D90 Glidecam Rig

F

fotobywes

Active member
I've started experimenting with a D90 on a Glidecam 2000 Pro. This is my first time working with a Glidecam, and I'll refrain from posting any footage until I've got a better grasp of balance & "flying" technique.

As you can see from the pictures, I've mounted my Roland Edirol R-09HR on the bottom of the Glidecam. We'll see how well it works.

I do a fair bit of outdoor, documentary-style shooting, so I added some Camera Armour to my D90. I had to do a bit of customization with a knife in order to get the Camera Armour to fit around the Kirk Enterprises L Bracket. I use the L Bracket for mounting the D90 to my bicycle frames, in conjunction with a Kirk Quick Release Plate and an UltraPod II. Since I almost always shoot with the L Bracket attached, I didn't see any point in removing it just for the Glidecam. Granted, it does add some weight, but it's not that significant. I also used a Kirk Quick Release Plate atop the camera sled.

Has anyone else tried to fly a D90 on a Glidecam/Steadicam?

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I'm not sure if that's what you intended but the top plate is not facing the right way.
If you got it balanced without the pendulum effect then let us know because it's a problem with the Merlin.
 
The orientation of the top plate was mostly intentional. I was trying to mount the quick release plate in a position where it would sit flat, and the QR knob would not be resting on the top plate. And since I'm primarily interested in using super-wide angle lenses, I was thus concerned that the "correct" orientation of the top plate would show up in the picture.

I'm still running into a bit of pendulum effect: I've minimized, but not eliminated, it. I might try removing the QR plate and orienting the top plate with lens axis.

As for the camera armor, just google camera armor. I think I bought mine from Calumet. When I got it, a D90 version had not come out, but the D80 was almost a perfect fit. I had to open up the LCD screen window a bit with an Xacto knife.
 
Looking good - the pendulum effect is normal and is pretty much how all steadicams work unless configured completely neutral. Even with a 2-3 second drop time you will have some pendulum, thats just the way it is. With a faster drop time you'll be more stable during constant speed movement (zero acceleration) but have to deal with pendulum more during acceleration (start, stopping, turning, changing speed). Slower drop times mean less pendulum but a less stable post. When starting and stopping a little pressure from either your front two fingers or your pinky behind the post will be enough to stop it. Timing it all right and applying just the right amount of pressure is tricky but with practice you'll build the muscle memory to make it seamless.
 
Hey Jeff those are pretty good tips for steadicamming! I haven't done much of it but will try that the next time!

Are there any problems with gyro's at all? I imagine different ones than steadicam, but not like this since it mounts directly under the cam.
 
Thanks, good steadicamming is definitely an art. All about practice and muscle memory. Being in a rig with a vest and arm makes all the difference as you can practice for so much longer with zero fatigue. Also makes the shot a good deal smoother.

I'm not quite clear on your gyro question? Are you talking about combining a gyro with a steadicam or just attaching one directly to the camera? Both should work well, but gyros arent cheap by any means either. To the best of my knowledge kenyon makes some of the most affordable ones - http://www.ken-lab.com/.
 
Gyro Handlebar

Gyro Handlebar

I'll post some pix if anyone's interested, but a couple months ago I designed & outsourced the fabrication of a handlebar-style camera/gyro mount.

I purchased a Kenlab 3000 a few years back for use in still photography. I started mounting it onto DV cameras, such as the Sony PD170, a year or so ago.

The gyro creates a high-pitched whine that transmits quite well through metal mounting plates. Consequently any on-camera mic will pick up the whine. I wrapped some close-celled foam around the gyro to dampen the sound, but I'd still hear it if a mic was closer than two feet to the camera.

The other major disadvantage to the gyro is that there is a limited rate of acceleration/deceleration. If you try to move the gyro too fast, it jerks.

I'm not saying that a gyro is necessarily a bad tool; it's just not the best tool for the job for guerrilla video shoots with a minimal crew. It's been used successfully for handheld shooting on feature films, and it's great for still photography.
 
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