ScottyMakesStuff Micro Pro 2 User manual

Micro Pro 2
4th Axis Stabilizer
Quick-Start Guide
The Micro Pro 2 - 4th Axis is one heck of a full-featured and versatile filming rig that
folds up into a tiny footprint ready for when you need it. And with an ever-growing set
of powerful accessories, you’ll find so many new ways to capture smooth footage!
We each move differently but if you follow this guide you’ll be up and running with
smooth footage within a few hours. Over time and with practice you’ll develop the
style, method, and settings that work best for the way you move to get the smoothest
possible footage.
Common Rig Arrangements
Easiest to Master and
gives the smoothest
footage
With the centre of
gravity over the
handle, this gives good
smoothing
Quick to set up but
front-heavy rig can be
challenging
Can be tricky to
master but the results
can be great with 360
Cams etc.
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‘Soft Hands’
It’s quite easy to grip the handle a little too tight and angle it forward or backward.
This firm grip can also cause some tilting to occur when you take each step. When you
adjust to a new setting there’s a couple of things you need to do to get the best
smoothing results for that payload and damping settings. The first technique is to use
what we call ‘soft hands’. When you grip the handle in whatever orientation it’s
important that you hold the handle with a light touch while making sure the
suspension arm maintains it’s a level position.
This is easy in the inverted mode as the rig naturally balances on your hand so if you
hold the handle lightly it will stay level.
Upright and Balanced Upright Modes are a little less forgiving but Balanced Upright
Mode will be the next easiest to achieve ‘soft hands’ with.
Stationary Bounce Practice
When you get a new rig mounted it’s
important to get your ‘Soft Hands’
working for that rig first. Stationary
Bounce Practice is critical in achieving
‘Soft Hands’ and involves bouncing the
handle up and down while keeping the
camera as steady as possible.
With a bit of practice, you’ll find this
will become second nature and it will
take seconds to get your hands
balanced and tuned into your new rig.
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Setup
1) Start by turning the payload
adjuster so that your stabilizer’s
suspension arm sits roughly
horizontal. There’s no rule that
this arm needs perfectly horizontal
but it’s a good place to start. At the
bottom of the adjustment be
careful not to loosen it past this firm stop or the M3 nylock nut could come
undone.
Note:  The Payload Adjuster is the primary way to
balance your rig. As you get more skilled you can
adjust the ride by adjusting the angle of the
suspension arm. For a softer suspension, have the
suspension arm pointing slightly down and
likewise, if it’s pointed up you’ll get more stiff
suspension for those occasions where lots of little
sharp bounces are occurring such as when
mounted to a vehicle. Just find what works best
for you.
2) Adjust the damping adjuster knob by turning it clockwise until you meet firm
resistance. This is 100% damping and only the hardest vertical motion will be
absorbed.
Note:  Just as you wouldn’t leave your expensive camera in a car on
an extremely hot day, don’t do likewise with your Micro Pro 2 - 4th
Axis. Due to the payload spring being in permanent tension, temperatures
exceeding 65°C (150°F) can cause permanent deformation!
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3) To turn the bounce damping off to 0% damping you simply loosen the screw
anticlockwise one full revolution. You’ll see your rig will bounce more before
stopping. Take note of how quickly the bounce takes to fully stop.
4) Take some test footage to see whether the bounce and vertical micro jitters are
controlled. With this setting, the bounce damping will likely be poorly
controlled.
5) Now adjust your damping knob clockwise one-quarter of a revolution and this
will be 25% damping. Test and analyze the footage.
6) Now adjust your damping knob another quarter of a revolution and this will be
50% damping. Test and analyze the footage.
7) Now adjust your damping knob another quarter of a revolution and this will be
75% damping. Test and analyze the footage.
8) Finally, adjust your damping knob another
quarter of a revolution. This will be 100%
damping. This will have poor jitter control
during normal walking but will be useful
during intense motion.
Most people will find a setting between 25% and
75% will work best for general walking.
Changing the Mount
The upgraded Micro Pro is now ‘tool-less’ with a
locking cam to quickly invert the camera.
NOTE: Take care when inverting or changing the
mount as the delicate thread can be damaged
when sideloaded or over tightened.
To fully master the Micro Pro 4th Axis stabilizer it’s
highly recommended to see the in-depth videos at
https://www.youtube.com/c/ScottyMakesStuff
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