Steadicam to Gimbal on the Fly: An Attempted Transition

Posted by Luc Gagnon in Camera Rigs, Gimbals, and Drones 0 views · 2 replies

I recently tried a nuanced transition from my Steadicam Archer 2 with an ALEXA Mini to a DJI Ronin 2, specifically to achieve a low-mode shot that would have been impossible with the Steadicam's drop time. The goal was to hand off the Mini, mounted with a Supreme Prime 25mm, from my rig to the Ronin 2 (handheld by a grip) mid-take, then pick it back up for the end of the shot. The idea was to keep the camera live and rolling throughout. While we nailed the look of the low mode on the Ronin, the handoff itself was far from seamless. The issue wasn't the weight, but the power supply. My Steadicam powers the Mini beautifully, but switching to the Ronin 2's power meant a momentary power cut during the cable swap, causing an unavoidable camera reboot. We tried swapping power before the camera left my rig, but the cable length was too restrictive, forcing a very awkward and visible reach that ruined the fluidity. Ultimately, we had to break the shot and do the low mode as a separate setup, which defeated the entire purpose of the 'on-the-fly' transition. I'm wondering if there are any battery plate solutions for the ALEXA Mini that could provide a hot-swappable, brief internal power supply for such a transition, allowing the camera to maintain power while external sources are swapped?

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