AF101 on Steadicam Test Footage - AF100 Sample Video

Steadicam Operator John E Fry and cameraman Kevin Babey take the Panasonic AG-AF101 on a test flight on an EFP Steadicam.

The AF-101 was fitted with a lovely 14-24mm f2.8 AFS Nikon lens, Chrosziel mattebox kit, external battery, Sennheiser G2 radio mic and rails system. The EFP Steadicam was stripped down to accommodate such a light camera setup, which was still just below the minimum weight range of the arm, so apologies for any visible footsteps! The micro 4/3 chip of the AF101 performed well for our sample video footage so we are keen to use it on a job! All kit & crew for hire now from FryFilm Productions UK.

[steadicam]

I am very happy to see that the steadicam operator of life there in the US is very quiet . Here when hiring this service, even camera want to stop just because the steadicam station paying.
My dream is to reach this level of respect and valorization profissinal here.

[jopesmedia]

Hi man
Here you have made a great video, with footage also from your camera, POW.
I made a comment on an another of your videos, wnere i really miss this angel and footage.
Thanks for shearing this, i just see my daily life with steadicam... gonna be a great experience and lot of work. Thanks again.

[TheSteadicamMan]

The video output from the camera goes straight to the upper junction J-box of the Steadicam, which sends the signal down the post to the lower d-box & then out to the monitor. The other thing behind the camera is a battery plate & IDX battery.

[romanptg]

nice camera work and great steadicam operation

[TheSteadicamMan]

I've had some comments about the depth of field in this video, and the simple answer is that although the AF101 can deliver fantastically shallow DOF, it is not always the best thing for a shot or a scene. This is especially true of Steadicam, which favours wide lenses and as the camera and talent are often both on the move the easiest way to keep things in focus and not make the audience queesey by objects swinging wildly in & out of focus (even with a puller) is to stop down.

[TheSteadicamMan]

Thanks, my pleasure! All the kit is listed in the description so for the latest prices Mr Google will have all the answers. The EFP Steadicam is out of production now but the equivalents would be an Archer II or Zephyr, although the EFP can take almost as much camera weight as a Shadow 50.

[TheSteadicamMan]

It is a lovely garden still. Lots of veggies in Dad & Uncle plant. How are you related to my grandmother pray tell?

[TheSteadicamMan]

Thank you! I shall try to get a few more online soon.

[TheSteadicamMan]

Well, we didn't focus pull on shot, just tried to keep the same distance from the subjects during the move. I have to do this quite often with Steadicam because some clients just don't see the need or won't pay the extra for our remote follow focus kit & a focus puller. To be fair, on Steadicam often the most effective lens is a very wide one, so the focus isn't so much of an issue as it is with 50mm+ lenses.

[TheSteadicamMan]

@fbithejames There are various 15mm rail/bar systems available for the AF101, and other small cameras actually, that allow IDX, AB & other battery mounts to be attached, then connect to the camera via a specific AF101 power cable.

[TheSteadicamMan]

I'm sure Mr Google has all the current prices. Details of all the kit seen is in the description &/or the video itself.

[nawcious]

This is awesome. Im about to get a Af100 I didnt know they had a AF 101 Im about to do some research before purchasing. I wanted to know what would be the best steady cam for it or the sony Fs 700

[TheSteadicamMan]

@lkabird DSLR beater, because it replicates the shallow depth of field that essentially is the reason a lot of people shoot video on DSLRs, but is a properly equipped video camera without the drawbacks of using a stills camera for video.

[mark]

i guess you can use this to film a shot where the camera man i running but still feel the running motion? is that possible?

[Tobi_CGN]

how did u focus pull ? i love the footage, even though the weight of the cam isnt synced with the arm i still think it is awesome operating .... good job ! grettz !

[TheSteadicamMan]

You get AF100 in the US, we get AF101 in Europe, thats the only difference. Australasia's version is called AF102 I believe.

I have an FS700 and it flies very well on my Steadicam Flyer LE with the minimum setup, but with all the kit on a larger rig such as a Zephyr or Archer would suit better.

[fbithejames]

how is the IDX battery attached to af100? because I know that af101 doesn't have the mount

[TheSteadicamMan]

Wide lenses give a wider depth of field anyway and with fast moving camera shots the audience needs to see what’s going on, hence stopping down from f2.8. Take a look at the classic Steadicam shots from 35mm feature films, Rocky, the Shining, Raging Bull, etc. as well as more recent movies & you will see that depth of field on Steadicam is never very shallow. You need to see what's going on without loads of focus pulling. Horses for courses!

[nickp]

I like your video's! you have a nice voice to listen at!

Nice!

[TheSteadicamMan]

Well, it was the first large sensor proper video camera, being released in 2010, so at the time it was the trend setter and you can't expect the first of anything to be perfect. Plus of course, making the 101 take P2 cards would have made it much bigger. From the sales figures for the camera worldwide, I wouldn't say they missed the boat at all!