Video - Blackbird on the Steadicam Merlin Arm and Vest

Here's a short video demonstration I made with the Sony FS100 showing the Blackbird stabilizer on the Steadicam Merlin arm & vest. The 'behind the scenes' footage was captured using a Sony NEX-5N.

You can mount the Blackbird stabilizer directly on the Steadicam arm and vest using the standard Merlin arm post. For this video I've used the optional Z-post (review of the Z-post) from Camera Motion Research, because it gives you more clearance between the arm and the stabilizer.

Steadicam Merlin Arm & Vest with the Blackbird Stabilizer

Blackbird stabilizer on the Steadicam Merlin arm and vest

Today I received a package with something very handy inside!

It's the Z-post from Camera Motion Research to use the Blackbird Stabilizer (which I reviewed a few days ago) on the Steadicam Merlin arm and vest! Let's have a closer look at it.

The New Steadicam Merlin 2

Video of the Steadicam Merlin 2 in action

Tiffen unveiled their brand-new Steadicam Merlin 2 camera stabilizer system at CES 2012 earlier this year. It looks a lot like the original Steadicam Merlin, but it's more robust and has some functional refinements.

Balancing the NEX-FS100 on the Steadicam Merlin

The last few weeks I received a lot of questions about the two Steadicam videos you can see below. One of them was if I used the Steadicam Merlin Arm & Vest - which I did not use for these videos - and the other one was which setup I used for the Steadicam Merlin.

Please note: I haven't been able to fly the new Steadicam Merlin 2 myself with the FS100, but I think these settings will also apply for the new version.

This is why I decided to post them here and hopefully give you a good starting point in balancing your Sony NEX-FS100 on the Merlin. It's very important to use these settings in combination with the camera configuration I've used. If you use a different lens or even an other battery, it can throw of your balance completely and you might nog be able to balance it properly, using these settings.

Autumn Forrest - NEX-FS100 & Steadicam Merlin

I've made a new short film with the NEX-FS100 on the Steadicam Merlin.
It's called "Autumn Forest" and yes, I came up with the title! What... you don't like it? Alright, specially for you I have another title: "Lots and Lots of Leaves on the Ground".

Click here to watch it on YouTube

The lens I used on the Sony NEX-FS100 is the E-mount 16mm F2.8 pancake lens (SEL1628) with the Ultra Wide converter (VCL-ECU1). I bought this lens specifically for the Steadicam, because of the auto iris and focus. Which isn't a luxury at all when you consider that you'll need both hands to operate the Steadicam.

Steadicam Merlin vs Steadicam Pilot

I came across these two video's.
The cool thing about it is that two Steadicam operators had an offline meeting on a great location (shikinomori Park) with their Steadicams. One brought his Steadicam Merlin with him and the other his Steadicam Pilot. They both made a video from their meeting and placed it on YouTube.

They both are great Steadicam operators and it's nice to see these two Steadicams in action together.