FlyCam Nano VS. the Hague Mini Stabilizer

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VK_Editing

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They are both in my price range but the FlyCam looks more legit, and the Hauge thing seems a bit dated but the results look good as well.... I'm leaning toward the Nano based on lots of demonstration videos.

Anyone? Help.... :)
 
I bought the flycam. It is difficult to balance to say the least and don't even think of buying it without a quick release adapter or you will go insane. To be honest I haven't spent too much time trying it out so you will need to be patient. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am trying to balance the GH2 with the 20mm 1.7 which is very short, and I've got some decent results but not near perfect. It's all about practice and balancing it perfectly and I'm sure if I spend a bit more time, I'll get it to work excellently. It maybe miles better than the competition and I have never used before anything similar so I have nothing to compare it to. As soon as I get some time and get the perfect balance, I'll post some results.
 
VK_Editing said:
http://cheesycam.com/stabilizer-smac...-vs-hague-mmc/ Not that much cheaper though? It's like $90 +$15 shipping..... The FlyCam just seems more likely to balance easier no? It's $115 on ebay....

ANY TEST VIDEOS YOU HAVE DONE WITH THE INDIE ONE?
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I don't have it yet I should have it by Tuesday, I've owned a Sdeadicam JR and a Glidecam 2000 before I really didn't like the glidecam. In the past I always had cameras the were at the weight maximum of the Stabilizers but now I have a GH2. Personally I think balancing the indie hardware will be simpler but we shall see.
 
Ah yeah I saw that video earlier. I wish there was someone on here that has a demo video that I could ask questions to.... I'm still leaning toward the FlyCam Nano it just seems more bang for the buck.... The Indie one seems too homemade, and its relatively the same price. I dunno.... I'm torn

So you didn't like the Glidecam???? Oh, and I looked at the JR but it seemed too old....
 
I honestly could never get the Glidecam right but I was trying to use it with my DVX, back then I got close but never really right. I'm just ready to try something different. The Nano looks great to me as a glidecam clone, go for it. I'm just ready to try something different and I don't really care about it looking DIY because that's what it is. I could paint it black I suppose but in this case as long as I get the results I'm looking for the look of the device does not matter for me.
 
Ok, so what follows is MY experience. Yours maybe different.

I bought a Flycam Nano, some months ago. It didn't work. There are 2 screws which define one axis of the gimbal. If these 2 screws are not super exact, you can never balance your flycam. You can only balance it in one direction, if you turn the cam, it gets out of balance. Search for "Flycam Balance Hell" at Youtube and you can see what you might get.

Well, I got a bad Flycam, I thought. But the service was excellent, they sent me a new flycam for free. But guess what, exactly same problem.
So, 2 out of 2 defective, and I've heard of many more Flycam users who say that they got the same problem.

Actually I think that most of the flycam customers don't realize that it isn't working properly, they think that they just have to practice.

So, here is my advice: If you really want to buy a cheap stabilizer, then buy one "Merlin style". They don't need the precision and might work better than a broken flycam.
 
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faultiersid said:
Ok, so what follows is MY experience. Yours maybe different.

I bought a Flycam Nano, some months ago. It didn't work. There are 2 screws which define one axis of the gimbal. If these 2 screws are not super exact, you can never balance your flycam. You can only balance it in one direction, if you turn the cam, it gets out of balance. Search for "Flycam Balance Hell" at Youtube and you can see what you might get.

Well, I got a bad Flycam, I thought. But the service was excellent, they sent me a new flycam for free. But guess what, exactly same problem.
So, 2 out of 2 defective, and I've heard of many more Flycam users who say that they got the same problem.

Actually I think that most of the flycam customers don't realize that it isn't working properly, they think that they just have to practice.

So, here is my advice: If you really want to buy a cheap stabilizer, than buy one "Merlin style". They don't need the precision and might work better than a broken flycam.
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I don't think what you're saying is true. You can get it balanced perfectly (static balance) but you have to achieve dynamic balance as well if you want to turn the steadicam. There are techniques for achieving dynamic balance. Just google it to see what I am talking about...
 
Interesting. Thanks guys.... Do you have a particular link you'd suggest for dynamic balance?

Also, faultiersid --- Merline style, like the Hague or IndieHardware ?
 
mojo43 said:
I don't think what you're saying is true. You can get it balanced perfectly (static balance) but you have to achieve dynamic balance as well if you want to turn the steadicam. There are techniques for achieving dynamic balance. Just google it to see what I am talking about...
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Hi mojo, I'd love this to be true.
I've found a link you posted in an old thread:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/stabili...ving-dynamic-balance-glidecam-v16-w-xl1s.html

which leads to this:
http://www.steadicam-ops.com/docs/dynamicPrimer.pdf

Is this correct or do you know a better link now?



My flycam always leans away from the handle, no matter what position it is. This shall fix it? Well I'll give it a try and report back.


@VK_Editing
Yes like them, but if Mojo's tip works, then you can forget what I said about the flycam. But I'm still doubting...
 
@mojo43:

ok, now after reading the pdf:

I think you misunderstood me. The problem is not that the flycam leans over WHILE I'm panning, it leans over AFTER panning.
Means the static balance is given for the camera looking forward (away from me). But when facing backwards (to me) it falls away from me.
In the document, they talk about the centrifugal forces WHILE turning, which doesn't matter in my case because the flycam is out of balance even when not in motion.

And this problem is, and I'm pretty sure of that, a problem of the 2 screws in the roller bearing, that holds the v-shaped part of the gimbal. The center of these 2 screws is a bit off the center of the roller bearing, what means:
The center of the gimbal is not on the axis the flycam turns around when it is panned.
To be in static balance, the center of gravity has at one vertical axis with the center of the gimbal. But when you turn the flycam, you turn it around the axis of the roller bearing.

And because these two axes are a bit off, the flycam gets out of balanced after it's turned.

I don't know if it is easy to understand what I'm talking about, I made a big post in german here:
http://forum.slashcam.de/wer-kann-helfen-flycam-nano-ausgetauscht-problem-bleibt-vt88586.html

The pictures describe the problem. (the green cross is the center of the screws)
 
I had a bunch of other links, but I can't remember where and I am pretty busy at the moment. If your steadicam is always leaning away from the handle then you are not statically balanced yet. You have to get this properly done and then you can move on to dynamic balancing (if you really need to pan etc...)

I managed to get this going on the nano. You just have to follow the instructions in the first link you posted. Where ever the spin wobbles move the camera towards and then statically balance again. If it is worse then move it the opposite way. Remember that everything has to be done in small increments. It did take a while the first time, but afterwards it became much easier and quicker

Hope this helps...

faultiersid said:
Hi mojo, I'd love this to be true.
I've found a link you posted in an old thread:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/stabili...ving-dynamic-balance-glidecam-v16-w-xl1s.html

which leads to this:
http://www.steadicam-ops.com/docs/dynamicPrimer.pdf

Is this correct or do you know a better link now?



My flycam always leans away from the handle, no matter what position it is. This shall fix it? Well I'll give it a try and report back.


@VK_Editing
Yes like them, but if Mojo's tip works, then you can forget what I said about the flycam. But I'm still doubting...
Click to expand...
 
I am pretty sure we are talking about the same thing. If you hold the handle in one location and balance the flycam and it is balanced then this is statically balanced. If you move the handle around (the camera pans) then you must be dynamically balanced in order for it not to tip over at any point. If you are not tipping over when you are panning then you are probably bottom heavy and no properly dynamically balanced. The heavy bottom is compensating for the lack of proper dynamic balance. Does this make sense or did I misunderstand your posting? This is so hard to explain on a forum.... :)
 
yes, it's hard to explain on a forum. I think you still misunderstand me. I can balance the flycam in one direction (static balance). then i put the flycam on the table and move only the handle around (flycam stands still on the table, no movement at all). now i lift it up again, it has no static balance anymore.

Looks like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9sDmaFLZL0

The guy in the video got his glidecam replaced, just like me. But his second one is working, my second Nano is like the first one.
So if this problem is really the fault of the user, why are the companys then replacing their products?


I'm pretty sure it's the 2 screws in the roller bearing who are slightly off.
 
faultiersid said:
yes, it's hard to explain on a forum. I think you still misunderstand me. I can balance the flycam in one direction (static balance). then i put the flycam on the table and move only the handle around (flycam stands still on the table, no movement at all). now i lift it up again, it has no static balance anymore.
Click to expand...

This is what dynamic balance is! Panning it around is just checking for dynamic balance on every spot (all 360 degrees). You should still be able to stop the turning at any point and have static balance if the dynamic balance is setup properly.
 
Ok, then maybe the pdf document I posted above is wrong. Because this is talking about centrifugal forces, which affect the flycam while moving. Would really appreciate a link to a better source.
I just can't explain it to me by thinking of the laws of physic, why the flycam is balanced in one direction but not in the other. UNLESS the axis you turn the flycam around is not in line with the center of gravity. (This is what I'm talking about).

Maybe you can help me to understand the physics. How can I reproduce the situation like the one in the Youtube video? If the CG is on the vertical axis, how can it be front-heavy and at the same time back-heavy? The weight of my components doesn't change in 2 Seconds, so what strange forces are causing the Steadycam to fall over if it's not off axis?
And again the question, why are the companys replacing their products if this isn't a defect of the hardware?
 
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