Steadicam

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I think i've received at least 2 questions/day since this new 'Flycam Nano DSLR' had been advertised online. It's quite confusing since there already is a Flycam Nano that supports DSLRs. This one claims to be better and can handle more weight. Of course it does! It's bigger and looks almost exactly like the Flycam 3000 (far right). Did they just swap the handle and slap on the Nano name because the hottest search term is 'Flycam Nano'? The Flycam DSLR is just about the same price as the Flycam 3000 too. To me it just doesn't make sense.. what do you make of it all?

flycam-nano-stabilizer
Flycam Nano

flycam-nano
Flycam Nano DSLR

flycam-3000
Flycam 3000

My personal opinion is that you should use the max capacity for any stabilizer. If you get something bigger than the original Nano, then you may have to end up adding more weights to the top of the camera in order to make it fly better. So do you need a larger one? Unless you're pushing more weight that the common 7D + Tokina 11-16mm (BTW you can balance a bit more than that), then you don't need to go to the next level. I have several stabilizers and the one I take with me the most is the smallest one I can pack to do the job. The Glidecam HD4000 and Steadicam vest are only called upon when I really need to carry some weight...

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What do you get when you mix an old Bike Wheel, Bike Crank, and Bike Wheel Hub? You get a functioning Video Camera Stabilizer a.k.a DIY Steadicam. It will all make more sense after checking out the video above from YouTube member thomasumJohnson. Improvements? I would stay start with a smaller wheel maybe from a childs bike. This should cut down on about half the size, but still give you that nice arch. The smooth wheel hub is a nice touch, and it appears he's using a U-Joint similar to the WSClater builds for making a Gimbal Handle. But if you're not the type to tackle a 'Gimbal', Lensse can provide you with something http://cheesycam.com/lensse-gimbals-for-diy-steadicam-stabilizers/.

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Vimeo member Satva Leung shares a Flycam Nano stabilizer test with me. It's pretty nice to see someone fairly new to stabilizers get great results, especially from such a cheap piece of equipment. Flying a Canon T2i + Tokina 11-16mm (same lens I used on a few tests), check out the results. I haven't flown my cameras around in a while, I think next week i'll take the GH2 or GF2 out for a spin with the Flycam Nano. [Thanks Satva]

flycam-nano-video-stabilizer
find-price-button Flycam Nano DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer


tokina-11-16mm
find-price-button Tokina 11-16mm Wide Angle Zoom

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Wondlan Shoulder Rig
find-price-button Wondlan DSLR Sniper Plus Support Full Shoulder Rig

Wondlan's earliest DSLR products were pretty blah, but when they started pushing out their 'sniper' or 'target shooter' type rigs, they started making a bit of noise in the scene. My guess is they are doing pretty well since they are now expanding their lineup of previously only small parts. In 2011, here's one of their latest Full Shoulder rigs. Yes, everything you see above (except camera & battery pack) is part of the package including shoulder pad, extended handles, matte box, battery mount, top handle, LCD Monitor, and follow focus w/ whip. I personally don't think it's very aesthetically appealing in turquoise/silver, but Wondlan's new rigs are often being compared to Gini's quality. Current price not so exciting...

Another new product for Wondlan is their 'Leopard Vest system' (happy it's not in actual leopard print). The cheapest off the shelf vest systems still run over $1200, but are pretty much crap. If Wondlan's latest vest system is anything like their shoulder rig quality, the price doesn't seem too overkill.

Wondlan Leopard Steadicam Stabilizer
find-price-button Wondlan DSLR Leopard Vest Video Camera Stabilizer

It almost comes close to the total price of my Hybrid system using a Steadicam Vest & Glidecam HD4000. Wondlan's Leopard Vest system is spec'd out to handle 10 pound loads, comes with a Monitor and Matte Box (most likely does not come with a V mount battery). It will probably be a while before we see any video reviews on this, but if you happen to run into something, leave them in the comments.

Wondlan Leopard Vest System
find-price-button Wondlan DSLR Leopard Vest Video Camera Stabilizer

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Aaron of Winnipeg shows us how he mods the IndieHardware Video Camera stabilizer. This is one of the cheapest stabilizers I've reviewed on this blog that was able to balance a 5D Mark II + Sigma 20mm Lens. That's about all I was willing to push, but Aaron's managed to practically double that up while still using the stock Gimbal. The mods to add a Lilliput 7" monitor to the little stabilizer allows Aaron to add more weight to the top with a T2i + Battery Grip and 17-55mm F/2.8 IS lens (nice lens). He's also added a new handle which is one of the most common complaints on this particular stabilizer, replacing it with one from an old Flash Bracket . The video is a bit long, but all good information, so stick through it and hopefully get some ideas. Also note that the IndieHardware stabilizer is always in and out of stock, but you can check current pricing and if it's available below.

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find-price-button IndieHardware Video Camera Stabilizer

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Steadicam has a smoothee, Cinevate once showed something for an iPhone about a year ago, Lensse has an iPhone version as well, but can be adapted to the GoPro. Somehow every company is finding a way to market tiny stabilizers for iPhones, Flip Cameras, and all types of point and shoots.

Olivia gets a demo from Tom McKay - President of Varizoom showing a regular FlowPod, as well as their new lightweight version. Now in the end of the video he throws out pricing, but when I was at NAB, I want to say that the smaller version was only around $150 dollars. That means it would be a bit cheaper than Steadicam's Smoothee as well as being a lot more functional.

I'll have to contact Varizoom to find out if the pricing he mentions was for the larger version that supports the GH2, because anything over $150 bucks seems a bit pricey. BTW, if you've followed Olivia's Vimeo profile she finally has her cast (broken wrist) taken off. Hilarious stuff... This was also a highlight from Episode 4 from her Myx-Rated Television show which is shot almost completely on Canon DSLR's.

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Lensse-DIY-GImbal

When I first started messing around with DIY builds, one of the most difficult projects to try and tackle were the Stabilizers a.k.a. or what most people associate with 'Steadicams' (that's actually a brand name). Piecing together a stage and a set of counterweights was the easiest part, but trying to locate an effective off the shelf 'Gimbal' handle was always the biggest hurdle.

Lensse-DIY-Brass-Gimbal

gim·bal (n.)
A device consisting of two rings mounted on axes at right angles to each other so that an object, such as a ship's compass, will remain suspended in a horizontal plane between them regardless of any motion of its support.

Lensse-DIY-Big-Brass-GImbal

Here's where Lensse steps in. I think this could be officially the first DSLR equipment company marketing Gimbal handles for DIY stabilizer projects. This is another move for companies to get attention from the DSLR community. IGUS stepped in after finding many of it's Linear Guide Rails were being used as Camera Sliders, and even JuicedLink offers basic accessory brackets also named DIY*. These three new Lensse Gimbals designed for Light cameras to heavier loads, are all machined from Brass sockets. Brass is a metal with lower friction qualities, but still hard enough to last for years. If you're working on a DIY project that requires Gimbals, including Cable Cams, and Helicopter Mounts, check out some of the Lensse gimbals.

Lensse-DIY-GImbal Lensse-DIY-Brass-GimbalLensse-DIY-Big-Brass-GImbal find-price-button Lensse DIY Brass Gimbals for Steadicams

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First off, sorry on this one. This little stabilizer was a tough one to talk about. There's so many different features on this stabilizer, it's mind blowing. I had to totally skip any mention about balancing it and just spent several minutes going over the different parts. If you want to learn about balancing, the BlackBird comes with an instructional DVD as well as a full booklet with lots of pretty pictures. It almost doesn't matter where you start by placing your camera, you'll always have more than enough lateral to compensate and center the camera to balance. Weather has been very spotty here and i've been caught up with other projects to really get something good online about this one.

In any case, here's a quick look and a few first time samples. There's no denying the resemblance of the design to other stabilizers on the market, but of the ones I've used (and i've used quite a few), none of them has as many different options or features as this. One thing I mention most on this blog about stabilizers, is that I find stabilizers work best when they are 'loaded up' to their max weight. This stabilizer has even been specifically designed to balance both super light and heavier cameras by adding in the Gimbal extension. Dropping the Gimbal allows the stabilizer to become extremely 'less bottom heavy', thus able to support light weight cameras. The unique 'adjustable friction gimbal' also adds to that same purpose. It's well designed, fairly priced against it's competitors, but definitely the most fully featured of the bunch all similar to this design. You might also want to check out the other video demo in this article: http://cheesycam.com/dslr-video-stabilizer-blackbird/.

You can find more information about the BlackBird Stabilizer at their website: https://www.camotionllc.com/

The BlackBird stabilizer can also be found at B&H below
blackbird-stabilizer
find-price-button BlackBird Camera Stabilizer by Camera Motion Research

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If you're an iPhone Video shooter, this Lensse Camera Stabilizer for phones is pretty fluid. (BTW that's not an iPhone. That's the Samsung Galaxy) I'm thinking it should be able to support my GoPro HD once i've added enough counterweights. The drilled brass socket for the Gimbal is smooth, but as other stabilizers like this the angle of rotation is limited. I'll need to really test the weight once my GoPro LCD Bacpac has come in, but it should be fine.

lensse-cell-phone-stabilizer
find-price-button iPhone / Cell Phone Video Camera Stabilizer