2010Steadi-Newbies forum
Using a Black Bird stabilizer with a Merlin vest to carry a DSLR camera with telephoto lens and monitor
16 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- The Black Bird stabilizer is better suited for handheld use with lighter setups, such as a DSLR with a 28mm lens, rather than as a vest-mounted system.
- A telephoto lens beyond 100mm focal length becomes impractical on a Black Bird due to weight and balance challenges.
- Steadicam vests require sufficient load to operate effectively, and lighter rigs like the Black Bird or Merlin may not provide optimal vest performance.
- Adding weight at the connection point between the Black Bird or Merlin and the vest arm is possible using dive weights, but requires careful implementation and does not solve fundamental balance issues.
- Telephoto lens work with stabilizers demands high skill levels and typically requires motorized focus control equipment.
- Upgrading to a larger stabilizer system like the Pilot provides better options for DSLR rigs with monitors and heavier lenses.
- Adding inertia to stabilizer gimbals through experimentation can cause damage to the gimbal mechanism.
Depends on
- The specific weight of the proposed rig was approximately 2.3 to 2.5 kilograms, within the Black Bird's 3.6 kilogram rating, but maximum weight ratings do not guarantee practical performance.
- These observations come from amateur users experimenting with the equipment rather than manufacturer specifications.
- No resolution was reached on whether a properly weighted rig could achieve the desired results on a Black Bird and Merlin combination.
- Focus control technology for remote operation on interchangeable lenses was not yet widely available at the time of discussion.