how does that stabilizer work guy
 

heh guy. In ur website is a home made stabiliser for the dv-953. does that work well or not. it is ver simple really and it might be worth me looking at. anyways thanks.

Justin

Hi Justin,
The home made stabilizer was made by a fellow named Strekoza. I have never used it. It certainly seems to be pretty easy and inexpensive to make. For other options, you might want to check out Home Built Stabilizers.

Also in that album are some pictures of the Glidecam 4000 commercial stabilizer that I am trying to master. It is more complicated and requires practice to work effectively. I have managed to smooth out some of my videos, but need a lot more practice for the stabilizer to become transparent in my videos. IMO, a good tripod with fluid head may make more sense cost wise...if you have to choose one over the other.

lot of good stuff there and the workmanship is amazing. I think i would have to purchase a lathe and many other things before i could make one like the ones i see there. what do they cost if you buy a steadicam or something like that cause surely with the hours and materials etc its gotta come out pretty similar.

Justin

Well Justin, it surely ís a whole different ball game. If you're serious about building yourself a rig then you got to understand what the job entails. It' really takes time.
Again, before I even start my ranting you gotta ask yourself if it is worth it in the first place. If you want something quick that will get you up practising right away then save your time and buy a commercial one. It all depends what you want. Simple stabilizers? Will you be doing lots of shots with it; long shots, short ones?

You know, that kind of stuff. Yep, many questions. There are many pros and cons about building a stabilizer, whether simple or complicated. You have to decide on your preference and how much work you are willing to put into it.

Many people here will tell you to just buy one and save yourself the headache. They will say homebuilt rigs don't work. Well, we know the truth about that one now, don't we? As for me, I went ahead and built mine, knowing exactly what I was getting into. Seven years later, I havn't regreted. Like I mentioned. If you have the time and pateince then by all means but your criterias will decide the path you will choose.
I'm a person who hates when people say 'it can't be done' Well they said you couldn't get a man on the moon, right? Well, what do you say now? ;)

Well Justin, it surely ís a whole different ball game. If you're serious about building yourself a rig then you got to understand what the job entails. It' really takes time.
Again, before I even start my ranting you gotta ask yourself if it is worth it in the first place. If you want something quick that will get you up practising right away then save your time and buy a commercial one. It all depends what you want. Simple stabilizers? Will you be doing lots of shots with it; long shots, short ones?

You know, that kind of stuff. Yep, many questions. There are many pros and cons about building a stabilizer, whether simple or complicated. You have to decide on your preference and how much work you are willing to put into it.

Many people here will tell you to just buy one and save yourself the headache. They will say homebuilt rigs don't work. Well, we know the truth about that one now, don't we? As for me, I went ahead and built mine, knowing exactly what I was getting into. Seven years later, I havn't regreted. Like I mentioned. If you have the time and pateince then by all means but your criterias will decide the path you will choose.
I'm a person who hates when people say 'it can't be done' Well they said you couldn't get a man on the moon, right? Well, what do you say now? ;)

Steadicam, Glidecam, etc. low end models run >$300US. You could build one without a fancy gimbal for a lot less than $100. Actually a gimbal similar to the Steadicam Jr. can be made relatively easily with a ball bearing and a drilled plastic rod. There is an example or two on the HBS site. The rest of the stabilizer can be made from PVC except maybe the platform. You might have to get a machinist to make that. By using a Bogen/Manfrotto 394 quick release, the platform would just have be adjustable front to back because the 394 has a side to side adjustment. I was about to try and make something when the deal on my GC4000Pro came along.

Well, Justin, there you go. You've got the "King" of home built ready to answer your questions. Charles, I really enjoy your site. Lots of amazingly talented people there!

Thanks for the kind remark Guy. Now I'm blushing.