I recently got a new camera and arm so today was the first day I ever got to go up and actually use it unfortunately I had the arm set up wrong and almost dropped the camera from 20 feet. Thankfully I was able to hold on to it but ended up not getting to use it at all this morning. Got back to the house fixed all the problems and am ready to roll tomorrow! Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2
It was a custom arm that a guy was making a few years ago but he stopped making them. I know Dan had one for sale last year and not sure if he sold his or not. Haven't really gotten to use it yet but will be using it tomorrow morning!
I switched from a 3rd arm pro series this year. It was just so bulky and heavy. The base way just a plain pain in the butt to carry and set, and the arms were just bulky and long. I'm using a fairly new arm, that's not really on the market yet, but I'm liking it so far. One of my favorite features is that it can be installed without a strap, it has a tree step instead. Just screw it into the tree, level it and put on the arm. So far I have had good luck with it and I like the dexterity of having the 3rd arm pivot, I can get all the way around a tree on either side. If I can't use the tree step, I can remove the step and still use a traditional ratchet strap. Number one benefit is the size and weight. It's all aluminum so it's way lighter. The whole set up including the head is less than 4lbs I think, and packs away nicely.
Probably not, I know there's a couple other people on here that are using one though. As a self filmer, the weight and packability is a huge issue for me considering my camera is pretty big already.
Good thing you caught it. That would be a pain to replace! My camera arm worked out great today it was attached to my climber.
SkyWalker what brand is that arm? I'm thinking of getting something that is less bulky as my Motion arm is...
It's made by Skip Enterprises. Owner is Skip Peterson. He doesn't have it on his website yet, but I'm sure if you contact him he would be willing to get you some info on it. I met him when Trevor Olson put on the Photography/Videography class up in Wisconsin a couple months ago. I was impressed by the size and the ability for it to handle the full size cameras. We mounted my Canon XHA1S and also had a Sony AX2000 and the arm handle them just fine. If your using the tree step, it's virtually silent to install and once have an established location on the tree, getting it in and out is a breeze. It's also all Anodized Aluminum so you save a lot on weight compared to most steel arms. I'm really liking it so far. Here's his email info: [email protected]
Took the camera with me yesterday and it worked great. Glad that I was able to figure out the issues with the camera arm and had no problems at all getting it setup!
Skip J makes some killer stuff and that arm looks like something I'd be super interested in! I just want back to my old Lone Wolf Strong Arm for self filming for similar reasons - my Muddy Outfitter was just a little too bulky and heavy for my likes. The LW is 100% aluminum so it's very light weight but I do lose some of the leveling capacity that the Muddy had. Let us know how that arm works out, I may have to try one. And Ferg, what could you possibly do to almost drop the camera and arm out of the tree? Do tell. :D
I never used it before so the base has a Lw v-bracket on one end and a leveling bolt on the other. I had it set up backwards with the bolt on top. Because of this when the camera was put on the entire arm tipped over. I had to take the baseoff and flip it over along with my fluid head. Works great now! Sent from my BNTV600 using Tapatalk now Free
I have yet to figure out how to get a camera arm to cooperate. I think I need to add a whole 'nuther length to mine. Being a lefty just adds to the whole PITA of self-filming.
Skip has been a friend of mine for years and I worked with him in developing a smaller arm that would be more compact and lightweight for carrying in. Skip did us all one better and developed a "strapless arm" where he implemented a base that accepted a regular tree step. Screw it into the tree and use the bottom thumb screw to tighten in solid to the tree and use the leveling contraption simular to the muddy arms but smaller and level the hight how you want it. It is super light and much smaller than other arms I have come accross in 9 years of filming. He recently came up with a strapped base version for those who are not allowed to use screw in steps for forestry managment or public land purposes. Skip is a machinist by trade, and has developed many things, including camera arms for Pat and Nicole and the Driven TV crew. He also did some filming in his day and created some award winning dvds, plus came up with the "Photo Fan" which I use to hold my turkey fan open when taking pictures and drying. Skip Enterprises - Our DVD’s are Really Wild!
I'm still waiting on my tree strap base to come in. He's waiting on it to get back from the Anodizing process. I'll be curious to see how it works. I'm sure it will be great.
