2012Steadi-Newbies forum
Balancing a Nikon D800 with battery grip on a Steadicam Merlin
14 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
DisputedParticipants disagreed and reached no conclusion. Read the findings as positions, not as an answer.
What the thread found
- A 35mm or 28mm lens is more suitable for beginners using a Merlin than a 50mm lens.
- Imbalance towards the back or right can be corrected by adjusting the camera position through screw hole selection, trim roller adjustment, or front-to-back plate sliding.
- Battery grips introduce vibration and wobble that become magnified on a Merlin rig.
- Battery grips add significant weight that causes arm fatigue on lighter rigs like the Merlin.
- Removing the battery grip improved balance performance in the original poster's setup.
- A battery grip can provide easier battery swapping on some Canon models without requiring camera removal from the stage.
- Camera positioning should be centered over the rig's balance point, potentially using an off-center mounting hole.
- Marking the balance point on the camera plate with a pencil makes it easier to achieve consistent balance in future setups.
- Proper camera control requires intentional pointing movements using thumb and forefinger rather than expecting the rig to self-correct.
- Adding mass to the bottom or widening the arm can help achieve balance even with heavier configurations like a battery grip.
Depends on
- Original post involved a D800 with 50mm lens, so findings may vary with different lens focal lengths or weights.
- Battery grip discussion included Canon 5D2 and 5D3 examples which may have different battery access designs than Nikon cameras.
- No definitive conclusion was reached on whether stable balance is achievable with a D800 battery grip on a Merlin.
- Vibration issues mentioned with Canon 7D may not directly apply to Nikon D800 performance.