Following the steps in the manual: Mount the MōVI Pro in the stand. Align the MōVI Pro such that the camera lens is lined up with the handle bar’s cross beam. Use the handle to tilt the MōVI Pro 5 to 10 degrees and observe which way pan rotates. In order to get the rig properly balanced, I have to extend the cross beam so far that it hits the ring. Is this normal? Do I just need to add more weight to the back of the rig?
The Movi\Camera will hit the Ring if you pan it far enough. If they made the ring wide enough for the camera to pan 360 degrees without hitting, then the ring would be too wide for most doors and sets. You can adjust the Movi Pro on a stand or on the ground, if you're using the Ring. I adjust the Pan Balance a little differently, and it can be the most difficult axis to understand. Here's my method. The only real difference is that I don't pan the camera 90 degrees -- I leave it pointed forward and tilt the gimbal to the side instead of tilting forward. 1. After balancing the Tilt, Tilt Center of Gravity, and Roll Balance, point the camera straight ahead. 2. Lift up on one side of the Ring 10 degrees or so. You can lift the left or right side, it doesn't matter. If the ring is sitting on the ground, you should be lifting one foot off the ground so that the gimbal is leaning on it's side. If it's sitting in a dock on a stand, you lift one side so that the other side is being held in the dock. 3. Observe which side of the gimbal tends to rotate toward the ground. Does it rotate so that the back of the gimbal goes toward the ground, or does it fall toward the lens of the camera? 4. Loosen the two clamps up underneath the batteries and slide the pan tubes away from whichever side falls toward the ground. 5. Do this several times until you can lift one side of the gimbal and the camera remains pointing forward. Does that help? I always feel like a video would be easier to explain this than typing, but I haven't seen a great video on Pan Balance that relates to the dual-tube M15\Movi Pro style and doesn't get confusing.
Thanks, Graham. So basically what you're saying is I should just point the camera forward and lift the ring perpendicular to it, then perform the pan balance as normal? Sounds simple enough!
Anyone have an issue with the Pan not balancing perfectly? Mine always seems to be heavy on the right side when looking from behind even though all my other axis are perfect. With my m10 I could just rotate the down-tube a bit and fix it. So far hasnt been an issue performance wise.
Hey @Josh Lambeth I just jumped on there to see what other people were saying about this. I had to add 9oz of tire weights to the left side battery in order for my pan to stay in place at any angle. Same thing back with the M15. On the M10 you had the second pan adjustment that let you compensate for only having one battery. I guess that it's from the wiring running down the right side pan tube. Adding the weight gave me 30 higher on my pan balance and took my filter from 5 to 1, so it definitely makes a difference, but adding over half a pound isn't ideal.
Me too. I always notice it's heavier on the right side! I'll try adding weight on the left side as Mike suggested! And Graham,thank you very much for taking time to make the video you posted,great help,I will try to balance the pan the way you suggested,and you're right,it's very difficult to understand how to balance this specific last one. It was for me Thanks again,great info here,very appreciated