Steadicam Advice

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dmchord

Active member
I've got to come up with a steadicam solution for my HVX205A.

Right now I've got some PVX pipe slapped together with a 5lb weight at the bottom and piece of wood with a hole in it for a sled.

It looks as though the Merlin (kind of too expensive, anyway) won't work for this camera without a vest. I guess my question is, will something like the Glidecam 4000PRO be better than this Johnny Chung version that I currently have? It's basically the same concept, right?

Also, any advice on how to comport myself while I'm using a steadicam would be helpful.

Thanks!
 
Used the Merlin with a Z1p for an event a few months back, the weight was pretty much right on it's limits - couldn't use an external mic or a large battery, but it wasn't too bad once I got the hang of it. Not sure how much (if any) weight difference from the Z1 to the HVX (been using a HPX lately which I guess is lighter) but if I was going to purchase something similar I'd go with the Glidecam over the Merlin.

As for comfort at least the Glidecam can be used as a makeshift monopod, try putting the Merlin anywhere but over your shoulder to get around as you're limited by nature. At one stage during the Merlin shoot there was a 600 people deep dance circle with me in the middle and trash bin beating drummers for about 45 minutes non stop, that along with the next 18 hours of sporadic filming my arm wasn't too sore the next day, like I could feel it but not too bad. I was skeptical after reading people complaining after 15 minutes of use - I'm not a big guy or anything I guess it's how you 'hold' yourself.

Long answer sorry but I'd get the Glidecam.
 
I've used a Glidecam 2000 Pro for several years and currently with my HPX170. It can be a lot of weight to hold in your hand, but I have gotten great results with it. I recently got an X-10 Kit and now I can wear the rig all day with it. I would choose a 4000 Pro over the 2000 Pro so you get a bit more room to add accessories.
 
You can try getting a used flycam 6000 off of ebay or craigslist. I just bought a used one for $800 and it worked pretty well. I can balance my whole HVX/redrock rig on top of it.
 
If you've got the bucks, you can't really beat the Steadicam Pilot for the HPX170 (& similar size cameras).

- Mikko
 
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