Canon 7D Helicopter Rig With 70-200mm IS Lens.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZVBLfRnxdc[/youtube]

By: Jared Abrams

I wanted to address the issue of safety after posting the last helicopter rig video here on C5D. Jason Wawro introduced me to Ross Addiego at the RAW works event last Saturday and we decided to head out to The El Mirage airstrip to grab some car footage with his gas powered helicopter rig. The basis of the test was to see how Canon’s Image Stabilization would hold up. We decided to go with the Canon 7D with a 70-200mm IS lens to really push the limits of the IS system. The wind was quite fierce with gusts up to 20 MPH. After a decent little test run with that lens, we switched over to a Canon 16-35mm Zoom. The re-balance and lens change only took about fifteen minutes. As the rig was taking off a big gust came and Dave the pilot grounded the rig. As you can see in the less than dramatic footage, the rig was only a few feet from the ground. No one was hurt and the camera was just fine. Safety was the key element there. The wind could have easily taken the helicopter in any direction causing serious damage or injury. The frame of the rig cracked upon impact ending our fun in the desert. However as the popularity of HDSLR’s grows, so do the ways we try to push the limits of their ability. Please be safe when you are out there experimenting with cool new ways to rig or shoot with your DSLR. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart for editing this together for C5D.