You have to love the names our American cousins come up with for gear. Presumably the idea is that the Merlin allows such smooth camera moves that you’d swear they’re magical and the work of a wizard.
Luckily, you won’t need to study for years in a damp forest in order to get results from the Merlin that you’ll like. No, you can click through the numerous user videos online or even visit the Steadicam website and check out their information.
So what does it do? Basically, with a little practice, the Merlin will help smooth out unwanted movement whilst keeping the camera level. In the hands of a skilled operator Steadicam say you can get results similar to more expensive rigs.
Using one of our 5D MkII cameras and completely ignoring the cookbook for setting it up, we had the Merlin working in about fifteen minutes. Not bad for our first time. We would recommend using the manual, just to get an idea of what the Merlin requires in terms of tweaking for any given camera.
Primes are the lenses of choice for this kind of work for the obvious reason that a zoom lens will change the balance when you alter the focal length. This also applies when you change lens, but it’s the same for top end film kit so we don’t expect to hear any grumbling.
The Merlin is only meant for lightweight cameras; up to 5lbs, which is plenty if you’re a 5D or 7D shooter, but it also covers the Sony Z1 and similar.
We reckon the Merlin is the best of the entry level steady mounts for handheld work.
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