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Thursday, 29 July 2010
 
 
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Breaking News:
Our new website is almost finished and can be accessed here:


http://indicam.dyndns.tv/indicam2


We hope this new site will be easier to use and more interesting to view



During this slow time economically we are not slowing our production down but are building systems and stocking up on supplies so when things return to normal, we can have them ready to go. To all of you who are struggling we appreciate your looking into our well built, functional, and economical system.

NEWS FLASH: Peter Chung has just written an article on the Indicam PILOT for EventDV magazine. It can be found on the web here:
http://www.eventdv.net/articles/readarticle.aspx?articleid=51764
We would like to thank him for his continued support and great suggestions (Discrete Vest for one)

The "Stabilizer Basics"© training video has had great reviews and is selling well! This video has been very helpful to new and intermediate stabilizer operators. Our instructors are Cody Deegan (famous for do-it-yourself stabilizer plans) and Bret Allen S.O.C. (20 year Steadicam operator). Price is $35 plus $5 for shipping ($40 total). As a interesting point, Bret Allen was gone for a number of weeks from shooting steadicam for the latest "Amazing Race". It was so secret that he couldn't even tell his wife where he was but he did say he went completely around the world.

OTHER NEWS...
We are producing our new double upgraded arm known now as the "214 arm" and are showing it on the Flash Video page. On our new arm we are flying a TRV-900 on a Steadicam JR™ one minute and the next minute we are flying a Sony Z1U on our Indicam PILOT™ sled. BIG weight difference! This change is done right before your eyes because seeing is believing.


Latest buyer comments


Hi Terry,

Sorry for not replying earlier, I wanted to let you know that we have received the Indicam and she's a sweet ride! Just used it fully for the second time to shoot a wedding over the weekend. At the end of the day, even sore and wore out from a full day of shooting and photography I thought to myself, "I can't imagine shooting ever again without this thing on location". It is *that* impressive.

Lastly, comments for your website:

After only owning the Indicam a couple weeks, and having tried it twice, I would recommend this rig to *anyone* serious about improving the quality of their video. It only takes a couple hours of running around before you have a really good handle on the sled movement and start getting some really quality shots.
Some tips after my second day of shooting:

Practice lots like the DVD says (worth the $35),
test-run your shots, plan your routes,
make sure your batteries are the same weight,
keep a couple little magnets to stick to the bottom of the sled if your balance goes off and you don't have time to re-balance (don't get them *anywhere near your tapes*)
take the extra 10 minutes to get the balance *just right*, it's frustrating (XL2 is oblong and lens is off-center) but in the end the *perfect* balance is worth it.
keep your mic stand set up so you can take the camera off every once in a while, it starts to wear on the shoulders
If you find you are needing to tilt the camera forward or back for a shot, hold the sled post near the bottom instead of the grip, it's much easier to control (leverage advantage)

That's all for now, thanks for the great product. I'll follow up with some video when I have it put together.

Cheers,
Aaron Fay

Vest1webSm.jpg Vest5webSm.jpg

Discreet Vest™

We're producing our new Discreet Vest™ (so named by Peter Chung) in two sizes... Regular and Slender. It's called the Discreet Vest as it can fit under a jacket or coat. In many situations i.e. weddings, the operator needs to keep as low a profile as possible. The Discreet Vest can help with this especially when wearing a dark outfit as the color of the PILOT™ will blend in. Selling price is $90 (plus shipping).












The PILOT™ flying different cameras:

Panasonic HVX200 Canon XL2 (backpack not compressed)
>pilot & hvx200 web.jpg xl2gweb.jpg
Sony HVR-Z1U ( showing compressed backpack) Sony HVR-Z1U
>compressed pack & z1uweb.jpg tom&z1web.jpg

The PILOT™ in handheld configuration:

Panasonic DVX-100a Sony DSC-W1 (1/2 pound digital camera)
>pilotdeck.jpg small camera web
Indicam

We now have access to lighter and smaller digital cameras. These are being used in the movie industry to take video which can even look like film. One of the benefits of the new, lighter cameras is the ability to stabilize them using the new, lighter stabilizers.

As videographers or Indie filmmakers, we can now get the same smooth shots as "the big guys". The biggest differences are a much lower investment in equipment, and shooting without the adverse effects on our bodies.

Our Indicam PILOTTM system was developed to allow shooting for hours - not just minutes while getting stable, smooth, floating shots. It is designed for cameras that have their own flip out monitors although an external monitor or HMD (head mounted display) can be adapted.

The PILOT™ sled features:

 

  • A simplified CNC machined adjustable camera platform (x and y directions).
  • No-tools adjustable CNC machined gimbal (billet aluminum).
  • Five specially-worked low-friction bearings.
  • No tools adjustable post extension.
  • CNC machined weight plate.
  • Low insertion-force bearings.

    pilotdeck.jpg gimbal-assembled.jpg

     

    stealthgimbal.jpg

     

    This is our new gimbal for the Stealth™ sled. We call it the "Stealth" because it is a new and improved gimbal (just had to say that!) and is finished in a flat black powder coat.

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    The PILOT™ arm and vest incorporates:

    • Dual articulated arms.
    • 22 minibearings
    • Supports up to 24 pounds total weight (camera, sled, accessories, etc.) with the new double upgraded arm.
    • Professional TIG aluminum welds throughout.
    • Oversized elbow bearings.
    • Beefed-up elbow.
    • Hybrid Arm
    • Satin finish black powder coating (anodized black on chest plate)

      The Indicam PILOTTM can fly the Panasonic HVX200, DVX100a, Sony HDR-FX1, HVR-Z1U, Sony VX-2100, 2000, TRV-900 and similar, Canon XL1 / XL2, GL2, JVC HD100 and cameras of similar size or smaller. This covers most of the popular DV cameras.

      The Indicam PILOTTM combines the vest with a backpack which is used to store the chest plate and dual-arm as well as the camera sled (and sometimes the camera as well depending on size). This allows the user to pack their equipment in, shoot the video, and then pack it out again. There are no cases to be left around or dragged about. We have even included a nifty water bottle just in case you get thirsty.


      • Our system has been worn at NAB and CES for six straight hours to make sure it passed the tests of comfort and usability. No full sized rig is easier to use or more comfortable. The PILOT can create extremely stabile and smooth video.

        Remember the steadicam motto...Practice, practice, practice.

        Click on the folowing link to go to the

        Pricing page

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