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Old December 2nd, 2003, 12:45 PM   #1
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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.
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Old December 2nd, 2003, 01:56 PM   #2
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Do you have a link to this product?
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Old December 2nd, 2003, 03:48 PM   #3
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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
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Old December 2nd, 2003, 05:30 PM   #4
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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.
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Old December 2nd, 2003, 07:59 PM   #5
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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.
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Old December 3rd, 2003, 01:51 AM   #6
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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.
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Old December 3rd, 2003, 02:31 AM   #7
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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.
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