Steadicam Merlin 2 - 4. Pre-Setting Balance; Understanding Bottom-Heaviness; Adding Weights for Balance

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“Z” Balance
4. Pre-Setting Balance
When your camera is mounted onto the Merlin 2, the entire unit must be set-up and balanced so that the
combined center-of-gravity (camera plus Merlin 2), ends up just below the center of the fulcrum (the
Gimbal), and precisely adjusted to be slightly bottom-heavy. Let’s take a moment to understand this.
Try balancing a shallow pie plate on the tip of your nger. It’s very difcult to do,
because the center-of-gravity (c.g.) of the bowl is above your nger.
Turn the bowl upside down. Now it’s much easier to nd the balance point and
once you nd it you can move your nger from side-to-side and it won’t fall off.
That’s because you’ve made the bowl bottom heavy and put its center-of-gravity
below your ngertip.
c.g. is above nger
c.g. is below nger
Slight bottom-heaviness is the key to Steadicam stabilization. That’s what the compact stage and the
weights on the Lower Spar are for: to provide just enough mass well below the Gimbal to compensate
for the much greater weight of your camera just above the Gimbal. Of course you’ll want the unit to be
somewhat bottom-heavy before attempting side-to-side or front-to-back balance, or the camera will tend
to op over and hang upside-down.
Three ways to balance bottom-heaviness
Because the Merlin 2 accepts cameras weighing from 0.5 to 5.0lbs (0.23 - 2.27kg), we provide three
graduated ways of achieving appropriate bottom heaviness.
1. Adding weights
The coarsest adjustment of bottom-heaviness is obtained by adding or subtracting weights, particularly
at the end of the lower spar. The Steadicam Merlin 2 comes with nine threaded stainless steel weights:
One ‘Start’ weight:
1/8 lb (57g)
Two ‘Finish’ weights:
1/8 lb (57g)
Six ‘Mid’ weights:
1/4 lb (114g)