Glide/Steady cam/gun stock shooter

robzoo

robzoo

Member
I'm looking to get either a glide/steady cam or a gunstock shooter and was curious as to what some peoples preferences were when using the GH1. Is one glide cam better than another or are they all pretty much the same. I know the shooters are pretty different depending on brand, but am wondering if the flow of movement looks and or feels smoother with one or the other?
 
The steadicam I used was a Hague Mini Motion MMC, which is REALLY small and light. The GH1 doesn't need a hugely heavy steadicam, but you do get an advantage from the Glidecam Pro or Merlin because the wind doesn't rotate your shots so much!

The Hague Mini Motion literally fits in a backpack and costs $120.

Steadicams are mostly just gimbals with balancing weights. I am amazed they have to cost so much.
 
Do you have any footage up of you using the Hague on Vimeo or anywhere. Also, is it difficult (take a long time) to get a correct balance. I have read issue of left and right swing (more than the normal glidecam/stedicam). Is this true?
 
Yep sure. The DayDreaming video and Erase & Rewind. Whenever the cam moves in those, thats on the Hague.

It takes a bit of time to get the correct balance. 1 or 2 mins. Even putting a filter on your lens will require a balance adjustment. It has just 2 adjustments - the weights rotate left or right on a stalk on the bottom of the steadicam and the camera can move back or forth depending on the distribution of it's weight. You can flip out the LCD to help balance the GH1 otherwise it tends to be much heavier on the right side where the battery is than on the left.

Right & left swing is if it's top heavy. With the GH1 it is rarely top heavy. The only thing you have to watch out for is the balance of the lens and the lens barrel size. If the lens barrel is larger than the body the camera can't sit flat on the steadicam. You cannot move it up as it effects the centre of gravity and it's hard to find the screw / plate to do it. The Hague doesn't come with anything to help you with that. It's just a flat bar you can move the camera forwards and backwards on, and fix it with a screw.

It does work great though, with the kit lens. Just watch you don't rotate the barrel (i.e. zoom) as it stretches the zoom ring rubber - which is terminal. It'll be forever floppy after that.
 
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