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As soon as I announced I was going to test the Glidecam HD1000, many people have been leaving me messages waiting. So here's my quick run through, i'm sure you all know how to assemble and balance these things. There's already plenty of video tutorials on balancing, so i'm just going to show you sample use of the HD1000. Thanks for my sister-in-law for allowing me to chase her around while she (not very skilled) rides a skateboard around to show fast moving shots. Yes I was lightly jogging with the Glidecam HD1000 and Canon 5D Mark II + Sigma 20mm F/1.8.

I did a demo of the Glidecam 2000 Pro, and now I normally fly the Glidecam HD4000 which is a beast, but truly a top performer when loaded up. I love the Glidecam HD4000, but sometimes it's a bit overkill. The way I have the Glidecam HD4000 setup, I wouldn't want to run that way without my Steadicam Merlin Vest. So I wanted to really push the smallest Glidecam to see how much weight it can carry. It can balance the 5D Mark II + Sigma 20mm F/1.8 using all the available weights (compact mode). If you extend the base further down, you can shift the center of balance making it more bottom heavy and possibly add-on a very small LED light or Sennheiser MKE400 microphone.

Can you fly with LED light, Microphone, and Zoom H4n + Canon T2i + wide prime lens? Don't quote me on this! I've flown the Glidecam 2000 pro, the HD4000, and now the HD1000. The gimbal handle on the Glidecam stabilizers are very very strong and very fluid even when loaded up. In fact, I think they fly better when they are pushed to their weight capacity limits. Although they won't suggest this I really think you can further 'modify' this unit to accept even more weights at the bottom and really fly a heavy setup with accessories. Yes you can easily move up to the HD2000 or HD4000, but i'm looking for the most compact video stabilizer solution possible. So if it's possible to really load up this HD1000 then i'll be stoked, because you can see how nice and tiny this thing is, making it perfect for travel and tight locations.

Again, this is a bit more pricey than those other stabilizers i've shown, but it's really the best bang for your buck. Most people either don't like flying footage, or don't shoot enough of flying footage to justify the price. If you really like the look, want or need something super fast to balance, you can get away with the HD1000. If you'll be adding some further accessories and added weight this will push you to the HD2000 at least. So don't quote me on the HD1000 being able to handle everything, this is something i'm still working on, and hopefully i'll demo that soon. Glidecam makes great stabilizers. If you've been following my videos, I started with my DIY stabilizer, moved to the Steadicam JR., then to the Steadicam Merlin, tested the Glidecam 2000 Pro, Hague MMC, IndieHardware Stabilizer, Glidecam HD4000, and now Glidecam HD1000. I've tried many and i'm very satisfied with the quality, price point, and fast balance design of the Glidecam HD stabilizers. (HD version! Not Pro models, those kinda suck to balance).

NOTE: Besides being able to carry more weight, the handle has a much broader range of movement. You'll notice several 'Tilt' shots in this video as I point downwards going down the stairs, or point downwards at the skateboard. This type of Gimbal handle also allows for shots pointing upwards or sideways. This was one of the main reasons I left the Steadicam Merlin since it couldn't support these type of shots.

Glidecam has made it very easy to choose from 3 different DSLR stabilizers depending on your needs. I'm not an expert, you should always consult support with the respected manufacturers, but if you have any questions i'd be happy to try and answer them. Here's a link to the Glidecam HD1000 if anyone is interested in dishing out a paycheck to grab one.
If you are planning to balance heavier setups, you can find more information about the other Glidecam HD series stabilizer, how much weight each stabilizer can carry, along with prices following the links below.

glidecam-hd1000
find-price-button Glidecam HD 1000 Smallest Glidecam HD DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

Glidecam-HD2000
find-price-button Glidecam HD 2000 Medium Sized Glidecam HD DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

Glidecam-HD4000
find-price-button Glidecam HD-4000 Largest Glidecam HD DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

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@TwitHerb emailed me about a set of DSLR LED video lights he's looking into buying, and also provided me some links to some forum discussions, and other websites. Let me start by just pointing out that i'm not trying to be mean here, but it's kinda funny. This information is already circling the Video forums, I seem to be the late bloomer on this product, and I was just pointed it out to it.

As with technology things change every few months and the oh so popular 126 LED light now has a new competitor (or replacement). Labeled as the Z96 LED light (it has 96 LEDs) there been several tests against the 126 LED and though it has fewer, seems to be the top performer. So, in summary the 126 is phasing out, the new Z96 is in. Roughly about the same price, about the same features, looks a bit smaller, but overall they are saying the Z96 is a better performer.

z96-lcd4video

Here's the part where i'm trying not to be mean. Above, is a very good video demo showcasing the product, and watermarking the video back to the website where these LED lights are sold for $296 dollars. Below, is what these LED lights are going for coming out of eBay found here. In order for the eBay sellers to market the product, these sellers are using the guys video above.

z96-led-video-light-dslr
69-dollar-led-video-light

I wonder if they sent him a gift basket? So basically this guy over at LCD4Video has just helped out by doing some clever video marketing for eBay sellers. Who knows how long this video will be posted in the auction, but check it out. Oh and If you haven't already invested into a set of DSLR LED video lights, these seem to be the ones that are the hot topic right now. You can find the new 96 LED DSLR Video lights here via eBay.

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Just happened upon a couple of videos that linked back to the blog. Here's the original articles they were referencing.
http://cheesycam.com/test-diy-dslr-cage-fig-rig-stabilizer/
http://cheesycam.com/20-00-diy-offset-shoulder-rig-cheesyrig/

Wow, these guys really know how to DIY! I'm glad the videos they shot are much more creative than my forte 'on the floor of a bedroom with a carpet background'. I really hate to post this up right now, Vimeo is having issues with their Play Stats. It would be great for these guys to see how many plays they get for their hard work.

I very much appreciate these guys linking back to the blog, and I ask as much as possible that everyone does, so that we can point others to all of this information for budget film makers. Most importantly thanks again to these guys for taking the time to inspire others to try DIY equipment too. Details of their videos are pulled from Vimeo.

DIY Shoulder Mount

Inspired by www.cheesycam.com I decided to save myself a few bob and build my own shoulder rig for some stabilization action. Works pretty well, and am pleased with it. I have a few long screws on it....but i can cut them to length later.
Looking forward to getting some use from it now!

DIY Fig Rig

Here is our very first attempt at a DIY rig. The plans came from CheesyCam and we thought we take the rig to our good friends at Rustworks for some metal cutting and assembling. Enjoy the video. We had a good time putting this Fig Rig together.

RUSTWORKS
830 Bransten Road
San Carlos, CA
(650) 593-2276

Big thanks to: www.cheesycam.com

Shot with the Canon 5D Mark II

Visit our website: www.calixteworks.com

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ggs-550d

Whoa! Big ups to Jeff Pepito, for this awesome new product. Jeff mentions his is on it's way, and hopefully he'll do a review for us when it comes in over at https://jeffpepito.com.

Doesn't that image above look OEM and sexy? We've all been going back and forth about LCD Viewfinders falling off, and how mounting it with these sticky frames just aren't cutting it. After a period of time, the adhesion from the metal frames will eventually wear out, and umm..putting a stronger adhesive on can damage your cameras LCD (not a good thing).

Just a few days ago people shared the idea of using an LCD 'Shade', breaking off the plastic tabs, and permanently gluing the the Viewfinder. This seems to be a popular solution I continued to suggest, but there's a new product in town!

With or without an LCD Viewfinder, why would you even go without having something like this? It's glass, it protects your cameras LCD, it's not plastic like the LCD hood shades, and it's cheap! Apparently they even put alot of effort into the quality of the glass to ensure optimal clarity (there's a whole bunch of graphs and mumbo jumbo clarity tests). If you look closely at the above image, it also seems to have a cutout for the T2i / 550D 'Proximity Sensor', definitely nice crafting. Well played glass LCD protector......well played indeed...

Features:
* Manufactured from 0.5mm ultra-thin optical glass with at least 90% light transmission to ensure maximum clarity.
* explosion-proof film that ensure maximum resistance to impact damage ( up to 12kg/cm2) , preventing damage to the rear LCD.
* Specially treated to maximise hardness and durability to resist scratching.
* The durable black ABS surround is designed to blend in with the camera ensuring that the protector remains a discrete but effective accessory.
* Anti-fog and anti-dust designed viewfinder, good for your photography.
* Easy to fit, remove and re-fit at any time. Supplied with a handy storage box.

*Oh new found glass lcd protector - you had me at Scratch resistant, Anti Fog, and Explosion-Proof film.

So if you're going to rock one (two or three) of these to protect your camera(s), it will act as the 'Perfect' mount for any LCD view finder metal sticky frame permanently attached. Clear quality glass, and a quality fix to prevent those poor adhesive frames from falling off ever again. You can find the variety of these Glass LCD protectors for Canon and Nikon by clicking here.

ggs-canon-dslrggs-glass-lcd-protection
find-price-button Glass LCD Screen Protector Available for 5D Mark II, 7D, and yes people even the 550D / T2i

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I'm not going to show off any fancy video making skills. This review is mainly to compare the IndieHardware Stabilizer vs. The Hague MMC. This is my first attempt at balancing the IndieHardware Video Cameara Stabilizer. I was able to balance this thing fairly quickly. I might not have it dead on, but it is possible to balance a Canon 7D + Sigma 20mm or even a Canon 5D Mark II + Sigma 20mm. I tried this same setup over on a Hague MMC, it just couldn't handle it.

camcorder-camera-stabilizerhague-mini
click images to find prices

The limited range of movement in the handle is going to prevent you from performing hardcore running shots, but for very smooth patient walking movements, the handle works. The Hague also suffers from a limited range of movement (they have almost the same design), but the Hague MMC has a longer handle. Having a longer handle 'appears' to have more range. It's like when kids cut the stick shift in their car, same stick shift, but feels like you're throwing it shorter when changing gears.

There seems to be 2 different versions of this stabilizer, so make sure you contact the seller to be clear about what camera you are trying to balance. The one I have has support for 2 weight stacks. There is another one that has only 1 weight stack similar to the Hague. I guess this is for really light camcorders. More weights means you can support a heavier camera. Can you just add more weights to a Hague? Not really, the IndieHardware gimbal is larger than the Hague which means it can balance and control that weight much better too.

This isn't a Steadicam Merlin or Glidecam HD, but the price isn't $400-$800 dollars either. If you're work consists of only a small percent of 'Steadicam' type shots, and you're not ready to invest into something expensive, you might want to try this one over the Hague.

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lcd-battery-grip-t2i-550d-timelapse
click image

Just caught a twitter announcement from Aaron Dunlap about the Canon 550D / T2i 'LCD' Battery grips now available. I posted about these LCD Battery grips a short while back, and had many many questions about where to get the T2i version. I haven't used these myself, seems to have the same functions as a regular grip, but the LCD is there for the Intervalometer function (timelapse). It appears to be a limited timelapse function compared to the real Intervalometer remotes, but at least that's one less item to carry for short timelapses. Check out the new LCD Battery Grips for the Canon 550D / T2i.

lcd-battery-grip-t2i

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cheesycam-dslr-blog-contest-retweet-and-win

I just wanted to do something fun on the website, and give the chance for the readers of this blog something more to look forward to. Sorry i'm no Philip Bloom, or Shane Hurlbut, but in hopes to attract more 'sponsored' contests, i'm going to dig deep into my own pockets and kick off a simple little contest.

First, follow me on Twitter (which most of you already do), and then just Retweet this article. I'll choose one random follower and pay out of my own pocket a $50 dollar Amazon gift card 'EACH WEEK' from now until the end of August. (who knows maybe longer?)

Pretty simple right? One winner every week will be sent an Amazon (US) gift certificate code via email worth $50 US dollars. What are you waiting for? Start Retweet'ing!

Sponsors, if you're interested in giving these fine folks something to smile about during this contest, contact me.

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photo 2

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Wow pretty overwhelming day already. Just received the Tiffen Steady Stick and the Glidecam HD1000 I posted about earlier. The Steady Stick isn't really anything fancy and pretty straight forward about how it works. I will run through some of the details of their build quality and features a little. The Glidecam HD1000 is really the one I want to dig into. It's much more expensive and quite large than say a Hague or IndieHardware (which i'm reviewing today), but it's just another option in the line of moving DSLR stabilizers I wanted to share with everyone. Hopefully i'll get these video reviews knocked out soon enough.

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cheap-flexible-tripod
click image for Large Flexible DSLR tripod

I don't think I need to drop any names, but it's obvious what this product mimics. Thanks to a tip from 'Nick', this is the cheapest version i've seen online. Take note, that this is the 10" version for DSLR's. Original versions of this run approximately $39.95 +, while this Large Flexible Tripod sits in around $11.88 + Free shipping. I've seen flexible tripods like this over at Keeble & Schucat in Palo Alto. It's pretty beefy and hard to bend. This definitely is not a bad deal. I may have to grab a couple for my Canon 580 EX II Speedlights to hang them around doors, ceiling fans, bed posts, etc. Might even come in handy with that new Zoom H1??

cheap-flexible-tripod-buy

Peep the cheap - 10" Flexible Large Tripod for DSLR SLR + Free Shipping

[Thanks Nick]