Tiffen Steadicam Merlin
From Tiffen
Steadicam Merlin Stabilizing System let's you "fly" wherever the scene takes you--up and down steps, indoors and outside, through crowds--almost anywhere, with precise, elegant control and ease.
Brand: Tiffen Model: Merlin Dimensions: 6.60 pounds
The Steadicam Merlin offers light, agile, and seamless shooting for today's videographer. Ultra-light and ultra-compact, the Merlin allows you to keep up with the action more easily than ever. Designed by Garrett Brown, the inventor of the original Steadicam JR, the Merlin is the next generation hand held Steadicam system. The Steadicam Merlin is designed to give you smooth, dynamic shots. Take a closer look at its functions.This stabilization system is about half the weight and four times as stable as the JR. Yet, it can move almost as smoothly as the big $60,000 rigs used in Hollywood. The Merlin let's you "fly" wherever the scene takes you -- up and down steps, indoors and outside, through crowds -- almost anywhere, with precise, elegant control and ease. Its quick release mount lets you instantly swap camera connections between your Merlin and any tripod. Merlin's design significantly reduces fatigue. It's so lightweight, it weighs less than a can of soda. With a compact DV, balanced and ready to go, the Merlin weighs about two pounds. Its rigid construction permits longer focal lengths than ever imaginable with a hand-held stabilizer. Merlin's unique dual extended weight system greatly increases inertial stability. And its counterbalancing weight can be precisely adjusted to balance cameras from 0.5 to five pounds. The new patent-pending "Folding-Caliper" hinge allows instant fold-up, perfect for shoulder-mounted shooting, and just as quickly, returns precisely for hand-held camera work. Whether you're an independent camera professional or running the corporate AV department; a wedding and event videographer or real estate agent; enthusiast or film student, the Steadicam Merlin is right for you. What's in the Box Steadicam Merlin, base unit, removable dovetail plate, one start weight, six middle weights, two end weights, camera mounting screw, locating pin, and accessory mounting tripod plate.
Amazing piece of kit, full steadicam for a fraction of the price Yes it's true, and I've tried them all. This is the one to get, no question. It takes a little bit of setting up initially, but once done for your camera once it's only fine adjustments after that. It does take a huge amount of practice to make the most of it, to really get those beautiful smooth moves, but with this piece of kit you can do it. It's incredibly small, light (unless like me you are using a Sony Z1, which is heavy and needs all the counterbalance weights) so get your arms strong, especially your wrists and you will be fine! I can only manage a few minutes at a time until I ache, but it's my first week with it, i expect i will have a tennis players serving arm within a few months! The best out there Sure, the glidecam is a couple hundred bucks cheaper, but if your camera is in the proper weight category, why not get the stabilization system from the people who wrote the book? Granted, I never had much luck with Steadicam's previous handheld systems such as the JR or the DV, but they really nailed it this time with a unit that is simple, light, and infinitely adjustable for your needs. The system of counterweights, arm and gimbal adjustments really gives you a great amount of control in finding the perfect balance for your camera and its mounted accessories. The gimbal is one of the finest designs for camera stabilization and is the core of what makes the merlin. All your hand shakes are absorbed and it allows the camera to be independent of what the rest of your body is doing. The Good: - The easiest to set up of the Steadicam handheld models - the easiest to adjust on the fly with trim rotators - The smoothest of the handheld systems - Eliminates all shakes from hand movements. - Floats all walking and running shots The So-So: - Without the arm and vest, there is still the up and down movement from walking - With larger handheld cameras such as the DVX-100, the amount of counterweights necessary make the unit a little heavier than comfy. So shooting an all day event kills the wrists - I wish there was an easier way to hold the unit when it's not in use - The unit requires such balance precision that you will need to constantly adjust the trim as minute changes occur within your camera setup, such as tiny shifts in how your mic wires sit and I bet even the running of the tape from beginning to end. Despite all my complaints, it beats the competition with its results. You have to be a magician to handle the Steadicam Merlin! The Steadicam Merlin is crazy, even insultingly expensive! It is not easy at all to set up, in fact it is a nightmare! BUT, if you are gifted at the art of physics, and have incredible patience, you will finally achieve some type of "Zen" with this thing and make it work for you. But, you'd better practice, practice, and practice. It is not just another way to hold a camera, it is an instrument that must be learned by way of practice. Did I mention practice yet? Set up, the key to know when you have it configured right on your camera is in the manual on page 25, "a properly trimmed Merlin can be panned and tilted with almost no effort on the Guide." This is how you know it is properly balanced. It will pan and tilt with almost no effort of pushing or pulling. It moves easily. You can be balanced and it still will not work, you have to be "properly balanced". The video that comes with the Merlin is ok, like a grade "C+" but falls way short to properly train us. The manual is the same. Manual and video are rough guides to how this thing works. The only way to learn is to spend time with it over and over again. What to expect for customer service? I emailed them because I thought my locating pin fell out and I thought I lost it. They told me to call the parts phone number and have my credit card ready. For $900 bucks you would think they would would send one out and thank me again for spending so much money on this tool from hell. But, atlas, once you have achieved or "earned" your Zen status with the Steadicam Merlin, the results are very good and will put the edge on your videos that will show you are a professional video magician.
