Is this steady cam vest and arm worth it?

Stay clear of these ones.

Stay clear of these ones.

Both rigs reak of people buidling rigs without having a clue what they are making, let alone selling.

I would stay clear of both systems. Not due to their location, but other reasons. The rigs are very very cheap, which means shotty construction. - Remember, that's your precious camera you are putting on there!

With gear like this, customer support is primary, and I'd be sure that you won't get much from either of these companies if you need it.

"If it looks too good to be true, it probabaly is", also really holds true here.

No doubt that the rigs look similar to all other stabilizers, and sure, they prebably produce shots that are somewhat stabilized. But with this stuff, it's the little details that are critical, and it's stuff like that that I'm sure is missing on these systems.



I've seen some videos from the Eagle company, and from what I recall, the person in the video (who I think makes it) seemed prety clueless as how to use the system. I'm not sure shure I'd trust any product that the maker can't use.

The Indian system seems to be part of a line of exact copy nock-off rigs available on e-bay. I've seen stuff from these guys that looks exactly like the Glidecam 4000 Pro, and that rig mentioned above, is, well a direct rip-off from designs posted and discussed at home-built stabilizers .com
A lot of that rig is directly out of Cody Deegan's plans.


I haven't flow or seen anything from either manufacturer in person, however they both look like someone's attempt to make a quick buck by prying on the potential customer's ignorance. Stay away from these, and other similar companies.

Buy from a reputable company, and they will be there for you when you need them, not just when they take your money.

- Mikko
 
look guys i dont got 3k or 2k so i got to go with what i have no dis respect and i value your concerns but remember when the mini35 came out $10k news flash guys the Letus, m2 redrock, sgpro, brevis, and all the adapters or if you want to call them knock offs once again no dis respect i love theese adapters hell i own them. but do you know how many guys told me they were trash and people just wanted my money, tons but i bought them any way they work great i am shure you will all agree
bottom line Life is a gamble and you cant win if you dont play
so i aint gonna keep my chips in my hands boys! Lets play iam ordering it and i will keep you posted with pictures videos

thanks you guys for all the info

MM
 
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Please post some footage you shoot with it. Once you get it and try it out, please post a review of its features and quality. It might to help inform other forum users.

Thanks for gambling on this with your money. I know I wouldn't have risked it, and I hit on 20.
 
In the future, don't post threads asking for advice and input if your just going to ignore what intelligent people, like Mikko suggest. Its easy to tell you had already made up your mind, so the thread was a bit useless.
 
Good luck with your gamble. Keep us posted.
Click to expand...
thank you mikko

so the thread was a bit useless
Click to expand...

no my freind nothing is useless in persuit of a dream!
this thread was to voice an opinion, if my endevour fails others will learn so it is not useless!
If I succeed many more will have the knowledge, and hope to dream.
so it is not useless

my opinion is not to do things my way but to share my expirience of making a film that is what i hope this wonderful site is about, to inspire to shoot! to unite us in one goal one dream and to make things happen
 
let us know when you get it! I'd be very interested in having you toy around with it for a few months, then let us know if its worth the cash. Also vids too.


but wait, have you ever used a steadicam before? Cause just using one will take you months to get the hang of.
 
PaPa said:
but wait, have you ever used a steadicam before? Cause just using one will take you months to get the hang of.
Click to expand...
This is the problem. If you gave me a real steadicam, I still wouldn't be getting professional quality shots out of it, but it wouldn't be the stabilizer's fault. We'd need a professional to do a proper review.

So my question is, if you buy (or build) a cheap(er) stabilizer, is that a good route to learn the techniques, or will you be likely to learn bad habits?
 
well the principle is the same, a gimble, balancing the rig, therefor in my, naive, opinoin, i would imagine the change would be adapting to a vest and arm, but in principle what you're practice in terms of walking and stepping, yadda yadda, that remains pretty much the same?
 
Hey Guys,

I posted this originally over on the DVinfo boards, but I feel it may be relevant to this and many of the other stabilizer discussions here too. Click the link for the full conversation.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=88390

----------------------------------------------------------

Deciding on a Steadicam

It's a very common question that is posted here and elsewhere: "What is the best Steadicam for me?" I thought I'd share a few thoughts that might help those decisions for people.

One of the first of Garrett Brown's designs for a camera stabilizer looked roughly like a handheld jib. Its principle was to spread out the mass of the camera, and reposition the center of gravity. This principle remains true today in any stabilizer from your $14 homemade one to your most expensive professional rig.

It's probably safe to say that most professional Steadicam operators today have, at one point in their life, dabbled in building their own rig, or pieces of. While most eventually went on to purchase a better manufactured kit, the home building exercise was not a wasted one.

In experimenting with different configurations, you can gain a great understanding of the principles behind stabilization systems: isolation, inertia, mass, etc. Whether it is folding up the legs of your tripod to spending years in the machine shop fabricating custom supports, you can quickly learn what the problems are and what the solutions need to be.

In doing that, you can be much better educated regarding what to purchase. You'll know what to look for in different models. You'll know what will best suit your personal needs.

My ultimate suggestion is to experiment a little bit. It can be done for little to no money, and doesn't take a lot of time. Use a tripod or monopod you already have, or go to the hardware store and pick up some pipe. Even if you know it is not what you will end up with as the solution to your stabilization needs, it will definitely take you to a place of much better understanding. That education can be very valuable when going ahead and spending the real money on a rig (small or large).

Best to all,
Afton
 
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