Tiffe Steadicam, Steadimate Operator's Manual

P/N: LIT-816790

Rev. B

Steadimate Operator's Manual
Rev. B
P/N: LIT-816790

Steadicam® and Steadimate
Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
All specifications stated within this manual are subject to change without notice.
© 2016 The Tiffen Company. Written by E. Barthelman.

®

are trademarks of The Tiffen Company.

Table of Contents

A Word from Garrett Brown 1

The Steadimate System 2

Steadimate Components 2-1

Setting Up 3

Preparing the Steadimate 3-1

Installing the Steadimate 3-2

Balancing 4

Upright or Inverted? 4-1

Upright Mode: Centering 4-2

Upright Mode: Balancing 4-3

Inverted Mode: Centering 4-4

Inverted Mode: Balancing 4-5

The Steadicam Vest 5

Fitting the Vest 5-1

The Steadicam Arm 6

Connecting the Arm and Vest 6-1

Steadimate Operating 7

Lifting the System & Adjusting the Arm 7-1

Check your Threads 7-2

Operating Modes, Tips & Tricks 7-3

Accessories 8

Maintenance and Cleaning 9

Contact Tiffen 10

A Word from Garrett Brown

Hello and congratulations on your new Steadimate®. You’re now equipped to ‘fly’ your motorized
stabilizer on a Steadicam® arm and vest; so get set for a new, ‘hybrid’ experience.

If you’re a longtime Steadicam operator who now has occasion to carry around a MōVI

Ⓡ

or RONINTM,

the Steadimate restores the weightless, fingertip moves you’re used to: those graceful translations

in space that are nearly impossible when your outstretched arms are heavily burdened.

If you’re already a MōVI/RONIN owner/operator, welcome to our world! You’re in for a treat— a
taste of what Steadicam aces have known and enjoyed for decades. Not just angular stability and

classically smooth moves, but a chance to tirelessly ‘operate’ moving shots with improved precision

and style.

Motorized gimbals have uncanny roll stability and anyone can pick one up and instantly move it
around. But of course the stabilizer mechanism plus camera, lens, battery, etc. must be held out in
front and moved through space by your heavily loaded arms—often for minute after minute—and
the increasing fatigue can make your work look jerky and irregular as you pass foreground objects.

Steadimate floats your gimbal like a Steadicam sled, so the inherent inertia of the rig in space is
fingertip detectable and your booming and traveling moves are Steadicam smooth. In addition,
Steadimate is the only support mechanism that is neutrally balanced in two isolated axes for
effortless pan and tilt (all others make the rig extremely bottom heavy and tough to tilt).

If you’re operating solo, in what MōVI calls ‘Majestic’ mode—without a second person controlling
camera angle by joystick or wheels—the mushy operating initiated by the support handles can now
be significantly improved. With Steadimate, you can tighten the tuning parameters so your pans and
tilts are more instantaneous and precise, like the dynamic and responsive operation that Steadicam
is known for.

So enjoy your new Steadimate! It will not only relieve up to 25 lb. of outstretched burden, it will
smooth the spatial component of moves as well as the angular bit that gimbals do so well.

…and don’t forget to read The Steadicam Operator’s Handbook by Jerry Holway and Laurie Hayball,
with its vast amount of moving camera lore to help you accomplish what we all strive for—to make
effective and memorable shots!

Best,

Steadicam® Inventor
Philadelphia USA

1

1.1

The Steadimate System

Motorized Gimbal

The Steadimate fits motorized
gimbals with 25 mm, 25.5 mm,
or 30 mm diameter handlebars

The Vest

Adjustable to fit most operators

Provides connection to the Arm

The Arm

Supports the Steadimate System

Isolates camera from operator

The Steadimate

Links The Arm to motorized gimbal
Allows fingertip control

The Steadicam Steadimate is the link between motorized gimbals and the traditional
Steadicam Arm and Vest. Together, the Steadimate System provides additional stabilization
and neutrally balanced tilting which result in smoother shots and less work for the operator.

2

Steadimate Components

Hand Grip

Tilt Balance Knob

Balance Weights

Fine tune counterbalance
Standard ¼”-20 threads

Post Clamp

Tools-free lock

Set position of tilt axis

Handlebar Clamp Locks

Secures Steadimate to handlebar

Post Scale

Laser-etched

Post Block

Connection point for the Steadicam Arm
Various Arm Post sizes available
Integrated tilt hinge

Handlebar Clamp

Attaches Steadimate to handlebar of

your motorized gimbal

Tilt Balance Lock Screw

4mm Allen key included for tightening

Clamp Inserts

25 mm, 25.5 mm, and 30 mm
inserts included

The 30 mm insert comes installed
in the handlebar clamp.

The 25 mm and 25.5 mm inserts
come in the Steadimate box, the

25.5 mm inserts are distinguished
by the debossed line running
through the middle.

Balance Pin

Install on top of tuning stand

Verify system balance

Tilt Balance Mechanism

Adjusts tilt alignment precisely

The Post

Balance Nut

2-1

Setting Up

Prepare the Steadimate:

Loosen the Handlebar Clamp Locks

and Tilt Balance Lock Screw.

Center the Balance Nut within the Tilt Balance

Mechanism by turning the Tilt Balance Knob.

This gives us the maximum range of

adjustability in either direction.

You may need to turn the Knob in either

direction, depending on how the Steadimate

was stored.

Take a moment to confirm that the Clamp

Inserts are correctly sized for your motorized

Gimbal. They’re designed to fit 25 mm, 25.5

mm or 30 mm handlebars.

With the Clamp Locks and Lock Screw loose, the

Inserts simply snap in place.

3

Preparing the Steadimate

Loosen the Post Clamp and slide it all the way
up until it reaches the 0 position and then
retighten the Post Clamp.

Caution: Only adjust the Post Block position
while the system is on the tuning stand. Never
loosen the Post Clamp while balancing or while
the Steadimate is mounted on the Arm.

Install two Balance Weights at the bottom of
the Steadimate Post.

The weights can be used for fine-tuning the
top-to-bottom or tilt center of gravity (CG) of
the Steadimate later; great when adding or
removing small accessories or swapping
lenses.

3-1

Setting Up

Is your motorized gimbal dialed in?

Proper setup of your motorized gimbal is critical to accurately balancing the Steadimate
System. Refer to the manual from your motorized gimbal manufacturer for directions on
proper tuning. Test handheld in single operator mode before going any further.

With the motorized gimbal resting on the

tuning stand, remove the right side handle.

Note: If you prefer operating a Steadicam in

Goofy Mode, you may choose to remove the

left handle and install the Steadimate on the

left side, instead.

Add ALL required accessories and build

a compact setup without loose

components. We’ll be balancing the

entire Steadimate System, not just the

camera.

Keep heavy accessories, like batteries,

close to the Steadimate Handlebar

clamp so the weight is well supported.

Caution: placing excessive weight far

from the Steadimate Handlebar Clamp

could over-stress the carbon fiber tube.

3-2

Installing the Steadimate

From the profile, visually align the Steadimate
with the central axis of the pan motor. The
Steadimate should be parallel to the vertical
surfaces of the motorized gimbal when
everything is centered.

Just get it close, we’ll be using the Tilt Balance
Mechanism to fine tune this in the Balancing
section soon.

Slide the Steadimate onto the handlebar in
place of the handle.

Note: For optimum performance and safer
operation, keep the space between the
Handlebar Clamp and the base of the pan
motor as narrow as your build will allow.

Tighten the Handlebar Clamp Locks by hand
and securely tighten the Tilt Balance Lock
Screw with the included 4 mm Allen key.

Caution: the Tilt Balance Lock Screw should
be tightened forcefully, especially for heavier
setups, to ensure the Steadimate Handlebar
Clamp is secured to the handlebar

3-2.1

Balancing

Upright or Inverted Mode?

With the motorized gimbal powered,
place the Post Block on the Balance Pin
so the Steadimate System is free to
move and not contact anything.

Keep a hand on the Steadimate grip
and observe its balance behavior.

Balancing the Steadimate system for the first time requires patience and attention to
detail, just as you experience while setting up a motorized gimbal or traditional Steadicam for
the first time. Read through the process and take your time.

Note: always balance the Steadimate with the motorized gimbal powered on and performing
properly.

Tilt the camera down and note the
angle at which the Steadimate comes
to rest. Then tilt up to see what the

“balance window” angle is between

the two resting points.

Also check to see if the Steadimate
will stay parked vertical when the
camera is exactly level.

4

Upright or Inverted?

If the Steadimate remains upright, within

0-45˚ of vertical, you’ll be balancing in
Upright Mode. Most setups will be upright, just
like operating a traditional motorized gimbal.

Flip to the next page to start Upright Mode
Balancing.

If the Steadimate is between 45˚ and
horizontal, confirm that the Post Clamp is set

at number 0 and try adding 2 more Balance
Weights. You may also remove or change your
accessories to lighten the system.

If the changes you make achieve an upright
Steadimate, then go on to the next page.

However, if the Steadimate is still more than

45˚ from vertical, you’ll balance in Inverted

Mode, starting on page 4-4.

If the Steadimate is truly inverting, where the
Handlebar is below the Post Block, then you must
balance in Inverted Mode.

This is most common when using heavy monitors
with lightweight motorized gimbals or when larger
accessories are placed high on the top handlebar.

Jump to page 4-4 for Inverted Mode balancing.

4-1

VERTICAL

45°

HORIZONTAL

45°

Center the Steadimate:

With the rig on the Balance Pin, hold the Steadimate

handle vertical and loosen your grip to test whether it

will remain vertical on its own, or if it tries to tilt fore

or aft. Usually, the Steadimate will tilt one way or the

other.

Your motorized gimbal is still powered on, right?

The Steadimate has two adjustments which we use to balance the Steadimate system; the
Tilt Balance Knob and the Post Clamp. The Tilt Balance adjustment enables us to precisely
center the Steadimate with the motorized gimbal along the vertical axis. And by adjusting the
location of the Post Clamp on the Post, we can place the center of gravity of the motorized
gimbal just below the tilt axis of the Post Block. The goal is to make the system tilt and pan
with fingertip control. Let’s get started!

Balancing

While still on the Balance Pin, hold the

Steadimate handle vertical and loosen the two

Handlebar Clamp Locks.

Note: DO NOT loosen the Tilt Balance Lock

Screw. It will act as a safety and works with

the Tilt Balance Mechanism in the next step.

4-2