Newbie needing help with picking glidecam

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xpunkx

New member
Hi,
There are probably posts out there asking which Glidecam you should get specific to your camera however I after reading posts daily for a week I still am not too sure on which glidecam I should get. So I decided to make a post to hear from you experts :)

I have a canon 600d (t3i) with stock lens (18-55mm). I understand that this is a very light setup and a Glidecam hd 1000 will suffice but in this upcoming month I plan on purchasing a new lens (a wide angled), a quick release adapter (for the Glidecam), and a mic - in this order .I was wondering if I should still stick with the Glidecam hd 1000 or go with the Glidecam hd 2000.
Thank you guys a bunch :)
 
I have a t2i and a glidecam hd1000.

I love my combo and it's enough, but having had it for a year now, I would go for the hd2000

Worth the extra money, especially if you planning on adding everything.
 
Depends, if it is a T3i + Battery Grip then the HD2000 has better overall inertia for keeping the rig steady, even during windy situations (the HD4000 out of the box is too bottom heavy fot the T3i + Battery Grip unless you add more weight to the top like adding a Cinevate Simplis or something).

If it is the T3i camera body only (no Battery Grip) then you MUST go with the HD1000.

Overall it is a give and take. The more steady you want your Glidecam to be, the heavier it needs to be, but the more agility and quickness you need to be on set then you are going to give up that steadiness. For instance the HD1000 affords you to be more lighter weight and therefore quicker on set, especially for filming weddings/live events. Plus it enables you to fly longer because of the lighter weight.

The ideal setup for super steady shots is using the Glidecam HD4000 and adding more weight to the top to compensate for the lighter weight of the T3i. But the ideal setup for lighter/quicker setups is the HD1000.

I've used all THREE, for live events and scripted projects. And I honestly would say that I cannot live without having all three because each situation is different and therefore requires the right tool for the job.

There is one CAVEAT I should mention. There are scenarios where the HD2000/HD4000 can be lighter weight than the HD1000. The reason is because of physics. The farther away your rig extends from the center of gravity, the more inertia it has. I think it is a square relationship or something. So if you were to put a heavier rig onto the HD1000 then you will need to put more physical weights onto the bottom in order to compensate. But with the HD2000/HD4000 because it is inherently bigger (has parts that are farther from the center of gravity), it requires less added weights.
 
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I used to have the 2000 for my 7D. If you plan to put ANYTHING on the cam such a light, I would definitely go with the 4000.
 
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