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Stabilizer with Scoopic


Will Montgomery

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Has anyone out there tried something like the Merlin, Glidecam or CMR Blackbird with a Scoopic MS?

 

I'm wondering if they could handle the weight then another factor of focus comes in. If you could stay a steady distance from your subject I suppose it could work but it seems difficult to get the focus anywhere near accurate.

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Problem with the Scoopic will be its horizontal film spool design. While the film rolls from the feed to the take-up reel the camera will change its balance and needs new adjustment during takes. This will be better on cameras with vertical film roll placement like a Bolex (no mag just daylight film spools) or cams with coaxial type mags like the Arri SRs.

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another factor of focus comes in. If you could stay a steady distance from your subject I suppose it could work.

 

That's where DOF scales and blocking are going to come into play. You're not going to be doing any zooming, so take your meter reading, get out your DOF tables and a tape measure. It's 16mm, that will help with the DOF. You'll need a vid tap of some kind to see what you're looking at. I don't see why you couldn't make it work. Perhaps you could make a homemade stabilizer (basic idea here: www.steadycam.org) to try out the idea before renting or buying the real thing.

 

Any of the real stabilizers will have weight specs so you can determine that compatibility with the Scoopic.

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Problem with the Scoopic will be its horizontal film spool design. While the film rolls from the feed to the take-up reel the camera will change its balance and needs new adjustment during takes. This will be better on cameras with vertical film roll placement like a Bolex (no mag just daylight film spools) or cams with coaxial type mags like the Arri SRs.

Good point, hadn't thought of that. Suppose a coaxial design like an A-Minima would fix that as well.

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  • 1 year later...

Sorry to bring up this old thread, Will, but I was wondering if you ever got around to using a stabilizer with a Scoopic. I'm curious, and this would apply to other cameras using stabilization like the K-3, how do you engage the trigger? I take it you would use a cable release, but does that do anything to throw off the balance if you were using it on say a Glidecam 4000? If anyone else has experience with this, please chime in!

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Sorry to bring up this old thread, Will, but I was wondering if you ever got around to using a stabilizer with a Scoopic. I'm curious, and this would apply to other cameras using stabilization like the K-3, how do you engage the trigger? I take it you would use a cable release, but does that do anything to throw off the balance if you were using it on say a Glidecam 4000? If anyone else has experience with this, please chime in!

Tried a few homemade stabilizers and the glidecam, none were very successful. K3 theoretically should work better accept the fun constant winding of the camera and having to use a cable release which will influence the balance. Plus, trying to frame a shot would be interesting.

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Problem with the Scoopic will be its horizontal film spool design. While the film rolls from the feed to the take-up reel the camera will change its balance and needs new adjustment during takes. This will be better on cameras with vertical film roll placement like a Bolex (no mag just daylight film spools) or cams with coaxial type mags like the Arri SRs.

I'm not going to argue with a camera operator, but I wouldn't have thought the movement of 3oz. of film on a 100' spool would do much to the CG of a 7lb. camera.

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I'm not going to argue with a camera operator, but I wouldn't have thought the movement of 3oz. of film on a 100' spool would do much to the CG of a 7lb. camera.

That's why I said theoretically; I agree it doesn't seem like it should make that much difference. On the practical side, a Scoopic is just kind of a tall, awkward beast for these small stabilizers and I found it hard to work with. However, a REAL steadycam with a vest would probably have no problem with it. But that's a highly specialized skill and expensive piece of equipment.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Will. I ended up getting a K-3 off Craigslist and it came with a Peleng 8mm. Might be fun using a stabilizer with that lens. I'll make a cheap version to see if the cable release is going to cause any problems.

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  • 6 months later...

Will,

 

Perhaps a bit off-topic, but as you mentioned the Aaton A-Minima camera it got me thinking about the future:

 

At the moment, KODAK has only TWO films for the A-Minima, the Vision3 250D and the Vision3 500T negative stocks, having recently discontinued the crisp Vision2 100T. There seems to be no Vision3 50D to take it's place, although it is just becoming available in Super8 (January 2013): http://motion.kodak.com/motion/Products/Production/Aaton_AMinima_Camera_Films/index.htm

 

Who knows what sudden "portfolio" surprises the slowly dying dinosaur has in store for A-Minima owners . . ?

We Super8 enthusiasts have seen the three finest stocks vanish in recent years (Kodachrome 40A, Plus-X Reversal 7265 100 ISO, and now Ektachrome 100D 7285 Reversal).

 

Bengt in Stockholm

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Who knows what sudden "portfolio" surprises the slowly dying dinosaur has in store for A-Minima owners . . ?

I think A-Minima owners simply need to hold onto their reels like I do with my 35mm Eyemo (100' loads). Then just ask your lab to spool down some 400' loads onto your 200' reels emulsion out. Love to get it directly from Kodak but this should work fine.

 

In fact, when you process film, just send some 400' loads and ask the lab to spool them down to the empties and return. They'll probably do it for free if you're processing with them.

 

Kodak will continue to make 500T available most likely in A-Minima loads for at least a few more years.

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