Let's Explore handheld stabilizer options

[kchau]

So I'm not very fluent in stabilizers, and i was planning on building my own until i found out that it would cost me more in time than it would to buy one.

It's going to be for the 7D and 17-55 IS.

I saw the glidecam hd2000, and it seems pretty good, priced very well. but can we weigh the other options and list some pros and cons?

the steadycam merlin looks really good, but i dont know how well it performs, and seems much more compact. but yet its 300 more than the glidecam.

i dont know of any other options at this point.

i'm looking for handheld and not body mounted.

gimbal is a must, but if there is an option without a gimbal and the price is too good to pass, etc.

[Trey T]

you said the key word, "TIME"... just get a glidecam 2000 and call it done. dont waste time trying to build the stabilizer

[kchau]

time?

[haknslash]

Merlin, Blackbird and Glidecam 2000 all perform great and I would rate them in that order for performance.

[yokotas13]

i 100% reccomend going bigger than you think you need
I have a friend that has a flycam 3000 (same a glidecam 2000 or so) and it sucks with anything more than a camera. Add a 8" lcd and battery, and its too bottom heavy, and its not adjustable enough ot handle a rail, ff, matte box, camera, 24-70 2.8L, mic, and light. Eventually you will get more stuff. i personally am buying the GC 4000 and X-10 vest/arm next week

[haknslash]

Well yeah if you plan on having add-ons then a vest and arm are about you're only options lol. If it's just a lens and camera then a basic stabilizer should suffice.

[kchau]

i just want to best price to performance ratio for a hobby, im not trying to spend an arm and a leg on it

[Trey T]

glidecam 2000

[Paulyfuntimes]

Find a used Glidecam 2000 pro on CList.
Its easy to use and works great!!

i used it a couple times in this video.


http://vimeo.com/9256943

[rustyjaw]

I tried a DIY stabilizer, and it was frustrating enough, and heavy enough that I momentarily lost my senses and bought a Merlin. It's quite a little engineering marvel. You really need to think of it as an instrument to be finessed and learned. I'm still in the early stages, I have much to learn about the finer points, but the results are fantastic so far.

I do a lot of urban exploration type shooting, so weight and compactness are major concerns. The Merlin is easily the most compact of all the stabilizers I looked at.

I used the Merlin for all but one of the moving shots in this video:

http://vimeo.com/9164713

And this was my first time out with it. I've practiced since and have been able to get incrementally better results. Still far from an expert, but it's great fun.

[haknslash]

Rustyjaw, that video is pretty nuts. I kept waiting for Jigsaw to roll out :lol:

good job!

[kchau]

grr, i find it annoying that th emerlin costs more than some of the lenses i want right now

[rustyjaw]

grr, i find it annoying that th emerlin costs more than some of the lenses i want right now

I know how you feel, but consider that the Merlin (or any good stabilizer, I suppose) opens up a whole new world of possibilities. I went from essentially being stuck on a tripod to being able to roam freely while shooting, it makes an enormous difference!

I just finished editing a new video, my second effort with the Merlin. It takes a lot of patience to calibrate and use, but I feel like it's paying off.

http://vimeo.com/9524681

[yokotas13]

like everything else
the money you put in, directly computes to quality of video out.

[Trey T]

With $$$ you spend on merlin, I would get a $500 tripod and a slider(~150bucks). That is a much better investment.

[yokotas13]

yeah it is
because you can use a tripod and slider to walk upstairs, and, through woods, and downthe road and stay stable.
good idea!

sliders are a specialty tool. i have one. i love it. I also have a shoulder rig, steadicam, and tripod. the steadicam gets the most use out of anything. and i do shoots for music videos, tv shows, etc etc.

[Trey T]

*facepalm*

no comment.

[yokotas13]

besides. face palm yourself. a tripod and slider arent a handheld stabilizer

[rustyjaw]

With $$$ you spend on merlin, I would get a $500 tripod and a slider(~150bucks). That is a much better investment.


Let's put it this way, even if I could carry a slider into the places I shoot, I wouldn't because it simply because it's far too limiting. Look at the video I posted near the bottom of the last page, even just the first minute of it, and tell me how on Earth I could get anything close to that kind of footage with a slider and tripod.

(EDIT: This is not a boast about my skills with the stabilizer, because I know I have a lot of improving to do.)

If all you need is a tripod and a slider, then more power to you. But to suggest that's all anyone needs is short sighted.

[Trey T]

wow, just bc I don't list out the equipments/tools I use, it doesnt makes me dumb. come one guys. thats not what I said.

think of all of the projects you would shoot w/ a tripod w/ a good fluid head and then slap on a slider to get some dolly shots versus having the merlin. limitation yes, but don't point out the obvious.

two years from now when you edit a bunch of footages and uses your stabilizer (even vest/arm ones), let's see how much you would value your tripod and slider.

[rustyjaw]

think of all of the projects you would shoot w/ a tripod w/ a good fluid head and then slap on a slider to get some dolly shots versus having the merlin. limitation yes, but don't point out the obvious.

All I'm saying is that different people shoot different subjects. For me and the subjects I shoot (abandoned buildings) your suggestion that a tripod+slider is "a much better investment" isn't at all the case. I simply couldn't shoot with a slider. It would be dead weight for me.

For you and a lot of people, certainly a slider and tripod are great investments. But the value of an investment has nothing to do with the gear, it has to do with one's needs!

[Trey T]

I am not saying you don't need it, but a tripod and slider is a better investment to start out w/. why are you still pointing out the obvious? again, we're in photo forum not in video forum, not everybody has a good fluid head tripod, and a slider would make up the dolly shots that the steadicam mimic.

[LeavingTheCandy]

I've had decent luck with Blackbird. All of them take practice, practice, practice!