DVX200 on a Glidecam

E

EdRicker

Active member
Hey all,
I'm a new member on this forum, although I've been reading through it for a while now.
I figured some of you would be interested in checking out a video I recently shot with the DVX200 using a Glidecam.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqbTIiFCtbo

Shot in 3840x2160, V-Log, 60FPS or 24FPS depending on the shot. A lot of the lens flare is coming from my polarizer.
Color graded in Speedgrade. Edited in Premiere. Devin Graham Signature Glidecam. I used the camera's OIS, but no post production stability applied.
I've done some searching and haven't been able to find any other DVX200 glidecam footage on YouTube, so perhaps it's the only one of its kind!

A few thoughts: It's heavy. REALLY heavy for a glidecam. I liked the weight for stability, but my bicep didn't necessarily agree. However, I've used a GH4 on a glidecam too and felt it was too light in comparison. It caught the breeze too easily.
Speaking of breeze, the many angles on the DVX200 threaten to catch the wind and mess with the glidecam's balance (namely the LCD screen). I try to minimize this by tilting the LCD screen up a bit like a plane wing rather than facing the wind directly, and I take off the mattebox when not needed.
All in all though, the DVX200 performs well with a glidecam if you work up the muscles required to hold in. The OIS really helps keep things stable in the camera, and it stays balanced well because of its weight.

I also uploaded a review of the DVX200 here that perspective buyers may take interest in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOcyV4SG1PI

Hope you enjoy my two DVX200 videos!

Ed
 
Very cool footage. I was about to go test walking with the OIS vs a Glidecam vs the Ronin if I can get it on there. Did the OIS fight you at any point? It doesn't seem like it, which surprises me.
 
Elvis Deane said:
Very cool footage. I was about to go test walking with the OIS vs a Glidecam vs the Ronin if I can get it on there. Did the OIS fight you at any point? It doesn't seem like it, which surprises me.
Click to expand...

I always turn OIS on for glidecam work. I've always felt that it helps more than it hinders. Never noticed it tugging my shot, but it's also kind of hard to tell since the slightest bump will show in glidecam footage anyway. I should do another video with OIS off to test.
 
EdRicker said:
It caught the breeze too easily.
Speaking of breeze, the many angles on the DVX200 threaten to catch the wind and mess with the glidecam's balance (namely the LCD screen). I try to minimize this by tilting the LCD screen up a bit like a plane wing rather than facing the wind directly, and I take off the mattebox when not needed.
Click to expand...

By the looks of your footage (all the wobble), your rig is too top heavy and/or your rig doesn't have enough inertia. Not familiar with Glidecams but when flying outdoors you need to lengthen your post or add weight for your sled. Also, a shorter drop time will help with the affects of wind as well.
 
egproductions said:
By the looks of your footage (all the wobble), your rig is too top heavy and/or your rig doesn't have enough inertia. Not familiar with Glidecams but when flying outdoors you need to lengthen your post or add weight for your sled. Also, a shorter drop time will help with the affects of wind as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. My drop time was about 1 second which I feel is the bare minimum. I'm still learning how to use it, so lack of practice probably has the biggest influence on wobble.

Here's a video I shot using the HMC150 on a glidecam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyXT5j3FUIU
Much more stable, and I attribute much of that stability to less camera weight hanging off my wrist.
 
Last edited:
EdRicker said:
lack of practice probably has the biggest influence on wobble.
Click to expand...

Perhaps but sometimes the cheaper rigs are not cut out for specific situations. For instance I started out on a steadicam Merlin. it was a great little setup and could achieve certain shots but I wouldn't dare take it outdoors even when I maxed out the weight.

Pro Operators use something called "antlers" to help increase their inertia for windy situations. As you get more practice you will start to have a lower tolerance for the wobble. Personally I can't even look at my earlier footage (that I thought looked good) without getting sea sick.

Also, if you want to invest more money, get an arm/vest. The arm isn't just there to hold the weight but also to isolate the up and down axis when you walk.
 
egproductions said:
Perhaps but sometimes the cheaper rigs are not cut out for specific situations. For instance I started out on a steadicam Merlin. it was a great little setup and could achieve certain shots but I wouldn't dare take it outdoors even when I maxed out the weight.

Pro Operators use something called "antlers" to help increase their inertia for windy situations. As you get more practice you will start to have a lower tolerance for the wobble. Personally I can't even look at my earlier footage (that I thought looked good) without getting sea sick.

Also, if you want to invest more money, get an arm/vest. The arm isn't just there to hold the weight but also to isolate the up and down axis when you walk.
Click to expand...

Interesting. The Glidecam's weight system can expand a few inches in each direction, and I bet that's similar to what the "antlers" do. I had the weights as close to the center as possible because expanding them ran the risk of hitting them with a knee. I suppose I should try that for my next test.
 
I wonder which aperture setting of the DVX-200 is the sweetspot for stabilizer shooting, when you want as deep DOF as possible but still be at the safe side of the lens diffraction softening?
 
I love my new Dvx200, I'm a newbie to all of this, I bought the glide dear dna 6002 for my new dvx200 to capture free floating images but Im having a very hard time balancing my new camera on the gimbo, I will try on my next day off to see if i could do it correctly, i really want to used this product but we will see, if not i will returned back to amazon, I wish the makers of the glide gear would make a video using the dvx200 to show us how they do it
 
The glidegear dna system is pretty decent. The stabilizer is much better than the arm system as the pressure knobs leave a lot to be desired. The chest padding being so scarce also makes a days work with it difficult. I still have the stabilizer because the padded case was pretty convenient and my hd4000 is overkill for all non cine cams.
What seems to be the problem you are having with balancing the dna. Are you putting a monitor down on its tiny antlers or is there another issue there?

Also the glidegear and glidecam slots are the same size so maybe if you can buy a cheap glidecam or 3rd party sled dock it will help you're balancing problems. Holding the stabilizer to balance does suck, especially when a lens cap is all it takes to throw off exact balance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top