astute
Member
A little while ago I spouted my discontent about stabilizing systems on the market.
Especially in the case of my camera (Sony PMW-EX1) I found it very hard to find an affordable flexible stabilizing system for a tight budget. (I was aiming for a max of 1000,- euros).
I tried out various systems, those from Steadicam, GlideCam, Monopod and many more. The only one working with my EX1 is the GlideCam which carried the weight but the FlyCam itself is rather heavy to carry without a vest and with a vest it comes more expensive, and less flexible where putting on a vest and everything is a bit of a hassle.
By a bit of luck I ran into a little American company called Camera Motion Research which develops steadycam systems. And here is the kicker, their Blackbird sells for a $645,- USD.
This is their hand held stabilizer which works like the competition, but better.
It is using a steadycam like you are used to, but the big advantages are:
1. Very easy to set up (much quick then a merlin for example).
2. Much lighter, thus no need for a vest, even with my heavy EX1.
3. Can carry much heavier cameras compared to other systems which are even heavier and more expensive.
4. Very affordable
It might sound like a lot of money for a unknown company, which is what I thought at first. I have some horrible experiences with steadycam systems bought on Ebay (falling apart and such) so I was a bit scared. But the product is worth every penny and you can see this as a sort of a mom & pop production which delivers high quality products and because of a small overhead can keep its prices down to very affordable.
Build quality is great, better then the competition, I believe its all manufactured in the US using modern equipment and great quality controll. It comes in a nice carrying bag for that price as well.
I can recommend this piece of kit to everyone who is looking for something like a GlideCam or a Merlin and doesn't care about the name or brand and doesn't wannt to pay for that. This kit is for the person who cares about quality, price and performance.
It comes highly recommended!
Oh yea, they also have a website: http://www.camotionllc.com/
Especially in the case of my camera (Sony PMW-EX1) I found it very hard to find an affordable flexible stabilizing system for a tight budget. (I was aiming for a max of 1000,- euros).
I tried out various systems, those from Steadicam, GlideCam, Monopod and many more. The only one working with my EX1 is the GlideCam which carried the weight but the FlyCam itself is rather heavy to carry without a vest and with a vest it comes more expensive, and less flexible where putting on a vest and everything is a bit of a hassle.
By a bit of luck I ran into a little American company called Camera Motion Research which develops steadycam systems. And here is the kicker, their Blackbird sells for a $645,- USD.
This is their hand held stabilizer which works like the competition, but better.
It is using a steadycam like you are used to, but the big advantages are:
1. Very easy to set up (much quick then a merlin for example).
2. Much lighter, thus no need for a vest, even with my heavy EX1.
3. Can carry much heavier cameras compared to other systems which are even heavier and more expensive.
4. Very affordable
It might sound like a lot of money for a unknown company, which is what I thought at first. I have some horrible experiences with steadycam systems bought on Ebay (falling apart and such) so I was a bit scared. But the product is worth every penny and you can see this as a sort of a mom & pop production which delivers high quality products and because of a small overhead can keep its prices down to very affordable.
Build quality is great, better then the competition, I believe its all manufactured in the US using modern equipment and great quality controll. It comes in a nice carrying bag for that price as well.
I can recommend this piece of kit to everyone who is looking for something like a GlideCam or a Merlin and doesn't care about the name or brand and doesn't wannt to pay for that. This kit is for the person who cares about quality, price and performance.
It comes highly recommended!
Oh yea, they also have a website: http://www.camotionllc.com/
