Your one-stop thread for all things Steadicam.

J

jordy2324

Well-known member
Hey everyone,

I just spent a few hours looking at different steadicams and whatnot. It seems there's 1,000 different threads out there comparing hundreds of different steadicams.

Here's the list of the ones I thought were best for HDSLR users (assuming your camera/lens/accessories combination is at least 3 pounds. My 7D/Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 combo alone is about 3.5 pounds)

Here's the best stabilizers I came across. If you have any input/opinions/first-hand experience.... please leave it here!

Tiffen Steadicam Merlin -- ($799 PLUS shipping) Obviously the best of the bunch. Balances up to 5 pounds.

U-Flycam Stabilsierung -- ($130 after shipping) Crazy name. Construction looks solid. Holds up to 3.5 pounds. Some reviews say it's crap. Some say it's decent.

Hague DMC DSLR Stabilizer -- ($250 after shipping). This is a newer product. Can't really find much about it. Anyone have experience with it? Supports about 4.4 pounds.

Hague Maxi Motion Cam ($340 after shipping) -- Looks pretty sturdy. Supports up to 6.6 pounds. Could probably fasten some accessories on here. Not overly wowed by the design.

U3X Longbow ($175 after shipping) -- Although it looks pretty nice, I've read some reviews saying that you have to physically bend the stabilizing bar to make it work. Not to thrilled about that. Supports up to 5 pounds.

Glidecam HD2000 ($450 with shipping) -- Construction-wise, this is solid. Seems like this is one of the most-popular steadicams out of the bunch. Holds up to 6 pounds.

The BlackBird ($485 PLUS shipping) -- A newer make, I believe. Holds up to 8 pounds.

Wondlan Ares ($320 with shipping) -- All-around, this looks pretty top-notch. Solid build. Good handling and pretty good out-of-the-box results. Holds up to 7.7 pounds

Varizoom Flowpod ($399 PLUS shipping) -- This is advertised as being very unique. Can give you good up-top and down-low steadicam action. Holds up to 5 pounds out of the box.

Steadicam Gizmo ($98 with shipping) -- Looks very DIY. At least from the test video, though, appears to deliver decent results.
 
Take a look at the weight of every one of the rigs you posted, and realize you have to carry that weight in addition to the weight of the camera as well.

Get the Merlin, lowest weight, best operation.
 
Good call on the weight, Pookie. Forgot to put that down in the thread. In my case, though, I wouldn't be carrying anything for an extended period of time.

And I'm sure everyone wants to end up with the Merlin, but might have to start with something on the lower end until they're able to pony up for the Merlin.

I've seen some good things on this forum about the Wondlan Ares.

Anyone else have an opinion one way or the other?
 
if you want it to last id get the glidecam, its burly and I've taken it apart thrown it in a hard case nearly 50 times and mine finally broke after about 4 years of abuse.

by broke i mean the bearing got damaged and made it impossible to balance, i went right ahead and bought another 4000pro
 
Trademark said:
if you want it to last id get the glidecam, its burly and I've taken it apart thrown it in a hard case nearly 50 times and mine finally broke after about 4 years of abuse.

by broke i mean the bearing got damaged and made it impossible to balance, i went right ahead and bought another 4000pro
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Any experience with the HD200?
 
I just picked up a used UFlycam off of ebay. I will edit this post when i have footage and a bit of a review.
 
I am NOT a Steadicam operator, expert, nor been trained. Just an average guy. But I have had the fortune of running into people with a few. I've tried the Merlin, the Flopod, the Glidecam 2000, the Steadytracker, and a home made device. If I were ever to seriously consider buying a unit, I would save up at least $2000 to get the Merlin plus vest. I would not operate any of these without a vest for more than about 30 second shots. Maybe. If you're built like the governor of California it will be easier to carry around. Still, having the vest opens up much more, in addition to longer shots.

The build quality of the Merlin is superb. The Glidecam is robust, but I didn't like it as much. The Flopod was too squirrely and felt heaviest, though I guess they have a new version out. All were a challenge to balance, that is a real key. Balancing the camera will really test your patience. The Merlin was probably quicker than the others. But they all take a while. The gimbal on the Merlin seemed better than all the others I tried, as did the handle. There's a reason it has Garret Brown's signature on it.

The Steadytracker is different than these with one plus, and one minus. The plus is that it will take you about 5 minutes to balance, as opposed to 30+ for the other units. It also takes about 2 tries to get the hang of it, as opposed to many hours. The catch is that it has no gimbal, instead it has a proprietary holder where you place your hand. You then use your arm/body mostly to pan. This makes it nearly impossible to get those dreamy pans in shots we associate with Steadicams. How much of a caveat is that? Well, the non-gimbal design of the unit still results in better than hand held footage almost instantly, almost every time with an easy to use device. But it's still fairly heavy, and basically a very well made stick with a counterweight, not terribly different than the many home made stabilizers on a fundamental level. Just with much easier controls to balance the camera. I actually like it, and recommend it to people in a hurry without a lot of cash. It's not a true steadicam, but it just works.

The next thing to know is in regards to weight. If the unit will handle 2-5lbs, and your camera rig is 4lbs 15oz, it's going to be more of a challenge than putting a 3.5lb camera on there.

For quality steadicam type footage I still recommend two things: Save your money and buy a Merlin with vest. And practice. Practice hand held shots. Practice moving with the camera. The more steady you can walk, move, breathe, the better your shots will be. Steadicam operators aren't just regular guys working with an expensive toy. They are very good at moving in a fluid motion from a lot of practice.
 
Griffinity said:
Jordy, did you ever purchase one or the other? If so, any thoughts worth sharing? I'm also thinking of picking up a SteadDSLR eventually.
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Not yet. Soon enough. I'm still looking for feedback. Saw one other (new) nice alternative.... EEMOV.
Now if someone actually owned any of these I could get to purchasing....
 
EEMOV looks interesting. Curious how well their 30 Lite XT works, with single arm instead of the double. While in theory you wouldn't get as stable shots, it may be easier to balance, and use, and lighter, and may work well enough in most instances. But it may disappoint in others. No clue. Haven't seen or heard any practical testing, no clue on the build quality eitehr though the photos look nice. Price is right though just over $1,000. IF this thing works well it may fill a real void. More true of a steadicam and easier to use than any hand-held only rig, but less professional and precise than true full-body vest/arm units. Available November 15 at SteadyShop.
 
snowleopard said:
EEMOV looks interesting. Curious how well their 30 Lite XT works, with single arm instead of the double. While in theory you wouldn't get as stable shots, it may be easier to balance, and use, and lighter, and may work well enough in most instances. But it may disappoint in others. No clue. Haven't seen or heard any practical testing, no clue on the build quality eitehr though the photos look nice. Price is right though just over $1,000. IF this thing works well it may fill a real void. More true of a steadicam and easier to use than any hand-held only rig, but less professional and precise than true full-body vest/arm units. Available November 15 at SteadyShop.
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It seems no one has tested these....
 
Looks like you're right Jordy. I don't expect it to be on par with the Merlin/Vest combination with it's full double arm and Steadicam reputation, but I'm curious how well it may compare to the Glidecam/Smooth combination, or Flocam/vest combo.
 
snowleopard said:
EEMOV looks interesting. Curious how well their 30 Lite XT works, with single arm instead of the double. While in theory you wouldn't get as stable shots, it may be easier to balance, and use, and lighter, and may work well enough in most instances. But it may disappoint in others. No clue. Haven't seen or heard any practical testing, no clue on the build quality eitehr though the photos look nice. Price is right though just over $1,000. IF this thing works well it may fill a real void. More true of a steadicam and easier to use than any hand-held only rig, but less professional and precise than true full-body vest/arm units. Available November 15 at SteadyShop.
Click to expand...

This is potentially a stupid question but I'll ask it anyway - with regards to steadicam setups like these that handle 'lighter' loads if one was to put a heavier camera on it, is it not a matter of, say, changing the springs to higher tension ones that can support the heavier load and possibly proportionately increasing the weights to stabilize the setup?
 
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