Cheesycam DIY Stabilizer

Videos and Articles about the DIY Cheesycam Video Camera stabilizer steadicam project

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An iPhone is a small device, and so far many of the stabilizers have been short handles. Earlier this week Tate Nations showed us his version of the DSLR Cage Fig Rig painted Red. Tate probably had a lot of left over strut rail to come up with this other use. This has to be the first Fig Rig i've seen for use with the iPhone. Some might think it's overkill, but remember there is an iPhone Cinema Kit out there that will run you about $900 bucks.....now that's 'overkill'. Overkill or not, it's DIY, pure fun, and i'm sure it provides excellent stabilization. Very cool DIY which would be interesting to see people's reactions when this hits those events.

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DIY-Fig-Rig diy-fig-rig-red
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Posted by Tate Nations found in the comments section of this DIY DSLR Cage Fig Rig Stabilizer article. Wow I must admit, the black camera on red rig, with grey handles looks pretty sweet. Great job on this design Tate! You can find Tate's Flickr image here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/shockingbird/4911513235/in/photostream/

If you're looking to build your own, you can find that article I posted a while back here: http://cheesycam.com/cheesycam-exclusive-diy-dslr-cage-stabilizer/

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After posting about the possible Double L bracket stabilizer idea, Dave Taylor over at DaveTaylorMP.com shares a few images of his Double L Bracket setup with what looks like a Canon 550D / T2i. He's using the Video Camera Light Bracket - by alzodigital.com which has two cold shoe mounts. He mentions that he also added the Trek Tech T Pod Table-Top Tactical Tripod With Magmount Star to his configuration for a simple Shooter rig with an extra handle. His inspiration for this came from TheC47.com video below. Check it out, looks pretty cool if you can't afford the RedRock Micro theEvent Rig.

I'm still looking to mount two L brackets but with an Aluminum flat bar in between to make the handles more level, and a QR adapter dead center. Maybe i'll change that center AL bar into a 'T' bar so that I can support both a QR adapter and room for the T-Pod configuration. Thanks for sharing Dave!

Update: Reader Chuckarama just sent in this Flat bracket that looks like it will do the job in between the L brackets. Should be able to mount a QR plate and still be Tripod mountable. Great job Chuckarama! Let me know how that comes out when you're done.

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Customer image submitted to Amazon.com shows the use of two Adorama 'L' brackets spaced out to create a 'fig rig' style stabilizer. This simple solution would definitely work much like a common fig rig, while still allowing cold shoe attachments on each side for your LED lighting and Shotgun Microphone (as the above image displays).

Doesn't really show how the camera is mounted in between these two brackets, but a short piece of AL flat bar is all that i'm thinking this setup would need. The Aluminum flat bar can also be cut to widen the space between the handles for more stability, but going too wide might throw off the axis of your LED light and shotgun mic. The brackets used in the image above are the Adorama L Brackets, but there's also other notable L flash brackets available from other manufacturers.

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An image of a Z96 LED light on a Glidecam HD4000 + Steadicam Vest + Rode VideoMic + Canon 5D Mark II + Battery Grip + Zoom H4n shows up in the wild. Well it wasn't really that wild. Somehow an image of just a small part of my rig showed up on the BayCitizen.org website, as I was part of the video team covering the Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp event over at UC Berkely. I was the only one roaming with any type of Steadicam, let alone a Steadicam Vest and sure did get lots of attention and questions about the rig. It's smooth to fly, gets good audio from the Rode VideoMic shotgun + Zoom h4n (on the lower sled - not seen), and when cruising indoors I have the ability to switch on some extra LED lighting. It's a versatile setup that works for me, and I use this same setup consistently for many types of event coverage. It's change a little bit, but you can see more of the Steadicam + Glidecam rig I've assembled in this article.

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A while back I did a demo using a Glidecam HD4000, and my most recent video the Glidecam HD1000. I found that if I wanted to fly a bit more weight than the HD1000 and less weight than the HD4000, my next stabilizer review would be the in between Glidecam HD2000 (right smack in between). I did do a short video on the Glidecam 2000 Pro which totally misses the mark on the fine tuning knobs available on the HD series.

Michael Sato over at DSLRUniversity.com beat me to an official Glidecam HD2000 review. He's got a sample BTS video out on the Raley Field - Sacramento Rivercats where he flexes his 'strumph' flying without a vest. I think my knees would have given out on me if I tried that for very long. To follow up, he's got a full page article written up with more detailed information about the Glidecam HD2000. So between the few reviews i've shown for the HD4000 & HD1000, and the DSLRUniversity.com review on the HD2000, you should have enough resources to find out what might work best for you.

Here is the Glidecam HD 1000
Here is the Glidecam HD 2000
Here is the Glidecam HD 4000

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After Benson caught my test on the IndieHardware stabilizer parking lot demo, he decided to dive in and give the IndieHardware Stabilizer with a Canon HV20 combination a try. I would have to say that his footage is slightly more interesting than mine if you're into tens of thousands of women in tiny bikini's waving at the camera. Other than that, I think my test and his are a close match. LOL.

One thing that I was completely confused about, was that I didn't see more than one DSLR camera carrying person in this video. WT? That's like twilight zone type weird for any event. Or maybe my eyes were just forced elsewhere in the video, I just missed it. If you're still undecided on a stabilizer or are looking into the IndieHardware Video Stabilizer, check out the footage above. To me it looks like it could be just slightly off weight, but a really good first test for sooooo much walking in the heat. Thanks Benson.

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@MunkiCloud checked out the DIY Point and Shoot video stabilizer I made for my Canon SX210 and modified it to mount the new iPhone 4. For a walking and panning shot, I think this DIY Stabilizer for that iPhone 4 came out great. Sometimes it takes a bit of 'dialing in' on how much weight to use and how far to spread those weights. Practicing if you've never used any type of stabilizer is also key. So before you drop down about $900 bucks for an iPhone Cinema Kit, you might have better video results with this DIY stabilizer for probably under $10 bucks...

You can find MunkiCloud's full write up here, and more information on my DIY Video Stabilizer for small Point and Shoots found in my article here.

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Above: Adapter for iPhone on DIY Point and Shoot Stabilizer

Below: Images of my DIY Point and Shoot Stabilizer

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Brendan Cusker over at ENDmedia caught a few posts on Cheesycam about the new Express35 rigs showing up in DSLR world. In the description of Brendan's video he states he needed a run and gun type stabilizer that will allow him to shoot in clubs along with support for a Follow Focus system. Working with owner Chris over at Express35, here's the configuration they came up with to suit his shooting style. It looks like handles off to the sides provide principles of a Fig Rig stabilizer while keeping things quite compact. Bottom rails on the rig are there to support the 'future' Follow Focus system. This looks to resemble the popular Redrock Micro Captain Stubling DSLR bundle, except that even after a Follow Focus system this custom ENDmedia / Express35 rig will only be about 1/3 the price.

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above: Redrock Micro 'Captain Stubling' with follow focus

Nice config guys, and excellent demo of the unit, looks pretty stable. Feel free to contact Express35 and make sure to put in a good word about Cheesycam and ENDmedia.

[Update] This rig is now offered with a shoulder pad, upgraded HD Handles, upgraded knobs, and optional counterweight.

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find-price-button Express35 Run-N-Gun Trio with Shoulder Pad (optional counterweight)