Merlin Mount

Mount for Steadicam Merlin

I recently added a Steadicam Merlin to my video equipment.

One very useful accessory is an offset arm that Steadicam sells that is about 18" long and mounts onto a light stand or tripod. This lets you slip the grip of the Merlin onto the arm, which makes adjusting balance much easier. It also gives you a place to rest the Merlin rig.

I decided that a smaller version of an offset arm would be useful to attach to a tripod or monopod in the field. The construction was fairly simple using a small block of aluminum, a 3/8" hex bolt and a couple of 3/8"nuts.

Click on the small photos for larger images.

I drilled two holes in the block: First the 3/8" hole, then a #7 hole and tapped the second hole to 1/4x20 thread. Next I cut the head off of the hex bolt and eased the edges so the Merlin's grip slides easily over the stud. I also trimmed away the excess threads.

I attached a Manfrotto quick release plate to the bottom of the offset arm. All of my tripods use this kind of quick release.

Here are some photos of the offset arm mounted on a monopod. The photos show how the Merlin's end weights just clear the monopod shaft... but it's generally positioned so the Merlin's arm is to the right or left of the shaft.

Canon HV30
Raynox DCM-6600 wide angle lens
LitePanels Micro LED light
Sennheiser MKE 400 microphone
Steadicam Merlin stabilizer
Home build offset arm for mounting the Merlin
Manfrotto quick release
Manfrotto 3009 ball head
Gitzo carbon fiber monopod

I hope others with similar equipment find this useful.