Magic Arm Indicator 6000 with Flycam 6000 - The Rig From India

[Charles Andrews]

Hi everyone! This is my first time ever on any forum, I hope I do things right   I have been reading all that has been written and I thank all of you for such good advise! I do have a question though...does anybody know if I loosen the adjustment screws on the magic arm ( theres four ) to much, will the assembly or the spring come apart? Or does it have a safety stop? The reason is because the indicator is at the last notch but the tension is still to high. I would like to loosen the tension as much as I can and start adjusting from that point. That being said can anyone advise on proper tension? The manual that comes with the flycam 6000 is not very helpful. Also they say I can lock the arm inwards if I tighten the upper and lower lock levers, I just can't figure which those levers are! Any help on these matters will be greatly appreciated! thanks in advance. Have an awesome day!

[Eric Teotico]

Hi,
Here's my ten cents worth. The spring will come apart if you unscrew it all the way. I wanted to limit the weight of my camera and sled to 20 lbs.( too light for the Indicator springs) I tried removing 1 spring per arm. It felt stiffer. I tried replacing it with different springs. It was a trial and error thing coz I don't quite understand the technical aspects or formulas in spring calculation. The 3rd spring I tried seemed to work for me. I replaced all four springs. I had spring plugs made and bought softer/ more flexible steel cables. I also tuned the pulleys and arm joints. It has a smother ride now. But I still need to give it a 3 to 4 inch lift to achieve really steady shots. I used it for an mtv shoot recently. I am quite happy with the results (I'll post it soon)  but I can't help noticing how perfectly smooth and effortless the original steadicam rig demos look. (Check out the works of Charles Pappert) I don't know if it's my lack of training and techniques (no workshops around here, tried to order the book but they only deliver in the US, i'll pick it up when I go there this fall) or just my imperfect rig So I've started tweaking it again. I'm planning to add a third spring. It seems more complicated than I thought. I actually enjoy tweaking it.

[Billy Taylor]

this is just what i have been looking for! so glad other folks have acquired and tweaked and modded this rig...it improves my confidence...i would get it anyway cause i cannot afford another currently...but this is awesome!