In Broadcast - In Show Guide 2016 - 108


108

www.inbroadcast.com | IBC2016 InShow Guide | 9-13 September

Miller Help Manage
Counterbalance
Amid today's plethora of cameras and accessories it is increasingly challenging
to get the rig properly balanced...

W

ith
the
technological
advancements
that
the
broadcast and cinematography fields
have gone through in recent years,
videographers and cinematographers
have more choices than ever when
deciding what gear to take to a shoot.
From lighting and microphones, to
monitors, lenses and the cameras
themselves, storytellers have a tool
for every scene. Whether the situation
calls for a light setup of a simple DSLR
camera or a fully rigged system, the
one constant in most cases, is the
tripod system. Shooters need to take
into account several things when
deciding what fluid head will provide
the right counterbalance system for
the occasion.
Centre of Gravity
An important factor to consider when
purchasing a fluid head, is how high
the camera rig Centre of Gravity (COG)
stands above the fluid head camera
plate. Most fluid head manufacturers
specify the payload range for a COG
at 100mm above the camera plate.
For example, a fluid head that can
handle up to 10kg at 100mm COG, may
only handle 7kg at 150mm COG. Rig
attachments such as lights, recorders
and monitors may raise the COG and
hence reduce the counterbalance
range. It is advisable to purchase a
fluid head with plenty of payload range
headroom.

Counterbalance is used to counteract
the weight of the camera rig when
tilting rendering the camera rig
weightless during the shoot. The
amount of counterbalance force
required depends on the weight of
the rig and the location of its centre
of gravity. When setting up a fluid
head with the camera rig mounted,
the balance point of the rig needs to
be found by sliding the rig backwards
or forward to a point of equilibrium
with counterbalance set to its lowest
position.
After the camera rig is balanced
to a point where the rig stays level,
the counterbalance springs, builtin within the head, take over when
counterbalance is stepped up and the
rig is tilted backwards or forward. The
objective is to find a happy medium.
If the counterbalance force is too
strong, then the rig will spring back
and counterbalance should be set to
a lower step. If it's too light, the rig
will drop forward or backwards. In
this case counterbalance should be
increased.
By selecting the right position by
using the counterbalance selector
knob, users should look to select a
spring with the right amount of force
to keep the rig at approximately
half tilt, without springing back to
level or dropping to full tilt. It is
possible that the exact amount of
counterbalance force required lies

Miller's CB
PLUS™ provides
counterbalance
half-steps

somewhere between two positions of
the counterbalance selector. In this
case, choose the position that provides
a slight amount of spring-back and
add some tilt drag to counter the
spring-back. This method has been the
traditional way of setting up the fluid
head.
Finer Poise
A typical example is a videographer
tracking a storm for a first-hand
account. They might have several
lenses and lighting solutions used
to catch what is happening in the
immediate foreground, as well as what
is happening off in the distance. Quick
and efficient setup is needed for each
individual instance, where both large,
sweeping changes might need to be
made to the counterbalance, as well as
small fine-tuning adjustments.
This often leads shooters to a simple
but perplexing conundrum: should
they make quick changes, relying on
the locking mechanism of the fluid
head but ultimately inviting longterm damage to the fluid head, or do
they take the time to counterbalance
their setup and risk losing precious
moments that could otherwise be
focused on the shot.
CB PLUS™ - Faster Setup
Fluid head companies are working
to address speed and accuracy of
counterbalance setups. For example,

Miller Camera Support Equipment
outfitted the arrowx line with CB PLUS™,
a unique sequential counterbalance
design employing a half-step in
between the larger counterbalance
steps. CB PLUS™ helps users achieve
repeatable, accurate and rapid
setup over a wide payload range by
featuring eight large counterbalance
steps, allowing them to get to their
needed position quickly and efficiently
and then applying half a step, when
required for finer counterbalance
control.
CB PLUS™ helps where frequent
and fast re-rigging is required. Small
refinements of using the half-step
quickly set you up to any situation.
If a shooter has two to three go-to
setups, they can quickly dial in the
known counterbalance to that setup
and be ready to shoot. If minor
changes are made to their setup,
minor adjustments can be made to the
counterbalance using the CB PLUS™
switch.
If a counterbalance system can't
keep up with a cameraman's setup
speed, precious moments and amazing
shots could be lost. Miller's CB PLUS™,
employed in arrowx ensures that
counterbalance is one less thing the
shooter has to worry about.
www.millertripods.com

The Miller arrowx
range boasts
CB PLUS™
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.millertripods.com
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