Steadicam Merlin with Canon 7d

[Todd Terry]

[Tony Silva] “please help with successful settings for the steadicam merlin”

Hmmm… well, what settings exactly are you wondering about?

I will say, though, that while a 50mm lens is considered “pretty much in the middle” as far as focal lengths go, it’s fairly long for Steadicam work… except for really top-notch and experienced Steadicam operators.

I don’t use DSLRs, and have to admit that I haven’t used the Merlin per se… I usually fly 35mm cine cameras with the bigger rigs. My usual primes of choice for Steadicam work are 35mm, 28mm, and sometimes even 18mm. I’ve been a Steadicam op for many years, but still don’t feel I am quite good enough to use a 50mm lens if I need a very precise and perfectly smooth shot. There are few guys out there who do good Steadicam work with longer lenses, but they made big money doing it because so few people can do it really well.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Tony Silva]

I’m referring to the merlin settings or “recipe”, the mount hole to use, the proper amount of weight, etc.. A canon 7d with a 50mm lens is not in the merlin cookbook and I’ve tried many different variations with no luck. My only other lens is way too heavy and long to balance. I certainly admire the pros that can handle the big rigs.

[Todd Terry]

Unfortunately it’s probably just going to be trial and error… no one else’s settings or “recipe” is going to be what you need, unless they are using the same exact body and lens combo as you are. The bodies will no doubt weigh the same, but lenses can vary wildly. I have three or four 50mm lenses, and their weights and sizes are vastly different. The heaviest one probably weighs three times as much or more than the lightest one, so as you can imagine they would have very different dynamic balance points on a Steadicam.

This is probably something that would be difficult to handle online… it’s both hard to describe, and not extremely likely that you’ll readily find another user using that same exact lens (especially since 50mm is a longer focal length than the average Steadicam operator is willing to try). Best bet is probably to find an experienced Merlin operator in your area that can actually put his or her hands on the thing and help you in person.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com