Hollywood Lite VS-1
 

This is made of aluminum and is for cams under 4 pounds.
Anyone tried it, used it, or heard anything about it? I think they're
marketing it like a Steadycam JR, but better because it's not
plastic. By the way, I recently saw some JR footage that was
smooooth. I'm undecided about the JR because I've heard it's
kind of rolly polly.

Do you have a link to this product?

Here's the link. I have been thinking about a Flowpod. The Flowpod weighs about 5 pounds and the VS-1 is 2 pounds. Thing I like about the VS-1 over the Steadicam JR is that it's not plasic or fiberglass. I have heard of the JR breaking under the
weight of a DVX100.
If you go to the page, click on the *yellow dot* for more information.


http://www.hollywoodlite.com/VS1_Hand_Heldx.html

Their products look pretty cool. I like the look of their Ultra-Lite stabilizer, which looks similar to the Flowpod, minus the monopod feature. It's only $15 cheaper than the Flowpod at B&H. I can't believe how expensive these things are.

I know what you're saying about the prices.
One thing that seems appealing about the VS-1 is that it seems to be designed more along the lines of what Charles Papert said was the ideal for these handheld stabilizers--light as possible, wider at the bottom rather than narrow, shorter rather than long. I'm sure Charles will correct me if I'm wrong.

True enough Dave.

I've played a little bit with the Hollywood Lite products. The VS-1 is simple and sturdy and should work fine for basic stabilizing needs. I think it's somewhat limited in its ability to tilt though. The Ultralite seems decent, although I'm not sure about the gimbal. Haven't flown it.

I don't know what to tell you guys about the prices. One has to remember that these are not mass-produced items, essentially made by hand (well, CNC machined one at a time, at any rate) and with sales projections measured in hundreds of units. Before the introduction of the JR, the next cheapest camera stabilizer of this type cost something like $8000--and that was radically cheap at the time!

Speaking of which, the JR itself is not inherently "rolly polly". It is a precision instrument with low friction, which makes it more susceptible to being overly controlled. A system with a stickier gimbal may resist its owner's efforts, but result in less smooth photography overall.

Do you think it would give better flying shots than the Flowpod?
From the picture, it looks like the handle is a bit off to the side, similar to the Glidecam 2000. I would think this "being off from the center" could lead to wrist strain. The Flowpod can be operated with the handle right underneath the center of the cam.