Hello Freefly team, I need to use the MoviPro with an Alexa mini equipped with Master Anamorphic lenses but I have not enough space on the back to balance the Tilt axis, I would need more 1 1/5 inches on those 2 arms. My question is... if I buy carbon tubes with the same exterior diameter, is it possible to replace them or your arms are glued to the aluminum pieces? Thank you Regards
Hi... you did what? The mini with the anamorphic or extending the arms? the pro has not shorter arms than the M15 but the Arri Master Anamorphic lenses are quite long and heavy + motors and it really need more back space to balance without adding weights on the back of the camera.
I had it on the M-15, Mini and Master Anamorphic. I own a Mini for some time now... i don´t think i have pics, but i had it with at least one C-Force motor....and the battery side plate BP-2, small Bebob V-98 batteries.. Also no problems with the Hawk V-lites...
Alright, now I understand how you did it. With the MoviPro we are not able to mount the battery on the camera because the Roll bar is no longer adjustable sideways like the M15. The only way would be to have 2 longer arms that comes from the roll bar to the tilt holder / motor.
Ok, i get it, so the weight of the battery is missing and the Mini too light to compensate the Anamorphics... Well, not too bad, i didn´t change to the Pro yet ;-) But i am selling my stuff anyway, since i am changing profession this summer.. Best and good luck... Wolf PS. By the way i did construct longer arms for my M-10 to use it with Alexa M. I just used some old stuff from my Cinestar gimbal, it worked out very well...
Mechanically I see no issues to preform this modification, my issues are about the cables inside, are they easy to unplug and plug again after changing the tubes? The gimbal is not mine, it belongs to the company and I don't want to "open" it before I am sure about the steps. I hope that the Freefly guys can help me with this. On your Movi M10 you have the cables outside the tubes which doesn't happen on the Pro like you can see on this gif:
Ok, i see, i would say this is impossible without destroying the warranty.... because the cables are for sure not long enough. I would not recommend it, unless you are really skilled and willing to risk the warranty.... might lead to different lenses then...
Well, about the skills, I have no doubt about it as I also design and manufacture gear with sensitive electronics, I just want some guidance and approval from Freefly to do it. I hope they are that flexible. Is out of the equation to send the gimbal to their house as we are based in Portugal and it would be really costly in terms of shipping and taxes.
The cable runing to the tilt motor and camera tray is a single cable, to remove it you need to undo the tiny bolts on the bottom of the camera tray and disconnect the tiny molex connector, and bullet connectors .... to feed it out of the arm. The problem you will face is that the moulded cable is one piece, so splicing it is going to be required to extend the tilt arms .... definitely going to void any warranty. You will have to remove the cable to replace the arms, and then splice the cable as the will not be enough slack with longer arms in place. All possible to do .... but highly unlikely to be Freefly endorsed.
Hi Nuno, where are you located? If you're near Los Angeles, I could try to help. One other suggestion is to get a Cinemilled base plate, which can integrate some counterweights. I also fit a V-mount battery on the side of a Mini with my old Freefly plate last week when we had a power issue. It was able to balance with a Leica Summilux, which is obviously lighter than the Master anamorphics. Not having an MDR on the camera helped. You may have to go the counter-weight route somehow, either on top of or below the camera.
We're doing a mod for a client of ours where we add lightweight locking connectors inside the tubes to allow the tubes to be swapped out. If anyone is interested in seeing the mod once it's done, email me at sales@mediablackout.net.
One thing to note, I did this to my M5 a year or so back and then later on had to send it into FreeFly to have the control unit replaced (I fried it with a bad wire, my fault and had nothing to do with the extension of the arms) but FreeFly told me they would re-assemble to MoVI back to original spec. and would charge me parts and labor to do it. I had to fight them on it in order to not have them change this. I don't recommend doing it and I know for a fact FF will NOT endorse this modification. Josh
Yeah having same issue, arms need about and 1-2 inches of adjustable + the adjustable camera plate is not so adjustable. Looks like Freefly never mounted a Weapon, Ultra Prime 16 or 20mm w/ Heden on the Pro - otherwise they realized the current design doesn't work (can't slide the plate forward of back w/ 2x screws, and get Iris to line up). Not sure why it was designed like this, should have the larger slider throughout. Other than that its been great, what the M15 was supposed to do... work as advertised
Hey guys, Anybody know if a conclusion was reached regarding swapping out the arms? I recently had one of ours shatter due to an on set incident, and I was hoping someone might be able to point me in the direction of at least replacement arms that are the same size, if not modifying them to be slightly longer. Thanks!
I already helped Ryan with a replacement tube, but for the thread: Extended roll arm tubes on the Pro will require to to extend your wiring. As with all electronics you own, they are yours and you can do what you like to them, at your own risk. This probably goes without saying, but if it isn't your gear, absolutely check with the owner before modifying it. Modifying the frame, wiring or electronics of any Freefly product will void your warranty (we cannot warranty the performance of function of something you Frankenstein'd together, regardless of what kind of a ninja you may or may not be at such modifications). Additionally, when we design and test hardware and software, it is done as a cohesive unit. If you change the geometry, it may not work as advertised. As Josh noted, we can rebuild it to factory specs if you have trouble with it down the road, but parts and labor will be at your cost.