Glidecam for My Cam

T

TimB

Well-known member
So, Im shopping for a Glidecam, and Im getting pretty stuck. I dont want the complete vest, so Im looking to get something that can easily hold and balance my rig.

It consists of;
Canon 60D + 50mm 1.4
Shoot35 Matte Box
Jag35 Rails
D|Focus Follow Focus.

Ive been looking at the Glidecam HD2000 or HD 4000. Any preference/suggestions to hold it all?
 
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?259382-Glidecam-2000-or-the-4000-with-the-Canon-T2i

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?216153-How-to-make-the-Glidecam-4000-work-with-Canon-T2i

The biggest thing to think about is weight. If you aren't going to use a vest support, the lightest rig you can get is your best bet. That said, since you have rails and a matte box you already have a pretty heavy rig for strictly handheld work. The Glidecam arm brace is okay, but still not going to afford you the stamina for longer shoot days.
 
all that stuff on a handheld stabilizer? NO WAY.

im a relatively strong dude. and my hpx170 on a handheld merlin gets heavy after about 10 min.
id say that your rig as described is + or - 2x what my bare 170 weighs.

sorry, if you want to fly all that, youre going to need an arm+vest setup
 
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Yea as the others stated that much weight handheld all by itself is a lot! You wont hold that up for more than ten minutes before youll want to put it down for the day! Check out ebay and look for the Steadicam Merlin w/ Vest combos. Thats the route I went. They are A LOT cheaper there then they are new and most are in perfect condition. With on of those you could tote that load around all day.
 
Forget about rails, follow focus & matte box when you are on a stabiliser. Trim it down to just the camera and lens. Remember every added bit of weight on your rig means more weight that you have to add for counter-balance.

Unless you have years of experience using steadycams, then you'll not have much hope of flying it while also using the follow focus - the slightest touch to the rig will throw the movement off. The best way to use a steadycam, espescially when starting out, is just to use a wider lens, set it to it's hyperfocal distance and keep everything within the field of focus.
 
Thankyou for your replies, I have flown my rig on a Merlin before, but the price has always put me off.

I am slowly swaying towards the Merlin, however,

A: is it not possible to fly a Glidecam HD4000 on the Vest & Arm?
B: I would rather have a Steadicam that has a monitor attachment at the base. Can anyone suggest one?
 
TimB said:
A: is it not possible to fly a Glidecam HD4000 on the Vest & Arm?
B: I would rather have a Steadicam that has a monitor attachment at the base. Can anyone suggest one?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can fly a Glidecam 4000 (even a 2000) on a vest and arm. The 4000's base is large enough, and offers a hole, to mount a monitor.
 
With camera/lens only setup (the only way you should attempt handheld stabalization), go for the Glidecam HD2000.
 
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