Glidecam or Shoulder rig for my 7D

[PegLeg Media]

I am looking to get something to add to my kit. I use a Panasonic gh2 and a canon 7d. I have used a flycam nano and it is too hard to balance correctly and need something better. If i spend around $500 does anyone recommend a glidecam or a shoulder rig? I shoot some short films but mainly will be using this for live events. I will be running around getting b-roll at things like fundraisers and blood drives and then interviewing people on the fly (no time for tripod setups). Since the live events will not be weddings (allowing me to miss shots and be okay) i felt a glidecam might be a good choice. But focusing quick would be the problem? any opinions or recommendations? Are shoulder rigs smooth enough to get moving shots with?

 

[Eike]

I would say a shoulder rig fits better. You can focus on that better than on a glidecam, because you may see every turn you do on the FF while on a glidecam. We used a steadycam for a shoot without wireless FF and that was really a pain in the a**. Smoothness: A shoulder rig can be pretty smooth, if the operator is trained in using it. You will always see a difference between steady and shoulder. My 2 cents on that.