This is a follow up video showing how I mounted the heavy 4 pound weight I purchased to the Gini Shoulder Rig. With a spare dog bone clamp, a straight hole through both items, I was able to run a bolt and a clamp knob to hold it steadily in place. The original article can be found here: http://cheesycam.com/diy-counter-weight-solution-for-shoulder-rigs/
Aqua Black Vinyl Coated Lace Thru Style Hard Weights - Black
The Gini Rig I posted about in this article is an awesome piece of gear. Definitely something you should look into if you're looking for a solid DSLR shoulder rig. I suggest doing some research on what your options are and compare prices with other gear. Like many others out there, I didn't pay the asking price for the Gini. On a good day the Gini Rig can be had for rock bottom prices, so it's all about patience and just making an offer you feel you would be comfortable with. More on the Gini can be found here: http://cheesycam.com/the-gini-rig-arrives-from-korea/
There was one piece of gear I wasn't so lucky to have with my DSLR shoulder rig package, and that's a good Shoulder rig Counter weight system. Having a balanced rig is definitely going to help stabilize footage and take lots of weight off the hands. I got this DSLR shoulder rig for cheap, so i'm looking for something just as cheap. Aside from the Gini Rig here, there's a million different DIY shoulder rig solutions that could use a good counter weight. Many DIY solutions are even built around PVC pipes, and I don't think you're ready to throw down $100 bucks on a weight. So I began my quest to locate a good solid, cheap, yet professional looking substitute for a counter weight.
Vinyl Coated Lead Diving Scuba Belt Weights
I placed this order about a week ago, and wanted to have it in my hands before talking about it, just to make sure it's worth the pennies. It's definitely the solution I was looking for. Very small and compact, with a chemically bonded heavy duty Vinyl coating, and a flat black finish to match your video gear. These scuba weights were designed to withstand ocean salt and hard reef bumps. Simply dropping these weights on hard gravel wouldn't do damage to the coating, it's that tough. There are slits on each side to allow me some mounting options, but as dense as Lead is, it's probably not difficult to drill through either.
[Update] Took a drill to it, it literally drills through like butter. Lead is a very very soft material to drill through. Keep in mind that this is a Lead weight product known to be hazardous if not handled correctly. You should read information about safely handling Lead Metals.
The rounded edge design ensure you're not going to scratch or gauge yourself. The vinyl coating is very smooth and comfortable to handle in the hands and keep the system very clean. These weights are available from 1 pound and increments to 12 lbs. 4-6 lbs is probably a comfortable weight for most DSLR rigs. Now that i've had the chance to handle this product, there's plenty more ideas that come to mind. If you're rocking a super lightweight tripod system but need some extra stability at times, these are much more compact than your typical sand bag to hang. If you're working on that DIY DSLR crane and need to add some weights to the rear, these are much more compact and have a nicer finish than normal lifting weights. The possibilities are endless. So if you're looking to DIY a shoulder rig and are in need of a good cheap solution to a counter weight system, meet your new best friend.
DIY Car mount from www.enriquerodben.com
Double and Quad Head Suction Cup Mounts on eBay
Ready for your next camera movement? How about strapping your camera to the hood of your car and taking a drive. There's a ton of DIY's for mounting a camera to a car and the 'safest ones' all stem from these popular suction cups. In fact you'll find plenty of the same mounts being sold as 'Camera Car Mounts' for several times the price of making your own. These suction handles are designed to carry heavy glass windows and doors with the smallest Double Head suction capacity rated at 125 lbs. The quad suction head rates at a 330 lbs capacity. Whether you trust those ratings or not, I can guarantee it will be more than sufficient to carry a sub 5 pound DSLR. There's plenty of creative ways to mount up your camera but the most simplest is to drill a hole straight through the Quad Head's handle and place a small Tripod Ball Head. The hollow handle can act as a pass through for a tie down strap if you're looking for an extra bit of stability too.
Also available via Amazon:
4 Head Suction Cup
Thanks to Darius for reminding me about these once in a while sales from Ikan. Periodically Ikan will have a 48 hour blowout sale discounting very select items from 30-50% off. Sounds like a great deal, but here's the other catch. Those very minimal select items are also on sale in minimal limited quantities. Today the IKan Friction Follow Focus shows up on the sale page starting with only 15 available at a discounted price of 30% off. If you're looking for a simple, modular, fast to mount follow focus that doesn't require different sized lens gears for each lens you own, today could be your day.
I've been playing with the one I have for a while and although it can be mounted in many different ways, I find it works best when using the rod adapter mount, and put onto the new Gini Rig that I have. If you don't have a basic rail mount, you can find a cheap base set over at Express35.com.
[Update] Item is gone....already sold.
One single unit shows up on eBay auctions. This little (possibly discontinued) video stabilizing Gizmo is called the Hollywood Lite VS1. My guess is the Stabilizer was out too early before tiny DSLR's started changing the video market. It functions similar to other common stabilizers with a center Gimbal handle, top stage, and lower counter weight sled. YouTube member Chung123video does a good job demonstrating the balance techniques, but no real footage to look at. From the movements though, I can tell you it's going to be pretty smooth.
How much weight does it hold? Not sure, doesn't look like much but claims it can support cameras up to 4lbs. If that's true, it should hold up better than a Hague and support cameras around the size of the Panasonic GH1 or GH2 with ease. The Hollywood Lite unit itself weighs only 2.5lbs perfect for packing up and traveling. It should definitely suffice for point and shoot video shooters and iPhone video junkies. If you can find it elsewhere, it's a pretty penny. This single on eBay is looking to accept some offers or has a Buy It Now price (I don't think it's worth the Buy It Now price). Link to Hollywood Lite Stabilizer: Hollywood Lite VS1 Video Camera Stabilizer
Click Image for Hollywood Lite VS1 Auction
Hoodman H-WS1 WristShot Camera Support System
This bowling brace looking camera support is called the Hoodman WristShot, and it's used to transfer the weight to the forearm while still allowing you to control the camera. It looks crazy, but If you think about it, it makes a tad bit of sense. For DSLR shooters, one arm is usually holding the camera weight while the other is maintaining focus. In that situation, it would be difficult to try and keep the camera stabilized. It may even aid in keeping the Horizon level on the camera and reduce vibrations from wrist movements. For those renegades who shoot solely hand held, and can't stand the restrictions of large stabilizers, this might be a helpful solution. Cost wise? I'll let you decide, following the link here: Hoodman H-WS1 WristShot Camera Support System
Or via Amazon
If you've been looking for DSLR rigs, i'm sure you've heard about the Korean DSLR Rig manufacturer Gini. The photo gallery (above) has two pages, so click the #2 to see more images. If you haven't heard of the DSLR Rig manufacturer from Korea, you can find all the available products here: Korean DSLR Rig, Rods, Clamps, Handles, Stabilizers
I'm about to write an article about a piece of DSLR gear that will sound like it belongs in a Playboy magazine. All the information out there on the web say the Korean DSLR rig manufacturer is just as good as the other guys sporting a Red and Black theme. I'm here to tell you that's all true. Sure the prices aren't dirt cheap, but the quality is outstanding, and keep reading to find out why i'm writing this. I'm sitting here with a huge package of clamps, rods, mounts, handles, and other odd shaped pieces of machined aluminum. Every single piece is carefully detailed, with high quality anodized coloring, and an outstanding flat brushed like finish. If you've ever dealt with manufacturing parts, you'd probably see this more as a fine work of art, than just pieces of equipment. The handles are as large as my hands with a smooth contoured finish that makes it easy and comfortable to grasp. There's nothing cheap on this rig, right down to the tiny bolts.
Sure, these rigs are nothing new and the seller has been out there for years. So why am I talking about this, and why am I currently infatuated with this new rig? I got it for a steal, and I mean literally a steal. I do eBay all the time, but this is the first time i've won an auction for something I thought I wouldn't receive. DSLR Rig sales on eBay have slowed down alot. The market is definitely saturated and everyone is finding new ways to build up custom rigs. Fortunately the seller Gini continues to market solely through eBay with a combination of 'Buy it Now', 'Best Offer', and 'Auction' type listings. There's a slew of different rigs being sold at different prices. I started by throwing in extremely cheap 'Best Offers' at a few different rigs. I was obviously denied, and fairly quickly I might add. Next I moved on to the actual Auctions listings where you throw in a bid, and surprisingly there's no reserve. I went straight for the big $1500 dollar package that offered so many different pieces. There's no denying a bid like the 'Best Offer' listings. Once the bid is in, it's in. The only way to get out of the sale is to be outbid. A few hours later, holy crap, I won the auction.
No communication came in about my payment being received, or any shipping information. Since it's an over seas sale, I decided to give him some time. 10 days after I won the auction, here I am talking about it. There's plenty of options for DSLR rigs, but not many of them offer 'Best Offer' and bid type 'Auctions'. If you've already got a budget set aside for a rig you're saving up for, you might want to throw in a few bids or leave some Best Offers with Gini. You never know what you can end up with, and for what price. I'm not going to talk about what I received my package for, but if you're an avid eBayer, it's an easy look up through the 'Completed Listings' advanced search option. You can easily see what rigs have sold, for what prices, and what offers were accepted. There's no doubt that I got lucky on this auction, but i'm glad Gini stood behind the auction and honored the sale. The item shipped fast, and also included a package labeled 'Gift' with a bunch of extra rods. (shown in the photos).
If you're looking to take a chance, and get lucky, click on any of the images in this article, or check out the new listings for these luxurious DSLR rigs: Click here for Pricing on Korean DSLR Rig, Rods, Clamps, Handles, Stabilizers
Many of you have probably already seen this video. It was posted up over a year ago as Part 1 of 2. I know i've had my eyes on it for quite a while waiting for the follow up, but Part #2 of this project doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon. This one is based on the Gimbal Handle that is used on the Glidecam series stabilizers. There seems to be a million ways to make a Steadicam Merlin gimbal handle, but little ways to make a decent Glidecam type gimbal handle. In this interesting video, there's some really nice techniques in mounting several bearings into some cheap PVC making it into a full 3 axis gimbal. It's been a year already, and there's some really good ideas in here to just let this sit back without being tackled by someone. Since video #2 hasn't been released to follow up on this, i'm curious if anyone has attempted this DIY project, and how far did you get?
If you're not familiar with what a Glidecam Stabilizer is capable of, check out my HD1000 video demonstration here: http://cheesycam.com/glidecam-hd1000-dslr-video-stabilizer-demonstration/
click image for pricing on Glidecam HD1000 Stabilizer System
Now that Panasonic has announced the GH2, i'm sure this is going to open up a market of new Panasonic shooters. If the GH2 shares the same form factor and weight as the GH1, this might be a Panasonic GH2 video camera stabilizer worth looking at. I posted an earlier article on this website with Vimeo member Choon Ean showing off some Hague MMC skills with a GH1, but here's another one that should sell it as a capable GH1 / GH2 steadicam. Lots of panning and full on jogging shots while maintaining great results in this video. Remember, this isn't on flat smooth ground, but more on an uphill run in some uneven terrain. Good job showcasing the product on this one.
[Thanks - Choon Ean]
The Hague MMC can be found here: Hague Mini Motion Cam Video Camera Stabilizer
click image for pricing on Hague MMC
