Your one-stop thread for all things Steadicam.

Glidecam HD 2000. This style of stabilizer for me works great with a vest, but hand held, I don't like the torque on the wrist. It's okay with lighter cameras, but getting up to FS100/AF100 size it was just too much for an all day shoot.
 
i'm now searching for stabilizer as well.. I have Canon t3i with Canon 50mm f1.8 lens (700g for both) and also a heavier zoom lens (Canon 15-135mm), so I don't want a solution that won't limit me in the future..
for example, the Hague MMC is for up to 800g and their DSLR stabilizer is for 1kg-2kg.

I'm looking for something on the cheaper side of the scale (~200$) that also works, mainly for shooting mountain biking videos (which involves outdoor running with the stabilizer).

I'm having a very hard time to decide between all those stabilizers.

I found out - http://www.sturdyshots.com, their stabilizer has a vertical anti shock which I haven't seen in any other stabilizer, but it looks hard to balance and a bit expensive than what i'm looking for.

I also found out the U3X sabre - http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-2012-U3...ltDomain_0&hash=item4ab3f3d1b0#ht_3039wt_1165,
it is the replacement of the U3X longbow, no need to bend anything and it has X-Y plate that seems super easy to balance. the seller also promise 75$ refund if you upload a video to youtube within 60 days about the stabilizer.
one downside that I see for this stabilizer is that it weight 3lbs without counterweights.

what stabilizer would you recommend for me ? i'm completely lost..


edit: the Canon 50mm f1.8 extends while focusing, does it affect balancing in a stabilizer (do I need to re-balance after each focus??)
 
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First, if you're completely lost, you need to find someone who has any kind of unit, and give it a try. That's the best way for you to understand what you may be getting yourself into. This practice will help focus your decision on any future use, or purchase.


I have not used either of those units, but judging by the conceptual design and cost I would surmise a couple of things:

• They're going to have a gimbal that works, but is inferior to what you'll get on something like the Merlin, or Glidecam 4000. The more you use any unit, you'll realize how important this is.

• Considering they are "arm only" stabilizers, you're going to find that unless you're built like Brock Lesnar, your arm may get tired quick, real tired.

• They're going to take a while to balance. Just like all others (sans SteadyTracker, which has no gimbal, or home made units with no gimbal), which you need to prepare for and accept will take a lot of time.

• You're going to have to practice, a lot, and it will test your patience as you go through waves of frustration, almost getting great shots, but generally not.

• You'll probably use it a few times, and start saving in order to buy a full-vest/arm unit in the future.

Sorry if this sounds cynical. My apologies. The biggest key is that you understand a steadicam unit isn't something you put the camera on, and after a few tries get great footage. It takes a lot of time to properly balance, and a lot of practice to get good at. This is the biggest key I see people not understanding before purchasing a unit of any kind. And I'm not a professional steadicam operator, not even close. Just an average shooter, except I've used and tried several units, several times. That's all.

Excellent posts by Rick on here by the way. Others too.
 
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snowleopard said:
First, if you're completely lost, you need to find someone who has any kind of unit, and give it a try. That's the best way for you to understand what you may be getting yourself into. This practice will help focus your decision on any future use, or purchase.


I have not used either of those units, but judging by the conceptual design and cost I would surmise a couple of things:

• They're going to have a gimbal that works, but is inferior to what you'll get on something like the Merlin, or Glidecam 4000. The more you use any unit, you'll realize how important this is.

• Considering they are "arm only" stabilizers, you're going to find that unless you're built like Brock Lesnar, your arm may get tired quick, real tired.

• They're going to take a while to balance. Just like all others (sans SteadyTracker, which has no gimbal, or home made units with no gimbal), which you need to prepare for and accept will take a lot of time.

• You're going to have to practice, a lot, and it will test your patience as you go through waves of frustration, almost getting great shots, but generally not.

• You'll probably use it a few times, and start saving in order to buy a full-vest/arm unit in the future.

Sorry if this sounds cynical. My apologies. The biggest key is that you understand a steadicam unit isn't something you put the camera on, and after a few tries get great footage. It takes a lot of time to properly balance, and a lot of practice to get good at. This is the biggest key I see people not understanding before purchasing a unit of any kind. And I'm not a professional steadicam operator, not even close. Just an average shooter, except I've used and tried several units, several times. That's all.

Excellent posts by Rick on here by the way. Others too.
Click to expand...

thanks for your detailed answer.

I'm not a professional or going to have any income from shooting videos, it is more of an hobby so I don't want to spend too much on this (Glidecam 4000 or vest..),
but I do want to get good results.

I also don't know anyone with any kind of stabilizer so I can't experiment in any of those...
 
You can rent them. I rented a Blackbird before I purchased one. I also tried a bunch of different ones, including with and without vests. Everyone is different in what feels right, or, what your requirements are. I can go all day with the FS100 stripped down on the Blackbird, but if I had to use an LCD or heavier camera, it would be too much.
 
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