best "steadycam" ?

PaPa

PaPa

Major Contributor
alright guys, i just buoght a glidecam2000 pro off of a dvxuser and ive had it with it. It is way to diffcult to balance perfectly, to get rid of any slight tilt while shooting is a pain in the ass. So im sick of it.

Which of the few out there are the simplest and quickest to balance? Time is money, and the 2000 pro is about to cost me 2 thousand bucks ( the cost of replacing the wall its about to go through )

thanks.

plz dont post ones that are rediculously priced. I bought it off of the dude, cost me 200 US all in, taxes and shiz. So keep it around the 400 dollar region. If its a little more, post it aswell.
 
Last edited:
The Steadicam Merlin is a killer stabilizer for $800., the new and improved version by original Steadicam inventor/genius Garrett Brown. Supposed to be awesome. Has a max weight limit of just over 5lbs., and it will also fly the HVX200, but with no additional weight. Mine arrives this week, I'll post my experiences with it.

search the boards for "steadicam merlin" for more info.

...as for spending $200., IMHO you get whatcha pay for. :)
 
Last edited:
then let me make it simple.

out of theses:

glidecam 2000 pro
glidecam 4000 pro
steadicam JR
steady tracker xtreme.

??

im gettin mad pissed with this thing.

the smallest amount of human error will throw this thing off balance.
 
I have a Steadytracker Extreme and love it. Easy to set up, balanced on three axis, super smooth and easy to learn. Gets heavy at the end of the day but the results are well worth it. Since there is no gimble/weight distribution issue you're up and running in 3 minutes. Best $300 i spent.
 
now, i am starting to really like the xtreme, however, because your arm is directly on it, how does it handle running?

Care to post some footage? plz plz plz?
 
for the glidecam2000

are you supposed to use your other hand to keep it straight? and stop it from twisting?
 
Glidecam stabilizers come with a DVD which shows the principle behind stabilizers and how to set them up. The DVD also has promotional material as well so it likely is something they give away at trade shows. If you didn't get one with your 2000, contact Glidecam and ask for one. I bought a Glidecam 4000Pro with the smooth shooter last year and without the DVD to show setup I probably would have gnawed off my own leg in frustration, trying to guess at how to set it up properly.

Since the 4000 gets attached to the shooter, I tried to see what its like to use the stabilizer hand held. Aaaarrgh! I just couldn't see myself ever using these stabilizers in a production setting without the proper vest and support arm system. I also found getting quick mount attachment a huge help in reducing setup time.
 
PaPa said:
alright guys, i just buoght a glidecam2000 pro off of a dvxuser and ive had it with it. It is way to diffcult to balance perfectly, to get rid of any slight tilt while shooting is a pain in the ass. So im sick of it.

Which of the few out there are the simplest and quickest to balance? Time is money, and the 2000 pro is about to cost me 2 thousand bucks ( the cost of replacing the wall its about to go through )

thanks.

plz dont post ones that are rediculously priced. I bought it off of the dude, cost me 200 US all in, taxes and shiz. So keep it around the 400 dollar region. If its a little more, post it aswell.
Click to expand...

its not new. no DVD
 
i just dont get this ****ing thing at all!

I follow the video online, do all those test, verticle test, 1.5 second test, i pick it up its still, i do that swinging motion from left to right, goes back to the middle its stilll. But the second i start walking with it it starts swinging back and forth making the frame pan up and down non stop. It also slowly turns to the right as i move.... not fall sideways, the whole thing just starts spinning to hte right... IM GOING NUTS!
 
plz guys, i dont mean to rush the responses, but im going silghtly mental, and for those who own one of these, you know exactly what im saying, plz help a brother out before he goes completely insane.
 
Yeah, I just noticed they finally have the videos on their site for viewing. If you watched the stability of balance video and still can't adjust your rig then you might check to see if any local rental houses have a unit available. If so they usually have someone who helps "rentees" through the first time setup.

The first time I set up my unit, it took almost an hour to get it right, and that was after watching the video. Now I can do a setup in a minute or two.
 
i have the bottom weights fixed in position, at the very edges, so ill keep those there because i know its able to stabalize, now its going to be as easy as mounting the top piece and getting it steady by those means every time. just simplifies one thing.
 
I allready responded to Papas issies with his rig in the other thread.
But regarding this topic...

Someone put very well that 'you get what you pay for'. That's just about always true.

Personally I think the SteadyTracker isn't worth it. Sure it stabilizes, but without a gimble, it's prety useless (my my standards) and will never ever get even close to the real thing.

The Glidecam's are heavy, but a little "tougher" should you drop it. (don't know why you would?) Of the listed rigs, the GC4K will take the most weight, but it will also be extremely taxing to operate physcially. They are a ***** to balance and adjust.

The Steadicam JR is the lightest of the above rigs, and for camera's in it's range, will generally give the best performance. It's also the easiest to set up. (note, not "easy", non are) It also places the weight above your hand, so you can hold it longer without hurting your wrist. Probably your best bet used off e-bay for a couple of hundred $. Available with or without a monitor.

Not on PaPa's list, but also mentioned in the thread is the Steadicam Merlin. This is (in my oppinion) by far the best handheld rig.
It is above your $400 budget, but it's worth it for the performance it gives too. As mentioned, It'll fly up to 5lb, so a DVX with a bit of stuff, or a bare HVX. For anything over 5lb, I'd recomend a full vest mounted rig anyway. It also has, and improves on, all the benefits of the JR, except it doesn't have a monitor - but either do any of the other contenders in this range (for a good reason too.. weight!)

My order of preferance would be:
Steadicam Merlin
Steadicam JR if it'll take the camera.
Glidecam 4K or 2K, depending on how much you are carying.
(other gimbled rigs...)
My tripod and use it like a Steadytracker.
Steadytracker (my tripod does other things too [is a tripod])

My advise? Stick with your GC for now. When you learn to use it (you will) it will do the job fine for you. - untill your wrist gets tired.

- Mikko
 
PaPa said:
I follow the video online, do all those test, verticle test, 1.5 second test, i pick it up its still, i do that swinging motion from left to right, goes back to the middle its stilll. But the second i start walking with it it starts swinging back and forth making the frame pan up and down non stop. It also slowly turns to the right as i move.... not fall sideways, the whole thing just starts spinning to hte right... IM GOING NUTS!
Click to expand...

Just thinking aloud, and looking at the construction of the thing from the video...

Try decreasing the amount of weights on the bottom and/or shortening the post slightly to increase the drop time to between 2 and 3 seconds (typical drop time on a professional rig). Being less bottom heavy means it behaves less like a pendulum, which is what I think is possibly what's happening when you say it's making the frame "pan" up and down non stop. (Note: this will make it slightly less stable and more susceptible to wind, which is probably why Glidecam recommend 1.5 seconds. Like most things, there's a tradeoff).

Also, by making the rig more neutrally balanced, it will better show up any slight errors in horizontal balance (which may be causing the "spinning") - your left-right/fore-aft camera plate adjustments will have to be finer.

The other thing which may cause spinning is if your weights are not symmetrical along the z-axis of the whole assembly. If that is so, although you will be able to horizontal balance with the left-right/fore-aft adjustment, if your carrying hand tilts left or right slightly during operation the post will no longer be vertical (because the pivot/"gimbal" appears to only be a 2-axis assembly), so any non-symmetrical weight distribution will have a turning effect.

Of course, this may be unavoidable as the camcorder itself may well have uneven weight distribution along the z-axis, especially with an LCD display swung out to the side. In that case, your only option is to be careful not to tilt your carrying hand to the left or right during operation!
 
Last edited:
now, what exactly is the difference between the two stabalizers? Im talking about the 2000 and 4000 clidecams? I look on their website and the only thing i seem to see is there is a longer bar at the bottom to extend the pole further and there are mo weights. Could one not find the pole and add it to the 2000 pro and find more washers somewhere? lol seems sillybbut that seems like the only difference.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top