is 50mm lens or longer on glidecam feasible?

S

SeanP

Member
Hello,

i'm interested in picking up a glidecam HD2000, but currently my 'widest' lens is a 50mm (canon 1.2) on a 5d. I'm wondering how feasible it would be to get smooth footage with my 50mm lens, or at least footage significantly smoother then handheld. when i can afford it i will be purchasing the canon 24mm 1.4 lens which i know will work well, but that may not be for some time.

i should also add that i'm mostly interested in using a glidecam for narrative work and music videos, not so much for events. i'm willing to put in the work, but if using one with a 50mm lens is particularly impractical i'll wait until i get a wider lens. any info appreciated, thanks!
 
A very experienced operator can handle the tighter lenses. Beginners are not going to be pleased with the motion with tight lenses.
 
so what you're saying is i should get it and practice as much as possible at the risk of hating myself for an undefined period of time? i'm willing to do that. i'm wondering if getting a shoulder rig would be more practical, but i feel like the glidecam has much more potential for impressive shots once mastered. currently i just have a tripod but i'm picking up a kessler pocket dolly also. hmm
 
SeanP said:
so what you're saying is i should get it and practice as much as possible at the risk of hating myself for an undefined period of time? i'm willing to do that. i'm wondering if getting a shoulder rig would be more practical, but i feel like the glidecam has much more potential for impressive shots once mastered. currently i just have a tripod but i'm picking up a kessler pocket dolly also. hmm
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the 50mm would not be ideal for most general shooting vs a 16mm-28mm for instance. another issue with the 50mm on the 5DmkII is that if your shooting inside then you will have to really crank to the upper ISO's to get up to at least f8.0 (good luck) to get enough DOF for general shooting...assuming you want general "all in focus" when roaming around on the glidecam. this is where a regular video camera with small sensor would win since it can shoot wide open and still be deep DOF. i shoot with a canon 16-35mm on my 5DmkII on a Pilot and @ 16mm i can stay @ f2.8 (although not ideal but still workable), focus about 5-6 feet in front of me and much of the scene is in good focus. obviously in good light youd want to stop down to get a tighter looking picture. just going to 35mm makes my DOF way too shallow @ 2.8 so in a practical sense for indoor shooting the wider the better IMO.

on a cheaper stabilizer its more difficult to control the rocking especially if you want to come to a stop or near stop if your zoomed in much. there is a huge difference between 16-24mm & 50mm. also for me on my Glidecam i could never stay still and hold a shot without moving as well as i can on the Pilot...and even then its challenging if im zoomed in some.

the Canon 24mm 1.4 that you mentioned is a bit overkill for use on a glidecam since trying to shoot @ 1.4 would be way to shallow for any general shooting short of a specific effect where you had a thin slice of "in focus" for a shot. id look at other lenses than the Canon 24mm 1.4. even consider some of the wide zooms from 3rd party makers if money is tight. if your thinking between a glidecam and a shoulder rig id strongly consider the shoulder rig first. the 5DmkII definitely has "jello". if your walking (unless your very wide like 16mm) you will see the jello effect and it gets old fast.

i own a Glidecam 2000pro and a Steadicam Pilot. i love using a stabilizer when i can but many times it just isnt practical because of either limited space or the need to have hands on the camera for either focusing, zooming or iris control. once you put your camera on that glidecam...you cant touch it again once into a shot without disturbing (blowing) the shot. in an active event where your required to capture continuous footage, stabilizers can become impractical fast.

i also own a Pocket Dolly and although its really a cool tool it also is an "extra" kind of a tool that gives really good production value. id consider though getting a wide lense first though over the pocket dolly if you plan on using the Glidecam.

good luck
david
www.davidprobst.com
 
david, thanks for the detailed response, very helpful. i think you're probably right about getting a shoulder rig first instead. i wish i could try both but yeah, budget it tight and i know i want the pocket dolly for that extra production value you talked about. the reason i'm holding out for the 24mm 1.4 is because i'm predominantly a still shooter and personally i only like shooting with fast primes. now it'll probably take me days to decide on what shoulder rig to get, more research to do! thanks all
 
SeanP said:
david, thanks for the detailed response, very helpful. i think you're probably right about getting a shoulder rig first instead. i wish i could try both but yeah, budget it tight and i know i want the pocket dolly for that extra production value you talked about. the reason i'm holding out for the 24mm 1.4 is because i'm predominantly a still shooter and personally i only like shooting with fast primes. now it'll probably take me days to decide on what shoulder rig to get, more research to do! thanks all
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i understand about the fast glass preference. i come from a photography background as well and can appreciate where your coming from. good luck on the shoulder rigs.

david
 
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