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Canon HF11 and Steadicam Merlin Settings

By on September 26, 2009 in Photography & Filmmaking with 4 Comments

Detailed settings to balance your Canon HF11 with a Steadicam Merlin

I finally got myself a Steadicam Merlin. I set it up with my Canon HF11 camcorder which is not an easy task. And I still don’t have it it 100% right. But reading through many posts here and there, I realised that many Steadicam owners struggle with the initial setup. The initial configuration to properly balance a camera on the Merlin involves determining a number of factors such as camera weight, center of gravity and vertical center of gravity as well as a good deal of trial & error.

The Canon HF11 is a very light camera (425g) which makes it particularly tricky to balance properly. I believe the Merlin would work much better with a heavier camera.

Somehow I never managed to make proper use of the online spreadsheet (Merlin CookBook) that allows you to calculate the proper balance for your camera, the reason being that I struggle determining the camera’s vertical centre of gravity. My setup always ended up excessively top or bottom heavy.

So I switched to using simple logic and a feel for what seemed right. I think I am pretty close now but I get the sense that it will never be perfect because the camera is simply too light. Maybe I should consider making it heavier, adding accessories such as a wide-angle lens and an external mic.

So, what are my current settings?

These settings are to be used with a fully opened viewfinder, positioned straight (not inclined in any way).

  • One forward finish weight
  • One bottom finish weight
  • Arc size of 21mm
  • Mounting Hole C on dovetail plate
  • Stage position -1.2
  • Z-turns -1 (from fully closed)
  • Fore-and-Aft Trim Roller 1.75mm
  • Side-to-Side Trim Roller 0.75mm

My drop time is about 2 seconds.

How are these settings working so far?

Well, the camera is reasonably balanced. When I place the handle on a table corner, I get a pendulum movement of a few millimetres until the camera stabilises. That can however easily take up to 30 seconds. So not a great deal of movement, but not as fully stable as I think it should be either. The camera is also VERY sensitive when operating the guide ring. The slightest touch can push the camera into a combined horizontal/vertical movement. This, in my opinion, is due again to the weight of the camera. Being too light, there is not enough gravity to keep the camera stable.

I will try to film my setup and drop time and post the video here.

I would also be very interested in hearing from other people what settings they have used with the above combination.

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  • http://www.ilistinhd.com Mike

    Hi,

    I thinking of buying one of these Merlins. However my HDC-SC100 only weighs 315 grams, yes it is a very light cam.

    I'm worried now after reading your review that it might be to light to work the Merlin. How are you doing with yours months later?

    Thanks,
    Mike

  • Jan

    Mike
    People's mileage might vary, but I think it is quite challenging with a very light camera. Even if you achieve good balance while remaining still, you will possibly run into issues when you will start to 'operate' the Merlin. As you typically turn the merlin with two or three fingers, the system is so light that it my experience it easily sends the Merlin off-track. Now be mindful that I am a beginner at operating the Merlin, so it might very well (and most certainly is to a large extent) my own lack of experience that produces these results. But as you will read over and over again, operating a steadicam is not something you can do out of the box. It usually takes quite some effort to get the balance right and then a LOT of practice to operate it properly. So be ready to put in quite some time. I actually switched to a heavier camera now, the Canon 7D DLSR. They are much heavier, but still tricky to balance. I haven't got it setup to my satisfaction yet…
    Maybe I'll spend some more time trying with the HF11. Sometimes just putting it aside for a while and starting from fresh again (with more experience) might produce better results.
    That post is not meant to put you off from getting a Merlin, but be aware that it will most probably require a lot of work to get it right.
    Cheers

  • Kris Haamer

    Hello Oeding, I'll receive my Steadicam Merlin in a couple of days, and am going to try it out with a HF100 3 days before heading of to Africa with that rig. I'm pretty anxious about getting it right in that sort timeframe. Did you discovere any improvements to your current setup after posting this?

    Cheers!
    - Kris

  • oeding

    Hi Kris…
    Actually I moved on to an EOS 7D which has its own calibration challenges. The HF100 is light but if you spend the right amount of time you'll get a good enough balance. The more important thing is to learn how to handle the steadicam. It takes quite some practice and time. Since the HF100 is pretty light, your hand movements need to be extremely gentle otherwise you'll offset the balance. If you only have 3 days, then use 1 day for calibration and two days to train operating the rig! :)
    Good luck and enjoy your trip to Africa :)