10
Attaching the
Camera
Attaching the camera to the sled
We attach the camera to the sled via a dovetail plate. With the Flyer-LE, this plate has
a rack for adjusting fore-aft balance on the left side, safety stops on the right side, and
several holes for mounting screws. We want to attach the dovetail to the camera so that
we have the widest possible range of adjustment, both fore-aft and side-to-side.
We start this process by finding the
camera’s center of gravity (c.g.) or
balance point, then properly position the
dovetail plate relative to the camera’s c.g.
• If you like, remove the battery from
your camera if it has an auxiliary
power input, either 12 or 24 volts.
With a very heavy camera (15+
pounds/6.8kg or so), this is a good
idea, but it’s not necessary or
advisable with a very light camera.
• Attach all accessories, matte
boxes, obie lights, etc. and load
the tape or film. If the camera
has a quick-release plate (tripod
adaptor), leave it on the camera.
• Balance the camera fore-aft on a
rod or pencil (as shown) and mark
the balance point with a piece of
tape.
• Repeat for side-to-side.
• Examine the dovetail. Turn it over
to locate the rack, the three rows
of large and small slots, and the
stops.
• Remove the screws that are stored
at the front of the dovetail.
Finding the camera’s side to
side center of gravity.
Finding the camera’s fore-aft
center of gravity.
• Place the dovetail against the
bottom of the camera (or quick
release plate) and move the dovetail
fore-aft until the Second slot from
the rear is over the camera’s c.g.
This position is not intuitive, so
pay close attention to this detail.
stops
forwar
d
rack
place this hole
at the c.g.
