Tell Me This Is A Joke!

Well, whaddaya want for thirty nine bucks - it seems to deliver the goods in a rube goldberg kind of way. I admire his moxie and those shots are pretty stable considering the speed he's travelling at.

The forty buck steadicam - if you havent got a choice it might be the way to go.
 
This has been around for years and it's actually popular. Not everyone can afford expensive versions, and it does the job.

But I dunno if he should be selling it for 40.00. O_o; That's mean.
 
looking at his demos, he's obviously using a wide angle lens to further suppress the typical effects of a hand-held rig.
 
BergVision said:
Please...Oh PLEASE tell me this is a joke??? Right? BAHAHAHAHAHAH:2vrolijk_08:

http://littlegreatideas.com/steadycam/
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I really honestly wish it was a joke.

It's the $14 'thing' that so many people have fallen to belive as a "steadicam" - look on e-bay and yuo will find loads of people kocking off this thing (funny huh?) with their "Magical stabilizers"

God it really ticks me off seeing these guys take advantage of people :angry:

If I had a dime for every time I've had a 'discussion' with someone about how crap this thing actually is (when they are trygin to defend it !!!) ... :kali:


- Mikko
 
I was one of those suckers many months ago and it's still sitting in the box. I look back and I have no idea what possessed me to buy it in the first place.
 
I built on of these devices a while ago and used it with good results on a few occasions. It isn't pretty or real pro looking, but it does the job well for what it is. If I were to add up the time I spent getting all the parts and building the thing, it would have well surpassed forty dollars. It is by no means pro gear, but it will get a better stedi shot than handheld. If you build it yourself it costs about fourteen bucks and maybe three hours of your labor at whatever hourly rate you figure your worth.
 
Interesting on the soccer vid he has.. whilst I dont think its that steady, it did work well with the soccer action, gave you a sense of being part of it because of its movement.

Should be titled..... "How to make a steadycam from your plumbing".
 
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And the funniest part, This is NOT a precision manufactured device. The quality of assembly will vary. Certain parts may need adjustment or tightening upon reciept. Please check your item carefully before using.
 
directinglegend said:
And the funniest part, This is NOT a precision manufactured device. The quality of assembly will vary. Certain parts may need adjustment or tightening upon reciept. Please check your item carefully before using.
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Hey at least they tell it upfront.

Sorry, I can't see the negativity in this. It's a product, they show examples, one can buy or not. Basta.

And I agree with the soccer comment above: apart from the cam getting hit, it has a few seconds of footage there that are WAY better than if handheld. Surely for $40 that is worth it?

Marlene, don't be so hard on yourself; whip that baby out and show us what YOU can do with it!! I wouldn't be surprised that -in the right hands- this thing can produce some pretty cool shots.
 
I built one just like it and used it for a shoot where I needed to stabilize footage shot off the back of a scooter.

The shots came out pretty smooth. Everyone was pleased and it cost less than 14 bucks to make.

It's a great device. NO JOKE. If you can come up with something as useful for 14 bucks I'd love to see it.

-rook
 
The wide angle thing mentioned above also applies to the 35mm Steadicam - it's not a magic system which will work at all focal lengths. Wider angle lenses are usually required. Ergo I don't think that this guy is being duplicitous by showing wider angle shots. Thats just the nature of those systems. I see not reason that his system wouldn't work and for forty bucks you can't really go wrong.

I mean, its hardly driven by greed. he's got to have some profit margin.
 
That thing has been around for several years. Just one of the many low-budget approaches to solving filmmaking problems.
 
My View Point..Don't get me wrong.

My View Point..Don't get me wrong.

I didn't mean to knock the guy. But I guess I'm coming from a little different view point. Most of all the shoots I do are with and in front of paying clients. I couldn't imagine showing up to shoot a paying client's video with a pipe steadicam that looks like I made at "Home Depot's project Day." No offence.

However, if I am making a Indi Film on a low budget and I'm the only one who's going to know, I don't have a problem with ingenuity at all!
Heck, I have used a $5.00 Lazy Susan Spice Rack before to get a roating effect of the camera. So I'm all for creative, inexpensive ways to get the shot!

But like I said, I am usually in front of paying customers who expect to see what their money is getting them.

So please don't get me wrong. Cheap works when you can get away with it.
 
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rook said:
I built one just like it and used it for a shoot where I needed to stabilize footage shot off the back of a scooter.

The shots came out pretty smooth. Everyone was pleased and it cost less than 14 bucks to make.

It's a great device. NO JOKE. If you can come up with something as useful for 14 bucks I'd love to see it.

-rook
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could you tell me how did you built that? I need something like this, but/because I do not need a "normal" steadycam, just something like a stabilizer. I just want to use it for home videos.
 
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