Never thought I'd be the one to say this, as I HATE being locked down... but, please....
Buy A Tripod.
If you can't afford to get a really good one that'll let you fluidly pan and tilt, buy a cheap one that'll at least hold the camera steady. The handheld stuff is just overboard now, and not because it's handheld, but because it's very poorly executed.
Jitters are killing footage. It was one thing when this all first started, but there is so much knowledge out there on how to stabilize your image that it's bordering sloppy to see them.
To this effect, I even followed my own advice and took advantage of the sales this Holiday and bought a crap $99.99 still photography tripod that's heavy enough to do some locked down shooting. And I HATE being locked down!!! I haven't ever purchased a tripod before but it's a MUST. At least it'll allow me to stay locked down when needed, and anything more I can rent.
Please... get tripods or find ways to stabilize your image.
What's that got to do with handheld, though?
That's a 300mm Clip and it was achieved with this:
The model's a SLIK PRO 400DX, if you can't tell by the last photo (taken with an iPhone, sorry) it's simply been flipped upside down. By taking the center column out and putting the tripod plate/head upside down, I've created a multitude of options for body contact AND I've kept the legs out of my path of operation.
There are so many different ways you can hold this thing it's ridiculous, and most of them are plenty efficient for operation. Better still, it takes about ten seconds to flip the legs back and lock them for "normal" tripod use. AKA the Locked Down Shot.
It works because the legs offer a certain amount of tolerable weight, and ALL of that weight is redicreted to your BICEPS instead of your FOREARMS and WRISTS. The body contact points are as you please, and you could even hold two of the legs at once. Or, you could hold the center column right beneath the camera, or "Grab it by the throat" and use your other hand to focus.
Works pretty friggin' well. So well that I may not be using my 14lb rig very often, as it's a doozy to carry around. Especially travelling!
It DOES take practice to get the handheld down, but it only took me two days with no external monitor to get it up to 300mm comfortably.
Another really great use is walking with it. If you've got a 17mm and below, it's pretty decent for a cheap, no-money option as far as walking goes. I'll have to get some footage up but I'm sure you can test it out yourself.
It doesn't replace something like a Glidecam 2000 Pro (I need to get one of those asap) but it's a decent interim until you can afford to drop three-hundred (300.00) on one.
So, go to your local camera store and haggle yourself into a "crappy" tripod and try it. You can always return it!
Buy A Tripod.
If you can't afford to get a really good one that'll let you fluidly pan and tilt, buy a cheap one that'll at least hold the camera steady. The handheld stuff is just overboard now, and not because it's handheld, but because it's very poorly executed.
Jitters are killing footage. It was one thing when this all first started, but there is so much knowledge out there on how to stabilize your image that it's bordering sloppy to see them.
To this effect, I even followed my own advice and took advantage of the sales this Holiday and bought a crap $99.99 still photography tripod that's heavy enough to do some locked down shooting. And I HATE being locked down!!! I haven't ever purchased a tripod before but it's a MUST. At least it'll allow me to stay locked down when needed, and anything more I can rent.
Please... get tripods or find ways to stabilize your image.
What's that got to do with handheld, though?
That's a 300mm Clip and it was achieved with this:
The model's a SLIK PRO 400DX, if you can't tell by the last photo (taken with an iPhone, sorry) it's simply been flipped upside down. By taking the center column out and putting the tripod plate/head upside down, I've created a multitude of options for body contact AND I've kept the legs out of my path of operation.
There are so many different ways you can hold this thing it's ridiculous, and most of them are plenty efficient for operation. Better still, it takes about ten seconds to flip the legs back and lock them for "normal" tripod use. AKA the Locked Down Shot.
It works because the legs offer a certain amount of tolerable weight, and ALL of that weight is redicreted to your BICEPS instead of your FOREARMS and WRISTS. The body contact points are as you please, and you could even hold two of the legs at once. Or, you could hold the center column right beneath the camera, or "Grab it by the throat" and use your other hand to focus.
Works pretty friggin' well. So well that I may not be using my 14lb rig very often, as it's a doozy to carry around. Especially travelling!
It DOES take practice to get the handheld down, but it only took me two days with no external monitor to get it up to 300mm comfortably.
Another really great use is walking with it. If you've got a 17mm and below, it's pretty decent for a cheap, no-money option as far as walking goes. I'll have to get some footage up but I'm sure you can test it out yourself.
It doesn't replace something like a Glidecam 2000 Pro (I need to get one of those asap) but it's a decent interim until you can afford to drop three-hundred (300.00) on one.
So, go to your local camera store and haggle yourself into a "crappy" tripod and try it. You can always return it!
Last edited:
rogar-Happy(DBG):
