Miller Arrow fluid head a finalist in Australia's Good Design Awards

The arrow^X Fluid Head Series from GTC sponsors Miller Camera Support Equipment has been named as a finalist in Australia’s Good Design Awards in the 'Product Design: Commercial and Industrial' category.

Managed by the international organisation Good Design Australia, Australia’s annual Good Design Awards programme recognises and rewards excellence in design,  innovation and creativity for both national and international products. Promoting excellence in design and innovation since 1958, it is one of the longest running design award programmes in the world. Winners of the award embody what the organisation sees as cornerstones of good design: form, function, quality, safety, sustainability, commerciality and innovation.

Andrew Barnes, designer of the arrow^X, wanted to create a fluid head that would improve the way broadcasters and videographers work while staying true to the original Arrow series: "The challenge was to fit the extra features onto a fluid head that already has a jam-packed design, while respecting and building on the legacy of the previous Arrow range... Arrow is a world-renowned product and it was very exciting to design new features, and especially the patented CB PLUSTM mechanism, which provides great functionality and repeatability for the end user. Having the CB PLUS and the arrow^X on the world stage at Australia’s Good Design Awards and the design judged by industry peers is a great morale boost and underlines the immense commitment Miller makes towards quality products.

The Arrow^X series is the third product to reach Australia’s Good Design Awards finals, joining the Compass and Skyline fluid head series.

CB PLUS

Miller’s CB PLUS, featured for the first time in the Arrow^X range, is a unique sequential counterbalance design which takes traditional counterbalancing a step forward, resulting in repeatable, accurate and rapid setup. CB PLUS features eight large counterbalance steps, allowing the user to get to their needed position quickly and efficiently. The CB Plus switch adds a half step enabling counterbalance refinement. This new feature makes the arrow^X Series perfect for ENG, EFP, Studio, field OB or any other use where frequent and fast rerigging is required.

In addition to CB PLUS, each member of the Arrow^X Series – the Arrow^X 3, arrow^X 5 and arrow^X 7— delivers several additional features that provide the right feel that have become Miller’s trademark, including the ability to remove the clamp stud to easily mount the head on flat-base surfaces like sliders. Where extra rigidity is required, a Mitchell Base adaptor can be fitted. All arrow^X models come with 120mm of sliding plate travel to help quickly rebalance changing camera payloads. Precision ball bearing-supported pan–tilt movements help deliver silky-smooth starts and soft-stop fluid actions. Accurate floating pan–tilt calliper locks ensure bounce-free on–off locking.

"We are extremely honoured that Australia’s Good Design Awards has chosen to recognize the arrow^X Fluid Head Series," says Charles Montesin, Global Sales and Marketing Manager, Miller Camera Support Equipment. "Its superb design fits the awards criteria, especially with the addition of CB PLUS."