The pin is fine. The odd thing is that it doesn't come with the screw that holds the pin to the Steadicam. The original screw fell off, and I could not find a screw at the hardware store. So I bought the pin hoping it would come with a screw. Nope. I finally found a screw, which turns out to be a #4-40 screw and had to shorten it to fit. Good luck!
I use this for my merlin steadycam and it works. However the screw and this nub thing unscrews itself. I finally had to devote my merlin for my Canon XH1 and glued it onto the mounting plate. You shouldn't have to do that but I got really tired of rescrewing it before during and after a shoot. But it works. Just make sure to check it every once and a while to make sure it still on because it is small and you will never find it again if you drop it!
This little pin helps keep your video camera (not DSLR, but videocamera) from moving side to side when you've got it on the Merlin Steadicam. You pretty much have to have it, or any little twist of the camera will put your steadicam's balance out of whack (not the steadicam's fault, just physics). It works great. But really, $? If you don't tighten it every couple of jobs, the thing will fall off. Then you have to buy a new one. And it doesn't even come with the microscopic screw you'll also lose that needs to hold it on. Maybe you could go to the hardware store and find something less expensive. That's what I'm going to try next time. The Merlin Steadicam is a fantastic piece of gear, that's for sure, but anything more than a dollar for this little thing really stinks, especially since the only people who buy it are loyal customers of the company that makes the steadicam.
I use this locating pin on my Steadicam Merlin, and it does its job quite well.
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