"But the Helix is definitely more user friendly for the casual gimbal shooter who's not paid to hold it all day on a commercial shoot. Having the ability to control the camera with the handle is super nice, and the right hand also controls the gimbal tilt, so you don't need an accessory toggle (which are never that great at smooth motion anyway). Here you can go from feet (in the 90 degree briefcase mode) to chest to face in one move, tilt up or down slowly, get the shot and be done. "
I have a Helix and 300 MK2 . I have shot longish takes - 10minutes or more at a crack shooting characters walking through crowds in mid town manhattan without an easy rig. Disclaimer- I also compete in triathlons and strength train a couple days a week, so I have some advantage from that on the operating side. For me that's about the max without an easy rig or some other support gear. For me, the Helix is the spice for a shoot. I'm not in it to be a gimbal operator per se, but rather the gimbal allows me to throw in a moving camera dimension rather easily. The C300 with its auto focus capability with EF lenses is really an essential piece of the puzzle with gimbal operation. Load up a 24,35, 50 EF prime and you can do some really good moving camera work with the Helix & C300.
