STEADICAM MERLIN ARM & VEST

This product literally saved my hand/arm.I am a Filmmaker and VFX Generalist from Germany.But I also shoot a lot of weddings this is why I mostly shoot with stabilization systems.Before, I did neither have a vest nor a supporting arm.And it was a pain !This was my first item that I purchased from Amazon.com and I have nothing to complain.The shipping was perfectly on time.The ergonomics of this vest are excellent. Sometimes I am carrying it 5-6 hours nonstop with me.The arm does its job excellently by stabilizing the movement of the body.Before I tested the Flycam 6000 complete kit and it was a shame. Cheap but not good at stabilizing,The materials of the Tiffen Steadicam arm and vest are stable, lightweight and very mobile.I travel with road transport and do not need a car.And two weeks ago we had to shoot a short film in the forest.Transport and ease of use 5 stars.Setting up the complete stabilizing system with my camera lasts only 5-10 minutes (with static/dynamic balancing) whereas I do not have a c-stand and a docking bracket.All in all 5 stars !I would buy it again without considering anything.

I don't know what I'd do without the arm and vest. My arm would be dead and puffy without this product! With that said, however, it's not perfect since my back tends to kind of hurt or become sore with long, straight usage (about a few hours or so). The Merlin itself is actually helped by this arm and vest as it makes a smoother motion than just the Steadicam by itself (in fact allows you to make a better "dolly" type effect) but it doesn't really decrease the Merlin's wobbly horizontal balance issues unfortunately. But other than that and some less-inspired instructions, it's really a "lifesaver", at least to my arm. And I also tend to get a pretty good exercise regiment out of it, particularly when running. lol. Highly recommended!

Just like the Merlin 2, this thing is hard to use. But once you get it dialed in it works very well. Learning how to lean the arm away from you and position it correctly is key, but it takes practice of learning how your body effects the behavior of the arm itself.Great product and I got it at a great price from a great vendor.