$14 Steadicam

B

Boxing Fanatix

Member
http://steadycam.org/

I tried checking some samples on YouTube, but could not find any good ones. Has anyone ever tried using it? I'm planning on getting a steadicam for my DVX100/T2i and I've seen some for over $100 on eBay. That's why I'm glad that I found the $14 steadicam, but I have no idea how it performs.
 
I did not mean it like that. I meant it as they were either too short to judge, or had bad quality. Either way, I'm still eager to hear opinions from this board.
 
It may help you stabilize your footage to a certain extent, but it's no substitute for an actual steadicam/stabilizer.
 
I built one and used it in this video. It was better than nothing but the real trick to the Steadicam is that it has a gimbal joint around which the camera is precisely balanced. The $14 one replaces this joint with your wrist which isn't as effective. I set about converting mine into one with a gimbal joint and you can read about it here. Unfortunately I haven't had a lot of time to pour into it so it's still somewhat of a work in progress. I used it with the gimbal at the start of this video (the first steadicam shot also has some post stabilisation added) but I was unhappy with the balance. Stay tuned for refinements!
 
The $14.00 steadicam has all of the physics of a real steadicam and none of the technical innovations that actaually apply them. In theory, it does everything right, but your hand is not a gimball, and your arm is not a shock-absorbing flyer arm. The design is very clever and popular as a proof of concept, but comparing it to even a simple gimballed steadicam is just not fair.

I truly believe that people determinged to wimp out on stabalizer cost would be better off adding some weight to their camera, developing some good technique and then throwing a bit of software at the problem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top