Varicam and Steadicam

[John Sharaf]

Hollywood Lite is rated at 16 lbs in literature, maybe you know better vis-a-vis the 26 lbs you mention. I doubt that you’ll get the Varicam, battery, downconverter, lens, FIZ unit, etc. to “fly” with such a unit.

I’ve mounted both my Varicams and Cine Altas on full sized Steadicam rigs and the operators struggled with the weight as the day went on. A lightweight camera head (like the film Arri 435 which was specifically designed for such use, or in video the Ikegami HDL-79) is a much better choice with with an ultrathin fiber cable (like the Telecast Copperhead Cine with Tac2 cable) running to a seperate deck. Obviously there will be a few limitations with this rig, but it would probably fit in the 16 lbs!

[John Sharaf]

My bad, I read a little bit further and now realize that there is a model that accomodates 25 lbs. but still you’ll be pushing the envelope! Best bet obviously would be to test it out and see if it works for you.

Any HD camera on a Steadicam rig does need a downconverter to route the picture to the units special viewfinder screen. There are several choices available from AJA and others that can be Velcroed onto the rig and powered by the Anton Bauer tap or the Lemo connector on the back of the Varicam.
Adding a wireless transmitter however is going to add even more weight and power consumption.

Another thing to consider is the changeover time involved in reorganizing for non-steadicam shots and then back on the rig. Most shows add another camera to minimize this logistic.

[Dale Mccready]

On our recent shoot in New Zealand we used my Ultra Steadicam with the Varicam and Arri Primes. With that and a lightweight mattebox, no filters, and AJA downconverter (necessary so even the operator can see), the Steadicam was fairly hefty. The camera alone isn’t too heavy, but with those lenses and support gear it gets up there. As an experienced Steadicam owner/operator I can tell you that it becomes comparable to most film cameras and that a lightweight rig would be having some trouble. Best tested to be sure.

[Tony]

Rent a steadicam JR and mount a HVX-200 on it. Light weight since no tape is involved.

Ohh I forgot it does not exist yet.

Ok so next option rent the same steadicam JR and mount the JVC HDV 720P camcorder on it.

Ohh I forgot JVC stands for Junk Video Company

Ok so instead put a VX-1000 on the steadicam jr and you will have the lightest smallest package known to mankind.

Enuff said,

Tony Salgado

[Rodrigo Lizana]

If you can work with cables on your back….then this is the camera (with a DVCPRO HD recorder).

https://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelDetail?displayTab=O&storeId=11201&catalogId=13051&itemId=68598&catGroupId=14617&modelNo=AK-HC900&surfModel=AK-HC900

Best regards

Rodrigo Lizana
PIXINE
http://www.pixine.cl
rlizana@pixine.cl