Handheld vs. steadycam vs. dolly

[jkc123]

A good alternative to going purely handheld is to use your tripod as a stabilizer. Place the camera on top of the tripod securely, then extend the trypod's head as high as you can get it (the part with the crank, then fold in all of the legs of your tripod and push in the legs.

If you hold the extended part of the tripod as a handle loosley, the weight of the legs will help to counterbalance the weight of the camera giving you much smoother images than holding the camera alone. It's an inexpensive way to make your shots steadier without having to worry about glidecams or dollies or tracks. It takes some practice but try it out. You'd be surprised at how steady you can get a shot if you use your arm and a tripod to balance out the shot. Just keep yourself loose and let the tripod swing a bit. That smooth swinging will be less irritating than a handheld jitter.

That is a great idea. I'm going to try it as soon as I get home.

 

[William_Robinette]

I think that making your own dolly is really easy and something anyone can do. In a couple hours you can build something that you will use on many projects. It is a great tool for telling a story and I think you should experiment and learn how to use one rather then be scared off because "it takes a lot of people" or "a lot of time to set up". I use this one I build by myself all the time. After 8 months it still works perfectly.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=31489