Merlin or Glidecam 2000 pro?
- Thread starter jgastelb
- Start date
Michelle Lee
New member
Have you tried using the steddiepod?tomthemacman said:
The following is the actual email we received from a client who had looked at several similar products, bought one, and then saw our STEDDIEPOD.
Michael Buday<michaelbuday@cox.net>wrote:
Hi Eddie,
Michael Buday here. We met at HDEXPO where I immediately bought one of your STEDDIEPODS for my son. First of all, let me say without hesitation that the STEDDIEPOD is a fantastic product – which is something I don’t often say about ANY product.
A little perspective here:
About 18 months ago, I bought my son (who is now in film school) a GLIDECAM 2000 PRO – which I paid about $400.00 for (not including the vest which set me back even more). When the GLIDECAM arrived, I was expecting to spend a couple of hours getting it setup and balanced before letting my son loose with it, but two hours quickly turned into an entire evening – which in turn carried on into the following morning.
Now, I’m a pretty handy guy. I’ve been a professional editor in Hollywood and London for over 20 years; I’ve run camera on several occasions and I do all my own electrical and plumbing repairs in my home. So, when I say I’m handy – I am – but setting up that GLIDECAM proved to be one of the most frustrating experiences I’ve ever had with a piece of video gear. I found the counterweight system employed by this model of Glidecam to be crude and extremely difficult to get right – despite the thorough instructions that come with the product. Further, once I FINALLY manage to balance the contraption with my son’s VX-2000 camcorder, the slightest change in camera weight or orientation would throw the whole thing off again – and I mean ANYTHING would throw it out of whack (different battery, opening the LCD monitor, plugging in a cable into the headphone jack of the camera –anything!).
Even after we got the GLIDECAM setup, making it do what we wanted it to do was extremely difficult. Now I realize that operating a camera stabilization system is no panic and it requires a lot of practice – but this was ridiculous! Once the camera was in motion, stopping any movement of the gimbal in a smooth manner was next to impossible.
I won’t bore you with anymore details about the GLIDECAM, but our overall impression was that it just wasn’t worth the cost.
So, after seeing your demo of the STEDDIEPOD at HDEXPO, I realized that I’d finally found a versatile and inexpensive camera stabilization system that was easy to setup and learn.
I brought the STEDDIEPOD home the night of HDEXPO and decided to give it a whirl right away. I was amazed – first of all, the build quality is outstanding. Secondly, it took me all of ten minutes to:
- Unpack the STEDDIEPOD
- Mount the tripod plate to camcorder
- Mount the camera to the tripod head
- Unfold the three stabilization legs
- Balance the STEDDIEPOD
The next day my son came home from college for the weekend. I showed him the STEDDIEPOD and within 5 minutes he was on his rollerblades testing the system out while flying the down the street. Cut to one week later; he’s now using it everyday on a film he’s shooting and says it was the best investment we’ve (I’ve) yet made (other than the camera that is).
So what more can I say? The product is beautifully built, cleverly designed and it just plain works out of the box. Plus, it’s extremely versatile. In fact, the expensive Bogen tripod I bought looks like it’s going to be used less and less now that the STEDDIEPOD is part of my son’s camera gear.
It was great meeting you and thanks so much for a great product!
Sincerely,
Michael Buday
Tom Wills
Well-known member
Michelle, I know that the Steddiepod can produce good enough footage, as although I haven't directly used the Steddiepod, I have used a homebuilt system that I engineered myself, that was just like it. I can tell you though that the Steddiepod is not in the same class as a Glidecam or a Steadicam, it's more in the class with a SteadyTracker. Sure, a Steddiepod can produce more stable footage than handlheld, but the lack of a gimbal means thre is no possibility in removing one's self's influence on the picture. A good gimbaled rig you should be able to hold, and walk completely around, and have the camera still pointing the same direction. Your Steddiepod just can't do that.
It's a lot simpler of a rig, you do have that right, and for a good number of people, it can produce the type of shots they're looking for, but a Steadicam Merlin can produce better shots just quite simply because it has a gimbal. Same for the Glidecam.
I will note that these problems aren't Steddiepod specific, they're the same for any of the non-gimballed rigs, of which there are more than a few. These non-gimballed rigs just can't perform at the level of a true stabilization system. They use some of the same principles, but putting the Glidecam and the Steddiepod in the same category, and saying they can make the exact same shots would be misleading, at least in my mind.
It's a lot simpler of a rig, you do have that right, and for a good number of people, it can produce the type of shots they're looking for, but a Steadicam Merlin can produce better shots just quite simply because it has a gimbal. Same for the Glidecam.
I will note that these problems aren't Steddiepod specific, they're the same for any of the non-gimballed rigs, of which there are more than a few. These non-gimballed rigs just can't perform at the level of a true stabilization system. They use some of the same principles, but putting the Glidecam and the Steddiepod in the same category, and saying they can make the exact same shots would be misleading, at least in my mind.
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Michelle Lee
New member
Tom,
Are you a gambling man? My boyfriend, who is a multiple Emmy award winning design engineer who has developed multitudes of products for the entertainment industry would like to make a bet with you, that if you will meet with him that he will be able to easily demonstrate to you that with the Steddiepod he will be able to replicate any shot that you are able to do with any other hand held camera stabilizer in the $500 price range using a camera that weighs approximately 5 pounds or under and has a flip-out view finder.
It's fun and cute that so many stabilizer companies have chosen to make gimbals to sell to you when in reality about the best gimbal ever made was made by either this guy named GOD, perhaps you've heard of Him or mother nature, perhaps you've heard of her. And the best part is that He/she gave all of us a couple of them for free. And they work really well. (At least for us and the over 600 happy customers that have experienced the truth) We just supply the rest of the stuff you need to get really great shots.
What would the bet be for? What would you like for it to be? It could be for anything or it could just be learning the truth.
Awaiting your reply,
Michelle
P.S. It never ceases to amaze us that so many people who have NEVER even tried our products have so much to say about them.
Are you a gambling man? My boyfriend, who is a multiple Emmy award winning design engineer who has developed multitudes of products for the entertainment industry would like to make a bet with you, that if you will meet with him that he will be able to easily demonstrate to you that with the Steddiepod he will be able to replicate any shot that you are able to do with any other hand held camera stabilizer in the $500 price range using a camera that weighs approximately 5 pounds or under and has a flip-out view finder.
It's fun and cute that so many stabilizer companies have chosen to make gimbals to sell to you when in reality about the best gimbal ever made was made by either this guy named GOD, perhaps you've heard of Him or mother nature, perhaps you've heard of her. And the best part is that He/she gave all of us a couple of them for free. And they work really well. (At least for us and the over 600 happy customers that have experienced the truth) We just supply the rest of the stuff you need to get really great shots.
What would the bet be for? What would you like for it to be? It could be for anything or it could just be learning the truth.
Awaiting your reply,
Michelle
P.S. It never ceases to amaze us that so many people who have NEVER even tried our products have so much to say about them.
Tom Wills
Well-known member
Well, unluckily for all of you who wanted to see a stabilizer showdown, I'm not a gambling man, nor do I wish to challenge someone to a stabilizer shootout. I might just go grab some footage from my current sled, just to show off the kind of shots that a little planning plus a light little camera can do, but I'm not sure if I want to get into a challenge here.
Sorry for offending your sensibilities Steddiepod people, and if I had more time, I might have taken your boyfriend up on his offer, but I will say that I do think that the Steddiepod is a good piece of rig, and your rig is one of, if not the best in the non-gimballed arena. Heck, I almost bought one. (But then I discovered the whole world of possibilities that can spring from building your own rigs.)
But hey, I hate arguing. So, how about we all just cool our heads, chill out, and go back to making the most of our rigs, whichever they may be.
In the end though, if you truly want me to go out and show you the kind of shots I can do, verus the kind of shots you can do, I might do a few shots, even if it's just to see how the Steddiepod works in well-trained hands. (None more well-trained than the developer, eh?)
EDIT: You know what, I'm going to get out of this thread, just to keep myself from saying something dumb, and to keep this from being any more of a flame war. Safe flying everybody.
Sorry for offending your sensibilities Steddiepod people, and if I had more time, I might have taken your boyfriend up on his offer, but I will say that I do think that the Steddiepod is a good piece of rig, and your rig is one of, if not the best in the non-gimballed arena. Heck, I almost bought one. (But then I discovered the whole world of possibilities that can spring from building your own rigs.)
But hey, I hate arguing. So, how about we all just cool our heads, chill out, and go back to making the most of our rigs, whichever they may be.
In the end though, if you truly want me to go out and show you the kind of shots I can do, verus the kind of shots you can do, I might do a few shots, even if it's just to see how the Steddiepod works in well-trained hands. (None more well-trained than the developer, eh?)
EDIT: You know what, I'm going to get out of this thread, just to keep myself from saying something dumb, and to keep this from being any more of a flame war. Safe flying everybody.
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Michelle Lee
New member
Dear Tom,
Thank you for the few kind words about the STEDDIEPOD. I agree, I too hate to argue. However, the only reason that we have addressed people on this site is because of all the "mis-information" flying around here about the STEDDIEPOD from people who have NEVER EVEN USED IT!
I also agree, we should go back to making the most of our rigs (but I didn't start this, I'm just addressing the "mis-information").
About footage, if anyone out there has seen Madonna's "True Blue" or Michael Jackson's "Who is it" or the Beach Boys "Rock and Roll to the Rescue" Music Videos (or any of the thousands of projects it has been used on), then you've seen the STEDDIEPOD in Action!
To clarify, I am not saying that the STEDDIEPOD is better than anything else as a hand held camera stabilizer (NOR IS THERE ANYTHING BETTER THAN IT), what I am saying is that it is as good as anything else and that there are several devices that seem to work equally as well at stabilizing a shot, it's just that our STEDDIEPOD happens be much easier to set-up, balance, operate and does about a half dozen other things that the "other" stabilizers don't, therefore it IS TRUELY, ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT THE WORLDS MOST VERSATILE CAMERA SUPPORT EVER! PERIOD!
Lastly, I accept your decline of my invitation to put your money where your mouth is (you have that right), however you still don't sound very convinced, therefore I would like to make my offer public to ANYONE who thinks that they can prove me wrong. Just give me a call (I'm EZ to find), and let's play!
No hard feelings,
Eddie Barber
www.BarberTVP.com
PS Did anyone out there understand Tom's last paragraph? If you did could you please explain it to me? Perhaps I'm just a little slow, but I didn't get it, and when I asked people in my office, I got a couple versions of what they thought he meant, but mostly we just didn't get it. Was he saying he wants to try the STEDDIEPOD, or that he wanted me to, or what? What did he mean by the "Kind of Shots that I can do, versus the kind of shots you can do"? Is he insinuating that he can do something with his "rig" that I can't replicate? LOL!
Thank you for the few kind words about the STEDDIEPOD. I agree, I too hate to argue. However, the only reason that we have addressed people on this site is because of all the "mis-information" flying around here about the STEDDIEPOD from people who have NEVER EVEN USED IT!
I also agree, we should go back to making the most of our rigs (but I didn't start this, I'm just addressing the "mis-information").
About footage, if anyone out there has seen Madonna's "True Blue" or Michael Jackson's "Who is it" or the Beach Boys "Rock and Roll to the Rescue" Music Videos (or any of the thousands of projects it has been used on), then you've seen the STEDDIEPOD in Action!
To clarify, I am not saying that the STEDDIEPOD is better than anything else as a hand held camera stabilizer (NOR IS THERE ANYTHING BETTER THAN IT), what I am saying is that it is as good as anything else and that there are several devices that seem to work equally as well at stabilizing a shot, it's just that our STEDDIEPOD happens be much easier to set-up, balance, operate and does about a half dozen other things that the "other" stabilizers don't, therefore it IS TRUELY, ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT THE WORLDS MOST VERSATILE CAMERA SUPPORT EVER! PERIOD!
Lastly, I accept your decline of my invitation to put your money where your mouth is (you have that right), however you still don't sound very convinced, therefore I would like to make my offer public to ANYONE who thinks that they can prove me wrong. Just give me a call (I'm EZ to find), and let's play!
No hard feelings,
Eddie Barber
www.BarberTVP.com
PS Did anyone out there understand Tom's last paragraph? If you did could you please explain it to me? Perhaps I'm just a little slow, but I didn't get it, and when I asked people in my office, I got a couple versions of what they thought he meant, but mostly we just didn't get it. Was he saying he wants to try the STEDDIEPOD, or that he wanted me to, or what? What did he mean by the "Kind of Shots that I can do, versus the kind of shots you can do"? Is he insinuating that he can do something with his "rig" that I can't replicate? LOL!
where's my blanket.
PaPa
Major Contributor
k fine, sum up quick answer:
if you want good results , they will both do the job.
the merlin is a little easier and is quicker to produce the quality that would normally take longer on a glidecam.
The Glidecam, well for me was 175 US$ with the arm brace as well. Im not sure how much it is used, and i think the Merlin is somewhere between the 600-800 range.
"Even after we got the GLIDECAM setup, making it do what we wanted it to do was extremely difficult. Now I realize that operating a camera stabilization system is no panic and it requires a lot of practice – but this was ridiculous! Once the camera was in motion, stopping any movement of the gimbal in a smooth manner was next to impossible.
"
i hope your son knows to use his left hand to guide the device to direct the device. Cause ive had mine for months now and i think ive pretty much mastered it, its a joy to use.
if you want good results , they will both do the job.
the merlin is a little easier and is quicker to produce the quality that would normally take longer on a glidecam.
The Glidecam, well for me was 175 US$ with the arm brace as well. Im not sure how much it is used, and i think the Merlin is somewhere between the 600-800 range.
"Even after we got the GLIDECAM setup, making it do what we wanted it to do was extremely difficult. Now I realize that operating a camera stabilization system is no panic and it requires a lot of practice – but this was ridiculous! Once the camera was in motion, stopping any movement of the gimbal in a smooth manner was next to impossible.
"
i hope your son knows to use his left hand to guide the device to direct the device. Cause ive had mine for months now and i think ive pretty much mastered it, its a joy to use.
Tom Wills
Well-known member
Michelle Lee said:
Alright, I'm breaking my own statement here, but hey, might as well clear it up.
I was saying that if you really wanted to see what I could do, and whether or not I could "put my money where my mouth is", I would step up, and do it, and it might be interesting to see how well you can run your rig.
Michelle Lee
New member
Tom,
Sounds great. When and where is good for you? Are you in the LA area? Do you have a contact number? Can we talk?
Thanks,
Eddie
PS I hope I haven't offended or upset anyone too much. As we all know, this is not rocket-science, heart surgery or life saving. I think we're all here just trying to learn/teach something and having a little fun.
Sounds great. When and where is good for you? Are you in the LA area? Do you have a contact number? Can we talk?
Thanks,
Eddie
PS I hope I haven't offended or upset anyone too much. As we all know, this is not rocket-science, heart surgery or life saving. I think we're all here just trying to learn/teach something and having a little fun.
peter orland
Well-known member
Hi Michelle.
I looked up the steddiepod on the website that was listed earlier, it looks like a great idea. Where can I look at, or download, some demo clips of it performing some of the tasks that it is shown doing in the various photos on the site?
Thanks.
I looked up the steddiepod on the website that was listed earlier, it looks like a great idea. Where can I look at, or download, some demo clips of it performing some of the tasks that it is shown doing in the various photos on the site?
Thanks.
Tom Wills
Well-known member
Michelle Lee said:Tom,
Sounds great. When and where is good for you? Are you in the LA area? Do you have a contact number? Can we talk?
Thanks,
Eddie
PS I hope I haven't offended or upset anyone too much. As we all know, this is not rocket-science, heart surgery or life saving. I think we're all here just trying to learn/teach something and having a little fun.
Oh, I wasn't intending on doing it in person. I was intending more upon just the posting of clips. Plus, I'm on the East Coast, and I just blew every single paycheck I've gotten as an ENG camera op on building my dream rig, so I'm not exactly in a position to fly across the country if you get my drift.
Yeah, but I'd love to see some video from your rig, specifically stuff shot with very light cameras. (Those for a lot of people seem to be the troublemakers - no inertia)
PaPa
Major Contributor
michelle, i would also love t osee footage with the steaddiepod doing its thing! if you can send please! jdubsky@hotmail.com or just a link!
if you can send please! jdubsky@hotmail.com or just a link!peter orland
Well-known member
Hi Michelle.
Just sent you two pm's...ignore the first the email address is wrong.
Thanks.
Just sent you two pm's...ignore the first the email address is wrong.
Thanks.
magicdavek
Well-known member
This certainly looks like a very versitile tool. I'd LOVE to see footage. Tonight I looked at footage for a product called Steady-Orb. It looked VERY GOOD - far superior to anything one could do handheld. If there was comparable footage posted on the Steaddiepod, that would certainly make a convincing case for this tools versatility.
Even if the stabilizing factor wasn't top notch (and it may well be - I'm not doubting that), it looks more steady than a monopod (which I've hated using), and more versitile than a tripod. My point - aside from the stabilizing features, the Steaddiepod looks like a very cool tool for we event videographers.
Please post a link to some footage.
Even if the stabilizing factor wasn't top notch (and it may well be - I'm not doubting that), it looks more steady than a monopod (which I've hated using), and more versitile than a tripod. My point - aside from the stabilizing features, the Steaddiepod looks like a very cool tool for we event videographers.
Please post a link to some footage.