Glidecam for Sony Z1 at DVinfo.net

Jeff Mack · October 18th, 2007, 09:01 AM

Has anyone any advice on a steadicam or glide cam setup for the Z-1? How about a monitor setup as well.

Jeff

Russ Holland · October 18th, 2007, 11:11 AM

Glidecam 2000 Pro

http://www.glidecam.com/product-2000-pro.php

This is the one I'm considering for my vx2100. Will hold camera up to 6lb. Don't think the z1 is heavier than that, but if it is you may need to Glidecam 4000 Pro for the xl1s and similar.

Hope this helps.

Russ

Sean Seah · October 18th, 2007, 06:59 PM

I have an indicam that works pretty well with the FX1. There are a lot of alternatives. I suggest u look under the "support yr camera" section.

I chose the indicam over the glidecam for the fact the gimbal is adjustable along the sled while the glidecam cant. For the entire vest, the rig is much cheaper, does the job but it doesnt look as refined as the smooth shooter X10 from glidecam. Pricewise the indicam beats the rest hands down.

The other alternative is the Merlin with 6 gimbals but that is nearly at the limit but it may be ok with the new metal gimbal it has. This is not adaptable with a monitor. If budget is not a problem u can consider the Steadicam Pilot which is shipping soon. That comes with a carbon fibre sled, pretty cool!

Hope this helps!

www.indicam.com
www.glidecam.com
www.tiffen.com

Boyd Ostroff · October 18th, 2007, 07:10 PM

I've used my Z1 on the Glidecam 2000 and it works. But the real issue is, it's a handheld stabilizer and you will very quickly fatigue with a camera the size/weight of the Z1. I haven't done any serious work with it and the Z1, but used the GC2000 originally with my PDX-10 which is probably half the weight. I could only hold it steady for maybe a minute or so at a time.

See if you can borrow or rent one for a day to learn if it's going to do what you hope. The systems Sean mention are much more expensive as they include an arm and vest to transfer the weight to your body.

I'm moving this to our stabilizer forum where it belongs, and changing the title to reflect your Z1 interest.

Buba Kastorski · October 18th, 2007, 09:54 PM

I've started with flycam 3000 , which is a copy of GC4000, and yes it is really hard to work with, I mean not hard but heavy; switched to merlin and that's really nice piece; you can easy go 1 - 2 min in one shut with Z1 on top of it,
I used FX1, but it's the same size\weight, take a look , that's FX1 on merlin hanheld :
http://66.49.133.206/merlin.html
now I'm switching to A1, will post some footage as soon as I'll get one
Good luck,
:-)

Sean Seah · October 18th, 2007, 11:43 PM

Hi Buba, how does the merlin work for ya? A friend of mine's Z1 slipped of the plate during a shoot.. luckily he managed to save his cam. Tiffen was nice to offer some parts replacement. I think the merlin with the metal bearings should work better.

Kenny Shem · October 19th, 2007, 09:30 AM

Yes, I've tried Sean's Indicam and is really better than Glidecam's design. Glidecam have 8 knobs when you are doing the balancing, whereas Indicam only has 2. Much easier to do adjustment and also does not have the non-linear gimbal problem.

My maximum time operating the flycam 5000 with arm brace, mounting my XH-A1 with a large capacity battery is only around 2 minutes. After an hour of shooting, my shoulder ache until it's stiff to do a low to high pan shot. Its horrible with the arm and vest.

My new Merlin is arriving soon. Hopefully I can do much longer than that. :)

Jeff Mack · October 19th, 2007, 09:45 AM

It looks like the vest on the x-10 is the most durable and can handle the weight the best. I've read some posts about the arm twisting though. Anyone have experience with the X10? My thought is that if I could wear the rig comfortably without it feeling like it's falling off my body, it could compensate for other issues such as the balance adjustments etc.

Jeff

Buba Kastorski · October 19th, 2007, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean Seah

Hi Buba, how does the merlin work for ya? A friend of mine's Z1 slipped of the plate during a shoot.. luckily he managed to save his cam. Tiffen was nice to offer some parts replacement. I think the merlin with the metal bearings should work better.

Oh, I love it, it is so much easier to setup and balance (compare to glidecam)
It is more expensive, but trust me it worth every penny, very fine tuning;
can't really see how it slipped from the plate, wasn't locked probably,
Maybe metal bearings are better, but the one I have works just great, but for the real long shots I need arm and vest,
to make it short - I used em both and there is MUCH more difference in the quality than in price
:-)

Sean Seah · October 20th, 2007, 08:25 AM

ah great.. I'll love to try out sometime..

Jeff Mack · October 22nd, 2007, 01:30 PM

I just received an email about this new produict. Anyone know anything about it? http://www.fsprostab.com/english/index.htm It looks like you will bang you knees with it.

Jeff

Terry Thompson · October 27th, 2007, 08:12 PM

Jeff,

The way the operator is holding the rig it looks like you would hit your knees but when you operate a rig like this you get tuned in to where the thing sits.

You'll get used to the body mounted type system fairly easy if you have flown a hand held stabilizer before. It is of course much easier to operate for the longer shots or longer shoots. You find yourself concentrating on framing the shot instead of thinking about how much your arm aches.

Tery
Indicam

October 18th, 2007, 09:01 AM	#1
Jeff Mack Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: McKinney, TX Posts: 195	Glidecam for Sony Z1 Has anyone any advice on a steadicam or glide cam setup for the Z-1? How about a monitor setup as well. Jeff

October 18th, 2007, 11:11 AM	#2
Russ Holland Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Burton on Trent, UK Posts: 193	Glidecam 2000 Pro http://www.glidecam.com/product-2000-pro.php This is the one I'm considering for my vx2100. Will hold camera up to 6lb. Don't think the z1 is heavier than that, but if it is you may need to Glidecam 4000 Pro for the xl1s and similar. Hope this helps. Russ __________________ Sony Alpha a57 \| RODE VideoMic \| Adobe Premiere CS5 Manfrotto 785b \| Manfrotto 718b

October 22nd, 2007, 01:30 PM	#11
Jeff Mack Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: McKinney, TX Posts: 195	Just got this I just received an email about this new produict. Anyone know anything about it? http://www.fsprostab.com/english/index.htm It looks like you will bang you knees with it. Jeff

October 27th, 2007, 08:12 PM	#12
Terry Thompson Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Auburn, CA Posts: 578	Jeff, The way the operator is holding the rig it looks like you would hit your knees but when you operate a rig like this you get tuned in to where the thing sits. You'll get used to the body mounted type system fairly easy if you have flown a hand held stabilizer before. It is of course much easier to operate for the longer shots or longer shoots. You find yourself concentrating on framing the shot instead of thinking about how much your arm aches. Tery Indicam __________________ He's only mostly sDEADy. sort of from "The Princess Bride" www.indicam.com

October 18th, 2007, 06:59 PM	#3
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	I have an indicam that works pretty well with the FX1. There are a lot of alternatives. I suggest u look under the "support yr camera" section. I chose the indicam over the glidecam for the fact the gimbal is adjustable along the sled while the glidecam cant. For the entire vest, the rig is much cheaper, does the job but it doesnt look as refined as the smooth shooter X10 from glidecam. Pricewise the indicam beats the rest hands down. The other alternative is the Merlin with 6 gimbals but that is nearly at the limit but it may be ok with the new metal gimbal it has. This is not adaptable with a monitor. If budget is not a problem u can consider the Steadicam Pilot which is shipping soon. That comes with a carbon fibre sled, pretty cool! Hope this helps! www.indicam.com www.glidecam.com www.tiffen.com

October 18th, 2007, 07:10 PM	#4
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	I've used my Z1 on the Glidecam 2000 and it works. But the real issue is, it's a handheld stabilizer and you will very quickly fatigue with a camera the size/weight of the Z1. I haven't done any serious work with it and the Z1, but used the GC2000 originally with my PDX-10 which is probably half the weight. I could only hold it steady for maybe a minute or so at a time. See if you can borrow or rent one for a day to learn if it's going to do what you hope. The systems Sean mention are much more expensive as they include an arm and vest to transfer the weight to your body. I'm moving this to our stabilizer forum where it belongs, and changing the title to reflect your Z1 interest.

October 18th, 2007, 09:54 PM	#5
Buba Kastorski Trustee Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,414	I've started with flycam 3000 , which is a copy of GC4000, and yes it is really hard to work with, I mean not hard but heavy; switched to merlin and that's really nice piece; you can easy go 1 - 2 min in one shut with Z1 on top of it, I used FX1, but it's the same size\weight, take a look , that's FX1 on merlin hanheld : http://66.49.133.206/merlin.html now I'm switching to A1, will post some footage as soon as I'll get one Good luck, :-)

October 18th, 2007, 11:43 PM	#6
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	Hi Buba, how does the merlin work for ya? A friend of mine's Z1 slipped of the plate during a shoot.. luckily he managed to save his cam. Tiffen was nice to offer some parts replacement. I think the merlin with the metal bearings should work better.

October 19th, 2007, 09:30 AM	#7
Kenny Shem Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Singapore Posts: 163	Yes, I've tried Sean's Indicam and is really better than Glidecam's design. Glidecam have 8 knobs when you are doing the balancing, whereas Indicam only has 2. Much easier to do adjustment and also does not have the non-linear gimbal problem. My maximum time operating the flycam 5000 with arm brace, mounting my XH-A1 with a large capacity battery is only around 2 minutes. After an hour of shooting, my shoulder ache until it's stiff to do a low to high pan shot. Its horrible with the arm and vest. My new Merlin is arriving soon. Hopefully I can do much longer than that. :)

October 19th, 2007, 09:45 AM	#8
Jeff Mack Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: McKinney, TX Posts: 195	It looks like the vest on the x-10 is the most durable and can handle the weight the best. I've read some posts about the arm twisting though. Anyone have experience with the X10? My thought is that if I could wear the rig comfortably without it feeling like it's falling off my body, it could compensate for other issues such as the balance adjustments etc. Jeff

October 20th, 2007, 08:25 AM	#10
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	ah great.. I'll love to try out sometime..