First time with the HMC-150 & Glidecam...

Jordan Berry

Jordan Berry

Well-known member
First time really attemping the glidecam...

http://www.berrygoodvideo.com/video_player.php?c=fun&v=glidecam1&s=big

:grin:

I have a lot of work ahead of me... haha.. but it was fun. The HMC-150 is so much lighter then my A1.. even with the big battery.

Sorry the compression doesn't give the HMC-150 any justice. I will say I was impressed with the quality of the image the HMC-150 produces in good light. I was kind of expecting less sharpness (coming from the A1).
 
Flintstone said:
Nice work for your first time. Do you have the full smooth shooter kit, or just the glidecam 4000?
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Just the glidecam 4000 HD. + Bogen Quick Release. I could have gotten away with the 2k but I want to be able to have a light or Sen wireless unit on the camera for some receptions.

I almost went the smooth shooter route but I think that $1.5k can pay for my gym membership ;)
 
Gym ?

Absolutely. I agree. You will need Big arm muscles if you use the Glidecam on its own :grin:
 
And a good back! I had one, and my back hurt a lot. But then.. back then... I was REALLY out of shape. I would probably be different today.

BTW, did you get it with the arm brace? Very practical!
 
Flintstone said:
And a good back! I had one, and my back hurt a lot. But then.. back then... I was REALLY out of shape. I would probably be different today.

BTW, did you get it with the arm brace? Very practical!
Click to expand...


Arm brace is an excellent suggestion! I'm not going to pay $50 for one though.. I'll just build my own.

I'm not sure why but yesterday and today I haven't had any problems carrying the rig. I'm just so excited about getting the **** that the weight doesn't really bother me.
 
I hurt my wrist using the 2000 Pro (which is fine with the HMC BTW). I think I will get an arm brace as it looks like it will solve the problem I was having.
 
Hi Jordan,

It looks good. I was really surprised how much long I could fly with the GC and the HMC150 versus flying with the Sony Z1. It makes a big difference.
 
Jordan Berry said:
I don't know... I just made that number up...

Point is they're over priced.. I would highly suggest just making one your self.
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LOL That is so true! Same thing goes for most gear in the pro video world. Take matte boxes for example.... most of them aren't worth $50 in parts and labor, let alone $800.
 
It just depends upon if you have the time and or budget. I'm buidling some flags and scrims because I refuse to pay 500 bucks for some fabric and frames. I'll be able to make everything for about a 100 and probably have enough left over pieces to make a set for my buddy. I found great scrim material at Lowes along with the PVC material for frame, and the other stuff is all at Jo-ann Fabrics. I am probably going to be building a butterfly overhead as well.


Certain things are worth paying for... other stuff is just not.. especially if you aren't doing it for clients... and even then, why not bring out a homemade dolly. Afraid of mine says he's going to make a knock off fisher dolly with hydrollics and all that. I have seen his work, so I'm sure it'll happen.
 
Nice flying man,,, looking at the shadows in the footy tells me you are holding it with two hands, how do you rotate 360 so smoothly?,,, I hold my in one hand and use the other to rotate the shaft but can't get it that nice.
 
shaun1970 said:
Nice flying man,,, looking at the shadows in the footy tells me you are holding it with two hands, how do you rotate 360 so smoothly?,,, I hold my in one hand and use the other to rotate the shaft but can't get it that nice.
Click to expand...

Well thank you! First day with it mind you!

I don't think I ever held it with 2 hands. 1 Hand was to hold it and the second was to control it. Rotating is simple. Just lightly send the glidecam into a spin. Let the glidecam spin on it's own then slow it down and stop it with your fingers. The harder you put it into a spin the faster it will spin, etc.

I use my thumb and next 2 fingers to touch the glidecam with. It's just a matter of knowing how hard to press on the glidecam.

I think this is all rather funny considering how little I know about using a glidecam :beer:
 
Pretty damn smooth! I would've sworn that was done with a vest, but seeing your shadow, I know it's just you. Impressive.
 
Jordan... How has this been serving you for these past few months? I really want to get one. The price is so right. I'd like to get the full body rig but too expensive and I won't be using it all the time. This stuff just looks really good and once you get it dialed in, do you have any drawbacks or things you don't like?


I just don't see the point of spending 5k or 8k. I do also have a gym membership and the 150 is so light it might not need a big body rig.. and I also think this would serve me well on the DSLR that I'm getting. Cheers!
 
Justyn,
I also bought the glidecam hd4000 with the overpriced armbrace because of this video.
I received mine last week .
Love it. The manual could be better, but youtube videos and Zazacast help me out a lot.
The x10 looks like it could save your arm but It seems to me that operators are then complaining about their back and wallet.

Still it's great for trackshots , 360 turn etc. But not so good for very slow dolly type shots.
Dont underestimate the weight of the hmc though. The first day was painfull. But it's a lot better now especially with the forearm brace.
Ofcourse now it's practice pratice...and some more balancing

Things that anoy me :
I maybe doing something wrong but after every time I use it, I need to rebalance it abit , same setup .
Another thing I notice is that when I do a track shot to the north its alot smoohter then to the south. eg: Walking next to a person !
Anybody got some clues ?
 
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