FS7: Which brushless gimbals work well with the FS7?
- Thread starter Ben Scott
- Start date
Isnt the weight of a Ronin with a FS7 pretty much the same as a Glidecam HD4000?
A gimbal with an Easyrig is better than a Glidecam with west, arm, and glider, no?
Too bad with the long start up times for the gimbal. I have been looking into buying a Ronin. With my HD4000 i almost just pick it up, shoot the scene, and pack it down again within minutes literally. (I have the front plate of the FS7 tuned pretty much perfect with the quick release on the glider, so i know where the balance is).
A gimbal with an Easyrig is better than a Glidecam with west, arm, and glider, no?
Too bad with the long start up times for the gimbal. I have been looking into buying a Ronin. With my HD4000 i almost just pick it up, shoot the scene, and pack it down again within minutes literally. (I have the front plate of the FS7 tuned pretty much perfect with the quick release on the glider, so i know where the balance is).
Hi Martin,
I sold the Glidecam HD4000 and got a Ronin. They both have plus and minuses
Ronin Pros
1) Easy and quick to balance compared to Glidecam
2) I use an Atlas Camera Vest and it works pretty well and is cheap-ish at $400.
3) The vest for a Ronin is much smaller and simpler than the vest needed for the Glidecam. Both systems need vests for any kind of real use. FS7 is heavy on both.
4) Shoot low angles. This was huge for me as I love low angles. The Glidecam needed to be flipped for low angles = pain in the butt.
5) A bit smoother than Glidecam
6) Can operate with remote.
Glidecam Pros
1) No electronics. This is HUGE, as Ronin's are notoriously un-reliablable. On the Facebook page there are numerous reports of it not working properly. I actually wish I kept the Glidecam as a backup to the Ronin. On any decent paid gig that requires the Ronin, I would rent a backup just in case.
2) Pan and Tilt are much easier an quicker on the Glidecam.
3) A lot cheaper.
It's a tough call between the two. Like I said, the Ronin is un-reliable and has a higher than comfort failure rate which makes me real nervous. I wish I had kept the Glidecam as a backup. The Ronin is easier to balance and get smooth shots without much practice, but I like the manual aspects of the Glidecam better.
Thank you for this.
Im still in the thinking box. I dont really do a lot of these types of shots. I rarely use my Glidecam too, so im not sure what ill do, but i have found a Ronin at an exceptionally good price, so im pondering.
Thing is, i like the no-electronic aspect of Glidecam, but im not getting smooth consistent results, and i dont think i will earn my money back if i waste time training to learn it properly. Looks like gimbals are taking over by the looks of Glidecam used prices anyway. Been trying to sell my X-10 vest and arm for quite some time.
allenfacemire
Well-known member
I have a Nebula 4000 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...40002_4000lite_3_axis_brushless_handheld.html. It's really a great device and it's stability is amazing. I did a shot of a building for a cover shot. Rather boring so I did a walk up and then just held a wide shot. In post the shot looked like I was on a dolly. I mean you could have run graphics over the video it was so steady. Only con is the battery is self-contained so you can't change out. You get 3 or so hours off one charge and then it takes that long to charge it back up. You can get a battery pack however. For my usage, it's just fine.
If you rarely use your Glidecam, I would just keep that and save some money. The non-electronic nature of the Glidecam is a plus IMO, as it's easier to control and you don't have to worry about electronic malfunctions (which are common with Ronin).
The Ronin is a bit easier to get smooth shots without any practice.
Hi, i mounted my FS7 on my Hélix 3axis, that run very well. But there is some adjustments for reducing weight and to be more confortable.
Firstable you can't attach directly the fs7 on standart hélix baseplate, i found temporary solution with Kessler quick release (350g more) because there isn't enought screws at the bottom of FS7. I will order the letus helix heavy baseplate to mount directly my fs7 on Helix. I'm working with hélix support to have a 2 pin lemo cable to fs7's DC (Philmore 255 plug...) to power hélix and FS7 with V-mount Batterie attached on belt to reducing weight. There is on letus website a d-tap to lemo cable to link v-mount batterie to Helix. Hélix batterie + fs7 batterie + quick release kessler =-1 kg. i found a way to use FS7's viewfinder on my hélix (with berkey system adaptor) but ideally i'm thinking to mount an smallHD 501 monitor with mount monitor from helix letus. I could tell you later if my futur rig is possible and confortable. for the moment here is my temporary Helix FS7 rig total weight 6.7Kg.
Firstable you can't attach directly the fs7 on standart hélix baseplate, i found temporary solution with Kessler quick release (350g more) because there isn't enought screws at the bottom of FS7. I will order the letus helix heavy baseplate to mount directly my fs7 on Helix. I'm working with hélix support to have a 2 pin lemo cable to fs7's DC (Philmore 255 plug...) to power hélix and FS7 with V-mount Batterie attached on belt to reducing weight. There is on letus website a d-tap to lemo cable to link v-mount batterie to Helix. Hélix batterie + fs7 batterie + quick release kessler =-1 kg. i found a way to use FS7's viewfinder on my hélix (with berkey system adaptor) but ideally i'm thinking to mount an smallHD 501 monitor with mount monitor from helix letus. I could tell you later if my futur rig is possible and confortable. for the moment here is my temporary Helix FS7 rig total weight 6.7Kg.
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Clermond
Veteran
I ran into some weird vibrations with auto calibration sometimes. For the first start I found it easier and more precise with the computer app than from the mobile device.
The Ronin works pretty well and the extended arms are not a must. You can use a light SEL lens as I do mostly or add some weight on the back of the camera. With a heavy cine lens and a focus remote you will need the extended arms for sure.
Lenilenapi
Carbonite Member
Allen - what camera are you using with the Nebula 4000. Is that the same as the link you provided to the Nebulite 4000? Seems like it is for much lighter cameras. You don't put an FS7 on that do you?
I'm almost decided. I'm getting glidecam by devin graham series. All the reviews that I have seen says that balancing is a breeze. It looks extremely solid as well. With all that gimbal trend I think we forgot how good results we can get with just a simple steadicam and how less hustle it is. It just works.
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Yeah, I've watched this and it seems a little bit biased. Ronin seems not balanced properly but even that there are plenty valid points in favour of Glidecam. The only real issue that I have is weight- less in total but clustered on one hand only. On the other hand (pun intended
you can rest it between shots comfortably (be it on the ground or on your shoulder).The Glidecam has many pluses, but the major, major plus on the Gimbal is low angle. I hated on my Glidecam that I had to do major operation to get a low angle out of it. That's by far, the biggest mark against the Glidecam IMO. In fact, that was my number 1 reason switching to the Ronin, which is far from perfect, but at least I can do my beloved low angles.
True that!
But isn't that almost completely solved with Devin Graham series? That movable gimbal looks super slick! You basically twist it and adjust in seconds- you can instantly flip it upside down (as far as I can see from videos). I don't know, would love someone that is experienced with both gave his opinion.