Vest & Arm for steadicam rigs

Michael Solomon

Michael Solomon

Well-known member
So I'm currently using a blackbird stabilizer. I like it, big fan of how easy it is to balance. I know there's a steep learning curve etc. I've been using it for about 6 months now but some things still give me trouble. For instance, if it's slightly windy or if there's any sort of start/stop motion involved.

My question is... does a vest/arm help with actually flying the rig? The quality/smoothness etc.? Or is it more of a "convenience" factor in that it's less stress on your arms etc.

I'm debating selling the blackbird and going with a glidecam 4000 + vest combo or a merlin + vest combo. But if the only thing the extra $700 buys me is that my arm will be less tired, that money can go to other better places first.
 
here's a little info to try and answer some of your questions...

i started out with the Glidecam 2000 Pro with a DVX100a. i used it for about 4 months then i bought the Smooth Shooter vest/arm. there are a couple of things that you gain with the vest & arm.

hand holding the Glidecam with the DVX100a wasnt too bad for about 4-5 minutes at a time but it did get tiresome pretty fast. with the SS i could go for a really long time as long as i paid attention to my posture when using it. there can be a tendancy to lean forward when using a rig that doesnt have a monitor on the bottom of the stablizer like i had because of having to look at the LCD. your best to tuck it in to your right or left and not so much out front but with having to use the LCD on the camera you cant very well tuck it into your left and still see the LCD.

one of the big bonuses of using the vest & arm is going low with the rig. on the 2000 pro (basically like the HD version now with a few better features on it)...it was quickly painful to bring the rig down low because it caused your right hand to have to bend an extreme amount at your wrist in able to still hold the handle. so you couldnt stay low for very long without discomfort creeping pretty fast. with the vest & arm going low was no effort at all. much of the time id actually use the tips of my fingers that would normally be holding the handle but rather push down on the rig and sometimes pushing down on the arm where it met with the handle. there was no effort at all to go low. this is a huge benefit over just hand holding the rig by itself.

as far as one or the other actually being smoother? honestly with the SS setup id probably have to say there wasnt much of a difference in smoothness. with the arm though you could hold the rig out further away from your body easier for longer periods of time vs just holding the rig away from your body without the vest & arm. like i said though most of the time you want the whole rig tucked more into your body than out and away which will cause fatigue and lower back pain much much more quickly.

when i bought an EX1 it was a bit too heavy for my glidecam 2000 so i bought a Steadicam Pilot. there is quite a bit more up and down reach (2 arms vs 1 arm) on the SS rig. my son uses my glidecam and SS rig now and when i put it on occasionaly it feels limiting now being used to the Pilot's reach.

when i got the Pilot i didnt think id care that much about the built in monitor but after having it i cant imagine going without it ever again. its much easier to go up and down steps or walk on less that perfect surfaces like grass or gravel surfaces. your always looking down rather than up at the cameras LCD.

there are so many more options out their to buy than when i bought both of my rigs years ago so i cant say much as to whats better or worse. i will say that the Smooth Shooter vest is a much better built vest than the vest that came with my Pilot setup but overall the Steadicam Pilot rig offers quite a bit more than the SS because there is more up and down reach and the monitor is for me a must.

i think the SS setup for the money though is a very good value. would it work with your Blackbird? if the handle on the Blackbird is hollow then it may fit or possible you could modify it to fit.

good luck
david probst
www.davidprobst.com
 
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i wasnt suggesting that you should get the Pilot but rather some real world comparisons of the few things that ive used. the Smooth Shooter might be out of your range also but id say for the price they are asking its build quality is like a tank (in a good way). the vest is so structured that it maintains its shape even if you dont have it on vs the Steadicam Pilot vest which when i opened up the case that the whole rig came in (vest/arm/sled) i didnt even know what it was when i took it out of the Steadicam case because it was flimsy and just way too much "velcro" in its design. ***im serious when i say that i took it out and was like..where is the damn vest?*** until i realized that...that was the vest? cr$p...is this a joke? when the Pilot vest is on its "ok" but not as stiff and structured nor as comfortable as the Glidecam SS vest. ive have bolts and screws fall out and or apart when using the Pilot rig way too many times to remember. with all of the said i still appreciate the rig but the Glidecam stuff to me is more industrial strength. i thought about retrofitting my Glidecam vest to my Pilot arm (which is very doable) but didnt because my son uses the whole Glidecam rig arm/vest.

there are probably other vest & arms out there that could be better than the Smooth Shooter and maybe cheaper but i dont have hands on experience. if you have the money for the SS i highly recommend it. for me the weight of the EX1 just outgrew the 2000 pro. at the time they hadnt come out with the HD versions of the 2000 or 4000. the HD versions are a major improvement because of the uptop adjustability for tweak balancing.

although the Glidecam HD isnt as pretty as the Pilot i will say that its still a very good working stablizer that i was happy with until i outgrew it. anyway u stack it a vest and spring loaded arm will be a much better experience than just the stablizer by itself.

david

p.s. before i ever bought these two rigs i used a smaller item almost identical to the Merlin called the Artimus (spelled wrong i think) made by Sachtler. id much rather have a design with a pole (glidecam HD series) coming down than the way that was (Merlin design).
 
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You might want to check ebay to find auctions for Steadicam Flyer's, its a step up from the pilot and you can often get them used for 4-6k if you have the money to spent.

IF you have the money to spend....can you buy me one as well?
 
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