Glidecam vs vz-ultralite at DVinfo.net

Rafael Lopes · December 16th, 2006, 12:01 AM

Hi guys,

I've been browsing the forums looking for the answer to this but I could not find anything conclusive. I bumped into the opportunity to buy a used glidecam 2000 for 150€ (shipping to Barcelona included) or a vz-ultralite for 220€ (shipping to Barcelona included). Did anyone work with any of these? I know that the VZ can support more weight and it has a quick-release plate. But apart from these differences I really don't know what differs these 2 tools and how good each of them is from a user point of view. I know "steadi-pros" say these are not the best tools for the job but even though I don't do weddings I've seen some guy's wedding footage entirely shot with the glidecam that looked very smooth. Any thoughts?

cheers,

Rafa

Rafael Lopes · December 16th, 2006, 10:19 AM

Man, it's quieter in here than in the moon's surface...

Rafael Lopes · December 16th, 2006, 10:49 AM

After reading all I could about it I decided not to buy any of these stabilizers. Most people with heavier cameras like the XH-A1 complain that they cannot handle more than a couple of minutes without having some serious arm pain. Sometimes I shoot hand held (for simple tests) with the A1+Letus35A+heavy lens and I know it's heavy. I can't imagine adding the extra weight of the stabilizer to this rig during 8 hours of real shooting. I prefer to wait and some day invest on a merlin or a dv sportster.

Leigh Wanstead · December 16th, 2006, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rafael Lopes

After reading all I could about it I decided not to buy any of these stabilizers. Most people with heavier cameras like the XH-A1 complain that they cannot handle more than a couple of minutes without having some serious arm pain. Sometimes I shoot hand held (for simple tests) with the A1+Letus35A+heavy lens and I know it's heavy. I can't imagine adding the extra weight of the stabilizer to this rig during 8 hours of real shooting. I prefer to wait and some day invest on a merlin or a dv sportster.

I would suggest you to get a vest stabilizer i.e. www.SmoothArm.com. I have put 8kg sony xd camera on SmoothArm. By the way, using SmoothArm you won't have any arm pain and no lower back pain whatever.

December 16th, 2006, 12:01 AM	#1
Rafael Lopes Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rio de Janeiro Posts: 1,239	Glidecam vs vz-ultralite Hi guys, I've been browsing the forums looking for the answer to this but I could not find anything conclusive. I bumped into the opportunity to buy a used glidecam 2000 for 150€ (shipping to Barcelona included) or a vz-ultralite for 220€ (shipping to Barcelona included). Did anyone work with any of these? I know that the VZ can support more weight and it has a quick-release plate. But apart from these differences I really don't know what differs these 2 tools and how good each of them is from a user point of view. I know "steadi-pros" say these are not the best tools for the job but even though I don't do weddings I've seen some guy's wedding footage entirely shot with the glidecam that looked very smooth. Any thoughts? cheers, Rafa

December 16th, 2006, 10:19 AM	#2
Rafael Lopes Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rio de Janeiro Posts: 1,239	Man, it's quieter in here than in the moon's surface...

December 16th, 2006, 10:49 AM	#3
Rafael Lopes Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rio de Janeiro Posts: 1,239	After reading all I could about it I decided not to buy any of these stabilizers. Most people with heavier cameras like the XH-A1 complain that they cannot handle more than a couple of minutes without having some serious arm pain. Sometimes I shoot hand held (for simple tests) with the A1+Letus35A+heavy lens and I know it's heavy. I can't imagine adding the extra weight of the stabilizer to this rig during 8 hours of real shooting. I prefer to wait and some day invest on a merlin or a dv sportster.