Varavon BirdyCam 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizer – New Folding Design

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Varavon's 'Ready to Run' Birdycam 3 Axis Gimbal stabilizer was slated to start shipping today (July 1st), but has recently announced a small delay. The new estimated shipping date is set around July 4th. Now before anyone starts throwing a tantrum, I think they have good reason. The newly added folding handle feature should make it worth the wait. Here's a few photos below.

Varavon Birdy Cam 3 Axis Stabilizer 32 bit alexmos
Varavon BirdyCam Gimbal Stabilizer

The new folding handles should make the 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizer easier to travel with. One of the problems with other gimbal systems is the odd dimensions which make it harder to travel with and to find a decent case.

Varavon also mentioned a battery change to a single battery instead of two separate smaller batteries. Hopefully we'll see these units ship in just a few days, more info found at the product page (click here).

varavon birdycam pre-orderpreorder birdycam varavon 3 axis gimbal stabilizer
find-price-button Varavon BirdyCam 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizer - PreOrder

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52 thoughts on “Varavon BirdyCam 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizer – New Folding Design”

  1. To Whoever that can give a lending hand:)

    Convulsions on my birdycam 2.

    Downloaded the simple BGC software and auto reset the PID settings. and now all that it does is Convulsions and convulsions! ! ! 🙁

    Should have went with the DJI Ronin. But it was sold out and then opted for the birdy cause of impulse and just wanting a gimbal asap.

    Please help. been on this the entire day and i'm about to blow my brains out. Tired of reading and googleing all day.

    I just wanted smooth shots.

    Henry.

  2. Emm

     Post author

    @Matthew - It sounds like it is charged up. Try pulling the plug off the battery and starting over. Plug the battery in and then power on. If nothing happens try pushing the joystick in to change modes.

  3.

    Can anyone tell me how to know whether the friggin' battery is charged and basic "best practices" for charging and using the battery? I am guessing I didn't charge long enough but I am confused. After balancing the gimbal - which was a dream, honestly much easier than expected - everything worked awesome right out the box after balancing and charging battery... then suddenly after say 30 minuates of filming I turn the thing to 12v (which is "on") and instead of making the beeping noise and starting it just sat there doing nothing.... when I hit "check" on the battery three lights lit up and the fourth blinked at me. I'm sort of lost right now and the language barrier with Tim is a tad frustrating. How do i know whether the battery is fully charged?

    Thanks in advance!

  4. Joey

    https://youtu.be/N9iCOZvhdeI

    Tim from Varavon came to help me setup my BirdyCam2 yesterday. This is an example of excellent customer service. I wish more companies did this much to show how much they care about their customers.

    I had issues with the first one, but every company does, especially with their first generation of a product.

    What separates a good company from a great one is how they handle those problems. Varavon handled this perfectly and went above and beyond to resolve my issue. They had new BirdyCam2 sent over from overseas within a few days to the Varavon office. Tim then brought the new stabilizer to my shop which is around a 20-30 minute drive. He wanted to make sure that the stabilizer was properly balanced and that it was configured specifically for my camera. Now THAT is customer service. They really care about their reputation and it shows.

    If you know someone looking at alternative 3-axis stabilizers, just keep in mind that service & support matters a lot, especially with these devices.

    Thank you very much Tim & Varavon!

  5. Adam

    @LynnPark wired monitor, a cheaper Neway that's a little too heavy, but at least it's got waveforms. I highly recommend the SiliconMicroDisplay ULTRA THIN Premium High Speed HDMI Cable (Type D-A) 2.5ft for the gimbal (you can find them on Amazon). It's super lightweight, easily bendable, and didn't effect the gimbal performance at all.

    @Emm - Thanks, it's a great area to shoot. I'm sure your skateboard footage will be way smoother than mine. I was really being rough with it to test it out and still feeling out the follow settings and joystick speed.

    One thing that was great about the birdycam in a crowd was that I could fold the handle bars back and still operate it. It was really narrow and I could weave in between people really easily.

  6. Emm

     Post author

    @Adam - Really great examples of the Birdycam. I was literally just there in Hollywood for a week and got back home last night. Shot all the same footage while I was skateboarding in the area.

  7. LynnPark

    @Adam NICE! Glad yours worked out well out of the box.. I'm awaiting a replacement which should land in a few days. Will shoot and post stuff once I get it up and running.

    What kind of monitor are you running? Wired or wireless?

  8. Adam

    totally loving mine so far! two sample videos:

    the footage was so smooth, especially considering my technique needs work

  11.

    to Tim Morris ( and others ) I can't say much about the result, because I don't want to blame Varavon, before I make final conclusion, and find what cause the problems.. We still working on it with AlexMos... I would like to know not only a camera, but also WHAT lens did you try, and if you use ND-filter and Hood. - every little difference may change a lot. My case is much more difficult, because I must to connect BMPC 4K camera to external battery, as internal can work about 30minutes maximum.. and even thin power cable may create additional disruption. Let's hope - we can fix something 🙂 I will e-mail you later...didn't sleep enough for a few nights..

  12. LynnPark

    @Emm, I'm trying to use a GH4 with 12-35mm lens. Tim @ Varavon has been awesome. The unit doesn't function at all, unfortunately. The profiles are achieved through clicks, (1 for Fix, 2 for joystick, etc). After I got it balanced, it wouldn't stay fixed when on click 1, nor does the joystick respond anymore. Tim's aware of it.

    I balanced the gimbal thanks to the other videos and instructions Tim sent me (also used your balancing the CAM one as to verify what it should be able to do when balanced properly).

    They're sending me a new one as it was probably a defective one (no response on joystick/click profiles even after doing the 6 clicks for recalibrating it.

  13.

    @Tim Morris We have tested the Birdycam with 5DMK3 + all types of lenses, and it worked well. That is why I did not recommend you to use the Simple BGC software for a different PID setting. Please double check if you balanced all ROLL/PITCH/ROLL/YAW. YAW axis is the one that many customers missed. When you lift the gimbal (powered off) and tilt the top bar slightly to the left or slightly to the right, the YAW should stay still. If the camera swings, that means the YAW is not balanced.

  14. tim morris

    @Sergesmart....whats a good email or facebook for you. I tried balancing my birdycam with the 5d mark III for 8 plus hours and the gimbal appeared to have convulsions. I spoke to a rep from varavon and he suggested that I did not need to download any software...not sure if this is true.

    @Emm what do you have to say about Varavon suggesting that you should not download any software. I am going to take your advice and figure out what thhis PID stuff is......Sorry but I have been flying a weildy steadicam. This is my first gimbal.

    @sergesmart
    My email is [email protected]
    My facebook is [email protected]

  15.

    LynnPark and tim morris Please contact me with info of what cameras lenses and PID settings you are using. From July 7 I was trying to setup Birdycam with Blackmagic 4K camera and with direct help of Aleksey Moskalenko - founder of BaseCam Electronics and developer of BaseCam SimpleBGC controller and software. ( We both speaks Russian 🙂 ) My contacts on my website...

  16. Emm

     Post author

    @LynnPark - Anytime a gimbal has 'convulsions' as you mentioned, it's because of PID tuning. One profile will not work across different weight setups. You have to choose the correct profile or tune the gimbal with a profile. So what type of camera and lens are you trying to setup?

  17. Emm

     Post author

    @pepe - I don't have the gimbal, but I know it's running the same software as the other gimbals. Of all the complaints so far, it just sounds like a PID tuning issue. The problem is that there is a million different combinations of cameras and lenses and you need to run the correct profile for it to work. One profile cannot cover both heavy cameras and lightweight cameras.

  19. LynnPark

    @timmorris... I know, kinda having the same doubts. Tim Choi (Varavon) is awesome and has been very responsive in emailing. He sent me a "what the clicks do" jpg (which really helps, would've been great to have on the manual), as well as the balancing vid in Korean (don't understand, but I get it to the point of what he's doing to set it up properly.. much better than the vague one in english).

    The convulsion thing happened to me again. I hit the joystick 6 times to re-calibrate, but it doesn't return to the '0' position (set middle/balanced) and as of today, the joystick doesn't do anything now. Position 1 is fixed, but it still swings quite a bit.

    I'm hoping Tim has a fix for all of this. I kinda thought I'd be immune from the 'early adopter' syndrome as wasn't this their 2nd build? And the fact there are so many 3-axis ones out there already.

  20. tim morris

    @lynnpark...I experienced the same convulsion thing today!!! Varavon was quite fast with respect to answering my questions...however I never got the thing to fully work........I hate to say this but I may send this back. For 2300 I am having doubts!!! @ dmm did you see varavon fly the mark III in person.....it appears to be having problems with the heavier camera.

  21. LynnPark

    Greetings all

    So I got mine today. Here's my review:
    1. GREAT build
    2. Video for balancing (dubbed in English) and manual was kinda.. huh?
    emailed Tim. "turn this knob" but there's quite a bit of screws and knobs. Mega fail on documentation and the instructional vid.
    3. Can't say enough about the layout.. knocked it out of the park.
    4.. Was moving with it, taking some shots and using the joystick (again no documentation about this at all)! and had some crazy vibration/convulsion thingy.

    Emailed Tim @ Varabon

  22. Joey

    Got mine in today, but it didn't come with the mounting plate. I called Varavon and they said they will ship one out and will hopefully arrive in two days. We'll have to see.

  25. OldCorpse

    Hi Emm, is it useful to use this with an arm and a vest, or is that missing the point? I ask, because I wonder what the total weight of this is depending on what you carry (cam, lens, monitor etc.), and how tiring it might get for longer use...

  28. Emm

     Post author

    @Jay - It's pretty easy to balance these things, but it does take time because all the adjustments have to be moved slowly. You are basically just moving your camera around until it can sit level on it's own (without the unit powered on). I would say it takes me about 10 minutes to balance the CAME 7000/7500 gimbal and that one requires hand tools. The Varavon should be much faster since it does not require any tools.

  29. Jay

    Hey Emm, how hard is it to properly balance these things? There's nothing that frustrates me more than trying to balance a camera stabilizer for hours, never quite knowing if I've got it right or not. (Obviously a skill I haven't acquired.) I'm waiting for the day we can input camera body and lens variables into an on-board computer to have it balance itself. lol

  32.

    I like the look of the Varavon and that it folds. Since I have a C300 and C100, I will look more into the Came-8000 and the Birdycam. One think I like about the Came Stabilizers is getting that height by turning it upside down or 180 degrees.
    Can the Birdycam do that?

  34. Emm

     Post author

    @Renato Murilo Langona - Mine does not make noise, but try different PID settings to see if you can eliminate it. Either your pitch is not balanced and its working too hard or the PID settings are too high.

  35.

    @Emm decreasing the power made the footage a lot better and lowered the noise too. Did your motors make any noise? My PITCH one make an horrible noise. I just paid attention to it when I used it in total silence. Thanks again!

  36.

    Are these readily available for others, or just for those that pre-ordered? If so, great!. If not, I am fogging to order the CAME-7500.

  37. Emm

     Post author

    @Renato Murilo Langona - If there is any vibrations figure out what motor is doing it. Try increasing the D value, or decreasing the value. If it still does not work, try lowering the P value - maybe too much power for your camera.

  39.

    I did a comparison using my CAME-7000 pre installed PID with some tweaks after seeing @EMM's videos and put a Sony Hx9V with stabilization attached to it, so I could compare both videos (with the Panasonic GH2 on the gimbal and the Hx9V attached to the top handle):

    https://youtu.be/7brBIPIjF9I

    Raw videos from the cameras, no stab, no color correction, nothing.
    My 32-bit board is not installed yet, this one is 8-bit and the only problem I see is a little vibration sometimes. @EMM any advices about that?

    Thank you again for some much information!

  40. Leo Burton

    I agree the Came 7000 is a great gimbal for the money! I'm running the 32bit version and its fantastic value for money, especially with inverted mode! BUT I HATE balancing it! The pitch is easy, but the Roll takes forever with the round bars! I'd much rather have flat bars, tool-less balancing with markers, and ready-to-run for any DSLR. PID tuning is a pain in the arse! Thats worth an extra $1000 if you ask me.

    The Birdycam looks to be the best in my opinion, of the DSLR runners. The Silk gimbal looks good, but only if you are running GH3s,GH4s or smaller. No 5Ds etc.. I like the added flexibility.

    Will be sticking with my Came 7000 for now, and let the dust settle on these new ones.

  41.

    The sample images/videos show it with a BMC m43 and a sigma prime lens. the BMC weighs 3.3lbs, and that lens should be at least a pound. my guess is the capacity is upwards of 5lbs total. 1DC weighs 3.5lbs dry, the C100 2.2lbs dry. So it's a fair bet with careful battery & lens choice that you can fly them.

  42.

    I can't say nothing about the Varavon's, but I own a CAME-7000 (still with the 8-bit board, my 32-bit didn't arrive yet) and, for DSLRs I think I can't find anything better. When you balance it well, the PID tuning just needs small adjustments to get it the way you need. I'm using Emm's first PID for My t2i + Samyang 8mm (no modifications but the Gyro high sensitivity) and the PID that came with the Gimbal (with very small adjustments and gyro high sensitivity) for my Panasonic GH2 + SLR Magic 12mm.
    It would be nice to see a comparison between these 2 gimbals, but seeing the videos of the vendor's site I can say it would be nearly impossible to spot any differences for the resulting images.

  43. Emm

     Post author

    @mmt-media - I feel like the Varavon should be able to handle the 1DC, but I will know more once the product is released. Hopefully someone close by gets one for me to test.

  44. mmt-media

    Any idea if this would support a 1DC w, say, a 16-35 lens? Theoretically, it "should" as much as the MoviM5 does, even though it's not defined as doing so.

    Thanks!

  45. Emm

     Post author

    @Dez - I can't really answer that question as it's all very subjective. The main difference is that the CAME 7000/7500 and Varavon BirdyCam is not designed for a RED or heavy BlackMagic Cinema Cameras. If you need to fly something heavy the 8000 should be the one you're looking at. If you are flying something smaller like a DSLR you can look into the Varavon or CAME gimbals.

    There's no secret that they are all running the same software (different hardware), but if you need to save some money, of course the CAME 7000 is half the price of the Birdycam - if you want to build it yourself (not too difficult). The benefit to the Varavon is the folding design, removable handles, and fine tuning knobs. On one hand it can be a difficult choice, but it's nice that there are so many options for people who use them differently.

  46. Dez

    @Emm with 2k set aside for one of the three recent gimbals it's hard to choose. Came 7500, Came 8000 or BirdyCam? if they are all running of new 32Bit Chip. What's the real benefits. I need to just buy before another 10 gimbals come out next week lol Thanks Emm

  47. Emm

     Post author

    @kameraguy - The Varavon BirdyCam Gimbal is now latest 32 bit. At NAB they showed an 8 bit prototype but the final design that will ship will be the latest 32 bit SBGC.

  48. kameraguy

    I couldn't see reference on their page...does anyone know if this is an 8-bit or 32-bit gimbal?

    I like the design, really nice and seems relatively easy to travel with. Great that it comes with a form of case, although I wish it zipped closed rather than the quick release buckles.

  49. tim morris

    @ Alex..I was ready to get mine in the mail as well...I was initially upset..however ......I have been in contact with Varavon on their Facebook page and via email. I must say.......they tend to respond very quickly. The delay was due to the battery 1 stead of two.....and the folding option came thereafter. I sent my came 6000 back to get this one. This gimbal appears to be top notch!

    @ Doc......I am not sure about the C100....go to the Facebook page and post the question. They will get back to you!!

  52. Alex

    I won't lie. When I got the email from Varavon over the weekend saying the shipment was being delayed I was upset. Then I'm reading as to why and I thought, ok cool. One less battery to charge. But there was no mention of the folding handles!!! Good move Varavon! Love these guys.

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