More balancing the Flycam Nano issues

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raichu206

New member
So, I bought the Flycam Nano just to add some cheap stabilization to my videos, and I have a Canon 60d and a Sigma 20mm 1.8 that I am using on it. The short problem is: I cannot for the life of me, balance this damn thing.

It seems like every weight ratio that I try doesn't work. I've seen videos of this exact setup on the flycam and the videos look smooth and beautiful, but I just don't know what I am doing wrong.

Does anyone have a decent idea of at least how many washers I should be using? I guess that would be a great starting point to go from. I've tried as little as 4 (2 on each side), and as much as all 16, but I think I am just missing something here.

I have gotten the 2 second drop test, and I can get it so that it stays flat when I am just holding it, but as soon as I start to move around, it sways around like the town drunk. :/
 
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A few things:

1) Flycams are notoriously flimsy in construction. They're more difficult to balance, and they tend to get knocked out of balance pretty quickly, requiring constant attention and re-balancing.

2) This is a two-handed operation, even if you have a vest and arm. One hand supports the rig by the handle, and the other uses a light touch of the thumb and forefinger to steer, pan, etc. If it's swaying in motion, either it isn't balanced properly or the "steering" hand is gripping too tight.

3) The visible footsteps reflect more on the operator than the rig. These things take hours and hours of practice, and learning how to walk with one is part of that practice. It feels silly... you'll look almost like a shopping mall power walker... but you have to learn to step smoothly (heel to ball), while using your legs as shock absorbers to keep your upper body at a constant level.
 
Alex H. said:
A few things:

1) Flycams are notoriously flimsy in construction. They're more difficult to balance, and they tend to get knocked out of balance pretty quickly, requiring constant attention and re-balancing.

2) This is a two-handed operation, even if you have a vest and arm. One hand supports the rig by the handle, and the other uses a light touch of the thumb and forefinger to steer, pan, etc. If it's swaying in motion, either it isn't balanced properly or the "steering" hand is gripping too tight.

3) The visible footsteps reflect more on the operator than the rig. These things take hours and hours of practice, and learning how to walk with one is part of that practice. It feels silly... you'll look almost like a shopping mall power walker... but you have to learn to step smoothly (heel to ball), while using your legs as shock absorbers to keep your upper body at a constant level.
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Well whatever it takes to make the shots work! I don't mind looking a little silly if my footage comes out well enough :P

Maybe I am just a clod foot. I'll try to step a bit more lightly and see if that helps. I know I had it set up before where it was very smooth and I could jog and it was smooth, but it was swaying much more than in my snow video. This setup has 2 less washers and feels a little more stiff, but more forgiving I think.
 
It's really about practice. Professional Steadicam ops, who get paid for every foot they move the camera, have hundreds of hours under their belts before they ever hit the lucrative parts of their careers. So expect weeks - months - of practice to get close to "right".

But again, swaying is a sign of balance issues. You may have the drop time right, but even from your snow video it looks a li'l dutch... the camera shouldn't tilt at all unless your steering fingers tell it to.
 
I found that I needed to really understand what these things are doing before I could fully "get it". The concept is that the momentum of the weight above the pivot/bearing has to equal the momentum of the weight below the pivot/bearing. If the two were perfectly equal the cam would float totally out of control very slowly and never hold an orientation. With the momentum of the weight above the pivot bearing being heavier than the bottom it would turn upside down. Too much weight below the pivot and that weight takes too much inertia vs the top to get started and slows down too slowly causing the swing.

It's a very fine line, but understanding what you are trying to match up makes it much easier to balance and to operate in my mind. Too little differnce between the top and bottom and it doesn't stay on horizon or ever come back to the horizon. Kind of like an astronaut in zero gravity. There's nothing to draw it to the horizon perfectly. Too much weight or distance below the pivot/bearing and the inertia you can input into the system when accelerating or decelerating the system has to be incredibly small or it swings.

Another test I've found useful in balancing is to accelerate the system very slowly so it stays level to the horizon, then stop it abruptly. The closer to equal momentum on the top and bottom, the less it will swing. Testing different differentials between the top and bottom in this way will allow you to see the effect in actual practice rather than the rather vague 2 1/2 second swing test.

I may be weird, but I found that it took a complete understanding of the "concept" for my brain to really get how to balance and operate it.

Cheers,
Pete
 
Alex H. said:
It's really about practice. Professional Steadicam ops, who get paid for every foot they move the camera, have hundreds of hours under their belts before they ever hit the lucrative parts of their careers. So expect weeks - months - of practice to get close to "right".

But again, swaying is a sign of balance issues.
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Well that is good to know. I plan on getting lots and lots of practice in with this before I give up on it.

Generally speaking, would the swaying be caused by it being too bottom heavy or too top heavy?
 
raichu206 said:
Well that is good to know. I plan on getting lots and lots of practice in with this before I give up on it.

Generally speaking, would the swaying be caused by it being too bottom heavy or too top heavy?
Click to expand...

If your drop time is right, it might not be a matter of either. it may be a matter of front-heavy, back-heavy, or side-heavy. That's where the lateral balance controls come into play, whether you need to move the camera plate just a bit, or to adjust the bottom weights to the front or back. That depends on which way it's leaning.
 
Pete, you're not weird. Some folks are more concept-oriented than others. Neither's the better way of thinking. It's just a matter of how the brain is wired.
 
Flycams aren't at the top of the list, but they will work once you understand the setup for them. Just tighten up everything there is to tighten... tight.

Once you have the drop time set up correctly, do not touch the sled weights again, you'll just screw yourself up.

I assume you've taken off the camera strap, right (it's amazing how many people leave it on).
 
Just got mine earlier this week, and once you get it balanced the first time, future balancing is cake. Like above, set the weight on the bottom first. Add weights till the flycam doesn't want to filp the camera down, then hold the Flycam horizontally and let it fall vertically. You're looking for around 2.5 seconds for it to hit vertical point. Any less than 2 won't work. If it falls too slowly, slightly extend the bottom (don't add any more weights). If it's too fast, pull the bottom up, or remove some weights and extend the bottom and go from there. Once the weight is set correctly, I usually start with correcting the axis that's more off center, going back and forth between axes until it's straight.

One thing you'll need to know is that a lot of these Flycams don't come with the gimbal balanced very well. If the Flycam stays vertical facing forward, but starts to tilt when sideways or backwards, you need to add weight to the front of the gimbal and rebalance. Most people use lead golf tape. If that doesn't solve the problem, then the bolts on the sides need to be adjusted in or out. If you go too far out, you'll need to add a washer to fill the gap. You should be able to spin the setup without losing balance. This is what I'll be tackling tonight, as my lead tape from Amazon will arrive this afternoon. :)

BTW, I was able to balance a D7000, Tamron 17-50 2.8 VC, Tascam DR-05 w/ ball head hot shoe adapter, and a Manfrotto quick release, and still had 6 weights left over. Makes me wonder why they give you so much weight if the Flycam's only supposed to be able to carry 4.5lbs (stuff above is 5lbs total).
 
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