AC160 Convert to Shoulder Mount or Buy a Stabilizer

kwkeirstead

kwkeirstead

Well-known member
To reduce camera shake, are we talking apples and oranges with trying to compare filming on the shoulder versus using a stabilizer?

I don't altogether understand how well these two options work but I know for sure that unless I somehow improve overnight, I am destined to crank out Blair Witch recordings with hand holding. I did a christening a couple of weeks ago and the results were embarrassing.

The idea of resting the camera on the shoulder sounds like a step in the right direction for modest motion because the body contributes more inertia compared to one hand or two hands, right?

My notion of a stabilizer would be a device that has two powered gyroscopes (one in each plane) that would dampen movement but I don't see any hint of such technology in the various stabilizers I have seen at the B&H site. Do stabilizers somehow replicate this behavior to some extent?

BTW, I tried with Sony Vegas Pro to "stabilize" my recording- it did not seem to me to do much of anything but who knows whether I applied the feature properly or not?
 
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There are powered gyroscopes designed for heli shooting but they are big and expensive. http://www.ken-lab.com/index.html

When I bought my 160 I was a bit surprised with the weight difference between it and my trusty 150. So I bought a set of cheap barbells from Canadian Tire and have been doing some weight lifting every morning. I was amazed at how much this improved my hand held shooting! When my arms get tired, I have a hard time holding the camera still. But the weight lifting has improved my stamina and therefore my shooting. I'm 54 years old and haven't lifted weights before, so I started my routines with 5 pounds and now have moved up to 20 pounds.
 
Hi Walter

The big issue with the 160 is that darn EVF stuck right at the end ...to have a shoulder mount the camera would have to extend from the eyepiece on your eye outwards, whereas a normal ENG cam has the EVF up front so the rig is way more balanced. Putting the 160 on a rig extending from your eye and sitting on your shoulder makes it extremely heavy, un-practical and wobbly!!! Both my cams have a simple rail system underneath that goes to an offset shoulder pad BUT the BIG difference is that the EVF is also way back near my shoulder too!!! I just use the LCD as a viewfinder instead with a loupe eyepiece on it....that makes camera balance way better and you don't need to pump iron either!!! I use one more little secret on my rig too...at the front of the rail under the lens hood (where it's heaviest) I have a miniballhead and that clips into a sprung rod and waist belt that I got from Cine City in India ..that makes the camera virtually weightless and you have incredible stability with the rig supported on your shoulder, right hand on the camera strap, left hand around the loupe/LCD arrangement or under the lens barrel and the sprung rod holds up the front...it's hard to tell the difference between this rig and a tripod and, of course, the hand held rig is so much more flexible!!!!

Chris
 
Lots of helpful comments here . . . Thanks

JChristie... I have been doing weights since I was 16 years old. I used to do 3 hours x 3 times a week but admit I have slacked off. Time to start again ! I can see my BowFlex from where I am sitting here at the computer.

I love the Ken-Lab concept but not the price. Curiously, things still bounce up and down a bit, even with this sophisticated solution.

I have seen pictures of the evolution of Chris' rig over time - . I saw somewhere else that the Loupe vendor seems to have a LCD sleeve that allows attachment. But Chris' spring rod setup is highly innovative and probably better.

I'm off now to buy an LED 5010A. Need that for a documentary project I expect to start up next week.

I must say this forum is a lot more interesting than the management consulting stuff I crank out for my clients at www.kwkeirstead.wordpress.com.

My main purpose for getting the AC160 was to get to where I can make training videos so clients do not have to read blog posts.

Again, thanks
 
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Wow!! That's neat...You certainly couldn't use that handheld but starting at $12K it's somewhat pricey and I think out of our range...quite a good investment if you own a Bell Ranger chopper and do aerial footage but otherwise somewhat out of our league for us mere mortals!!!!
 
For those that need to know the most economical way to get the spring rod front end is just buy the rod and waist belt from www.thecinecity.com from their "Gliders" rig ...they charged me $49.00 ...I then bought a mini ballhead and bolted that under my cam to give unlimited movement between the rod and camera frame. For now I have also removed the front handles from my rig too as it felt a bit un-natural having to drop my hands down so it's now just two aluminium 1/2" rods under the camera and an offset shoulder pad (I do have an extra bracket next to the battery compartment for my radio receivers) but essentially, one hand thru the cam strap and the other is free for the manual adjustments or just wraps around the LCD/Loupe unit as it would on a SM camera. The spring rod takes all the weight so you only have to hold the camera vertical ....frame stability is almost tripod perfect and panning is way easier!!!

Chris
 
+1 to Chris's idea. I've used a spring rod and belt loop from a DVrig to take the load off when doing handheld interviews.
 
Just an update guys!!
On Friday I removed the front grip handles of my rig to make it more "streamlined" (see two posts above) ...BIG MISTAKE!! I shot a wedding yesterday and struggled like crazy... sure you can use your left hand on the LCD/Loupe assembly but it's not the same..the handles went back on both my rigs this morning!!! I mostly use the left handle grip but for extended runs where you don't have to change much you can slip your right hand out from the hand grip on the camera and use both the rig handles and it gives really nice stability!! If you are running rails under the camera make sure that you have a grip on the left at least (or under the rails...I was lost without it!!!

Chris
 
Thanks Mike

Much appreciated!!! The sprung rod we are talking about here, Phil, just fastens on the front bracket under the lens hood and goes to a waist belt....with the rig and the rod, your camera is virtually weightless!! It's a big relief when I have things to shoot like a bride and groom being congratulated by 100 guests so you have to stand there without wobbling for 15 minutes!!!

If anyone needs some dimensions and specs just let me know and I'll attach a little drawing for you!

Chris
 
There is a lot about these high end stabilizing solutions with using Gyros, but why not a tried and trusted Steady Cam rig with a body stabilizer?
You could probably find a reasonably priced used package for under $500. Could even go ebay and find some Indian/chinese versions for under $300.
If your moving around and have stability issues, this seems the simplest and cheapest solution... also doesn't necessarily require one start weightlifting again.

On a side note. There are tons of these gyro DIY setups, ive seen being made from using old laptop 2.5in hard drives.
You could build something like that for next to nothing.
 
Hi Daihard

I used a Stedicam at wedding photoshoots but it's not a practical solution at all for general work...your issue is usually the delay time for suiting up and when in the vest you are pretty restricted to do anything else!! Besides to fly something like an AC-160 you would need something like a Pilot which even used would be around $3K ..I have a modified Flycam rig that they made up specially for me and even the stock ones that don't work well are around the $2K mark or half that if you find a used one. The idea of an SM rig is to be able to grab and shoot with absolutely no setup needed...it normally takes me around 10 minutes to suitup and put a cam on the sled at a wedding and another 10 mins to get back to normal!! Nice footage IF you have the time and nothing else to control..I run two AC-130's at weddings and a back camera so my hands are full!!

The gyro systems using HDD's sound fascinating....worth looking into as computer shops would have piles of dud drives that still spin!!!

Chris
 
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