Glidecam

• 30 Comments

•

There's plenty of stabilizers on the market in all different shapes and sizes, but finding one to support up to 8lbs. of weight narrows the playing field. Now when you're talking about finding a portable lightweight stabilizer + carry 8lbs. the list gets even smaller. The Steadicam Merlin is one of the best performing portable stabilizers i've used, but has specs to support only up to 5lbs for about $800 dollars, the Glidecam 2000 up to 6lbs, and The Glidecam 4000 can support up to 10lbs for about $550.

The Blackbird stabilizer from Camera Motion Research is said to support up to 8lbs, is cheaper in price, and less than half the weight and size (making great for traveling) compared to the Glidecam HD4000. The Gimbal handle design with universal joint is found on other stabilizers, but this is the largest one i've seen. How well does it perform? Well, there's videos of this stabilizer flying a Sony EX1 so any DSLR should be a breeze. Just by looking at the build quality, there's quite a bit of thought placed into every detail about how this thing works. The stage has a quick release system, can be adjusted forward / back, and left / right with fine tuning knobs. The weights on the bottom are mounted to an adjustable post with clear markings for easy repositioning if you have to take the unit apart. (I often use nail polish on my Glidecam posts to make sure I can line things back up) One interesting feature addresses problems with what most people have issues with (stabilizer roll). By adjusting friction into the Gimbal it keeps the stabilizer horizon more consistent.

Here's a great little review from Vimeo member Firewerkz Films

If you understand stabilizers, how they work, this one is clearly made to address all concerns for getting the camera quickly balanced, easy to fly, and travel light. I'll be putting it together and testing it out later this week, but so far it looks like a great little product. I'll have part #2 of this review up soon.

blackbird-stabilizer
find-price-button Camera Motion Research BlackBird Stabilizer

• 4 Comments

•

Vimeo member ek2008 really took his time making this DIY video camera stabilizer. Not only looks good, but works great as seen in the video above. Look through some of the older videos and you'll see it's been a work in progress for several months.

Vimeo member Tim Nitsch uses a simple servo, spool, and a bit of string to motorize an IGUS slider. More information on how it's all put together at the video link.

• 23 Comments

•

If you've been following the long wait for the Atomos Ninja HDMI recorder, then you'll know it should start shipping this week (hopefully). It's a sexy little unit that acts like a low res monitor, but is really a portable recorder to capture uncompressed Video goodness. Many times this is done by connecting a Video camera to a computer of some sort and a capture card. Above is a nice little example from Vimeo member UrbanFox.TV or what the Ninja is all about. It's already been delayed for several days and i'm waiting to see some examples.

DSLR shooters probably aren't going nuts for something like this because it's pretty rare to get clean HDMI out for recording. Sure the 7D outputs in 1080, but there's something not quite all there.. Other non DSLR camera shooters who use higher end Canon's, the fancy Sony's, and Panasonic are literally drooling for a portable solution to capture uncompressed HD output signals. Sony camera like the EX1 will need SDI input on a recorder, so soon another version 'the Samurai' will meet those requirements. [Note: Though your camera may output uncompressed signals, the Ninja saves the incoming signal to Apple ProRes]. Rumor mill is that only 250 units will touch US ground on this first shipment and who knows when the next batch arrives. If you weren't on the pre-order list and didn't get confirmation to receive one soon, it looks like someone is making one available via eBay.


atomos-ninja-HDMI-recorder
find-price-button Atomos Ninja Portable HDMI Recorder

• 24 Comments

•

[Video and Audio are terrible. Shot with a cheap Point and Shoot]

Not sure if the post shows up, but it's about 1:00 a.m. (in the morning). I received a super last minute call to help out with some Glidecam work on an event. So I decided to hack something up which I think would be helpful. When flying on this Glidecam i'm closing down the aperture to keep things in focus. This means less light. So I decided to mod a few RC batteries together to power up the 352 LED Ring Light. It's bright, it's well diffused, and it's dimmable. It's the perfect light source for what i'm trying to achieve during this event. [BTW the light at the end of this video is turned all the way down - it gets brighter!]

In order to mount the large 352 LED Ring light, I needed to raise up the 60D with a battery grip and then place it on top of a Calumet quick release adapter. A few flexible power arms kept the LED Ring light mounted and also the Rode VideoMic Pro in place. With the 60D Manual Audio + Rode VideoMic Pro +20db, it sounds really good. Anyways, this rig might be overkill so I also balanced out my 7D on the Glidecam HD1000 for times I don't need lighting or audio. Ok, time to nap. Could be a long day...

dimmable-352-ring-light
find-price-button 352 LED Ring Light with 12V AC Adapter

• 39 Comments

•

flycam-nano-upgrade

The Flycam Nano stabilizer has been around for years, but until recently it didn't get much steam. Now with plenty of fine examples of flying all the new light weight cameras, it's fast becoming the budget film maker's choice. Kai over at Poolfilm.com writes in about a problem with the Flycam Nano post. Turns out to have been a defective product, and then goes on to say the guys from India were nice enough to send another unit. This time though, the unit came with a different post. Gotta hand it to them for customer service, as I know we're all weary about overseas purchases.

So with the new thumb knob clamp in place (now similar to Glidecam's locking adjustment) the question is - Is this an older version or are we going to start seeing a change in the Flycam Nano's post? Anyone else get one recently to comment on this new post design? Mine is different as seen in my image below...

flycam-nano
find-price-button Flycam Nano DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

• 4 Comments

•

Vimeo member Carl throws up a demo video with the Canon T2i on Hague MMC video stabilizer. Something i've shown a while so nothing new there. Jump on over to 2:18 in the video and you find out how Carl balances the GoPro and iPhone properly. I've always said if your camera is too light for the stabilizer, you need to add weight to the top. Carl achieves this by adding a small Manfrotto tripod which works well for weight and adds the function of a quick release adapter. Now that the GoPro has an LCD BacPac, we could start seeing more GoPro Flying. Watch out Tiffen Smoothee, the cheaper Hague MMC with some small mods can easily balance a Flip, GoPro, iPhone and more...[Thanks Carl]


Screen shot 2011-02-02 at 10.38.40 PM
find-price-button Hague Mini-Motion Cam Video Stabilizer

Now Carl does an excellent job with the Hague MMC, but i've used this stabilizer before and there's other (better and cheaper) options. The Hague is higher priced than the IndieHardware which I reviewed against the Hague MMC not so long ago. You can definitely save a few clams if you considered the IndieHardware over the Hague for your lightweight cameras.


indie-hardware-stabilizer-upgrade
find-price-button IndieHardware Camera Stabilizer

If you're really interested in flying a GoPro, you should also check out another version of these type of stabilizers from Lensse. Probably just as good if not better than the rest with a price that sits in between. There's also a smaller version offered by Lensse dedicated to small Cell Phones (iPhones) or PDA's. Right now Lensse is trying to grab some marketshare and some items are being auctioned off starting at .99 cents. These small stabilizers already designed to work with an iPhone without any further modification, just might be good enough for the GoPro too. A deal hard to pass up..

Screen shot 2011-02-02 at 10.48.31 PM
find-price-button Lensse i-Steady Camera Stabilizers

• 87 Comments

•

glidecam-dolly-skater (9 of 18)

These are two of the most popular and smallest DSLR stabilizers. I'm not going to say one is better than the other when it comes down to the actual video footage. End results between these two micro flyers would be the same once you have them fine tuned and balanced. The main differences to consider between these two is cost, quality of build, time to balance, and handling.

glidecam-dolly-skater (2 of 18)

First no surprise here, the Flycam Nano can come in about three times cheaper than the Glidecam HD1000. The Flycam Nano comes in a bit smaller than the Glidecam but this also means it won't handle as much weight. If you want to stick to the smallest flyer but are concerned you might be pushing the limits too much, then the HD1000 might be the safer bet. The Flycam being the smaller stabilizer can pack down smaller for traveling. Of course the Flycam Nano can easily handle a 7D + Tokina 11-16mm (and then some), which is about the average weight needed for most entry level flyers. The Flycam might be a better choice for smaller cameras like the Sony SLT-A55 or Panasonic GH2.

glidecam-dolly-skater (4 of 18)

The Flycam build quality isn't as polished as the Glidecam. Cheaper materials, painted metal instead of anodized plating, lack of fine tuning knobs, tiny handle, and non-professional looking weights. That's what helps keep the cost down. The Glidecam is far superior in build quality, but fancy plating alone doesn't make it a better flyer.

glidecam-dolly-skater (5 of 18)

The Glidecam handle is much larger and more comfortable to grip. The Glidecam handle is the same width as it's larger HD2000 and HD4000 siblings making it possible to use the HD1000 with a full Vest. The Flycam has a much smaller and shorter handle designed to be used with an optional Flycam Arm Brace.

glidecam-dolly-skater (3 of 18)

The Glidecam HD series stabilizers also have fine tune knobs. The fine tuning knobs allows micro movements of the stage making exact placement of the camera much easier and faster to the center of balance. This is a great feature for anyone who seems to change out lenses, cameras, or accessories that require the entire stabilizer to be rebalanced. If you're pretty much set with the camera + lens combination for flying, a Flycam Nano with a quick release adapter should do the trick. No need to rebalance.

Here's a sample video with the Glidecam HD1000: http://cheesycam.com/glidecam-hd1000-dslr-video-stabilizer-demonstration/

Here's a sample with the Flycam Nano: http://cheesycam.com/flycam-nano-stabilizer-abused-with-7d-tokina/

2011-01-26 11.18.522011-01-26 11.19.06

glidecam-hd1000-dslr-video-stabilizer
find-price-button Glidecam HD1000 Video Camera Stabilizer

flycam-nano-video-stabilizer
find-price-button Flycam Nano Video Camera Stabilizer

• 10 Comments

•

The $24.00 dollar shoulder support with Rod mounts are getting a few questions as well as the recent Quick Release adapter posted on this blog. Here's a look at how i'm using these recently purchased items with my gear.

First a quick look at the cheap Quick Release adapter. It's not a standard QR adapter with a 1/4x20 thread already tapped in. Instead I run a beveled screw through the top of the adapter and place a bolt underneath. To keep the quick release adapter from shifting around I also used thin double sided tape between the adapter and the stage of the flycam nano. To prevent the nut from coming loose, I also have a washer + lock washer.

Flycam QR (1)Flycam QR (2)
Flycam QR (3)Flycam QR (4)

Second common question i've been getting is how to mount rods to the cheap $24 dollar shoulder support. To get the basic foundation setup, you'll need an adapter plate. This type of plate is commonly used under a rod rig so that it can be placed on top of a Tripod of Fluid head. When purchasing a basic set of rods or any rig, find out if one will be provided. If not you can buy one separately here: https://express35.com/tripod-mount/1054/

Gini-Rods (2)Gini-Rods (4)

After mounting the adapter plate to the shoulder support, I can then position any set of handles, build up an offset stage, have support for a follow focus, matte box, etc. You can also find a basic set of rails with DSLR base plate, and Tripod plate here: https://express35.com/rail-system/295/

Gini-Rods (5)Gini-Rods (1)
Gini Rig on $24 Shoulder Support w/ Varavon ViewFinder

• 1 Comment

•

Above is the only example I know of showcasing a Hollywood Lite Camera Stabilizer. When I first mentioned the stabilizer on this blog, the auction sold lighting fast from this article: http://cheesycam.com/hollywood-lite-video-camera-stabilizer/. This is a discontinued type of stabilizer that is designed to support cameras up to 4 lbs. I can't imagine it was very useful in the old days of heavy cameras, but with all the new lightweight Canon T2i's, Sony Alphas, and Panasonic GH2's coming around, it's seems to be relevant once again. Now i'm not saying it will fly a 7D, but for those GoPro Video makers, or iPhone Video junkies this might be an inexpensive solution. Cody left a comment and wanted to share that another thought to be extinct Hollywood Lite stabilizer shows up online again. On auction now and up for another day.

hollywood-lite-vs1
find-price-button Hollywood Lite VS1 Video Camera Stabilizer