The ModoSteady for the HV20

[mikkowilson]

LOL James, I dont know why but there seems to be a lot of people who are negative right from the get go concerning this item.
I pretty did the same thing you did, looked at the information online and made the decision that this little stabiliser would be good enough for my purposes. It seems the gamble paid off :-) Maybe some feel a little insecure that they have spent a great deal more and must somehow justify the expense. For me, the cost of other solutions far outweighed the results when you consider the price of the camcorder to begin with.

I've used it, hands on, in person. The very first day it was released to the public.

And no insecurity involved ... I don't feel I wasted the near $30k & 4 years I've spent on my Steadicam(s). And the training.

Glad it's working for you. But don't expect it to work for everyone. And there's nothing to gain in calling out other's reviews as justifications for insecurities. If those of us who do this stuff for a living have a problem with it; we are going to say so honestly for the benefit of those who may not have the opportunity or the experience to test it fairly in comparison to the other options available.

And to continue on my review; if you want to buy something because It's cheap, then the Modo is a good option. But if you want to buy something because it's good, then find something good - and then worry about the price.



- Mikko

[xray]

Oh boy, this costs me more time then I think it is worth.

I tried it shortly with a little handycam and was not happy. Its hard to recall tough. This 3 in 1 concept is oriented for people that do not have any form of stabilization or support. So it is a counterbalance stabilizer, shoulder support, and tabletop tripod in one. It is a one concept doing everything, but nothing fine.

As a counterbalance stabilizer I was not able to have good floating experience, any sudden movement was like a hard shake visible. The counteraction was to small. The balance was not supporting free movements, it was always 'too little too late'. There was 'creeping' in the Z-axis. It was hard to make adjustments to make it a better experience. Positive: It was better then nothing.

The arm extension is laughable strange, there is flex in the whole system and to use it as a comfortable shoulder support, you need to setup it extensionally. The weight remains on your arm/hand. The plastic/rubber parts just do not give you enough support, the joints are too loose, and the system gives no possibility to change anything on camera. Something you can with any shoulder support. As a table-stand you can use anything small and cheap, this ball-joint system is nothing for video (i.e. there is no smooth friction), so no need for the modo here.

Price is going down rapidly, here in EU you have one for 100 Euro. If you want one, just wait.

[James in HD]

Hey XRay, are you aware of the removable weight plates?
Just wondering, because there are ways to balance it perfect
and that eliminates the jerk in motion.

- James

[batesey]

Ahhh, well here we go.

-mbwkrause

Hmmm assumptions and Attacks hey...interesting. I don’t see any point to your post at all. I never singled out anyone’s posts or attacked anyone directly; all I said was that right off the bat many were negative about the Modo. I don’t see how you can comment on the issue having only seen information on the web. I find it rather humorous actually. Also in no way did I challenge Mikko or Xray concerning their professionalism and knowledge of stabilisers, but i think a lot of people are taking this way to far, I never said it was the all perfect, all mighty SteadiCam or Merlin killing camera stabiliser. All i said that if you want and alternative for your HV20, its a must.
You should reread my first post.

-mikkowilson

And no insecurity involved ... I don't feel I wasted the near $30k & 4 years I've spent on my Steadicam(s). And the training.

And I'm not suggesting you have, but your also not using the hV20 on such rigs or for those high end productions either. lets keep this in context. we are not trying to stabilise a 35mm film camera as I'm sure is your case on a day to day basis. we are stabilising a $600US Handy cam.

Glad it's working for you. But don't expect it to work for everyone. And there's nothing to gain in calling out other's reviews as justifications for insecurities.

Come on, review? There is nothing to gain from your first response either. Your very first "review" on the subject was "It's a waste of money. Not worth it." To you, that maybe the case, as a "professional Steady Cam Operator" it may be. But lets remember this thread is about -The ModoSteady for the HV20-. Also I didn’t imply this is a single solution that would work for everyone. I was only suggesting that if you weight up the costs of your camera and a descent stabiliser, the Modo is a good way to go.

And to continue on my review; if you want to buy something because It's cheap, then the Modo is a good option. But if you want to buy something because it's good, then find something good - and then worry about the price.

and that’s my point, the Modo is good, actually perfect for the HV20; and because its good is why I purchased it...again, I am not trying to stabilise a 35mm film camera or the like on the modo.

At the end of the day if you are considering this item, take the advice of this thread (including my own) with a grain of salt. As with nearly all things in this industry, if you can, test it, and ascertain for yourself if it will suit your needs.
Cheers.

[mbwkrause]

And again, all talk, no action. Where is your fabulous Modo footage?

[James in HD]

Who are you talking to?
If me, than you must realize that I work as a videographer/editor over 80 hours
a week, so I'm sorry if I don't feel like making a video to prove something. I like
the product and that is where I stand.

[mbwkrause]

I´m waiting for Batesey`s fabulous footage.

[uglybassplayer]

I don't have an HV20, but as far as featherweight cams go I do have a Sanyo Xacti HD1000, which weighs in at about 9 ounces. I just recently picked up the Modo Steady at B&H and FWIW, here's my 2-cents on it...

First off, it is NOT a serious competitor to the Merlin. The ball/socket design can not truly effectivey compete with a "true" gimble design, the construction along with the "technopolymer" material is not as rigid nor is it as precise as the Merlin. While there is limited adjustment along the X & Y axis points, It doesn't have the "fine tuning" abilities as the Merlin and there really isn't a way to adjust the Z. The arc can be adjusted, but again not to the extent or precision of Merlin. That being said, it can still be quite useful for very small & lightweight cams.

Using a Merlin with something like the Xacti camcorders is a joke. The cameras are just way too small and light for it to really be effective. Besides, the size and weight of the Merlin somewhat negates the advantage of having such a small camera. The Modo Steady works better in this respect. It's significantly smaller than the Merlin as well as much more portable, and if you follow the same principles to achieve proper balance as you would in setting up the Merlin (it doesn't hurt to download the Merlin manual to get a good idea of the concepts involved in proper balancing), the results can be surprisingly decent. Tip #1: Acheiving proper balance and a light touch are the keys!

Tip #2: One of the main disadvantages of the Modo Steady is it's lack of a true gimble. While you can release the "lock-down" screw to get a fair degree of free motion, there will always be some friction present. I just ordered some "NYOil II" and plan on lubricating the ball & socket joint to help reduce the friction. Of course I don't expect it to be perfect, but I do believe it will help considerably.

Tip #3: Practice, Practice, Practice! Don't expect smooth pans, tilts & glides right off the bat. It's even tougher with such a small & light camera.

To be honest, I'm still in the newbie phase and am nowhere near as proficient as I'd like to be, but I'm working on it!

P.S. I also have a Sony HDR-SR1 which weighs in a just under 2lbs. I haven't tried the Modo Steady with it yet, but I'd guess that the Merlin would be a much better choice for this camera.

- Ugly.

[trapper]

Ugly,
I have the Sanyo HD1000 too and bought the modosteady to try out. I've been experimenting a lot with the included weights to balance it perfectly- and can't come to a consensus on what to use. I've tried 2 plates alone and 2 plates with some coins to add a little more. What are you doing to get the balance/weight perfect?

[uglybassplayer]

Ugly,
I have the Sanyo HD1000 too and bought the modosteady to try out. I've been experimenting a lot with the included weights to balance it perfectly- and can't come to a consensus on what to use. I've tried 2 plates alone and 2 plates with some coins to add a little more. What are you doing to get the balance/weight perfect?

I'm still experimenting as I've had it less than a week, but so far the setup that's been working best for me so far is:

- 3 weights (drop time is still too quick, but I haven't been able to get balance stabilized with only 2 weights)

- Arc set a "hair" greater than 2 (Getting the arc right seems to be one of the trickiest parts... even the slightest changes has a big effect on the balance with the HD1000)

- Left/right balance screw turned counter-clockwise almost all of the way (to shift the mounting plate to the right to account for the wieght displacement of the display screen)

- Removable mounting plate mounted to the underside of the camera so that the three "empty" holes are towards the FRONT of the camera (This was the best I've been able to do to control the fore/aft position since there's no fine tuning adjustment for that).

I should note that I have a Tiffen UV filter attached, which while negligible in weight I thought should be mentioned. I should also note that I DO NOT have the little hand strap attached to the camera. I also plan on getting a Raynox HD6600 .66x wide angle lens and a 49mm step-up ring for the Sanyo. The wider angle should help further smooth things out and I'm hoping the additional mass/weight will aid in obtaining a better drop time.

- Ugly.