Varizoom Flowpod vs. Steddiepod vs. Glidecam

A

awomias

Active member
Hi all. I am looking to get a stabilizer in the next day or two. I was hoping I could combine stabilizer/monopod features as in Flowpod. I want something that is going to be easy to balance/use and not break my arm after about 10mins of use ....ha ha! This is for use with my DVX100 with shotgun mic. What would you recommend?
 
im using the steady tracker extreme. they all will make you feel like you have been working out after a while since your arm is bascially thew iso-elastic arm thats in the full Steadicam kits, so there is no way around that.

i have not used the glidecam but i have heard its ruff on your wrist due to the way you hold the handle...

i would have a look at the extreme also. if you can afford anyone of them, look at the adjustments and fine controls and ability to modify your Rig if you need to. i have thrown extra weights and a outboard lcd monitor on my extreme with no problem. i have the shoutgun on mine also. the extreme even has a low mod cage bracket.
 
How do you like the Steady Tracker? About how long can you hold it? How smooth are the shots. I've viewed the set up video at promax.com but am disappointed that they don't show sample footage of someone walking or running with the camera.
 
i am very pleased with it. as i have said, it helps to have formal training in operating a Rig.. it helps you to finese the shots and keep the horizon level. i have included some pics of a mini35 on my Rig in the steedepod thread on this forum. THAT was a little heavy but i pulled it off and the director was pleased.. i even had to add a studio folow focus for one shot! lol

i can hold this thing for a good while.. i had to do a very sloooowwwww walk and talk that had stops along the way and that was abou 5-6 minutes long. we did 9 takes. i was able to pull it off because i would switch between don juan and missionary all the while changing arms. this practice enabled me to endure this. if you go to the pro max site, they used to have some footage up there...
 
Gee, if you ever see it, let us know the link. Also, if you have anything to post from using the DVX with the SteadyTracker, please show us.
 
yeah i went to the site and they dont hagve ANY footage up there! weird..


i could send you some footage to your email.. im not good at hosting video off my website (which has been under construction for over a year,....) :P
 
yeah i saw that video a long time ago and frankly the footage is not good. the tracker can do 10 times better footage with an expericend op...
 
I have a flowpod and i would say it's one of the most versatile gadget for my dvx. it's really cool because not just you can use it as a monopod and a stabilizer (standard mode and low flow mode), you can also raise it up high walking around comfortably if you have a flag carrier (good for crowded events when you need to have higher view). the only draw back is, just like any other stabilizer in its class, the weight would kill you after 10 mins. it's a good workout though.
 
I'm very happy with my Flowpod. There's an arm/vest rig available from Varizoom that takes the stress off your arm (and applies it to your back...) if you don't mind shelling out the extra $$$.

However, the cost of the complete, all-bells-and-whistles kit, approaches that of some of the dual-articulated arm/vest/sled rigs out there (the Varizoom unit is single-articulated) and I guess it's a judgment call as to whether it's maybe smarter to pay a couple hundred more $$$ for a full system that looks a bit more like a full-on "real" steadicam rig...

Butterfly, that flag carrier idea is brilliant; I often find myself holding the flowpod by the bottom few inches to get high-up-looking-down shots...think I'll find or make a carrier like that, for myself...
 
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