Me running with my Hybrid Steadicam Vest + Glidecam HD 4000
So even though i'm a DIY guy and make some really (bad) and Cheesy stuff, i'm still a buyer of expensive video and photography equipment. I had this tour set to private, but recently just made it public. You can see what i'm rockin' in one of the Videos, just so you know, i'm not all broomsticks and duct tape....
This was a test with the GoPro HD mounted onto my rig. The extreme fisheye shot simultaneously helped me get a better view of the smaller rooms. So basically I was flying two cameras at one time with two different perceptions. For the audio we used a wireless Sennheisser Lav + Body Pack transmitting into a Zoom H4n.
I was bored, collected a few parts from Home Depot and decided to hack up a quick DIY Offset Shoulder rig. Since DSLR's don't have the flip out LCD option, placement of the ViewFinder needs to be offset. I also added some weights to the rear to help balance things out and it won't feel so heavy on the hands. With the 5D and that Lens it takes a few weights, but for a Canon 550D or T2i you'd probably need a lot less.
Too bad I didn't have time to grab some rubber bike handles. It's no RedRock and yes some say Cheesy (hence the name CheesyRig), but all metal construction, it's pretty solid for something around $20.00 dollars. Hope this gives some ideas on how to make a DIY offset DSLR shoulder rig for us low budget guys. Enjoy and leave comments.
A few bolts are too long, I need to replace them or cut them down. Shown is the Canon 5D Mark II with LCDVF and 85mm F/1.2 . I was using the Canon 7D with Tamron 18-270mm to record this video.
Fluid movement in video is a big deal today. Dollies, sliders, jibs, cranes, steadicam shots, skater dollies, there are tons of different ways to get that cinematic camera movement. The video above has got to be one of my favorite simple camera tricks I ran into a while back, but since we've got a growing number of newbies in DSLR video, I thought i'd repost.
I posted about this Hague Mini Motion Camera Stabilizer earlier in my blogs, but I just thought I'd share with everyone what a Canon T2i looks like when balanced on the Hague. Now that high quality HD Video cameras are smaller, the Hague MMC is one good option. This stabilizer will only fly the weight of a Canon T2i with 18-55mm kit lens and nothing more. You can find the Hague MMC on eBay (click here)
Other Small Video DSLR Camera Stabilizers
If you're planning on Flying something a bit heavier, the next best option would be the Flycam Nano. You can see how well this stabilizer flies in this video (click here). This is what I feel the best bang for the buck. It can easily fly a Canon 5D Mark II or Canon 7D with a Tokina 11-16mm lens. You can find the Flycam Nano online (click here).
The Flycam Nano
One feature that the Flycam Nano lacks is what are called 'fine tuning knobs'. These knobs are available in some stabilizers for you to quickly and easily get your camera in balance. You simply turn the small knobs and the camera will shift slightly left / right, or shift slightly forward and back. If you need to be quick about getting a camera ready to fly, the Glidecam HD series are the best bet. For small cameras similar to what the Flycam Nano can fly, you'll want to look into the Glidecam HD1000 stabilizer. You can find one of my demo videos (click here). The Glidecam HD1000 is the smallest of Glidecam stabilizers under the HD2000 and HD4000 which can all be found online (click here).
Glidecam Stabilizers
If you're looking to beef up your Camera by adding a battery grip, LED light, or Microphones and need something to carry more weight, the next step up (price wise) would be the Glidecam HD2000-HD4000 stabilizers. You can find the different Glidecam HD models available here. They are all basically the same design, just different sizes to support different weight cameras. You can probably get away with the smallest one, but if you plan on adding something like an LED video light (like this one) , you might want to get the larger Glidecam HD2000 or HD4000. I personally own several different stabilizers, but here's a BTS video with the HD4000 (click here).
In your search for Glidecam stabilizers, you might run into the Pro versions. These will also work great and the difference in the Pro series of Glidecam stabilizers is mainly the lack of 'Fine Tuning Knobs'. They will balance fairly heavy loads and if you don't require the fine tune knobs you can find many of these used for cheap prices (click here). Getting back to the Glidecam HD series of stabilizers, you can find more information about how much weight each stabilizer can carry, along with prices following the links below.
The Above video shows some information about how I modified a cheap Targus Monopod into a very lightweight portable DIY Camera Stabilizer for my 5D Mark II and 7D to shoot video. I used this Targus Monopod which is cheap but works well.This obviously will work for any DSLR and if you want to modify the head into one that flips into Portrait mode, i'm sure it would be a great traveling BodyPod for Photographers too. Remember, this DIY is to 'enhance' practicality of Monopod use while still maintaining full functionality. This is not a 'flying' stabilzer.
Here's the Problem:::
Monopods are great and much lighter to travel with than a Tripod. For some reason though, it sucked having to carry one around because I could never get it to fit into a backpack. I searched and searched and searched for a Monopod that could fold up very short, was lightweight, but could still support my camera when extended. The biggest reason Monopods aren't very compact is because 'When Extended, it should at least be Eye-Level". How compact can you get a Monopod and still get it to be Eye-Level??
My Solution:::
So after a bit of thought and a problem I ran into while shooting video in a Vegas Night Club, I came up with the idea of Cutting a Monopod in half and using a Sling as the support foundation. I used this Targus Monopod which is cheap but works well.Straps have long been a great way of support in Shooting Photos, Videos, or even in Rifles. By removing the foot of the Monopod and adding an Eye Screw from Home Depot it was very simple to mount a quick release luggage strap. I could have stopped there, this was pretty nice already, but since I didn't need a Monopod to extend from the Ground to Eye-Level, why not cut it shorter. All I needed was from the hip to Eye-Level. Modifying the Monopod I had was very simple. I slid the foam grip down and found 3 tiny screws. I removed the screws and the head came right off. I measured the length I wanted and cut the Monopod (basically in half). Reattached the Head on and that was pretty much it!!
I went from a 22" folded Monopod to about 10" inches. Now this item travels in Stealth no matter where I go and for the first time ever, I finally have a Monopod that fits inside a backpack. Can't beat that for 15 bucks......
Here's the exact Monopod I used in this video.
I had a quick release plate from a broken Tripod, but If you happen to find a cheap Monopod that does not come with a quick release plate, you can always buy one that attaches directly to standard Monopods such as the ones below.
Sample footage was uploaded at: http://cheesycam.com/?p=116
I'm not saying this DIy shoulder mount should be used with the new DSLR video cameras, but if you're rockin' a Canon HV20 / HV30 / Vixia HD camcorder or similiar sized cameras, this is a simple solution to getting great steady shots for under $20.00 dollars.
I was asked if I had any ideas for a cheap DIY Video camera shoulder support rig that was easy to put together and cheap.
Not recommended for heavy cameras, but for small consumer-cams, I think it's a great DIY Shoulder Mount Project.
Parts List:
Aluminum Flat bar (bend it to fit over the shoulder).
Foam insulation (used for shoulder padding)
Metal 'T' Bracket (combine this with the flat bar)
Handles (I used Jump rope handles because they already had an easy way to mount it to the bracket)
Black Appliance Epoxy paint (much stronger than acrylic)
A few nuts and bolts to hold everything in place.
I think you'll get the idea....
If you're using Canon DSLR's they also sell remotes that I believe may work with starting and stopping video recording.
People have asked me about what I used to make the stabilizer. So i've revised the video a bit to include photos of the stabilizer and information about the parts.
I've also attached a few photos of my 5D Mark II mounted 'Right Side Up' and also "Upside Down" for those very low flying shots.
All parts available at Home Depot. I was literally sprinting to keep up with the kids, but the stabilizer worked pretty well.
Camera 5D Mark II with Sigma 20mm. Sorry video isn't HD I was going for functionality of the stabilizer on this demo, not video quality. More photos will be available in the Photos link. More sample videos will be available in the Videos link.
Here's another attempt at panning around and running along side a shot. As you can see he was running pretty quick, but the shot stayed pretty steady. Although the Steadicam Merlin works well for flying shots, I still prefer to use my Cheesycam DIY Stabilizer when trying to keep up with fast running shots and weird terrain. Also it's a great portable solution if you're worried about bringing out your expensive gear. I once used this camera stabilizer when recording some paintball action. (Definitely don't want to take an $800 dollar Merlin out to that).
Mini Camera Stabilizer
