Glidecam 2000 or 4000

[hjrt]

Hey,

I've been reading this forum for quite a while but never posted something. Just got a new pana hpx 171 (european version) and it's great! So now I'm about to buy a stabilizer, but my budget is quite tight since I also have to do other investments (e.g. tripod, mic).

The glidecam 2000 or 4000 pro seem to do a pretty good job for the money, although it is said that they're hard to balance. I've surfed around a bit on the internet, and found out that there are both people who use the hpx170 withe the 2000 pro and with the 4000 pro. Which one should I get? Weight is a pretty important issue, because I don't have budget for an arm+vest system. I maybe thought that the 2000 is lighter and thus better?

[HpxRigal]

get the 2000, its what i use and works flawlessly. i just added a tiny bit more weight as my fisheye is kinda bulky.

[hjrt]

Do you use all weights for the hpx? Or do you still have some margin left? I mean: if I put a mic, battery, lamp + p2 cards on it, won't it be to heavy for the Glidecam 2000 to balance it correclty?

[Steve Laramie]

You would be crazy to use the 2000 for the HPX170. Get the 4000. I use the 4000 for my HVX200a. The 2000 is not rated for the HPX170

[HpxRigal]

I did use all the weights. With all that on the camera i would go with the 4000. im pretty much at the limit with mine an the fish. i didnt know you planned to mount a mic an lamp.

And the 2000 holds up to 6lbs, hpx is under 5lbs

[Dustmunkey84]

I don't know a tremendous amount about camera stabilizers... but there are alot of small companies that make knock off versions these. I would be interested to see if these 3rd party rigs work. I saw a video of a guy demonstrating one and it worked flawlessly. So.... if anyone wants to rebuke my idea for 3rd party I would like to know why, because i have been thinking about buying one too.

[hjrt]

Thanks for the advices! I purchased the 4000. It seems that I have balanced it correctly now (drop time is about 2-3 seconds) and when I put it on a tripod, it hangs completely vertical.

When I hold it with my hand though, it still moves a bit (turning and hangng forward/backward)...maybe the time to get in its original position is too long and maybe I should add some weight to make it 'quicker'? I use now only 3 weights with the telescope arm in its longest position. Only have a mic on the cam, so it should be about 2kg.

Maybe anyone of you has any advice? Maybe it's just practising...

[lifestylefilms]

Use your other hand to guide it into position. Guide it with your fingers touching the silver part either above the gimbal or below it. Use miniscule amounts of pressure but just enough to get it where you want it.
and lots of practice

[hjrt]

Hey, I've been practising and finetunin the balance, and it's getting better and better. Just one question: what is better: 1) long telescope arm and less weights or 2) a short arm and more weights? I feel that the second option is more stable, but maybe there's physical evidence against it...plus: how many weight do you guys use with a 4000 and a hpx plus mic? I now have 10 on it with the arm near to the shortest point possible. Thanks in advance...

[randy09660]

did you look into the flycam 3000? much cheaper knock off

[David Shawl]

hjrt, though it's heavy to handhold, you may have better results with a short sled (arm) and more weights with a 2-3 second drop time. I use the HPX170 with my 6-year old Glidecam 2000 frequently with good results.

[dmchord]

Holy Macaroni!! This thing is Heaavy...

I just got the 4000HD to use with my HVX and I'm starting to love the shots I get...for about 30 seconds. Then my arm falls off. I'm spending a fortune in CrazyGlue to keep gluing my arm back on ;)

With no mics, I've got 8 plates on the sled and it's telescoped maybe an inch out. (In other words, just about as short as you can get it.) I'm getting what looks like perfect horizontal balance when it's hanging from a c-stand and I've got a drop time of about two seconds.

The thing is, when I'm moving around with it (I've got the forearm brace, and I suppose that helps a little, but not too much) it has a tendency to swing around more than I'd like. I'm trying to be real light with my guiding hand, and my guess is I'll get better at that as I get more practice (In one to two minute spurts, at this point.)

What I'm wondering is if adding a couple of plates will smooth it out even more. (Guess there's one really good way to find out, isn't there?) The thing is, I've only got that 2 second drop time, and I know it should probably be just a little longer time than it is. Won't adding weight - aside from killing me - speed up the drop time? Which I don't want.

One other thing: I've heard some talk about using the Manfrotto 577 quick release. How does that work? You somehow fasten the head to the Glidecam's quick release plate (which really isn't so quick) and mark off the position of the camera on the Manfrotto platform? Do you have to drill holes in the 577 to semi-permanently attach it?

Thanks!

Gotta go lift weight now...

[Barry_Green]

If it's swinging around, that means it's not properly balanced. So you'll need either more weight down there, or perhaps less. If you're getting a "pendulum" effect it speaks directly to having too much weight on one side or the other.