Micro Gimbal for GH4, BMPCC, A7s - $699 USD

I'm thinking @ NAB this year we should see some other similar designs to the Nebula from other gimbal makers. this is the design to go after IMO. I've got a Ronin but I'm far more interested in a Nebula type rig right now. only thing keeping me from buying the Nebula is that its not tool-less and looks like a pain to deal with if you want to make changes to its balance quickly. version 2 is bound to be better.

I've got a GoPro 3 axis gimbal and it is sweet to work with.

david
 
It's not a given that the "major" manufacturers will come out with something significantly better than the Nebula 4000. The problem is that on a professional shoot, you're going to go with a device large enough to wire up your camera to wireless monitors, focus pulling devices, LANC, etc. A small gimbal, like the Nebula 4000, is either a specialized one-trick pony in a professional shoot, or an enthusiast's gadget. In short, the major buyers of gimbals aren't going to trade in their Ronins for hand-held gimbals.

Also, more cameras are coming out with in-camera stabilization. With a simple weighted steadicam, that is probably enough for most people.

After much pain and suffering, I'm finally getting good results. I'm using a Sony A6000 with a 35mm/1.8 lens or the BMPCC with a 12mm Oly. I found both the GH4 and A7 to be too large for the device. Obviously, others have gotten good results. The main point is, a smaller camera can sit farther to the right, and out of the way of the pitch screws, which makes balancing these cameras quite easy. Also, the their lightness means I only need to make minimal changes to move from the A6000 to the BMPCC.

FilmPower has already made the most important change to current models--removing the reset profile setting from the gimbal's button presses. After that, I think the pebbled rubber on the camera plate should be replaced with thinner rubber, making it easier to micro-move the camera while balancing. A mod anyone can make themselves. Also, one might tape a ruler to the plate, so they can remember the setting for each camera/lens combo. Finally, something to prevent hitting the power button. Right now, I just tape it down with gaffers tape.

In short, it only takes me a minute or two to balance the A6000. I hope to post video soon.
 
i have no plans to get rid of my Ronin but can think of many times where something smaller and simple would be great to have as an option. id like it to be able to handle just a little more weight than the Nebula though. i personally think there is a huge area of interest in this form factor vs the standard gimbal or at least as a compliment to bigger gimbals.

david
 
It does seem like continuous autofocus is getting good enough on some cameras where this might be a pretty good option for a lot of types of shots, not just the super-wide-angle super-deep-dof single-axis-motion moves that are the only real shots that work on junky handheld steadicams or gimbals. Good AF sure would help get over needing to have remote focus and to some degree remote monitoring which further allows a small, light, but capable rig.
 
nyvz said:
It does seem like continuous autofocus is getting good enough on some cameras where this might be a pretty good option for a lot of types of shots, not just the super-wide-angle super-deep-dof single-axis-motion moves that are the only real shots that work on junky handheld steadicams or gimbals. Good AF sure would help get over needing to have remote focus and to some degree remote monitoring which further allows a small, light, but capable rig.
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I am finding that the Sony A6000 with the 35mm/1.8 lens delivers amazing AF and superb bokeh. Here's some quick footage I shot walking out in horrendous conditions. My friend Frank shot me using an A7. I can fit everything in a small camera bag.

 
JoeJITSU said:
So is the Nebula 4000 still having problems with the wires?
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I clipped off the wire-tie that holds the wires through the roll arm (you may not have to, will depend on who tied them down at the factory). Now when I set the roll, I just straighten the wires and they stay where they are. Works fine. I thought I had twisted the wires badly in the handle, but when I opened it, they were fine. In any case, if you have any doubts about wires, they are easy to inspect. I don't view the wires as an issue at this point. Actually, I'd say that my Nebula has been through a lot of stress and it's working fine now.
 
How I deal with not knowing how many turns the handle has gone each way: if you hold the body of the N4000 and carefully turn the handle one way, you can feel when it's starting to stress the wires. When I unpack the N4000, I do this both ways, and then leave the handle at the middle point.
 
I'd also like to ask - for a US buyer, is it better to buy direct from China or from US @ Camera Motion Research?
China comes with the risks of - expensive return shipping & maybe not ideal customer service..
US is $25 higher (who cares) but seems might have the risks of - less inventory to handle exchanges & being another step away from manufacturer in case of technical issues/needing help?

Is Camera Motion Research doing any additional QA/QC or mods on known issues (wire wrap/etc)?

Thoughts/Experience?
 
If I could do it over, I would absolutely buy it from CMR, as there is no language barrier. Filmpower gave me a US address to ship my unit to for repair, which is OK with me vs replacement because I think it's just a software issue- but communication is a problem. I do have to give Filmpower credit for backing up the product though.
 
These are one of the things that is making me debate on a mirrorless camera vs the C100 when I upgrade. Right now with the work I do (A majority of my paid work is shooting photos and videos for a car dealership and real estate agents which allows me to take other side jobs when ever I want with there being good pay or creative control) These stabalizers for smaller cameras are cheaper and allow me to upgrade while if I got something heavier like the C100 I would have to upgrade more gear (more expensive stabalizer/gimbal, would no way be able to use my slider with only 1 tripod which I do when I shoot run N gun). Still my main concern is how good is customer support if something goes wrong with a stabalizer as a lot of these are companies I have never heard of before.

Also what would be a good lens with decent autofocus capabilites for the a7s or gh4 that would work on the Nebula 4000 Lite (or maybe another one hand stabalizer/or cheap stabilizer) without being too heavy?
 
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ReelFilmGeek said:
These are one of the things that is making me debate on a mirrorless camera vs the C100 when I upgrade. Right now with the work I do (A majority of my paid work is shooting photos and videos for a car dealership and real estate agents which allows me to take other side jobs when ever I want with there being good pay or creative control) These stabilizers for smaller cameras are cheaper and allow me to upgrade while if I got something heavier like the C100 I would have to upgrade more gear (more expensive stabalizer/gimbal, would no way be able to use my slider with only 1 tripod which I do when I shoot run N gun). Still my main concern is how good is customer support if something goes wrong with a stabilizer as a lot of these are companies I have never heard of before.
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I believe, say, in good conditions, the (my) A6000+35mm plus Nebula 4000 (all under $1,700) would produce footage as good as a C100 and Ronin ($8,000). By that I mean, my wife wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two. Where there is a difference, is that on the set one can't easily setup the mirror-less kit with external monitors, focus pulling. The C100 has many dedicated buttons, time-code, etc. You know all this. Bottom line, if you're doing professional crew type stuff, get the C100, or rent it. Make sure you have money for the rest of the stuff because, without it, you'll have paid for many features of the C100 that won't earn their keep.

If you're going to get a mirrorless for your own work, and semi-professional stuff, then you want a do-it-yourself attitude. What FilmPower did was take an off-the-shelf gimbal controller and built the parts to make a hand-held gimbal (this isn't trivial, long story). If they spend the money to make it perfect, and have people by the phones, then they're going to have to double the price. My beef with FilmPower (and I believe others) wasn't that they didn't fix my problem, but they weren't responsive, and when they were they had a customer's-fault attitude. They seem to have fixed that.

Or let me put it this way, I've spent tons of hours on that stupid thing and I'm still using it and finally getting good results with it. I can get an $8,000 look for a quarter of the price. With my BMPCC I can rival real films! If I had to do it over again I might have just bought a customer supported gimbal. However, I've learned a lot and that's part of the fun for me. I also believe it makes me a better filmmaker.

In short, FilmPower has gotten their act together. There are a lot of people here who are getting good results and can help you. My feeling about technology is if you're afraid to touch it don't. On the other hand, how can you not want to live on the edge! I can tell you when I look at some of the footage from this thing my spine tingles ;)
 
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The C100 is nice but only 25-30% of my paid gigs are video, the rest are photo so that puts me off a bit. I also shoot a lot for a car dealership that wants me to do videos but since they have to be in one take and I have to show off the car (open doors, turn on features and rev the engine) I can not use a steadicam or two hand stabalizer. So a one hand stabalizer would be a great tool, plus they have brought up the idea of buying a stabalizer before so they may pay for part of it.

Then another company I am talking to is a real estate company that wants to hire me to shoot a lot of their homes (both photos and videos). However their videos need to all be walk throughs with a steadicam or gimbal. I do have a steadicam (a chinese company version of the glidecam called the laing) but It is tough to get a great balance and using a steadicam does take a lot of practice and is heavier. So the Nebula 4000 Lite does appeal to me for these jobs where I would be making cash back. will be looking into the Nebula a little bit more for sure.
 
Mine has had issues but Filmpower has been pretty responsive with me. Should have it back in a week or so. Way I look at it is, I can buy 3 of these for the price of a Ronin and I can take this anywhere. Tried to use my Blackbird the other day, to decide if I wanted to stick with the Nebula, and there is no contest. Steadicam type stabilizers in this league are not capable of the slow moves I need to accomplish. Almost anything looks good when you run with it, but the Nebula looks good moving slowly or even standing still.
 
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mainstreetprod said:
Mine has had issues but Filmpower has been pretty responsive with me. Should have it back in a week or so. Way I look at it is, I can buy 3 of these for the price of a Ronin and I can take this anywhere. Tried to use my Blackbird the other day, to decide if I wanted to stick with the Nebula, and there is no contest. Steadicam type stabilizers in this league are not capable of the slow moves I need to accomplish. Almost anything looks good when running with it.
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Thats a good point. The cheaper stabalizers just dont seem to cut it plus the learning curve is much higher on them (of course they do seem to glide better unlike gimbals which seem to have a small up and down movement when walking, but isnt really noticable when you also are following a moving subject.)
 
ReelFilmGeek said:
The C100 is nice but only 25-30% of my paid gigs are video, the rest are photo so that puts me off a bit. I also shoot a lot for a car dealership that wants me to do videos but since they have to be in one take and I have to show off the car (open doors, turn on features and rev the engine) I can not use a steadicam or two hand stabalizer. So a one hand stabalizer would be a great tool, plus they have brought up the idea of buying a stabalizer before so they may pay for part of it.

Then another company I am talking to is a real estate company that wants to hire me to shoot a lot of their homes (both photos and videos). However their videos need to all be walk throughs with a steadicam or gimbal. I do have a steadicam (a chinese company version of the glidecam called the laing) but It is tough to get a great balance and using a steadicam does take a lot of practice and is heavier. So the Nebula 4000 Lite does appeal to me for these jobs where I would be making cash back. will be looking into the Nebula a little bit more for sure.
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I can tell you right now that the Nebula 4000 would be a great investment for you. It will easily pay for itself, IMHO. It has a fluid look that is really captivating. I've shot some real estate stuff so you'll know what I'm talking about when I say you often need to put your camera against the wall, while you're standing on one foot, leaning over a table, to get the right shot. You can do this with the Nebula. Same thing for cars. You can walk in and out of a car with this thing and get a really expensive looking shot.

Here's a video I shot today. Was unplanned and quick. It was like a comedy for me. My Mom kept calling. If you've ever shot with a BMPCC you know how jittery hand-held is. That's what I really love about the Nebula. Just standing still it gives a nice dreamy feel.

 
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