The Aputure MagicRig (sometimes listed as Polaroid Rig) is a mini 15mm rig used to stabilize small or lightweight video cameras comprised of a chest pad, one handle, and quick release plate. Amazon has just added this little stabilizer to it's Cyber Monday Deals (found here).
Aputure MagicRig Shooter Video Rig
Out of stock previously, that new carbon fiber Wieldy Stabilizer I posted an article about (found here) a few weeks ago has listed a few more in stock. News update, I received my unit in also and this thing was really modeled after the Glidecam HD stabilizers. Check out the photo below showing the counterweights. One is the Wieldy and the other is for the Glidecam - dead on exact same shape and the holes line up perfectly on my Glidecam.
Build quality is good although there were a few loose screws when mine arrived that I needed to tighten up before flying around. The sled is almost exactly the same also, but the Wieldy is using a thinner sled plate which I could easily bend by hand if I really wanted to. The Gimbal adjustment works great and I was able to reposition it so I can fly my camera upside down, something I can't easily do with the Glidecam without the handle hitting the stage.
Balancing was very quick for me since it has the same fine tuning knobs that the more expensive Glidecam offers, so I was very familiar. FThis stabilizer can be compared to either the larger $570 Glidecam HD4000 (seen here) or smaller Glidecam HD2000 (seen here). The HD2000 will already run you about $500 dollars, while this Carbon Wieldy Stabilizer runs for about $300 bucks. Additional information, photos, and video examples of the Carbon Wieldy Stabilizer in use can be seen following the link to the product page via eBay (Click Here).
Wieldy DV Pro Iron Triangle Stabilizer
[Update] You can also find the Wieldy bundled with a dual arm stabilizer from another seller. The vest offered is different than the one I posted about earlier, and it's available with different stabilizers. A few listings from this seller show the dual arm vest bundled with this same Wieldy Carbon Fiber stabilizer.
Dual Arm Support Vest with Carbon Stabilizer
Guess what came in the mail recently? It's that cheap video stabilizer load vest I posted about a few weeks ago. I've had a bit of time with the gear, and as with any product there's Pros and Cons.
Pros:
The cheap vest is a combination of snap buckles and velcro, while the Steadicam Merlin vest is based on just velcro. Constantly readjusting the velcro on the Steadicam Merlin vest causes the vest to wear out, not to mention it's a bitch for hangnails. I've already had to replace the velcro on my Steadicam Vest, but there is also a 'buckle upgrade kit' (seen here) I will probably do the next time I need repairs. I've been using the Steadicam Vest for a long time, and I find that the Cheap Vest is more comfortable than the Steadicam Merlin vest.
Cons:
The cheap vest I received came with a few scratches on the paint. Only slight blemishes, and nothing compared to how my Steadicam Vest looks like today. The Steadicam Merlin vest can be dialed down to fly light camera stabilizers. The ISO arm on the cheap vest requires a heavier load than the Steadicam. When flying just my 5D + Glidecam HD4000, the setup was not heavy enough to bounce the arm. I ended up adding some addition weight on the stabilizer setup for the cheap arm to work better.
It's no Steadicam Killer, but the Cheap Vest has really good build quality for the price. I find it more comfortable than the Steadicam Vest and it works to carry your Flycam or Glidecam Stabilizers. If you're planning on flying a very light setup, this vest will not operate as smooth as the Steadicam Merlin Vest. The ISO arm of the cheap vest requires a bit more weight to put the proper tension on the spring. Below is a video showing pretty much the exact same vest setup from YouTube member Kirk Saber, along with his example footage from the vest system.
If you look carefully, you can see the bounce in his step due to the spring tension requiring more weight. The Steadicam Merlin Vest is a dual arm setup, while the cheap vest is only a single ISO arm. The Steadicam Merlin vest runs almost $1600 and the Cheap Vest runs for just under $400 dollars. There's a new listing in which they are also offering a Carbon stabilizer as part of a bundled package via eBay (Click Here).
Budget Single ISO Arm Camera Stabilizer Load Vest
Disclaimer: I help to design products for PhotographyandCinema.com. The article below is information about the new P&C Prime Video Rig. There are many other great Video Rigs available within articles of this blog that you may also want to consider.
PhotographyandCinema.com adds another affordable product for budget video shooters. The new Prime Video Shoulder Rig Kit contains a combination of parts that will allow supporting basic camera setups to more advanced rig configurations that require mounting additional accessories.
The Prime Video Shoulder Rig Kit includes a special Hybrid Shoulder / Chest Pad that allows the rig to be used on the shoulder or off the shoulder as a gun-stock style shooter rig.
The Prime Rig Kit (when purchased from PhotographyandCinema.com) also includes (2) P&C Swiss Rods for flexible mounting of additional accessories and (1) NEW 'Tough' Stainless Steel Friction Arm from Kamerar.com. These are new friction arms that are more robust than other arms on the market.
More information about the new Prime Video Rig Kit can be found at https://PhotographyandCinema.com (here).
PhotographyandCinema.com Prime Video Shoulder Rig Kit
[More News]
PhotographyandCinema.com is now distributing Kamerar brand products. The P&C Prime Shoulder Rig is also available through Kamerar.com without a set of Swiss Rods or 7" Friction Arm and sells for $30 dollars cheaper + FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING.
New Kamerar Tank Video Cage, Slider Dolly SD-1, Single ND Filter MatteBox
About Kamerar:
Kamerar's product line has been completely revamped and is now offering several new products - starting today. Along with a new line of affordable and unique products, Kamerar also offers FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING which translates to HUGE savings for International Customers. I encourage you to take a glance at some of the exclusive and affordable products for Video enthusiasts at https://Kamerar.com
Skyler MiniCam DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer
The Skyler MiniCam (seen above) is one of the smallest Video Camera Stabilizers around, and can still fly a fairly weighted DSLR Camera. It's an expensive piece of kit, but my favorite stabilizer to travel with. To make the Skyler even smaller and faster to setup, there's a new optional Transformer Legs kit. It allows you to fold the three counterweight legs instead of unscrewing each one on the for the Skyler MiniCam Video Camera Stabilizer.
Skyler MiniCam New Transformer Legs
One essential tool for long Flying Video Stabilizer (Steadicam) type shots is a Vest system with an iso-elastic arm. The vest helps to take the weight of the camera off the arms and distributes the load over to the body. The flexible spring loaded iso-elastic arm keeps the camera level as the operator runs, jumps, or climbs a flight of stairs.
The problem has always been that the price of these vest systems were often out of reach. Here's a new Single ISO Arm Camera Load Vest System on the market that appeared recently. Quality, Style, and build looks much sturdier than the ugly Flycam Vest system (seen here)
, and this new vest runs just under $370. That's cheaper than a basic Rokinon Cine Lens. You can find the new vest available via eBay (Click Here).
Budget Single ISO Arm Camera Stabilizer Load Vest
Wieldy's new DV Pro Stabilizer (a.k.a Iron Triangle DV) looks like a more advanced version of a Glidecam HD series stabilizer. If you look closely to the design, it resembles the same left / right / forward / back adjustable stage as Glidecam along with a built in quick release stage for fast packing.
The entire sled design and even counterweights are also cut to a similar shape that resemble the Glidecam. If not for the Carbon Fiber post of the Wieldy, I could easily mistaken this for either the Glidecam HD2000 or HD4000.
Here's where a few differences are with the Wieldy. The Wieldy DV Pro Stabilizer states it can collapse to a minimum height of 15" which is similar to the smaller HD2000, but can telescope to about 29" which is about the max height of the largest Glidecam HD4000. The Wieldy gimbal (unlike the Glidecam) can also be repositioned on the post allowing for another fine tuning adjustment, or to use the stabilizer upside down for very low mode flying.
You can get more information, more photos, and see other video examples of the Wieldy in use following the link to the product page via eBay (Click Here).
Wieldy DV Pro Iron Triangle Stabilizer
Less than a year ago, Wondlan introduced a few hand held carbon fiber stabilizers. Since the release, it was short of showcasing excellent examples of the stabilizers in use, so it was hard to tell if it was the actual unit or operator experience. Here's one video that shows some pretty fluid movements and also a short balancing tutorial with one of the Wondlan stabilizers. Besides the light weight Carbon Fiber, certain models of the Wondlan Stabilizer can telescope fairly tall to be used as a short monopod when you're not flying around.
Alex writes in and shares his thoughts on the Tilta Lens Support for 15mm Rails. These are designed to provide support for longer lenses, especially if you plan on using a Follow Focus system that could easily shift the lens around. Later Alex moves on to the Tilta Video Follow Focus System
and other rig accessories. If you're not familiar with Tilta, this company possibly makes the highest quality Video Rigs coming out of China. Very good stuff, and you can find some of the other rigs they offer via eBay (Click Here).
Tilta DSLR Video Rigs Follow Focus Systems
