Tag Archives: Glidecam

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(Note Video Error: I kept saying the arm mounts dead center in the 'Chest' What I meant was in the Stomach area.)

In this video i'm referencing the Varizoom DV Sportster Vest for some Steadicams, Flycams, and Glidecams. It's a cheap vest, and have heard slightly negative feedbacks about this particular item. Part of the fun in finding useful affordable tools is to get hands on and see what the true limitations are. Since there wasn't much information on the web about this product, I thought I would at least be a reference point for others who might be searching for information on this. I know, I know, I gave it a shot, but it's ok to leave comments saying 'Emm - I Told You So. What were you thinking? Why didn't you listen to us all...."

The problem isn't the build quality. It's very light weight and sturdy. The arm feels plenty strong to carry the Glidecam HD1000 DSLR Stabilizer that I did a video about. The problems I had with the vest was the ergonomics. Everything just felt like it was in the wrong place. Just after a few minutes of wearing it, I felt like grabbing some steel and fixing the design with my own. Just by relocating the arm to the side instead of dead center would have already been a huge improvement. A simple steel plate is all that it would take to get that situated. The back support is just straps, so it doesn't provide good relief from the weight. Everything just loads up on the back of your neck. So, it's lightweight, strong, fairly priced, but needs redesign in the Ergo department. Hey Varizoom..if you ever want guys like me to test and suggest for product design...Holla!

By the way - You can catch a bit of the studio i've been working on. Thanks to some local Photographer friends, they all pitched in to (literally) scrub the floors, lay down epoxy, tile the bathroom, change out the toilet, and move in some gear, but it's still a long way to go. Just brought in some couches and chairs, and there's still a whole lot of equipment not yet there. I can only pass by for an hour before I head home, and all my weekends have been booked with camera work. Someday this thing will have it's use....

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Varizoom-Sportster-Stabilizer-Vest

You've seen me flying pretty lightweight Video stabilizers recently, including the Glidecam HD1000 shown in this video. Well lightweight is nice and very easy to fly for short periods of time, but if you're going to be focusing on longer video footage with any stabilizer, it's time to start looking into a Vest. A Stabilizer Vest isn't going to help stabilize your video as much as the 'stabilizer' itself, but it does help you stay in control by carrying most of if not all of the weight. This is especially helpful for fast walking to running type shots.

Well i'm pretty set with the Steadicam Merlin Vest modified to work with the Glidecam HD4000, but I admit it is a bit overkill not to mention a bit pricey, for something that might only see 5% of your video work. So in my never ending search for the best bang for the buck, I decided to check out the Varizoom DV Sportster, one of the smallest, lightest, and cheapest Video Stabilizer Vests known to mankind...B&H Photo.

When this dropped in, the box looked fairly large and I was a bit disappointed. I was looking for small and portable. Then it was like a Russian Matryoshka doll unfolding box after box down to it's smallest bag. Wow, this thing is tiny. The bag is like a small padded duffle with extra room for other gear. Description from Varizoom states it can support it's own Flowpod, Steadicam JR. and Glidecam stabilizers. Now it's time to put it to the test this weekend and see if it actually holds up. You can find the Varizoom DV Sportster vest here. Stay tuned....

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I enjoy watching Behind the Scenes type videos, I feel like i'm learning something new each time from different people. SatoStudio has this BTS video of a recent Mexico Destination wedding, and you get an idea of the type of equipment they would require for these highly mobile shoots. In this video I see lots of Monopods, Glidecam 2000 Stabilizers, and Canon 580 EX II Speedlites for mobile portrait shoots. Radio Poppers are used for stable transmission of signal from camera to speedlites. I'm really impressed with how smooth that Cinevate Pegasus slider is. The reason you'd go with the Pegasus over the Cinevate Atlas is by design. Sand can easily cause problems with the Atlas slider bearings, but the Pegasus is a much more forgiving roller design for those conditions. I think what really ties this all together for a great shoot is the willingness of the bridal party. Great work SatoStudio, looks like a fun crew, I gotta run with you guys sometime...

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As soon as I announced I was going to test the Glidecam HD1000, many people have been leaving me messages waiting. So here's my quick run through, i'm sure you all know how to assemble and balance these things. There's already plenty of video tutorials on balancing, so i'm just going to show you sample use of the HD1000. Thanks for my sister-in-law for allowing me to chase her around while she (not very skilled) rides a skateboard around to show fast moving shots. Yes I was lightly jogging with the Glidecam HD1000 and Canon 5D Mark II + Sigma 20mm F/1.8.

I did a demo of the Glidecam 2000 Pro, and now I normally fly the Glidecam HD4000 which is a beast, but truly a top performer when loaded up. I love the Glidecam HD4000, but sometimes it's a bit overkill. The way I have the Glidecam HD4000 setup, I wouldn't want to run that way without my Steadicam Merlin Vest. So I wanted to really push the smallest Glidecam to see how much weight it can carry. It can balance the 5D Mark II + Sigma 20mm F/1.8 using all the available weights (compact mode). If you extend the base further down, you can shift the center of balance making it more bottom heavy and possibly add-on a very small LED light or Sennheiser MKE400 microphone.

Can you fly with LED light, Microphone, and Zoom H4n + Canon T2i + wide prime lens? Don't quote me on this! I've flown the Glidecam 2000 pro, the HD4000, and now the HD1000. The gimbal handle on the Glidecam stabilizers are very very strong and very fluid even when loaded up. In fact, I think they fly better when they are pushed to their weight capacity limits. Although they won't suggest this I really think you can further 'modify' this unit to accept even more weights at the bottom and really fly a heavy setup with accessories. Yes you can easily move up to the HD2000 or HD4000, but i'm looking for the most compact video stabilizer solution possible. So if it's possible to really load up this HD1000 then i'll be stoked, because you can see how nice and tiny this thing is, making it perfect for travel and tight locations.

Again, this is a bit more pricey than those other stabilizers i've shown, but it's really the best bang for your buck. Most people either don't like flying footage, or don't shoot enough of flying footage to justify the price. If you really like the look, want or need something super fast to balance, you can get away with the HD1000. If you'll be adding some further accessories and added weight this will push you to the HD2000 at least. So don't quote me on the HD1000 being able to handle everything, this is something i'm still working on, and hopefully i'll demo that soon. Glidecam makes great stabilizers. If you've been following my videos, I started with my DIY stabilizer, moved to the Steadicam JR., then to the Steadicam Merlin, tested the Glidecam 2000 Pro, Hague MMC, IndieHardware Stabilizer, Glidecam HD4000, and now Glidecam HD1000. I've tried many and i'm very satisfied with the quality, price point, and fast balance design of the Glidecam HD stabilizers. (HD version! Not Pro models, those kinda suck to balance).

NOTE: Besides being able to carry more weight, the handle has a much broader range of movement. You'll notice several 'Tilt' shots in this video as I point downwards going down the stairs, or point downwards at the skateboard. This type of Gimbal handle also allows for shots pointing upwards or sideways. This was one of the main reasons I left the Steadicam Merlin since it couldn't support these type of shots.

Glidecam has made it very easy to choose from 3 different DSLR stabilizers depending on your needs. I'm not an expert, you should always consult support with the respected manufacturers, but if you have any questions i'd be happy to try and answer them. Here's a link to the Glidecam HD1000 if anyone is interested in dishing out a paycheck to grab one.
If you are planning to balance heavier setups, you can find more information about the other Glidecam HD series stabilizer, how much weight each stabilizer can carry, along with prices following the links below.

glidecam-hd1000
find-price-button Glidecam HD 1000 Smallest Glidecam HD DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

Glidecam-HD2000
find-price-button Glidecam HD 2000 Medium Sized Glidecam HD DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

Glidecam-HD4000
find-price-button Glidecam HD-4000 Largest Glidecam HD DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

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glidecam-hd1000-t2i

Hopefully the Glidecam HD1000 will be showing up next week. As many of you might know, I currently fly the HD4000 (big boy) and I love it. But in order for me to get smooth results with such a big stabilizer I have to load it up quite a bit, otherwise it's just way to loose. It gets heavy with all the gear loaded up (hence the vest) but flies really really smooth. There's times when I need to fly without a vest, so in my head I think I can get the HD1000 to fly some of these lighter DSLR's such as the Canon 550D / T2i or Sony NEX. It should be in sometime next week. If anyone currently uses the HD1000, please let me know what camera + lens you have balanced and possibly some sample videos. Thanks!

Here's the prices for the Glidecam HD1000 over at bhphotovideo.com.

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Looks like many others are picking up on the idea of using the Steadicam Merlin/Pilot vest + Glidecam. I've received comments of other people already using the setup, but here's another DIY adapter video that was submitted to me today. This hybrid setup not only gives you professional results, it also saves you money using this combination. Just FYI, there's already a CAD design for a future adapter that is being made for this. The adapter will be available soon, sold exclusively from a company (keep comng back for that information. I'll post it soon).

Exploded View of new Adapter
steadicam merlin pilot vest glidecam hybrid adapter

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Me running with my Hybrid Steadicam Vest + Glidecam HD 4000

So even though i'm a DIY guy and make some really (bad) and Cheesy stuff, i'm still a buyer of expensive video and photography equipment. I had this tour set to private, but recently just made it public. You can see what i'm rockin' in one of the Videos, just so you know, i'm not all broomsticks and duct tape....

This was a test with the GoPro HD mounted onto my rig. The extreme fisheye shot simultaneously helped me get a better view of the smaller rooms. So basically I was flying two cameras at one time with two different perceptions. For the audio we used a wireless Sennheisser Lav + Body Pack transmitting into a Zoom H4n.

Here's a quick result of that tour

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These videos are related to a Hybrid Steadicam (Merlin) Vest + Glidecam HD 4000 video camera stabilizer. I had to create a DIY adapter to 'mate' the two different systems together, but very happy so far with the results.

First video is what it sorta looks like (to date).

Second Video shows the DIY adapter up close (and very personal).

Third Video shows some sample use of the rig (at home).

Video #2 was shot with my 7D + Tamron 18-270 (fun cheap lens).

Thanks for the questions and comments BTW, I'm glad people find some of the random stuff I do useful.

Question: Why not just get the Glidecam Vest?
Answer: I have already owned the Steadicam Vest + Merlin, and the vest works awesome. Very light, slim, easy to put on, and allows me to get through narrow doors. It's a 'beast' and other than getting the two to mate, there is absolutely no reason the vest COULD NOT fly this Glidecam.

AND!!!! The Steadicam dual arm Vest is way cheaper than the price of the Glidecam dual arm vest. This Hybrid configuration will save you big bucks and works awesome.

Steadicam + Merlin = 2300?
Glidecam X-10 Vest + 4000 Pro = 2300?

I'm using the Steadicam Merlin Vest + Glidecam HD4000.
Canon 5D Mark II, Battery Grip, Samson Zoom H4n Portable Recorder, and Rode VideoMic. I'm planning on mounting a shoulder rig with quick release for everything on top, and possible LCD monitor at the bottom. It feels like this vest config can hold alot more than it does today. ""UPDATE. I got an awesome monitor, check it out"""