What the thread found

• When using a large ring light with a Master series Steadicam, the extended top stage can obstruct the magazine, requiring the stage to be rotated 180 degrees to position the light closer to the lens.
• Rotating the top stage 180 degrees moves the extended lip to point backward, which then blocks the magazine from clearing and shifts the camera weight too far back on the stage.
• A camera sliding base plate can be inserted between the camera and dovetail plate to raise the camera and provide clearance for both the magazine and the stage lip.
• Alternative solutions for gaining clearance include stacking delrin plates, stacking production slider plates together, stacking multiple dovetail plates, or using fender washers for spacing adjustments.
• Removing the stage nose section is possible for broadcast versions that contain only wires, but film versions with motorized stages contain receiver boards and packed wiring that make removal impractical.
• Adequate camera preparation time before shoots is essential for solving mounting and balance challenges with specialty rigs and accessories.

Depends on

• The specific clearance problem occurred with a Master series Steadicam and a large ring light on a particular production setup.
• The solution using a sliding base plate added extra weight to the rig, which required counterbalancing on the operator's body.
• The discussion involved a time-sensitive urgent situation and not all suggested solutions were fully tested or documented.
• Some proposed solutions like stacking multiple plates were discussed theoretically without confirmation of final implementation success.

Gear in this thread

Master Seriescatalog

Parts

Dovetail Plate, Top Stage, Low Mode, Base Plate

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