Glidecam 1000 keeps turning turning on the horizontal axis

Rehdarh

Rehdarh

Active member
Hi everyone,

When I walk with my glidecam, it turns on the horizontal axis to the left. I have to stop it with my left hand (the one that is holding the telescoping pole) as the video below illustrates. Has anyone else had this issue?

 
It's called dynamic balance. You have to keep working on the balance of your camera. There are some good tutorials on YouTube about it.

Also based on your video you need to practice.
 
The glidecams are fairly cheap and the gimbals can be hit or miss. I bought one after getting a C300 to play with, and sent it back. You could static balance it, but when you rotated it(not dynamic/spin balance) just 45/90 degrees, it would lean, no matter what you did. Showed it to my buddy that is a SteadiCam op and instructor and he said it looked like the gimbal was off center, which is apparently a common problem with the inexpensive ones like that. Nothing I could do about it, so I sent it back.
 
edinc90 said:
It's called dynamic balance. You have to keep working on the balance of your camera. There are some good tutorials on YouTube about it.

Also based on your video you need to practice.
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I will have to look into this dynamic balance. When you say I have to work on the balance of my camera, do you mean the balance of the glidecam when I am standing still in addition to basic practice with using it? I have managed to hold a bouncy ball on the release plate and it does not fall. When I "throw" the camera (shift the glidecam front/back and side to side) the camera stays at the same angle the entire time, except maybe after the 4th or 5th throw when it starts to turn.

Thanks for your help!

The glidecams are fairly cheap and the gimbals can be hit or miss. I bought one after getting a C300 to play with, and sent it back. You could static balance it, but when you rotated it(not dynamic/spin balance) just 45/90 degrees, it would lean, no matter what you did. Showed it to my buddy that is a SteadiCam op and instructor and he said it looked like the gimbal was off center, which is apparently a common problem with the inexpensive ones like that. Nothing I could do about it, so I sent it back.
Click to expand...

The glidecam cost be about $500 and I had to save up 6 months of my salary for it. But I guess I just have a shitty job.
 
Rehdarh said:
The glidecam cost be about $500 and I had to save up 6 months of my salary for it. But I guess I just have a shitty job.
Click to expand...

I wasn't trying to offend you or put you down in any way and I'm sorry if you took my comment as some attempt at a slight. I was just speaking from a professional/business perspective where true Steadicams can cost upwards of $50K US. That doesn't mean the Glidecams aren't capable of producing good results. I've seen incredible things done with them with someone running around with just it and a dslr on it. But that doesn't change the fact that, relatively speaking, they are very inexpensive and you can't expect the quality control to be at the same level, nor the quality of the actual product to be at the same level as something built to carry heavy, professional production equipment that is used under demanding and unforgiving conditions. But that also doesn't mean that you should just accept it if it has a defect with it, because, everything being equal and removing the skill of the operator from the equation, it should be able to produce fine results.
 
Run&Gun said:
I wasn't trying to offend you or put you down in any way and I'm sorry if you took my comment as some attempt at a slight. I was just speaking from a professional/business perspective where true Steadicams can cost upwards of $50K US. That doesn't mean the Glidecams aren't capable of producing good results. I've seen incredible things done with them with someone running around with just it and a dslr on it. But that doesn't change the fact that, relatively speaking, they are very inexpensive and you can't expect the quality control to be at the same level, nor the quality of the actual product to be at the same level as something built to carry heavy, professional production equipment that is used under demanding and unforgiving conditions. But that also doesn't mean that you should just accept it if it has a defect with it, because, everything being equal and removing the skill of the operator from the equation, it should be able to produce fine results.
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I honestly thought it was funny that my glidecam is seen as cheap when it is one of my most prized possessions i own. But as you say, relative to all stabilizers it's your basic consumer glidecam.

What are your thoughts? Do you think it has a defect in it; there may just be a defect in my walking that, for whatever reason, it starts turning left. But I don't know. Like i said, when i'm standing there holding it it's perfectly level. It's just when I start walking.

Thanks for your input!
 
This looks like an operator in the early stages of learning.

You need to gently point the camera with thumb and finger

Feel the force ! The touch must be very tuned - too loose and the camera wanders too tight and it acts like handheld.

Also you must understand setup and both be able to set horizon but also "drop time"

You mention using a ball - which evidences that you don't understand drop time.

Dynamic balance is for advanced users to make better moves. And as it happens the DB of a glidecam is naturally good as it uses counter masses of equal weight - configuring battery and monitor mass to work together is harder as the masses are not equal.
 
And it does not turn left! Basic physics says any item only moves when it has force applied. f=ma.

Something is turning it left - that something is either a force applied by you or wind or gravity there are no other forces known to physics
 
Thanks.

I would much rather it be a defect in my user ability than the glidecam itself. I guess I will just have to keep practicing.

I have thoroughly went through the instruction manual, and got my drop time from 2-3 seconds. (the camera was so light, I had to add plates to the quick release for more weight). Can you tell me why using a ball indicates I do not understand drop time? I am not trying to be smart, I am actually interested.
 
Many bits of information flying around in this thread (somewhat like the rig is doing!)

Sam, there is another possibility other than the ones you mentioned that could cause a rig to pan and that is stiction in the gimbal--as the operator walks, there is a small amount of rotation of the handle relative to the gimbal and if stiction is present, that can translate into unwanted panning of the center post.

However I'm not really sure what I'm seeing the video because, as various have pointed out, there's a lot of "operator error" happening here. My recommendation is to get yourself fully balanced, then very slowly transition to walking without any fingers on the post (you can keep them just an inch or so away from the post to help get your sense-memory working, just don't physically touch the post). Chances are you will see a much smoother shot than what is in that video. That is not to suggest that one ever operate with that hand off the post (despite what you might see in some ebay sales videos from distant countries--oy vey), this is just an exercise to show you just how much influence you are exerting on the post with your fingers. If you still see a consistent pan to the left even with no hands, you may indeed have an issue with your gimbal. I'd be willing to bet that you won't see that though.
 
CharlesPapert said:
Sam, there is another possibility other than the ones you mentioned that could cause a rig to pan and that is stiction in the gimbal-.
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Indeed.. but my first 'steadicam' was a camera (with under mass) balanced on a well placed nail that made nicer shots :)

To the OP.. is the gimbal handle floppy in all axes or sticky in some?
 
Thanks for everyone's suggestions. Here is a second attempt at glidecamming:

I am finding it very difficult to have my fingers even just touching the glidecam without it knocking it to and fro. One guy on youtube I saw actually just taps the glidecam with hist thumb and index finger - what are your thoughts on that technique?


I also notice that that guy, as well as another glidecam instructor (who works for the company), have some sort of "sleeve" or bands that go around the stem of the glidecam where you put your fingers. I think that would help, as any touch would make less of a shock wave from having them.

What are your thoughts? As you can see from my video I tap the glidecam, but doing this is a lot better for me than just having my thumb and index always slightly touching it.
 
In response to the "secrets" video: no. That is not how it is and has been done for 40 years. You do not "tap" the post (he even gets that wrong, calling it the gimbal). Seems like a lovely fellow but suggesting that this is the secret technique used by top operators is simply incorrect.

The proper technique is an extremely light touch that may involve a certain amount of momentary release and re-application, but you don't throw the fingers out like that and make a percussive tapping gesture. And when tilting, you don't do it from the bottom of the rig, you keep your hand in the same spot on the post under the gimbal as normal.

I won't go much further into this as I'm not an active Steadicam guy any more, but the technique hasn't changed in my years away, I can assure you of that!

I recommend the Steadicam Operator's Handbook, available on Amazon and elsewhere.
 
Alright, I will stop with that technique then. Also, I bolted two of the weight plates to the TOP of the glidecam; (a bolt goes under the mounting plate, through the 2 weights, and into my quick release plate. I did this because the Sony a6000 is very light, even for the 1000. Do you think that may be causing any issues?
 
It shouldn't, as long as your drop time is within spec. With the smaller rigs, between 1.5 and 2 seconds is probably best.
 
Hmm, ok. Right now I'm creeping up on on 3 seconds. Do you know why a lesser to midway drop time is better with smaller rigs?
 
Smaller rigs are more squirrely because less mass = less inertia, so it helps to have a little more help in the bottom-heavy dept. so that the rig tends to "find" level more easily. The drawback with more bottom heaviness is that the rig tends to pendulum, but again with less mass, this is less pronounced. Same in terms of how much weight one has to deal with when doing extreme tilts. There are some ops who prefer a fast drop time even with big rigs.
 
Do you have any advice on how to stop the walking motion (movements up and down)? Since I have began the proper index finger and thumb on the glidecam approach, I noticed I am more stabilized but with more of a walking motion. I've tried small steps, heal to heal etc..and can't seem to limit it. Any ideas? Just need to keep practicing?

Thanks

Video:
 
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