GH3 Best Steadycam Vest/Arm Combination For The GH3

[Vardalos]

I currently have a Blackbird Stabilizer and like it a lot but I think I’ll probably buy a Vest/Arm combination to use with it, has anyone tried this one. The Wieldy 1-7kg Steadycam Vest/Arm?

 

[Eric Coughlin]

I doubt the Wieldy would be much if any improvement with the Blackbird in regards to stability; it will give you arm relief. The problem I find with the Wieldy or any cheap vest system is that the arm tends to bounce up and down during movement, often more so than a human arm would on a non-vest system, while a well designed vest and arm system minimizes the arm bounce significantly. My recommendation would be a used Steadicam Pilot which can be bought for around $1800, and it that's not in the budget, to stick with just the Blackbird for now.

On a side note, we both live in the same area.

 

[Vardalos]

Since posting I've found videos illustrating the Wieldy 1-7kg Steadycam Vest/Arm Stabilizer system http://cheesycam.com/wieldy-dual-iso-arm-vest-video-stabilizer/ also their Carbon Fibre Stabilizer. http://cheesycam.com/wieldy-hdv-pro-iron-triangle-carbon-fiber-video-camera-stabilizer/ In case you haven't seen these I thought I would share them with you.

 

[Noah Truth]

A cheap-o solution that's worked for me is using a tripod dolly and then warp stabilizing in post. The dolly works well on smooth surfaces or even concrete. The camera shake will be more concentrated than handheld, making the artifacts far less noticeable after post effects.