At A Glance: The Merlin 2

Steadicam refines its popular handheld stabilization system for low-weight camcorders and video-capable DSLRs

By David Willis

Labels: Gear, Steadicam

Tips From Steadicam For Using The Merlin 2

Calibrating the Merlin 2 for perfect alignment is a matter of trial and error in a lot of respects. Adding something as trivial as a memory card to your setup can drastically affect center of gravity, so Steadicam suggests that operators start by piecing together the whole setup—camera, lens, filters, monitor, audio recorder, card, battery, etc.—before ever mounting it to the unit. After that, you should estimate the center of gravity by selecting the most appropriate lettered point and then continue to adjust by working through arc adjustments at the aft and fore knobs in the crux of the bow, next adding or subtracting counterbalance weights, and then finally fine adjustments to the gimbal at the handle. Or, in other words, you're establishing the best guess at center of gravity and then working systematically toward balancing the camera by refining adjustments as you get closer to the center of the setup. After practice, it generally takes less than 10 minutes to properly calibrate a whole new setup.

Anytime you have a tilt, you have to move your gross system weight "up the hill" by moving the setup toward the tilt. So if the camera is facing down, you should move the center of gravity down toward the same direction.

Drop time—the full swing from horizontal placement to vertical rest—should be a full one-second count (one-one-thousand) for best inertia and balance. More weights will make drop time faster while less will slow it down, but weights aren't the only aspect to controlling drop time. Arc and center of gravity also affect it.

Fine-tuning often will involve taking a couple of steps back, so if you've already adjusted the counterweights, for instance, you'll need to recalibrate after moving the camera's position, even if it's only slightly.

After setup, two-handed operation is often favored for the best camera movements. Using one hand to control the gimbal and camera, and the other hand to hold the system, will give you control over camera movements as well as positioning.

More mass will equal more inertia, which can be desirable, as the camera will move more fluidly, but more often than not the amount of inertia that you're looking for is a matter of taste. At the same time, more weight also will mean more fatigue, so the right trade-off between the two will come down to experience.

Steadicam recommends placement of a small piece of grip tape between the plate and the camera to address camera drift during quick pans when using a DSLR, which lacks the locking locating pin setup of camcorders.

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