get much better then kind of peak from there persistence will get you the next level of stunning shots.

Which cookbook settings did you use?

Best
Noel
 
great footage. good choice of location. nice song selection.

thanks for doing the work to post it.

did you color correct the footage at all?
 
Last edited:
Copenhagen, I assume? I think I've been to Tivoli on vacation there once about 20 years or so ago. Impressive footage for out of the box! You seem to have taken a lot of footage that day. How did the weight feel on your wrist during shoot?

Thanks,
RPK
 
Thanks for your comments/questions. Much appreciated.

NGC said:
Interested in your Merlin settings for the A1?
Click to expand...

Front weights: 1 Mid, 1 Finish
Lower weights: 5 Mid, 1 Finish
Arc: 13.5"
Mounting hole: I
Stage Mark: -1
Visible rings on guide (Z): 4
Gezornenplatz resting between focus and zoom ring on lens barrel.

Oynk said:
great footage. good choice of location. nice song selection.

thanks for doing the work to post it.

did you color correct the footage at all?
Click to expand...

The footage was shot using the -3dB Clean preset from http://www.fxsupport.de/20.html - only a slight "S-Curve" was added in post.

RPK said:
Copenhagen, I assume? I think I've been to Tivoli on vacation there once about 20 years or so ago. Impressive footage for out of the box! You seem to have taken a lot of footage that day. How did the weight feel on your wrist during shoot?

Thanks,
RPK
Click to expand...

Yes, that was indeed Tivoli Garden, Copenhagen. The weight was only really a problem when adjusting the Merlin - when you're moving and using a 2-hand grip it's quite comfortable. I have been working out specifically for this since I decided I wanted a Merlin - certainly helped.
 
rslv said:
Front weights: 1 Mid, 1 Finish
Lower weights: 5 Mid, 1 Finish
Arc: 13.5"
Mounting hole: I
Stage Mark: -1
Visible rings on guide (Z): 4
Gezornenplatz resting between focus and zoom ring on lens barrel.
Click to expand...

AH cool those are the settings I put in.
 
Holy $%&@.

I bought a used Merlin from a guy on this site two months ago and I've JUST gotten around to playing with it. I discovered that it's missing one of the middle weights and I'm devastated.

It's been long enough that I worry he'll either not remember me or have misplaced the missing weight. He was a DVX shooter so he only used 5 of the middle weights.

This just flat out sucks. Be careful, people, when buying things from strangers...it's very easy for this sort of thing to happen, even a harmless mistake.
 
ncje said:
AH cool those are the settings I put in.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help then ;)

Mirezzi said:
Holy $%&@.

I bought a used Merlin from a guy on this site two months ago and I've JUST gotten around to playing with it. I discovered that it's missing one of the middle weights and I'm devastated.

It's been long enough that I worry he'll either not remember me or have misplaced the missing weight. He was a DVX shooter so he only used 5 of the middle weights.

This just flat out sucks. Be careful, people, when buying things from strangers...it's very easy for this sort of thing to happen, even a harmless mistake.
Click to expand...

That sucks :/

If the guy you bought it from can't help you try contacting Tiffen/Steadicam. I have heard nothing but positive things about their customer service - I'm sure they can sell you a weight at a reasonable price.
 
I'm not worried about it. The guy I bought it from is cool and I am certain it was an honest, innocent mistake.

I'll be calling Tiffen / Steadicam tomorrow.
 
Wow from the way you explained it I was bracing myself for some weird looking amatuer footage, but that was really good! When I get my merlin if I'm that good that fast then I'll be more then happy with it.

BTW what song is that?
 
ecking said:
Wow from the way you explained it I was bracing myself for some weird looking amatuer footage, but that was really good! When I get my merlin if I'm that good that fast then I'll be more then happy with it.

BTW what song is that?
Click to expand...

Glad you liked it.
The song is: Aqua Bassino - The Way I Love You
 
I can't wait to get my Merlin and A1 configured so I can shoot some tests, too.

I'll see what I can do and upload something next week.
 
rslv, Your footage was fantastic with the merlin. I too have one and an XH-A1. Haven't triet it yet as it still married with my DVX100B. Nice flash bulb effect or white stuff effect. I have been trying to nail down that effect for quite some time now and can't perfect it yet, would you mind sharing your secret? Thanks.
 
edwinc said:
rslv, Your footage was fantastic with the merlin. I too have one and an XH-A1. Haven't triet it yet as it still married with my DVX100B. Nice flash bulb effect or white stuff effect. I have been trying to nail down that effect for quite some time now and can't perfect it yet, would you mind sharing your secret? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words.

I'm new to editing (this was my 2nd edit..) so I kinda hacked it - there's propably an easier way to achieve the effect.

Using PPro2 I:
Did main edit and applied a 5 frame cross dissolve to cuts.
Nested timeline into a new sequence.
Added a "Fast Color Corrector" filter.
Animated "Input White Level" over 15 frames with 3 keyframes, values 255 to 2 to 255.
Copied the keyframes to all transitions, aligning the "Input White Level: 2" keyframe to cuts.
 
rslv,

In the Merlin settings you posted earlier, what battery are you using in the camera and how are you accounting for the LCD flip angle (which, I imagine, is not going to be a precise angle)?
 
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