Snow gimbal?

It looks freekin' fantastic.

I've been following their development (they've already updated it twice) and I think it is a huge winner.

I think the design speaks for itself, and I think their footage under the most difficult conditions also speaks for itself.

The only reason I don;t already have one is because they have been vague about the maximum payload weight. They give the max in both Kilos and pounds - but the two don't match and I need to know if I can fly a heavier Blackmagic Cinema Camera on it. I sent them an email about it but have not heard back.

I think the footage is smoother than electronic gimbals, and there is much less horizon sway than one tends to get with a traditional steadycam if you haven't got a lot of experience with them.

If I have any more troubles (especially ON SET) with electronic gimbals then I'm dumping them and getting the SNOW.
 
Footage looks like poorly done Glidecam work. Horizon swaying all over the place. Not terrible and some advantages over the mechanical look of a traditional gimbal, but I'd still prefer a Glidecam for better looking shots (of course it helps that I'm an experienced Glidecam user) with a similar look, or a traditional gimbal when I want a more mechanical look.
 
I do see some sway but it does appear more natural...going up the steps is pretty good in one part of the video then not perfect in others. Not having batteries or alignments to deal with and the weight and ability to carry sideways or simply place it on the ground when not shooting are imho big +++. I was looking hard at the birdycam Light but this seems close in quality. Here is another video vs Ronin M https://youtu.be/rnkSNc-TP4w
 
Well they must have different videos up now, because when I checked them out back in November they showed MUCH less horizon sway than just about every steadycam video I've ever seen posted by an amateur reviewer or here on the forum.
 
Eric Coughlin said:
Well, I'm getting a lot less sway with my Glidecam HD4000 than what was in those videos. Shot 100% on the Glidecam HD4000.

Click to expand...

you got a great looking reel eric! i remember seeing this awhile back and being very impressed especially considering how small the HD4000 is. i had the old 2000 as my first stabilizer from way back. im willing to bet though that 90% of the people using the glide cam HD4000 don't get your results. probably less that even that. you have managed to conquer that rig very nicely still most don't get near what you have.

I've got a Ronin but have used a Steadicam Pilot for a long time. i can remember many times where i didn't have it as balanced as good as i would have liked because of changing the weight and or lens of a camera on a gig. frustrating but sometimes i just wouldn't have enough time and have to settle for. even with ample time it really is an art form and an acquired skill that seems elusive at times to balancing a rig like a glidecam or steadicam.

the motored 3 axis gimbals offer the wonderful horizontal line but are less expressive than an analog system like my Steadicam (IMO). i see this Snow as a nice balance between the 2 technologies but quicker to setup and no need for software or batteries etc.

the price is nice and can't wait to see more everyday users putting it thru is paces.

david
 
Eric Coughlin said:
Well, I'm getting a lot less sway with my Glidecam HD4000 than what was in those videos. Shot 100% on the Glidecam HD4000.
Click to expand...

Ditto what david_p said, very nice reel. A lot more impressive than what is on Snow's website, although it seems like the Snow gimbal might be quicker to learn, and if that's the case, then there should be a market for it for when productions don't have the cash to hire someone very talented at running a Steadicam / Glidecam.
 
I have Came's 7800 3 axis gimbal and it is difficult to balance to say the least. I use it with my GH4 and I have been able to get some great shots out of it but it can also be very finicky if it gets bumped or the balance is off slightly. I have also used a Ronin with a RED dragon and that gimbal is also difficult to balance. This gimbal wouldn't work with a heavier camera like a RED but I think it is a decent solution for DSLR users.
 
To me the main issue is how you change the direction you are aiming at. With a gimble, it’s electronic. With the glidecam, you use a very light touch on the center column. Here there is clearly a mechanism for accomplishing this (your hands are nowhere close to the center column), but I would want to know what the mechanism is and how effective it is. How do you control the framing of your shot?
 
[FONT=avenir-lt-w01_35-light1475496][FONT=avenir-lt-w01_85-heavy1475544]from their homepage:
"PAN[/FONT] via automated follow mode. The camera slowly follows the rig's direction thanks to the built in magnetic dampers.[/FONT]
[FONT=avenir-lt-w01_35-light1475496][FONT=avenir-lt-w01_85-heavy1475544]TILT[/FONT] axis can be changed with your fingertips. While you hold the grips you can smoothly tilt the rig.[/FONT]
[FONT=avenir-lt-w01_35-light1475496][FONT=avenir-lt-w01_85-heavy1475544]ROLL[/FONT] axis is always vertical when shaking the grips, but you can slightly change it too by twisting the rig."
[/FONT]
 
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