Steadycam Question

bentramer81

Well-known member
When people talk about steady cams... are they refering to a particular camera or an accessory used to steady the camera similar to a tri-pod except mobile? I have seen things mounted to the camera that help hold it steady when shooting action scenes or on the fly, would that be a steady cam and does anyone know where to get one cheap?
 
Thanks Jake :)

First off, to squash a common misconception: It's spelled "Steadicam" with an I, not a Y. :)

A Steadicam is a body worn camera mount that carrys the weight of the camera while isolating it from the opertors movements. This allows the operator to move the camera (reletivly) freely, without all the shake and wobble of a handheld camera.
Because of the huge amount of freedom it provides, it takes special training and LOTS (years) of practice to be a good operator.

Check out the above mentioned www.steadicam.com and also the wikipedia article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steadicam It has loads of good links at the bottom for more information too. Be sure to check Garrett Brown's (the inventor) website and the How Stuff Works article.
<plug> I also have a litte more explanation about Steadicam on my website linked in my sig.</plug>

Steadicam_Ultra2_Mikko1.jpg

Me wearing the Steadicam Ultra2 at NAB '06

- Mikko
 
Yes, I will second what Mikko said about lots of practice. People who buy these things seem to think they will get good results instantly. This is simply not the case, practice your butt off and you will get great results. Expect miracles out of the box and you will be sorely disappointed.
 
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