GH4 3 Axis Gimbal or Stick with Glidecam

G

gh4_storyteller

Active member
Man, I just can't stop starting new threads. :tongue:

So earlier I started a thread about the ideal wide angle lens for the GH4 and Nikon Speed Booster on a Glidecam. I've currently got a Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 plus Speed Booster for my GH4. This lens is of course not as wide as I would like or practically want to use on a Glidecam. Those extra millimeters are imperative for the little bit of latitude you have for correcting a wandering frame. So I decided I would test a few and I'm pretty sure the Sigma 8-16 is where I would land. This lens is around $650. Not cheap, but not overpriced.

Then I thought to myself... man a Movi would be nice. I thought it was just a pipe dream, until I started doing some research and found that eBay is littered with 3 Axis Gimbal systems from China. I then started to browse YouTube, and found that most of these work pretty well. They definitely look like an awesome choice for filming someone who is high energy and unpredictable; which how the Glidecam was going to be used in our production.

So here's my plight. I can't buy both. I can get a complete 3 Axis Gimbal package for $650 or the Sigma 8-16, which is also $650, for my Glidecam 2000 Pro. If I go with the Gimbal, I will be bound to using the Sigma 18-35, but the stableness of the system may just make up for it.

I know @mdifilm has experience with these eBay 3 Axis Gimbal systems, so I'd appreciate your input if you're peeping in on this topic. :)
 
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the china ebay link you provide, most of them are not assembled or having the controller. CAME-TV just release the 7500 all prebuild/PID ready.
 
Get the came-7500 if you can afford it. Otherwise the came-7000 and spend time to put it together. Use my blog as reference. As all the details is there.

As as for which one to use? It's really up to you. Some situations are good for steadicam others gimbal.
 
As much as I would love to buy something like the DJI Ronin or the Came-7500, I was only considering a 3 Axis Gimbal because I could get one for the amount of money it would cost to get better Glidecam footage. $650 is already stretching my budget thin. Something like this is great. I'm just hunting to see if this would be a complete waste of money.
 
You should just use your glidecam unless you are using it in heavy wind or some other demanding application you can get just as good results with it.
 
My suggestion is buy from someone you can get support from in case you accidentally break something. I build my cane-7000 and i broke it a few times. Luckily came-TV sent me the parts at no charge and I get them within 3 days. Save some more if you can and buy from a company that has good support.

Here is my blog: http://www.mdifilm.com/2013/?p=1291
 
@mdifilm and others using the CAME-TV 7000 or 7500 ... how do you see what you are filming? It seems a bar blocks the LCD of camera .. are you using external monitor .. if so where does the monitor mount. Strongly considering CAME-TV 7500. Thanks!
 
awomias said:
@mdifilm and others using the CAME-TV 7000 or 7500 ... how do you see what you are filming? It seems a bar blocks the LCD of camera .. are you using external monitor .. if so where does the monitor mount. Strongly considering CAME-TV 7500. Thanks!
Click to expand...

check out my my blog, everything is listed there including accessories
 
mdifilm, did you buy the Came 7000 because of superior parts compared to some of the other options on eBay? Or was it just because of their stellar support? Want to make sure something like this isn't going to be crap. I mean, it looks like it uses the same stuff.
 
have you consider getting the FeiYu Tech FY-G3 3 axis hand held stabilizer gimbal with your gopro hero 3+. 4K stuff and it works really good. Great footage out of the gopro. Stay under $650. :)
 
I had the same dilemma and ended up getting an 'old school' glidecam type stabilizer. It folds up much easier and smaller than a gimbal, can be quickly and easily adjusted should you mount a different lens or filter on the lens (a gimbal can't), doesn't need batteries so is always ready to go, and it was half the price of a 3 axis and with practice delivers excellent results. If I want to go one better I can hire a vest and arm that will fit it for jobs that require and get perfectly good results. A gimbal is cool for its tech factor and does give great results once all set up and debugged but it's not really necessary for most work.
 
Daniel Brown said:
mdifilm, did you buy the Came 7000 because of superior parts compared to some of the other options on eBay? Or was it just because of their stellar support? Want to make sure something like this isn't going to be crap. I mean, it looks like it uses the same stuff.
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Support is is very important plus quality. Eagle eye is the same product, I just don't know much about their support. If you plan to build your own definitely make sure support is there as it can get hard to make it work when you ae venturing into it first time.
 
mdifilm said:
Get the came-7500 if you can afford it. Otherwise the came-7000 and spend time to put it together. Use my blog as reference. As all the details is there.

As as for which one to use? It's really up to you. Some situations are good for steadicam others gimbal.
Click to expand...


Be very leary about what camera you are going to use, I have a GH3 with a 12-35mm lens, I purchased a Came-7000 put it together, and could never get it to balance! It's too light for the Came7000, Many others have had problems with the came 7000 for small cameras as well. Maybe the Came7500 might work, because they have upgraded to the 32bit controller, and they are using 2-IMU sensors instead of one. You will spend a lot of time researching info, Came is very poor at clear communications, they will respond, but there understanding of English, and giving any good answers is pretty poor from my experience. I had to ship mine back for a refund, cost me $135.00 to return it, I will say that they were very understanding about doing a refund and did refund my money pretty fast once it got through customs. I'm going to wait a little longer and things will get better, faster and cheaper with better support. Good Luck on your choice.
 
Gh3 with 12-35mm is not too light. I happened to have the gh4 with 12-35mm on. Plus a few others on several facebook groups does too.
 
Personally, for a paying gig, I wouldn't use any of the gimbels from anyone unless it was a situation where I had access to a backup. I recently had to make a choice on this for a project in a very remote location and I had to pass because nobody that I could talk to from any of the big name manufacturers could provide any evidence that their units would work (for long) in even a little bit of rain.
 
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