I was thinking of buying a FeiYu FY-G4 for my GoPro3+ and just wondered, could you use a GoPro in Nebula 4000 Lite? if so, I might be able to use my RX10 with the Nebula as well.

I know you would have to balance the Nebula for each but just thinking out loud, ..as they say :)

Filmpower mentions on a few videos that a gopro and smartphone should be possible as well but I have not seen a video actually shot with a gopro and Nebula, best to ask the supplier if this will work.

... best to ask the supplier if this will work.

Thank you Noa, good idea.

Well, I got an answer quicker than I thought. No, the GoPro is too light for the Nebula motors, it just won't work properly.
I can understand that when you think on it.

That's that sorted! :)

So, would the FeiYu FY-G4 be the best option at the moment for the GoPro?

Was it filmpower that gave you that answer?

Just asking because Filmpower has a few videos online where they say and I quote: "Nebula 4000 Lite 3-AXIS Stabilizer design for freedom motion shot.Adapt with Gopro and mobile ect under 1KG"

..."Nebula 4000 Lite 3-AXIS Stabilizer design for freedom motion shot.Adapt with Gopro and mobile ect under 1KG"

That's interesting Noa, I contacted Production Gear in the UK, it was them who told me.
Production Gear is listed as one of their global dealers.

I will try and contact FilmPower direct and see what they say.

Thanks.

After a bit of research I just bought z-one pro gimbal 3 axis at a bargain price £128. Works for me but then I'm not as fussy as some.

Hi Donald, according to Amazon's price you did get a bargain, well done.
I see there is a new one called Z-1 Pround.

Where did you get it, at that price Donald ?

After a bit of research I just bought z-one pro gimbal 3 axis at a bargain price £128. Works for me but then I'm not as fussy as some.

I shot this 4K video using the Z-One Pro and the GoPro Hero 4 Black:

GoPro Hero 4 Black 4K Video: Visiting a NYC Street Fair on Easter Sunday on Vimeo

Hi Mark

I notice that all your shots are either static or straight ahead .. Have you done any shots where you go around a subject in a 360 degree circle and suchlike stedicam shots? I sold my gimbal because it simply failed miserably when I went up to a wedding couple and then did a "roundie round" sweep of them .. it jumped and staggered badly. Also you are on a smooth ground surface .. I had massive issues walking on lumpy sand like a beach .. the unit overcompensated for my body motion even in a straight line ..it was fine on grass but didn't like uneven and soft surfaces like beach sand! I went back to a mechanical stedicam after that because I need camera movements that use circling of an object/person and obviously something that can handle uneven terrain

Chris

You seem to forget quickly Chris :) You already said this before and then I said the problems you had was because you had a 2 axis gimbal, such a gimbal does not compensate for panning motion so every twitch coming from your wrists will be visible. With a 3 axis gimbal that motion is delayed and smoothed out so you can get more natural motion.

There is a big difference however between these super light Feiyu like stabilizers and a Nebula, don't know if it's the size, the weight or just because the motors do a better job at handling motion but I found the motion on a Nebula much more controllable and smoother then on my feiyu.

About walking motion on rough terrain, I also found the Nebula was able to smooth out vibrations in a better way then the Feiyu, it's not that it will take out these walking bumps like a steadicam arm can, it doesn't do that at all and you still need to bend your knees slightly and use your arm as a steadicam arm replacement but those very small gimbal stabilizers seem to have more problems with minor vibrations.

So, would the FeiYu FY-G4 be the best option at the moment for the GoPro?

I was just thinking about it, if the size is not that important to you (since a Feiyu is much smaller and lighter then a Nebula) and if you just want to have one gimbal stabiliser you can use for a camera like a rx10 and a gopro you could add a rx10 onto the gimbal and mount the gopro on top of the rx10?

Hi Noa

Nope I didn't forget .. I sold the 2 axis unit and bought a 3 axis and still had the same issue but to a lesser extent especially on the 360 rotations ..it didn't judder so much .. Sadly that went back on eBay too!!!

I would suspect that a more robust unit would perform better like the Nebula with a heavier camera but my issues getting into the bigger gimbals was the weight!! I looked and a nice unit but at 1kg without the camera I figured my arms would die after 20 minutes so went back to a vest/sled arrangement. I believe that on the fancier models you can also program how much it should dampen adjustments which is good.

Chris

Ah ok, I hadn't seen you mention this here before, which 3 axis gimbal did you get for a while, the Nebula?

Was it filmpower that gave you that answer?

Noa, go a very short reply form Filmpower this morning,
and they say...

"hi ,nebula4000 can worked with gopro .thanks
------------------
Angelica Tsao"

So, according to them the GoPro will work with it.

I did not test this so don't know but I know a user who has a Nebula, I will mail him to see if he can find out.

...and if you just want to have one gimbal stabiliser you can use for a camera like a rx10 and a gopro you could add a rx10 onto the gimbal and mount the gopro on top of the rx10?

That's an option I didn't think off Noa :) ... good idea.

I can't see me really needing to use the two stabilizers at the one time and that's why I thought if one stabilizer like the Nebula could do both.
That idea of yours would mean you could use "both cameras, ...at the same time" :)

Thanks Noa.

I did not test this so don't know but I know a user who has a Nebula, I will mail him to see if he can find out.

Thank you Noa, I don't want you going to any bother.

That's an option I didn't think off Noa :)
That idea of yours would mean you could use "both cameras, ...at the same time" :)


And if the lens of the rx10 would appear in the gopro image you could use a hotshoe extender to move the gopro further forward, since that camera weighs next to nothing that should not cause any issues with balancing.

About the Nebula being able to support a gopro, I just want to know if filmpower's claim is accurate, since I have not been able to find such a uservideo back online it might be interesting for other users to find out if a gopro only could be used.

The feiyu is only interesting if you need a very small and light gimbal, like when you are traveling and just want to take a minimum amount of gear with you.

... I just want to know if filmpower's claim is accurate,.

I would have liked a bit more detail in their reply to my email.
I've ask them again and this time I've ask them if they are 100% sure the GoPro can be used with the Nebula 4000 lite.

So, we'll see what they say this time.

Hi Noa

Nope it was the FeiYu again that I was using with my SJ4000 camera so it's the GoPro version.. I replaced the 2 axis one after you told me that it would struggle going sideways and you were correct. However it still wasn't good on rough terrain at all ! I have a very lightweight Weildy stedicam rig and the vest, arm and sled all up are less than 10kg (minus the camera of course) It's really nice to use!

I actually liked the DJ Ronin the best but at 4.25kg without a camera I could seriously see an arm fatigue issue!!

Chris

So, we'll see what they say this time.

If you want to use a smarthphone on the nebula there is a special mount included to hold that phone but not for a gopro. I had answer from that other user that he didn't test either but doubt it was possible because a gopro had virtually no weight for the Nebula to balance.

We have to give the supplier the benefit of the doubt but if there are no user videos to confirm this and there are no images on the suppliers website that show a gopro mounted then it would be weird if it was possible.

I do believe the Nebula is not the tool to use a gopro only on and you should use smaller gimbals, like the feiyu, which come prebalanced, but if the supplier advertises that this works he has to back this up with footage. On filmpowers website it also says it's suited for a gopro but I wonder why no image of the stabilizer with a gopro is shown.

I had answer from that other user that he didn't test either but doubt it was possible because a gopro had virtually no weight for the Nebula to balance.

I do believe the Nebula is not the tool to use a gopro only on and you should use smaller gimbals, like the feiyu, which come prebalanced, .

I wouldn't know but would think trying to get the GoPro to work with the Nebula might be more bother than its worth.
The FY-G4 looks as if its the better way to go this time.

Thank you all for your advice.

Hi Mark

I notice that all your shots are either static or straight ahead .. Have you done any shots where you go around a subject in a 360 degree circle and suchlike stedicam shots? I sold my gimbal because it simply failed miserably when I went up to a wedding couple and then did a "roundie round" sweep of them .. it jumped and staggered badly. Also you are on a smooth ground surface .. I had massive issues walking on lumpy sand like a beach .. the unit overcompensated for my body motion even in a straight line ..it was fine on grass but didn't like uneven and soft surfaces like beach sand! I went back to a mechanical stedicam after that because I need camera movements that use circling of an object/person and obviously something that can handle uneven terrain

Chris

At 2:20 in this video, there is a complete 360-degree circle using a 3-axis gimbal. This also has still and walking shots:

Samsung Galaxy S5 on 3-Axis Digital Gimbal: 4K Video In Washington Square Park, NYC on Vimeo

Nope it was the FeiYu again that I was using with my SJ4000 camera so it's the GoPro version..

I"m surprised the sj4000 fits as it is thicker then the gopro, where the screws long enough to tighten the sj4000 onto the cage?

However it still wasn't good on rough terrain at all ! I have a very lightweight Weildy stedicam rig and the vest, arm and sled all up are less than 10kg (minus the camera of course) It's really nice to use!

You are comparing a stabilizer that fits in your pocket with a 10kg plus steadicam with vest/camera. For such a mini stabilizer I think it does well enough but you really can't expect it to be a real steadicam replacement, with some post stabilization you can get good results like this:

Station Antwerpen Centraal on Vimeo

Sorry didn't get back sooner. I bought it on EBay was an auction and I guess I was lucky. I did panic a bit encase it was a scam but all worked out good.

...Iwith some post stabilization you can get good results like this:
]

That's look great Noa, very well done. Love your choice of music.

Hi Noa

Quite correct for anyone wanting to use an SJ4000 on the gimbal. You need to take a trip to your local hardware store and buy longer screws as the supplied ones just make it to the thread! Sadly I also had to carry a small jeweller's screwdriver with me too as I couldn't find any thumbscrews that size but it wasn't a big issue at all .... Apart from that they work well with the SJ400 but sadly the mount at the back blocks the LCD screen so I bought an all in one 2.5" LCD monitor and mounted it on the back motor ..worked very well and you can see what you are filming.

Yes, they are so convenient!! I had the entire kit fitting into a small Pelican case ...so definitely pocket sized!

Chris

That's look great Noa, very well done. Love your choice of music.

The music are just some short samples and loops I threw together and I mixed it up with live sound recorded on a zoom h1 which I used to capture ambient sound, what I like about that Feiyu is that it is so small it allows me to shoot while walking around in public places like this station without anyone bothering me, the stationary shots in the film are from a gh4 and I used it on a mini gorillapod, all moving shots are Feiyu and gopro. The Nebula combined with a dslr already starts to become too noticeable and might result in security asking you questions. With the Feiyu however security did see me shoot and just moved on.

The music are just some short samples and loops I threw together and I mixed it up with live sound recorded on a zoom h1 .

Loved it, I thought there might have been some live sound added.

Fantastic.

Nebula 4000 Lite can take the GoPro. You need to increase the weight and support. And also you need to reduce the PID. You could watch the video from 52:50. Nebula 4000 Lite User Manual - YouTube