Glidecam

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One essential tool for long Flying Video Stabilizer (Steadicam) type shots is a Vest system with an iso-elastic arm. The vest helps to take the weight of the camera off the arms and distributes the load over to the body. The flexible spring loaded iso-elastic arm keeps the camera level as the operator runs, jumps, or climbs a flight of stairs.

The problem has always been that the price of these vest systems were often out of reach. Here's a new Single ISO Arm Camera Load Vest System on the market that appeared recently. Quality, Style, and build looks much sturdier than the ugly Flycam Vest system (seen here), and this new vest runs just under $370. That's cheaper than a basic Rokinon Cine Lens. You can find the new vest available via eBay (Click Here).

Vest_1Vest_2
find-price-button Budget Single ISO Arm Camera Stabilizer Load Vest

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Wieldy's new DV Pro Stabilizer (a.k.a Iron Triangle DV) looks like a more advanced version of a Glidecam HD series stabilizer. If you look closely to the design, it resembles the same left / right / forward / back adjustable stage as Glidecam along with a built in quick release stage for fast packing.

The entire sled design and even counterweights are also cut to a similar shape that resemble the Glidecam. If not for the Carbon Fiber post of the Wieldy, I could easily mistaken this for either the Glidecam HD2000 or HD4000.

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Here's where a few differences are with the Wieldy. The Wieldy DV Pro Stabilizer states it can collapse to a minimum height of 15" which is similar to the smaller HD2000, but can telescope to about 29" which is about the max height of the largest Glidecam HD4000. The Wieldy gimbal (unlike the Glidecam) can also be repositioned on the post allowing for another fine tuning adjustment, or to use the stabilizer upside down for very low mode flying.

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You can get more information, more photos, and see other video examples of the Wieldy in use following the link to the product page via eBay (Click Here).

Wieldy Iron Triangle DV Pro Stabilizer
find-price-button Wieldy DV Pro Iron Triangle Stabilizer

Gldiecam HD 2000 4000 Stabilizer
find-price-button Glidecam HD Series Video Camera Stabilizers

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Less than a year ago, Wondlan introduced a few hand held carbon fiber stabilizers. Since the release, it was short of showcasing excellent examples of the stabilizers in use, so it was hard to tell if it was the actual unit or operator experience. Here's one video that shows some pretty fluid movements and also a short balancing tutorial with one of the Wondlan stabilizers. Besides the light weight Carbon Fiber, certain models of the Wondlan Stabilizer can telescope fairly tall to be used as a short monopod when you're not flying around.

Wondlan Carbon StabilizerWondlan Stabilizer Leopard Carbon
find-price-button Wondlan Carbon Video Camera Stabilizer

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I first purchased a used first gen Skyler Minicam and enjoyed it so much, I went out and purchased the latest model (then sold off the older one). It's a tiny little stabilizer that packs up small, performs excellently, and has amazing build qualities. Unfortunately it's a bit expensive compared to other stabilizers, so i'm happy to see another person like Carl Pendle from www.carlpendle.com using it. I'm not alone in this world..

This time Carl shows how to modify the Flycam Armbrace to fit the Skyler MiniCam for extended flight times. After the modification, he also shows a clever sling he uses to help him carry the entire weight, and stick around to the end for some fine examples of his Skyler Minicam in use. [Thanks Carl]. I have some additional information about the Skyler Minicam vs. Glidecam vs. Flycam (seen here) if you're still wondering what some differences could be.

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find-price-button Skyler MiniCam Video Camera Stabilizer Kit


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find-price-button Flycam Forearm Arm Brace for Flycam and Glidecam HD Stabilizers

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Home for the day, so I decided to see if I had the skills to fly the Skyler MiniCam Video Camera Stabilizer while riding a Gyro-Stabilized Motorized UniCycle called the SoloWheel (found here on eBay).

Skyler-MiniCam  Solo Wheel Steadicam Segway Self Balancing Gryo Stabilized

Just in case something disastrous were to happen, I felt comfortable trying this test out with Canon's latest EOS T4i (not the 5D Mark III) and was a good excuse to see how the Auto Focus would work with the Sigma 20mm F/1.8.

Canon T4i VariAngle LCD  simga-20mm

Besides not being a very skilled SoloWheel rider, the breeze against the Vari-Angle LCD threw the little Skyler off balance. So it wasn't a truly successful test, but at least I didn't eat pavement...

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YouTube member SteveSmithDOP gives us a tour around the new Flycam C5 Carbon Fiber stabilizer [Thanks Steve]. I've only seen a handful of videos from this stabilizer, and they've really seemed to have stepped up their build quality compared to the original Flycam stuff. They've even blacked out all the washers (weights) on the lower sled.

The Flycam C5 is said to support up to a 6 pound camera and comes in cheaper than a Glidecam HD1000 (rated at 3 lbs.). If you're looking to fly more than just a basic camera body and lens, this looks like a solid stabilizer for the money, and can be found via eBay (Click Here).

Flycam Carbon C5 Stabilizer Review Samples Video
find-price-button Flycam Carbon Fiber C5 Video Camera Stabilizer

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This video is complete rambling about different feature sets of a few 'Small Camera stabilizers' I use. I have quite a few very large ones as well, but for now i'm just touching on these specifically because they are so close in what audience they are intended for. The three small stabilizers i'm showing are the Flycam Nano, the Glidecam HD1000, and the Skyler MiniCam (new and old). If you're not interested in knowing about the differences of such products, I suggests you skip this video since it's quite lengthy.

I'll start by saying that it's possible to get excellent results from ALL of these stabilizers. Don't be fooled to thinking you'll be achieving excellent results on the first day, even if you wanted to spend thousands of dollars on high end gear. With any stabilizer, it will require practice, practice, and even more practice. This video will probably generate more questions, but hopefully it's an insight of the different things to look for when shopping for a stabilizer.

Flycam:
The Flycam Nano does not have the best fit and finish as the other stabilizers, so obviously it will be much cheaper. It also does not carry the fine tuning knobs of a Glidecam HD series stabilizer. The Flycam Nano does not come with any type of Quick release system to make packing up and re-balancing more convenient.

Flycam-Nano
find-price-button Flycam Nano Video Camera Stabilizer

Glidecam: The Glidecam HD1000 has a quick release system, fine tuning knobs, and has better overall build quality and aesthetics. The quick release system will help you remove your camera from the stabilizer when you need to pack up, and makes it easy to get the camera back in the right spot for rebalancing. The fine tuning knobs help get very accurate alignment.
Note: Recently Glidecam released an XR version of their stabilizers which is cheaper, but will lack the QR plate and fine tuning knobs. (click here to see Glidecam XR-1000 via eBay)

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find-price-button Glidecam HD1000 Small Video Camera Stabilizer

Skyler MiniCam: The Skyler MiniCam is the most expensive of these three small stabilizers. It's also the smallest and lightest, but yet can still fly just as much weight. You can remove all of the parts from the Skyler for travel and set it back up without having to rebalance. Everything falls perfectly in alignment. It also offers a quick release stage - not only for packing up, but it can be used to move your camera to a tripod, slider, cage, rig, etc with the included 'mounting base plate'. The design of the lower sled makes it easy to adjust up and down for weight compensation, and does not have the same potential to shift (like the Glidecam and Flycam models). Build quality is top notch.

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find-price-button Skyler MiniCam Video Camera Stabilizer Kit

If you're just starting out, doing it as a hobby, or just curious about flying camera movements you could start on the lower end. The actual practice of flying a stabilizer is more important than the stabilizer itself. Sell it off later when you're ready to upgrade or try renting one for a weekend to see if it's something you're interested in, and how often you think you'll be using it. If you're already flying a stabilizer and need more of the convenience of fine tuning knobs, quick release plates, compact for travel, and ease of rebalance, then look for the higher end models that offer some of those features like the Glidecam HD or Skyler Minicam.

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I get it. Sometimes you fly a stabilizer around and need to take a pause for a long static shot. These things can get quite heavy, so being able to stand on it's own could be beneficial for event shooters. Varizoom offers a Monopod / Stabilizer called the FlowPod (seen here), but when used as a stabilizer, it didn't really work out very well. Varizoom also makes a Crossfire Stabilizer (seen here) that doubles as a small Tripod too. None of them I think work very well, mainly because of the Gimbal setup they are using.

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Varizoom FlowPod Stabilizer Monopod 		Varizoom-Crossfire
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Varizoom Crossfire Stabilizer Tripod

Wondlan also recently showed a Carbon Stabilizer that can be extended to work as a monopod, and they used a better Gimbal system like the Glidecam type stabilizers. I think they fell short a bit here because the sled was a little too small. If you think you need a stabilizer that doubles as a stand, here YouTube member NitsanPictures shows how it could be possible to modify your own with a Glidecam, and possibly even the Flycam by connecting to the 1/4" female thread under the post. It seems to work pretty good, but I think there are other Monopod designs that would make it easier to telescope when needed. [Thanks Nitsan] If you guys haven't seen a Glidecam Stabilizer in use, check out some of my old videos.

Glidecam HD1000 Demo:
HD1000 Demo

Glidecam HD4000 Demo:
HD4000 Glidecam Demo

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find-price-button Glidecam HD1000 HD2000 HD4000 Stabilizers

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Wondlan Carbon Stabilizer

Earlier this year Wondlan released a Carbon Fiber Stabilizer that doubled as a short monopod when you're not running around. A neat idea, but so far we haven't seen any real solid tests of perfect flight capabilities. Now Wondlan throws in a much smaller unit made from Aluminum to support cameras in the same range as a Glidecam HD1000 (found here).

Wondlan Mini
find-price-button Wondlan Mini Stabilizer

There's a few image comparisons between their larger Carbon Monopod / Stabilizer and new Mini Stabilizer fully extended and collapsed. Wondlan makes some pretty cool products with good build quailty, but this Mini Stabilizer is being offered for slightly more than a Glidecam HD1000. For such a small unit, it's even priced more than Flycam's new Carbon C5 Stabilizer (here).

My advise is to just go with what works, and has been proven for many years. I honestly don't see anything new being brought to the table here, so why jack up prices? If you're curious to see more images and specs, the new Wondlan Mini Stabilizer can be found online (click here).

Wondlan Mini Stabilizer
find-price-button Wondlan Mini Stabilizer

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