Glidecam 2000 or Varizoom vz-ultralite???

[vip77]

Which stabilizer is better for the HV20 the Glidecam 2000 or the Varizoom vz-ultralite???

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=3959&A=details&Q=&sku=397958&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=3959&A=details&Q=&sku=193812&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation


Or any other suggestions?

I can't consider the steadicam merlin at its current price point.

[PaPa]

im going to go ahead and say the glidecam2000 pro is the better pick.

althoug hthe varizoom has the handle grip directly under the camera, making it less stressful on the wrist, i am not convinced that a large plate at the bottom, that doesnt seem as tho it can be respositioned is going to provide sufficient adjusting as to accomodate the specific balance required fora steadicam.


i could be wrong tho. I am a long tiem user of the glidecam 2000 pro, and it kicks. And if you are using a camera as light as the hv20, weight is a none issue.

[Marshallarts]

Good input as I'm looking for a stabilizing solution myself, and specifically for the HV20 also.

Does anyone have any physics knowledge to support that Tiffen's approach using a cresent shapped "sled" would provide better stability then Glidecam's straight sled? Or is the cresent shape only so it can be folded away for shoulder use/ collapsed to take up less space? Wouldn't the physics of it be acheived equally; the seperation of weight from top to bottom?

Also, what Gimbal (handle) is a better approach, one directly under the camera or one that is at the center of gravity more down the sled like in more expensive models? And why don't they do that for hand-held models?
(PaPa does mention "making it less stressful on the wrist" but still, which is better?)

[Marshallarts]

"The sled is attached to the stabilizer arm through a gimbal device which is located very near the sled's center of gravity. The gimbal uses bearings to allow movement on the tilt, pan, and roll axes. Effective stabilizer use is achieved by having a properly balanced sled, meaning pendulum motion when movement begins or halts is absent and spinning the camera in a complete rotation yields no sway."

Wouldn't having the gimbal directly under the camera as in the Glidecam and especially the Steadicam Merlin setup not be a balanced setup? i.e. shouldn't the gimbal be further down on the sled? Is there any pendulum motion when moved?