Steadicam Merlin Arm & Vest, Quick Start Card

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The Tiffen Company, 90 Oser Avenue, Hauppauge, NY 11788 • 631-273-2500 • 1-800-645-2522 • www.tiffen.com
Tiffen Steadicam Operations, Glendale, CA • 818-843-4600 • 1-800-593-3331
When the Merlin
Vest/ Arm sys-
tem is properly
adjusted, both arm
sections are paral-
lel to the ground.
The Merlin Handle
is held in the right
hand. The left hand
operates the Merlin
gimbal as usual.
Practice proper
standing, walking
and hand position.
See the Merlin
DVD for further
operating tips.
Before mounting the Merlin on the
arm
, we suggest turning the bottom
wheel
until the
rod end
(14) is all
the way in. Then turn the top most
wheel
in the opposite direction (out) until about 3 threads are showing.
That will lean the
arm
slightly away from the operator, allowing for proper use.
When switching the arm mounting to the opposite side for left or right-handed operation, be sure to
re-adjust these wheels so the ‘top’ attachment is out and be sure the ‘bottom’ one is always in.
DON’T OVEREXTEND EITHER ATTACHMENT SCREW
AS THE ARM WILL EVENTUALLY COME APART
FROM THE MOUNTING BLOCK.
To operate the Merlin on the right side of the body, remove the pin from arm as shown in the photo detail-
ing wheels (13). Turn the socket block upside down, insert pin again. Then, lay the vest down on a table.
Loosen and remove all four thumb screws holding the arm bridge (9) to the vest and turn the bridge
around 180 degrees so it rests on the left side of the vest center. (right of center as you look at it) Lock it in
place again using thumb screws .
Insert the arm . Tighten the bottom wheel all the way and loosen the top one a few turns and you are set.
This mode frequently offers an easier view of the camera’s flip-out viewfinder that’s used when operating the
Merlin system.
There is an arm restraint strap (15) on your Merlin
vest . To capture the arm from moving about while
the Merlin is not mounted, open the strap . Draw it
away from the vest . Tuck the Steadicam arm up
against the left vest spar area near the strap . Wrap
the strap around the arm and capture it against
itself. Now the arm cannot move, but can quickly
be freed.
Your Steadicam Merlin Vest/
Arm system comes with an
all-metal gimbal
(16). As per
instructions in the Merlin for
adjusting your
gimbal
, remove
your Merlin
gimbal
and replace
it with this new one. There is no
need to go back and forth. Us-
ing this new
all-metal gimbal
,
you can use the Merlin on or
off the Arm/Vest system.
To mount the Merlin onto the arm , hold the arm
still with your right hand. Grasp the Merlin gimbal/
handle (16) with your left hand and lift off of the
optional docking bracket . Line up the hole in the
bottom of the Merlin handle with the arm post (17)
in the Steadicam arm . Rest the Merlin onto
the arm post .
To adjust the lift delivered by your
Steadicam Merlin
arm
, lower the
arm
by pushing down with the left
hand until the
arm section closer
to your body is just above horizon-
tal. This is the “sweet spot” for turn-
ing the
lift adjust knob
(18). Turn to
the right to increase lift. Turn to the
left to decrease lift. When that sec-
tion appears to feel as though it is
floating flat – parallel to the ground-
make the identical adjustment to
the other section.
Tiffen, Steadicam and Steadicam Merlin are registered trademarks of The Tiffen Company.
Covered by U. S. patents 5,435,515 and 5,360,196 and pending foreign patents. Steadicam reserves the right to change specifications without prior notice. 0707
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