@hemo22 Are there measurement marks on the bottom post? I'd be very happy if they already placed a white line that runs across the post. After moving the post up or down, I spend so much time trying to align the bottom sled with the lcd bracket and top sled.

There are fore and aft and side to side adjustments on the socket block. This should allow you to balance the entire rig. Check the Steadicam Operators Handbook for details. Balancing the arm and sled should be easy. Regarding the springs: What is the weight of your camera with accessories? What is the gauge of the springs your arms came with?

Here's a challenging test I just uploaded with the Laing M-02. I used a 50mm lens at f5.6. My subject was a little girl who was soo difficult to keep in focus. To top that, I set the rig in low mode so that I could capture her pov.

Thanks, @eteotico got the same advice from @cp_from_oz and I thought I had adjusted the socket block enough for my belly, but I was wrong. I've managed to get it the way I wanted it as well as the arm but I had to use the incuded allen key to adjust the springs. It's nearly perfect now. The drop time is a bit fast, I need to figure out how to add weight on top, adjusting the gimbal more will make the camera to high up for me. Which makes me wonder what to do when I will try my GH2 on it... Will look into to getting some rubber on those knobs :)

@eteotico To my uneducated eye, that was incredible. When you said low mode, did you actually invert the camera?

Yes, I've preset low mode with markings in the LCD bracket. From high mode to low mode, I only need to move the gimbal by an inch lower, re-angle the LCD so that it faces me when it's inverted and slide the LCD bracket all the way out to achieve dynamic balance. I now shoot inverted and use the camera remote control to record or stop since the camera is so low. Note that the image on the LCD screen is not inverted. The Sony FS 100 automatically corrects the LCD.

thanks for these nice demos nd explanations. How do you think will the vest fit to tall people? ( 6ft 6)

Nice to see a RED on it, but the test flight in the video doesn't really do the rig justice. Either the guy in the video is a beginner or he doesn't know how to balance properly.

I'm looking into buying the Steadicam practice cage to add more weight on both my GH2 and EX1. We used them on the workshop where I got my certificate with small handycams. It comes with 5x 4lb weights if my memory serves correct and can be stacked so you can choose how much weight you want. Again, if my memory is correct. In Sweden the cage is almost $500 US, so I'll probably look into a DIY solution first.

@eteotico @cp_from_oz

My "first" test is up! Password: laing-m02

I decided to do this quick test when my friend Victor showed up at work and agreed to be my lab rat... I mean, actor. We threw this together in 20 minutes during my break. Not 100% happy with it, the rig wasn't perfectly balanced so it's a bit wobbly and I touched the post with my knee when booming down there at the end. And you can see my shadow twice. There's a lot of stuff I would fix if having more time to make further attempts, but it's still cold in Sweden and Victor and I were freezing (at least he had a hoodie, I had a T-shirt). It's decent for this first quick go, I wanted to make it fairly long and do as many variations as possible.

Sorry about the second half, Victor made me do it xD But I guess I can loose some pride as thanks for helping me out when no one else wanted to.

@hempo22 It looked darn good to me. I got so frustrated with mine today I started doing 70's spins.

My Handhel Stabiliser, P-03 (MC, the longer model) arrived safely today - Through the PV Deals.
It was sent via DHL and took 4 days to get here.
It was fully assembled, inside it's Nylon carry case, inside a box.
It appears to be well made and robust.

Edit: a couple of hours later ... an observation ... not a complaint.
The worm screws do not appear to be corrosion resistant, so bare that in mind if it gets wet/salty.

As this cheaper model does not have an adjustable tilt plate, I am going to try use this device

I already have it and it should do the job: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/882023-REG/Bescor_th_36_Aluminum_Alloy_Table_Top.html

Update about 12 hours later, just achieved static balance after about 20 minutes, with my Small HD DP6, GH2 and 14mm ... no way can I carry that for longer than about a minute and a half (4.1Kg total) ... I am a little guy ... time to do some weights. Nup ... loose the DP6 and two weights, and fashion a sunshade from black wrap!

Static balance is easy to achieve with the assistance of the two bubble levels.
When you tighten the left-right and fore-aft locks it tends to throw it - the remedy is to keep a little tension on the locks when adjusting.

Total weight: GH2 and 14mm .. 1.9Kg ... static balance took me less than 5mins this time. I have the minimum weights on the base, and had to lower the gimbal on the pole to get about 2.25 seconds drop time.

Added the Bescor wedge plate, after removing the legs and accessory arm, total weight 2.1Kg.
The wedge works well, requires fore-aft adjustment after changing angle ... Images tomorrow

@kavadni

Interesting approach for tilting base :-)

Just got the Laing P-03 Stabilizer from eBay. Was able to play around with it for the past few days. Balancing and quick adjustments on the fly are a breeze! And this is my first stabilizer too. I have much to learn, but I think I'm picking it up rather quickly. The thing is just wonderful to work with. :D

I do have some questions though concerning getting a vest for the P-03. My setup is quite light, GH2 + Tokina 11-16 2.8 using only 2 of the weights on the P-03, so I'm not sure if getting a vest would be "overkill" for a setup so light. But I can't hold it up for longer than 3 minutes straight until I get tired, and I thought getting a vest with an arm would solve that problem for me especially since I plan to use this for day long events.

Do I have to get the vest/arm setup Laing provides, or can I look elsewhere for my needs/purposes?

Thanks!