Is there anywhere to buy a cheap DIY Steadicam

M

MrHeavySilence

Active member
I don't have the tools or the technical know how to put together a steadicam.

Is there anywhere I can purchase a cheap steadicam that was made as a DIY steadicam?


Thanks for any info

Sorry if I posted this in the wrong sub-forum; there are a lot of sub-forums.
 
weplaywithtraffic said:
What's your budget? I can point you towards a few I've seen that isn't that expensive.
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I would preferably like to spend less than 100 & I would be using it for the Panasonic GH2.

Thanks for any info you can give me

If its over 100, I'll definitely still take a look at whatever you throw my way.
 
Best thing to know when working with DIY EQ is to know how to fix it when it breaks.

Buy a piece of L channel stock, 2 twist lock rubber grip hose handles from lowes, homedepot, etc.., and a 1/4"-20 screw. Takes about 20 mins to make, works perfect. Just make sure you really give the hose handles a good twist.
 
I never had a steadicam before, so not sure how it works. The other day I was filming with my HMC-150 and it was sitting on top of a very heavy manfrotto tripod. I had to shoot a school bus driving up and then follow the kids in to a building. Everything happened fast, so I did not have time to get the camera off the tripod, so I folded the tripod up, left the legs down, grabbed the tripod by the extension bar under the camera and followed the students. I was noticing how smooth my shots where. I was doing this all day, my right arm was killing me, but I was getting smooth shots. It only works with holding one hand to it.
Is this the idea of a steadicam. Looking in post production, I see no reason to get a steadicam , the video looked very nice. Just need to give my arm a rest. I assume the steadicam is easier on your arms and body.
 
That's the engineering principle (so to speak) about how many steadystick designs work, including many do it yourself units that do not have a gimbal, or the SteadyTracker, which is obviously of higher build quality. The nice thing about these kinds of devices is that they are quick to set-up and balance, and the learning curve isn't terrible, much less than an actual unit.

I like the idea of buying a hiking staff with the tripod screw at the top. Unless you have a big cam, or long lens on a DSLR, this thing can work well as both a monopod, plus you can haul it like you did with the tripod and have it work as a stabilizer of sorts.
 
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