GH2 Best hand-held stabilizer for GH2 ?

Yeah, I figured that's what everyone was doing. Hmmm...

I really want the ability to pull while operating, so I guess I've got to figure something out.

And lol @Superseeds -- I wish.
 
Kholi said:
Yeah, I figured that's what everyone was doing. Hmmm...

I really want the ability to pull while operating, so I guess I've got to figure something out.

And lol @Superseeds -- I wish.
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I hear Jag35 makes A decent wireless remote control follow focus. I have never used it, so I can't say how well it works, but might be worth taking a peek at it. Redrock also came out with one at Nab last year, more money than the jag, but it looks top notch, I haven't used that one either.
 
Kholi..yep.. was going to say that. The Jag one is always out of stock though. THere's the really cool thing. I can attest to the briteview HD wireless transmitter as being the deal of the century. I've used it a bunch of times and it works really well. perfect for the 1st AC to pull focus with a 2nd HDMI monitor hooked up to the receiver.


But.. seriously, I was thinking of building an RC version. They have high precision servos and the lens gear are right there. Might be time to DIY it....
 
Although.. That's not to say after saying all this that I don't want to get a super cheap and simple handheld solution for if I'm truly going covert or uber run and gun... But, for now the HD4000 and the Steadicam Merlin arm and vest is the steal of the year. With a 5" HD monitor and batteries to run the whole thing, I spent just around 3 grand. But I'm able to steadicam for 3 or more hours without a break... That's huge if you are shooting an action film and time is money.. and I do a lot of that stuff, so it's a good option to have one ready at all time.
 
Kholi said:
Seems like the only thing I'd be happy with is one of those bungee backpack deals
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Kholi,

I had a EasyRig Turtle-X, & ended up returning it. I love the EasyRig itself, but the backpack section was troublesome.

I tested it for a week, & finally brought it on a job, but of course that was the day the zippers misaligned making the storage section impossible to remove. I was carrying lots of gear in the storage area, & had to abandon using the EasyRig.

I picked mine up at 16x9, the US distributor, in Valencia, & during the demo one of the employees damaged a zipper, so I think it's a design weakness.

I think Indie, or whatever they're called now, rents the Turtle-X if you'd like to check it out.

Best,
Bern
 
Bern Caughey said:
Kholi,

I had a EasyRig Turtle-X, & ended up returning it. I love the EasyRig itself, but the backpack section was troublesome.

I tested it for a week, & finally brought it on a job, but of course that was the day the zippers misaligned making the storage section impossible to remove. I was carrying lots of gear in the storage area, & had to abandon using the EasyRig.

I picked mine up at 16x9, the US distributor, in Valencia, & during the demo one of the employees damaged a zipper, so I think it's a design weakness.

I think Indie, or whatever they're called now, rents the Turtle-X if you'd like to check it out.

Best,
Bern
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That may be why they rebuilt it into the new outfit. The backpack thing was an interesting idea but it definitely looked flimsy.

The new Turtle replacement looks pretty stout. I think this is probably the only thing that's gonna suit my shooting style, to be honest, but I need to explore it with a decked GH2 rig, FS100, or AF100... maybe a C300.
 
Hey Alex, out of curiosity, what made it not easy? That rig looks bigger than what I've been looking at on Amazon. Do you have any modifications off of the standard item found here?
 
Kholi said:
That may be why they rebuilt it into the new outfit. The backpack thing was an interesting idea but it definitely looked flimsy.

The new Turtle replacement looks pretty stout. I think this is probably the only thing that's gonna suit my shooting style, to be honest, but I need to explore it with a decked GH2 rig, FS100, or AF100... maybe a C300.
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Be sure to do a writeup if you get one. I've always been interested, but have never seen anyone use one of the backpack rigs.
 
plasmasmp said:
Be sure to do a writeup if you get one. I've always been interested, but have never seen anyone use one of the backpack rigs.
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I'm gonna try my friends out with the GH2. Will probably weight it down with an AB Battery setup powering the camera and the TV Logic.

If it turns out well, I'll either convince the company to invest in one or build a ghetto version. LoL.
 
Great input from experienced hands in this thread.
Having tried the Hague MMC, SteadiGo and now the Wonland Magic, I can say that the Wonland has been the best so far! It took about a month to figure out how to precisely balance and then adjust my walking rhythm and now it's almost second nature. But, as others have said, the GH2's lightweight looks problematic since I'm using the 14mm/f2.5 lens. Adding a Rode VideoMic Pro helps although it'd probably be better to add some additional weights at the top.
 
blazer003-

I added a Manfrotto 577 on it to make it easy to take the camera off and im using the Rewo cage which makes it substantially heavier. In general Merlin style stabilizers like this are harder to balance and more finicky than Glidecam but offer a better look IMHO.
 
maranfilms said:
I sometimes tie a string to my subject if it's a walk and talk where I want a more shallow dof, this way were teathered, and the actor cant really move out of the focus range. I use a few other tricks I have come up with over the years.
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That is a very cool trick!
 
I'm relatively new to using a stabilizer, but I've had pretty good results with Opteka SteadyVid Pro. I think it's a good unit to learn on, before possibly upgrading to a more rugged rig in the future.
Here's a sample video I shot with this stabilizer. As you'll see, it's pretty smooth overall, with a couple of glitches (which I can only blame on the operator...). I'm getting better though.
 
With this footage you can see your steps... I think that there's a problem when using such lightweight stabilizers. The heavier the rig, the better it flies and also if you don't get an arm and vest it will be really hard to Don Juan your shots. I did the handheld thing with my HD4000 for a few months till I got the Arm and Vest... Makes all the difference in the world when it comes to shooting in virtually all orientations without fatigue and for extended periods of time.


cheers
 
Kholi said:
That may be why they rebuilt it into the new outfit. The backpack thing was an interesting idea but it definitely looked flimsy.

The new Turtle replacement looks pretty stout. I think this is probably the only thing that's gonna suit my shooting style, to be honest, but I need to explore it with a decked GH2 rig, FS100, or AF100... maybe a C300.
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Kholi,

Just revisited this topc, & saw your reference to the updated EasyRig. Ordered one on the spot, but haven't received it yet.

Did you ever test your friends?

Thanks,
Bern
 
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