Tiffen Steadicam Fawcett Exovest, Manual

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9.   Ensure that both sets of rods are 

centered on your body. Check the 
front rods in a mirror, and the rear 
rods by touching your spine with  

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they’re off center, adjust the waist 
VELCRO

®

 straps, relaxing one side 

while tightening the other.

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you enough room to breath deeply  
in your upper chest, as shown below.

Centering the rods

Room to breathe

Note: If you’re an experienced Steadicam

®

 operator, you’ll 

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most vests resist the torque at mid-back level, necessitating 
that work be done entirely in the lower region of the back. 
By doubling this lever arm, we halve the force necessary to 
counterbalance the rig, and engage back muscles to the 
height of the shoulders.

Keep the rods off your back

11.   The sizing should be correct now, 

so all that remains is to ensure the 
pads are correctly positioned. The 
four waist pads should rest on your 

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the pelvis, and the front waist pads 
are pushing into your abdomen, 
remove the vest and move the  
pads a little outboard.

12.  When you lift the Steadicam,  

the bulk of the weight should go  
into your pelvis, but allow a little 
stabilizing weight to rest on your 
shoulders—don’t leave a gap up 
there. When you push the Steadicam 
out in front of you, the rear rods 

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do, remove the vest, and insert a 
booster pad between the back pad.

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touching your back because you are slouched forward, you may wish to
correct this by standing up straight rather than by using a booster pad.

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what suits you best. Because the Exovest is semi-rigid, a small change can

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learn any new tricks, be sure to let us know.