Kim Alister Worthington

Sorry for the delayed reply... like one year late! Ive used this head on 2 features now, and an Amazon TV serial. Actually I love it. It’s so lightweight, yet strong, and this a major benefit for me being able to move the unit (with camera) from dolly to techno or whatever. stabilisation is as good as any higher priced head, even on longer focal lengths. Alexa 65 was a walk in the park, once we developed a sensible camera build. My experience with this head always starts with some skepticism from the DP and operator, and always finishes with a strong nod of approval. I still rent a Maximus 4 quite often for specialty shots (example Matrix mode), but the rest of the time I am completely happy to be on the SRH 3. It really is a versatile tool and very reliable.

Hi Brett. I haven't yet taken delivery of my unit, but I hope to have it within the next week. I did however spend a day at Arri in Munich investigating the head before I decided to purchase, so I can answer your questions a little, if that helps. By backpan compensation you are meaning that the camera maintains its heading, no matter the panning action of the crane? Yes it does, by default. But you can disable this by activating 'follow' mode. The roll axis has 180 degrees of movement in total, no matter if the head is hanging or perching. (or cantilevered!) I haven't had the opportunity to truly test out the stabilisation capabilities yet, but my best guess is that it is highly effective up until about 150mm lenses. I did view some test footage with longer lenses and it all looks good. You're correct in that there is limited clearance, but its not ridiculous. In fact its pretty much the same as the Oculus/ Maximus 7 remote which I mostly use. It might get a bit boring for the AC having to strip all the accessories constantly if you are going back and forth all the time, but it also might engender some tidy house keeping regarding the camera build. Less frilly bits hanging off also means less vibration and resonance, which is a good thing for any stabilised head. And at 41cm total width, this is what attracted me to this product in the first place. Finally a stabilised remote you can actually use in the smaller stage sets etc. I'm about to start a long format project with the Alexa 65, and the SRH3 will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting. I'm sure I will discover limitations and problems along the way but for now I think this is a brilliant little head. Kim

Hi all... Setting up a new remote head for rental, and was fully intending on purchasing Transvideos 15 cinemonitor HD as part of the package. And then an operator friend of mine mentioned when he is on the wheels he prefers a smaller size monitor to operate from, which I hadnt thought about before. But it makes sense... So the question is, for all you experienced remote head operators out there, which size monitor do you prefer when youre on a remote? Thanks in advance for your thoughtful replys...

Hi Satsuki. This head is called the Atlas 7, and is manufactured by Ronford. It is the updated version of the F7 you are familiar with. It is far superior to the lambda in that it is much faster and easier to configure, and weighs less. Cos the lambda is like a ships anchor, right?

Maybe something like this? But nice slow creeps on a slider are a bit of a nuisance. Try and take a dolly if you can:)

6'6" (2 metre) slider for sale. Manufactured by GFM, this is a professional grade unit capable of handling the heaviest camera packages. Super smooth even on a 290mm lens due to its recirculating bearings. Sold with accessories including a pair of levelling feet for mounting on apple boxes or similar, a pair of scaffold tube adaptors for process trailer work or mounting in stands. 150mm bowl OR mitchell mount, not sold with both, sorry! Also included is a flight case for the precision ground stainless steel tubes, but you would have to disassemble the slider to make use of this case. Due to the strength and smoothness of the rails this is a fairly heavy piece of kit (approx 30kg). I own sliders made by a few different manufacturers, and I will say that this one is the smoothest, and the most impervious to dust and grime compared to the the other models I own. It is VERY easy to clean, which it appreciates every now and then. I am based in Europe (Czech Republic) and can arrange shipping if you wish. Euro 2500.00

Struggling to upload multiple photos but here is a shot of the 3 different lengths. Actually the shortest piece is 50cm, not 30cm as originally stated. There are 9 x 2.3m pieces.

Dolly track for sale- Grip Factory Munich stainless steel and aluminum construction. 9 x 2.3 lengths, plus one 30cm and one 90 cm. Excellent condition, no bumps or dings. Surplus to requirements these days and I'm based in EUROPE. Looking for 400 euros per length sold individually or 3000 euro as a complete lot.

I guess its just a standard grip umbrella... but the ones I brought are very well made and tough. And i was able to insert and rivet a junior pin in the bottom with no machining. This is the link http://www.sheerspeed.com/jointers-umbrella-68ft-5105-p.asp Like I say, I have the original Ben Bell in my truck (it's 20 years old now!), and I have access to Arri Rentals copies, but none of the grips here like using them as they do take a bit more work to put up and take down.

Clearly an error in the flighthead. Flighthead can handle the optima 24-290 with no problems on a tracking vehicle, let alone a techno 30. Some error in the tuning of the gyros for sure.

Hi.... I spent a lot of time a few years ago sorting out brollies in my truck, so I have a certain level of knowledge about them, trivial as that may sound. The kiwi umbrella you mention was known as the 'Ben Bell', after its designer and manufacturer. Sadly he left the industry some years ago but now makes great worm farm/ compost bins! The Ben Bells haven't been manufactured in years, but a few antipodean gaffers and grips have kept a supply maintained. I have one left myself... The modern version is shite. Then again I'm not a great fan of modern studio equipment anyway... The only other version of the offset umbrella I know of is ARRI rental Europe, who do exact copies of the Ben Bell, only not quite as high quality. The main advantage of these brollies in my opinion, is that if you face the knuckle into the wind, they are rather resistant to strong gusts. The weak point is the ball joint knuckle though, and if the kip lever is not doing its job properly then they can get out of control very quickly. I have stopped using the offset brollies myself, as they do take a little longer to set up. And while the offset junior pin is great, my dolly grip was moaning to me about not getting any shelter himself. Which got me thinking... and in the end I thought he probably had a point, so I found industrial quality umbrellas marketed for welding railways. They are fantastic. 2.5 m (8ft) diameter, easily inserted a junior pin in the stalk, quick to erect, full grid /showercloth type fabric, and at the end of the day, provide as much coverage as the Ben Bell on one side 1.2m (4ft), and coverage on the other side of the stalk for the dolly grip, focus puller, lens cases etc. I mount them in Matthews slider stands with a couple of shot-bags and they're reliable, fast, and very good at keeping the weather off the camera and crew. Hope I don't sound overly pedantic, but I really went through this process thoroughly so I sympathise!!,