I have just bought a Movi Pro and am very excited to learn. I have done a lot of research but still have some questions before my Movi arrives. To give some info on me and how I'd be working with the Movi I own an Arri Alexa Mini and primarily use EF mount lenses. I own a Arri WCU-4 and with the EF lenses I need to use the AMC-1 Receiver since there is no LBUS connector on Arri's EF mount. It seems that the other D-Taps on the Movi can't supply the power necessary so I am going to use Hawk-Woods Sticky Batteries, which I have 2 and they work great. They are batteries with just D-Taps. My first question is I have only Apple products, iPhone & Mac, but it seems like the Movi App only works well on Android. Is that true, is it worth it to buy an Android product just to control the Movi? If so which is the cheapest best option since it will only be used to control the Movi. What is a good gimbal stand option? The Movi one is $300 and seems a bit over priced for what it does. It looked like in some of Graham's pictures he is using something else as a stand. What is a good weight for counter balance? I was looking at tire weights and using velcro to attach them to the camera or Movi. What is the best way to mount the Movi to a Mitchell mount tripod? I bought a Ninja Star but doesn't really line up with the top of my Ronford sticks. If I just got a bottom washer and bolt is that enough? It seems like there should be another piece to keep it from spinning. I've attached a picture. Any ideas or input would be great. Thanks again. I really enjoy the forum, everyone is very helpful. It's a great community that I'm excited to be apart of. Mike
Can't answer everything but first off the iPhone and MōVI pro work great. I've done just about everything on there including making profiles with no issues. Why doesn't the ninja star work? I got it working on a shuttle dolly with just one center bolt and works great. I think Graham made a custom one Good luck!
Hi Mike, for the Ninja Star\Mitchell mount, I bought a washer from Modern Studio Grip, and use a 3/8-16" bolt. The Ninja star is slightly lager than the Mitchell hole, so it may not sit perfectly flat on your tripod, but it will work allright. The Movi will correct the unevenness, and I use a wrench to tighten the star with the bolt so it won't spin. http://modernstudio.com/product/mitchell-washer-38/ iPhone works with the Movi Pro, but I've had it hang up on me a couple of times and not want to re-connect. Chris at Support suggested I fully quit the app if it does that. I also have an Android Galaxy S5 that I keep in the Movi kit, just so I'm not tied to my iPhone... but the iPhone is more convenient in many ways. I have the Movi dock from my M15, and it works well, but I also made a cheap dock that I use a lot on set. I got a bicycle rack from Lowes, and then because I have a Ready Rig vest, I put a second rack on the back. Put them together with a gobo head from a C-Stand, and that's what I use mostly. Pics below. You may need a Drill and a Large, titanium drill bit to knock a hole in the racks for the Gobo Head. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-12-8-in-Gray-Steel-Utility-Hook/50218517 https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gladiator-Steel-Utility-Hook/1060623 Counterweights... I got some large washers at Lowes, as well, and taped them together with electrical tape and put Dual Lock Velcro on them. I think these are the ones I use: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Fas-n-Rite-1-Count-5-8-in-Plain-Steel-Standard-SAE-Square-Washer/50328709 I'll post a pic of them on RED Weapon I was using the other day. Now that I don't need V-Mount batteries for the cameras because of the 6A DTap on the Movi, I don't have a lot of weight to the back of the camera to counter medium-to-heavy lenses, so the counterbalance weights are useful. Let me know if you have any more questions, and feel free to share your own ideas. The Movi is a lot of fun, especially if you like to tinker with things. -G.
Hi Rob, The Ninja Star just sits on the top of my sticks, it doesn't line up with anything and doesn't have any way I can see to make it line up with the key notch of the Mitchell mount. The Ninja Star does fit in my Dana Dolly but again with no way to line up with the key hole I wonder if it will spin. Thanks for the info.
Hi Graham, Thanks for answering my questions. I just responded to Rob and then saw your post. My biggest concern with the Mitchell mount is it spinning because it doesn't have any way to line up with the key hole. If you never had that problem with what you've used then that works for me. Thanks for all the insight. Hopefully I'll have my Movi Pro by the end of January so I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions when I get it.
I can take a pic or video when I get home. The bolt tightens it enough that no key-way is needed to keep it from spinning. That said, I love the new Toad on a Stick. You don't need your Mitchell tripods, just a c stand (or short c-stand may be better). It's way easier to adjust the height for lock-offs. Mitchell mount is convenient for the dana dolly and jib arms.
I was looking at the Toad on a Stick but didn't know how useful it would be. Sounds like I should get one. I was holding off on buying too many accessories until I got my Movi to see what I needed.
You could also make your own Toad on a Stick with one of these: http://modernstudio.com/product/58-female-38-male-thread/ Just screw it into the bottom of your Ninja Star\Toad combo.