Steadicam Merlin

S

sheridan pennell

Active member
hi i am sure this has been covered many times but i have just ordered a merlin here in the uk i used to own a abc handyman then i had the steadicam flyer which i thought was great i used it with my sony z1, after selling them both to purchase the hvx 200 i have read that the hvx200 exceeds the weight of the merlin with a big battery is that the one that comes with the hvx?.
and i notice that there is no stand included as i was used to balance the flyer, i just wanted to know if anyone finds the merlin any good? and also their comments on weight issues
thanks
 
I'm not a Merlin owner... however I know I've seen this item discussed many times here on the forum. You might want to do a search of the archives. I'm sure you'll get a great deal of helpful info.
Jim
 
Yeah, most of yrou questions have been answered before, run a search for "Merlin"

However, I can't remember which battery comes with the HVX, I'm pretty sure it will balance with that one on the Merlin.
There is no balancing stand included with the Merlin, as it's so light that you normally balance it in your hand in shooting mode. It will also balance on the same size balancing stand as the Flyer. And there is a balancing stand available form Tiffen too if you want. It's a cool little accessory that's handy if you are spending a lot of time with the Merlin on set.

- Mikko
 
Mikko, or anyone with a Merlin-
How often do you have to adjust the trim rollers while shooting? I have found that they occasionally need adjusting (especialy the side-to-side trim roller) just minutes after they had been adjusted even though I hadn't removed the camera from the Merlin. Sometimes I can shoot for quite a while without having to re-adjust the trim.
Are certain movements or techniques causing this need to re-trim so often?
-Mike
 
sheridan pennell said:
i have just ordered a merlin here in the uk
Click to expand...

Could I ask how much you paid and where you got it from?

I saw the Merlin yesterday while in Calumet (Drummond St. London) ordering my HVX and they were showing a price of £549 + VAT. I'm really interested in the Merlin but the price is a REAL show stopper.
Regards

Indy.....
 
sure that was the price i was quoted ,but my company has an account with tiffen so we get a discount of 25% ,i have seen creative video uk also sell it
 
The trim rollers do need to be adjsuted slightly on occasion contatly. IF they where 100% tight, they wouldn't move! So there has to be a tiny amount of "slop" in the contruction to prevent the parts binding during adjustment. Due to this and other parts and forces, you do need to keep an eye on trim, just as with anything else that needs trimming.

- Mikko
 
sheridan pennell said:
sure that was the price i was quoted ,but my company has an account with tiffen so we get a discount of 25% ,i have seen creative video uk also sell it
Click to expand...

Thanks Sheriden, Just taken a look a the Creative Site and there even more expensive than Calumet :(

Much as I wood love one the prices are just way out of my budget for an item that would only be used a limited number of times.

If anyone is aware of any sources of second-hand or ex-demo units I'd appreciate a heads up!
Thanks

Indy.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top