The $40 Steadycam vs. Merlin

J

James in HD

Active member
I own a Glide Cam 4000, a Merlin Steaicam, and the Canon XH-A1
So I decided after seeing all these DIY steadycams I'll give them
a shot. So I made the $40 PVC and man, this works very well.
Better or the same as the Glidecam 4000 and almost as good
as the Merlin Steadicam. Only $40 and I have a great thing here.

I will make a video showing all 3 stablizers.
 
Hi James,

Bold statement you've made there. I'm sure anyone using a Steadicam (the real one), will disagree. I made the $40 steadycam and between that and my Spiderbrace...the Spiderbrace wins hands down. You have to learn how to use your Merlin properly. If you don't mind me asking...why do you have both a Glidecam 4000 and a Merlin?

Looking forward to your video comparison,

Kegan
 
Hey James,

Bold statement indeed. I too have made a "poor man's steadicam" in the past. To further qualify your statement, it does a great job for something that costs $40. It really illustrates the very simple principles that make the big ones work. Inertia and distribution of mass are two great factors in the stabilization equation. The larger rigs will add isolation of movement through the arm and the gimbal - two of the most important pieces. The base Merlin and Glidecam's both add the gimbal, so even they are a few levels above the "PMS" in terms of performance. For $40 worth of hardware store supplies, it'll hold its own, but you really do get what you pay for. Considering the differences in price and design, it's not really fair to evenly compare the three.
 
Here's the deal.

The Merlin is great, don't get me wrong. And yes I have it set up right.
However I have 3 camera's that I use all the time. They all weigh around the same.
However they each take between 10-30 minutes of tinkering to get them right.

And as far as the Glidecam, are you serious? That thing is a waste of money.
It's too heavy (even with the arm brace it kills). It takes too long to switch cameras.
And forget about it if you want to use the reverse low mode kit. That's another
hour of tinkering.

The DIY version (with mine I added a handle with a universal bearing instead of
the PVC pipe coming out in a "L" shape) I can have any camera mounted and ready
to go in under 3 minutes flat. I have figured out what steal pipe to add to the bottom
for correct counter weight depending on what camera I am using. I can shoot in
low mode just as quick, and then back to normal with no problem.

I will be shooting the video's next weekend if things work out right to show you
what mine looks like and how it works so well.

Back to what I first said, it's better than the GlideScam 4000 and (not as good)
but almost as good as the Merlin. Where it lacks in 100% perfect smoothness, it
makes up in ease of use.

And I own both because I was an idiot and bought the GlideScam thinking that
my Canon XH-A1 was too heavy for the Merlin's 5 pound max. And although it "is"
with a larger battery in it, the Merlin still works fine.
 
Craziness. Absolute craziness.

I have built the $14 "steadicam". Complete poo.

I have built the Killer Camera Rigs "steadicam". 1000x better than the $14 one. Complete poo.

I finally stopped wasting my time and effort on building them and bought the Merlin. Brilliance. Pure brilliance. Within FIVE minutes of touching the thing, and without watching the DVD or reading the book (but I did look at the "cookbook" settings), I had the thing dynamically balanced. Within FIVE minutes. The thing is rock steadi. Balance, especially DYNAMIC balalnce it KEY to a "steadicam" operating properly. The homemade rigs cant be balanced completely.

They are literally two opposite ends of the universe. They dont compare.

And of course #2 biggest issue is operator ABILITY. And that takes practice. But of course no one will admit that they might be the problem.

But that was just my experience.
 
That's nice smooth footage...I am somewhat new to this so my word is not the gospel for sure but here is my 2cents. I am sure the Merlin is a fine piece of equipment, period. I am using the Glidecam4000 Pro with the Smooth Shooter Vest. The Glidecam 4000 is meant to be operated at 18 lbs or close to that. My concern with the Merlin is that you don't have that option if you start adding wireless transmitters, wireless receivers, lights, shotguns, production monitors. I use it with some of this stuff and actually had to add weight plates to bring it up to the 18 lb. optimal weight.

If one bothers to read the instructions, watch the video that comes with it, reads the forums, and contacts the Glidecam folks for tips, it is not all that hard to balance. I received my kit the day before I used it on a job and wore the thing for 4 hours..Not smart to wear it that long but hey, I got it to work fine. My technique was not as good as someone with more experience but with editing out the lousy footage, the Glidecam worked fine. I did buy that expensive device that makes balancing easier and I would recommend that. I have no problems with the Glidecam.
 
And watch outtakes from major movie productions worldwide. Many of the operators are using the Glidecam products decked out with all the gear. I guess I am a little biased because I am using one but I don't mean to say the other units are no good. It's all a matter of preference I guess.
 
I'm not saying that the Merlin is bad, at all.
I'm saying that the GlideScam is a horrible creation.
Heavy, hard to balance, and the bottom plate often gets in the way
sometimes bumping your legs and so on.

As far as my do it yourselfer, I added a gimble-like handle with a
revolutionary ball bearing (meaning it works in 360 degees revolution)
Looks very close to the Merlin gimble and is exactly like the Modosteady
gimble. You can get them at The Home Depot for under $10.
This causes my system to be 100% balanced.

And for those who are discrediting the DIY version, maybe you
didnt make it right, or don't know how to use it right. I don't know?
 
Note: I'm not useing the Glidecam with the vest. I am useing it only with the
arm support and maybe that's the reason I don't like it?
 
maybe you need more experience?

your argument is based completely on what you've experienced so far, and mostly otherwise, assumptions, because of your dislike for a certain product. Not a valid argument i am afraid.
 
I agree that the unit is heavy with all the bells and whistles... I could not imagine using my Glidecam rig for more than 5 minutes without the vest.
 
And maybe that's where my problem is. I like to shoot for more than 5 minutes
at a time, and with the Glidecam, it's just not working for me without the vest.

The Merlin is a beautiful thing, works very well, light, however there is set up
time that sometimes I'm too busy or rushed to doodle with.

My makeshift steady cam is quick, light, and pretty smooth.


Anyone want a Glidecam 4000, the arm brace, and the low mode kit?
First $500 takes all. 2 months old with receipt from B&H.
 
i appologize if i sounded rude, but now it becomes more apparent to me that you are, most likely, not shooting narratives with the steadicam. If documentary is more your style, then i agree perhaps that the glidecam bare of any arm or vest would be too much for a wrist to handle, otherwise, for fictional, narrative film making, the glidecam, or steadicam systems give you everything you need, and that requires the use of an arm and vest.
 
Jokerswild said:
And watch outtakes from major movie productions worldwide. Many of the operators are using the Glidecam products decked out with all the gear. I guess I am a little biased because I am using one but I don't mean to say the other units are no good. It's all a matter of preference I guess.
Click to expand...

Do you have any specific examples? I have never, ever seen a Glidecam product in the behind-the-scenes footage, or even photographs from set of major movie productions. I have a feeling you've mistaken something else for a Glidecam. I know it may sound like arrogance, but it's simply the way it is. At a certain level of operating, a professional system is necessary. With some credit to Glidecam, they simply don't market themselves at the professional career operator. I know $30,000 for the Gold system certainly sounds like a "professional" price tag, but it's still less than half the base price of an industry standard rig - 1/4 the price if you include necessary accessaries.
 
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