Steadicam Tango

refocusedmedia

refocusedmedia

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I'm curious what the consensus is on this product. Considering the advent of smaller and more lightweight cameras, combined with the versatility of a jib and stability of Steadicam, it seems like the Tango would be used more and more. However, I can't really think of a single production of note that has used one.

Anyone have any real world experience with one? What are the pros/cons? Why do you think it hasn't really taken off?
 
I saw the video of the Flamenco dancers and absolutely loved the footage, but yeah, I can't recall seeing one used in anything commercial.
 
I just ran a Google search and limited it to the last year and found a bunch of activity. There are some new videos, posts on blogs from owners, etc. One guy in Sept 2012 posted that he just received one, and it was the 5th one shipped from Tiffen. So it seems there aren't too many out there, but they exist. I imagine they're quite pricey.
 
what's the payload with the jib attached but not fully extended? it's a very light payload with the jib fully extended, lighter than mid to high range camera bodies without any follow focus solution.
that would eliminate most productions from using this Steadicam, and most indie productions don't use Steadicam shots that often. not with a Steadicam at least.
 
Ah, yeah. 6 pounds at 3:1, whatever that means. It says 5-24# on the site. It also says it's for todays HD Camcorders. Doh!
 
Chris Adler said:
Ah, yeah. 6 pounds at 3:1, whatever that means. It says 5-24# on the site. It also says it's for todays HD Camcorders. Doh!
Click to expand...

what's the 'doh!' at the end for, HD camcorders has nothing to do with film and tv productions and are lightweight. HD camcorder does not mean prosumer or mid range camcorders.

read a pdf chart on the tiffen site, according to that chart even at 3.8 pounds is pushing it for the payload(fs100 + 1lb lens), and it can take up to an arri alexa m(with restrictions obviously). so it would be able to take a sony f55 + a lightweight lens(cp.2 or still lens) with much smaller restrictions(5-6 lbs) but that steadicam is still not ready for prime-time. it's awesome though.
 
The Tango is slightly ahead of its time in that the payload is indeed currently restricting, but cameras are fast coming down in size and weight to meet it. It's a fascinating tool with some great promise, but the idea is that it is an accessory, not an everyday "improvement" to the Steadicam concept. It does have a steep learning curve to it. I got to play with it before it was shown publicly; having had some time in the Alien/AR which covered similar territory, the Tango was certainly more intuitive but I still was pretty fumbly with it, regardless of my (arguable) prowess with a standard rig.

One way to think of it is that it is not designed to wow, it simply removes some of the limitation of the classic Steadicam such as a three foot boom range. Garrett had originally considered floor to eye height range to be part of the original Steadicam concept but he had to let go of that at a certain point. Undoubtedly there will be some spectacular and ballsy things done with it, but just as or possibly more importantly, it will continue the idea of getting the lens where it needs to go in a smooth manner to another level. Many of the best Steadicam shots are not about the "wow", they represent an efficient way to move the camera through space that would be difficult, time-consuming or impractical with other means. The Tango to me is right along those lines.
 
It looks to me, like you'd be limited in speed along certain axis with this Tango solution. You can move the jib part pretty fast up and down, but what happens when you need to move it forward and backward? The length of the jib is an obstacle. With something that's attached at the wrist level like in a regular stabilizer, you can move your arm back and forth real fast, but how are you gonna do it with that long jib... I don't think so. Maybe if the jib was capable of being telescoped extremely rapidly and smoothly (quite a challenge), but not in this edition of the Tango. In general, when the camera axis is close to your wrist you can do much faster and more precise and smaller movements - try doing the same at a huge extension at the end of a jib... not really feasible, because a jib moves smoothly along certain axis, it has much less freedom of movement along all dimensions. But then again, maybe I'm just not a stabilizer ninja and some super talented guy can match the Tango with whatever a small stabilizer can do.

Maybe this thing has potential, but at this point, it's really pretty clumsy, and looks to me quite shaky to be honest.
 
steadycam work is a craft.
jib work is a craft.
merging those two must be an art form.

it seems like a great idea for a masterful operator but i wouldn't hold my breath for someone who just got the rig and want to play with it to deliver anything usable (i have way too many stories related those this......).
 
you would not need to extend it on the z axis that much, your forgetting the Steadicam part, it works by moving. very little jib travel on the z axis would be needed, and it's slightly different design from an extended Steadicam.

Steadicam is not like a dolly, and the tango is not like a jib. you don't make the same shot in the same way, you adapt the new tool to make it work.
 
Patryk_Rebisz said:
steadycam work is a craft.
jib work is a craft.
merging those two must be an art form.

it seems like a great idea for a masterful operator but i wouldn't hold my breath for someone who just got the rig and want to play with it to deliver anything usable (i have way too many stories related those this......).
Click to expand...

AMEN Patryk, Amen.
 
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