Has anyone used the extension? Thoughts or experience? https://fourtharrowcameraarms.com/shop/fourth-arrow-extension-arm/
I bought the extender. I beat this horse a while. The extender has given me the reach now that I complained about before but at the expense of added weight. I'm using a Manfrotto 502Ah fluid head with a manfrotto ball head leveler and now the aluminum extension arm with a cannon hfg30 on top. The setup is over weight for the rating of the arm.I weighed it on our UPS scale at work,It comes in at 7.75lbs. the base is rated for 6lbs I think. So at full extension the base was twisting on the tree. I just added another ratchet strap to the base so it has two on the base now. It solved the twisting problem but again with more weight. I do have ten bases with double ratchet straps so the ones I leave in the trees eliminates carrying that extra weight. The whole point of the carbon arm was to make the setup lighter than traditional camera arms. Now its as heavy or even heavier than any other arm on the market. My other complaint was that as you add more joints to the arm it raises the arm 5" or so . When mounting the base you have to mount it under the seat of your stand to be at the correct height for filming. A huge pain in the butt with all the tree stands straps and buckles in the way. If your using a climber you can't leave the base in the tree cuz you can't climb past the base up or down. I see Fourth arrow is coming out with a reverse joint connection "upside down joints". Maybe that will solve the height of cam problem. Love the company, Easy to deal with, they return your calls, open to suggestions.
I’m running the extension and love it. I’m using the regular stiff arm, along with the run and gun base, and a super light Manfrotto 700RC2. Now that I’ve done a couple sets with it I’m pretty happy with the setup.
This is my first year with the Fourth Arrow setup. I bought the Stiff Arm and the Extension. I bought 11 bases too. I went all in this year with them ... LOL. Coming from a Muddy Hunter arm for several years, going to the Fourth Arrow has been an interesting adjustment for me. Overall I like it, but it isn't without its compromises. The Extension really requires a light setup. I haven't weighed my new camera setup, but it is much lighter than I have used in the past. I am running an older Manfrotto 701HDV head, Sony A6500 camera with a couple different lenses, and a Feelworld 4.5" monitor. That being said, it pretty much pushes the weight limits of the Extension. When I level the shoulder, I have to make sure it is countered slightly out of level so that in front of me is running up hill about 1/2 a bubble. That way when the arm is all the way out, it levels itself out due to the weight. There is also a fair amount of bounce when all of the way out or when wrapped around to one side like when videoing around you. I like how light weight the setup is relative to my old Muddy setup. I like how I don't have to ratchet a base to the tree every time. But the setup is in no way as stable as my old Muddy arm. In retrospect, I kind of wish I had gone with the Stiff Arm Pro, even with my lighter camera gear. We will see. I am only two weeks into our hunting season, so I have a lot more stand time to go with this arm yet this year.
Thanks fellas. I run the regular Stiff Arm I won last year in a giveaway of theirs. So far I LOVE it but this is also first year filming so nothing to compare it to. There is just one stand where the brunt of my shot options are by stand's positioning purely to left shoulder and getting that arm out enough to then aim straight left and not be awkward is iffy currently. Hence why I've thought about at minimum throwing the extension into my arsenal for such cases. This extension and a more dedicated padded bag from Lowepro are two off season purchases I hope to add....filming has added an element I am quickly falling in love with.
I misplaced my Muddy arm somewhere and have not been able to find it. Have torn through both shops looking and looking so I ordered the Stiff Arm which arrives here tomorrow. Can't wait to see it and test it out.
