2007Steadi-Newbies forum
Cable routing strategies for Steadicam rigs to minimize balance and handling effects
19 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- Running cables off the back of the camera toward the vest generally produces less pulling sensation than routing them along the front rods and zoom control cable.
- Cables should be routed as close as possible to the vertical center of gravity and post to minimize their effect on rig balance.
- Lightweight BNC connectors are fragile and can disconnect easily if snagged or pulled, requiring strain protection at connection points.
- Routing cables under the shoulder pad, close to the post with a small loop for panning, and then to a barrel attachment reduces rig disturbance.
- Multiple cable routing approaches exist depending on setup preferences, including over the shoulder loops, along the gimbal arm with attachment points, or held under the gimbal hand.
Depends on
- Discussion focuses on Sony F900 camera setup with Steadicam rig from 2007.
- Balance testing was incomplete in original scenario, making it unclear if cable routing alone caused the instability.
- Some participants describe cable routing preferences without explaining why their approach works better, making comparisons difficult.
- One participant mentions using RCA cables with converters as an alternative but does not provide detailed comparison.