Does a spring rod on a shoulder rig really help while walking?

[alyricalmind]

I'm a bit torn between the Opteka CXS-2 and the Gliders Shoulder Support System on eBay.





The Gliders (top) is about $40 more but the only reason I'm considering it over the Opteka (bottom) is because of the spring rod and belt it comes with. It's supposed to stabilize your shot while walking but I'm not sure if that's just a gimmick or if it actually helps and to what extent it helps. I think the Opteka has a better build quality and I've seen many good reviews about it. I haven't heard much about the Gliders but it looks pretty good. Not sure how I would attach a bracket to it though.

Is the spring rod worth the extra bucks?

 

[alyricalmind]

No thoughts on whether a spring rod is truly helpful in stabilizing shots on a shoulder rig while walking?

 

[david_p]

i have (although dont use much anymore) a DVTech Multirig that is similar to this rig in that it uses this identical monopod/springloaded feature. to directly answer your question...no it doesnt help with walking and actually possibly makes it slightly worse than is you just had the camera on a shoulder rig with some weight.

what it "is" good for is holding the rig for very long periods of time with little fatigue. you can get really smooth footage even if you zoom in a fair amount with this pole supporting the camera & rig. negatives though...if you want to change aiming direction for instance 90% one way or another, this setup gets kind of weird. this setup from my experience is mostly about shooting basically in a "mostly" forward direction, as you twist your body to more extreme angles i found that you need to adjust your whole body (feet) and reposition mostly aiming forward. its hard to explain but real. i find with a full on shoulder rig (thats weighted behind the shoulder that im barely having to hold it up) is smoother in some situations and easier to aim up and down without the default restrictions of the positioning of this pole/spring setup.

if i had to walk id rather walk with my heavy shoulder rig than my Multirig/monospring setup. with that said i will use my steadicam if i need to be moblie.

david