Sony FX6 - Handheld Shooting Techniques

CharlesPapert said:
Yes Ben, Sam's points above were correct, I did indeed have the maths backwards. I'd never used long handles (have largely been out of operating since they came into vogue) so I was basing it on experiences using long pan handles etc., which are a different type of leverage because they incorporate a fulcrum. We often used to operate Panaflexes handheld by holding onto the sides of the mattebox, so you can imagine how radical these two foot long handles appear!

I do still have questions about limitations with forward tilt with long handles though.
Click to expand...

Tilt really is a non-issue. Whether you're just pulling your elbows back, or (as I tend to) tilting from your pelvis as well:

 
cool, thanks for that illustration! Although I'd be disinclined to want to do that pelvis dance with a 30 lb /2.5 foot long camera payload...
 
All depends on use and environment. Regardless, there does seem to emerge a few common things

- balance. get the rig to have the center of gravity where it rests. if the rig is out of balance in the resting position, then the operator is stabilizing the camera with their muscles constantly.
- Leverage is good, use leverage where you can. It might be long handles, it might be a third contact point, and it might be a longer camera rig.
- awareness. be very aware of how and what is causing bad movement, and what causes acceptable or pleasing movement. Sean hobbit's crash course is fantastic. Grug mentioning that for him not locking his legs or landing on his heels smooths things out. Some talk about their breathing.


Inertia can help, but like Grug mentioned, if you have 25lbs out of balance, it will still be bad movement. It may not have micro jitters, but it will still have shakes and wobbles and not-so-micro-jitters.So, I tend to agree, that weight is not the key factor. But I do notice it helps.

Camera movement is a language, so learning to articulate is important. And learning what to say and how to say it, seems to be the hardest thing to learn.
 
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