I recently got a Steadicam Merlin and needed to put it through its paces. So what better place to test out the stabilization system than at a massive pillow fight? Every Valentine's Day, a pillow fight is held at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco. This year, I took along the K-x and DA* 16-50mm lens to try out my settings and see how well the Merlin can handle the fast-paced action.
Here's the result:
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9489935[/vimeo]
Needless to say, I (and the camera) got bumped a few times with feathered weapons. The only issue I noted was that, if hit just hard enough with a pillow, the camera would slightly rotate on the dovetail plate, throwing the balance all out of whack. This would either require reshifting/trimming or having to remove the plate from the stage to re-tighten the screw. My settings for the camera/lens combo wasn't perfect, but given the trial run, it performed much better than if I handheld the camera. Overall, I'm pleased with the result.
- Jason
Last edited by inferno10; 02-16-2010 at 03:06 PM.
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