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Is this "steadydrive" a piece of junk, or something miraculous?
Hi all. . .
I'm trying to find a really good, inexpensive steadycam device. Just like everyone else. I found this on Ebay, and it seems just too good to be true. Is it possible that this thing is really what they are saying it is? I've never seen ANY posts on this unit on any forum. Has anyone any information about it? Thanks much. Stephen |
Well, it looks pretty ridiculous.... but who knows, it may work.
Basically, it all depends on what camera you're trying to fly. If you're using something small, the merlin is basically undisputed champ. In the midrange, it's a little less clear. If the camera's less than 5 lbs, you can save a chunk of change and hassle by getting a handheld system. Jumping up to a "full rig" is not only a jump in price, its a jump in complexity. And again, it all depends on your needs. If you expect to be doing 38 takes of a 2 minute long shot, and it needs to be perfect... "inexpensive" rigs probably won't suffice, if for no other reason than the fit of the vest. You can get by a lot of slop in the sleds, arms, etc... but if the vest doesn't fit like a glove, you're negating the advantage to using the vest-mounted system in the first place. If on the other hand, you have a couple shots every so often, and they're pretty short, the handheld option may be exactly what you need. OR, maybe a stabilizer isn't what you need at all. If you're simply looking to improve the production value and make your footage less shaky, there are a lot of nice shoulder-mount systems out there for pretty cheap that can, with some practice, help you make some great and very stable shots. As for this monstrosity? It's a gamble, no matter how you look at it. But IMHO, it looks like a hardware store special. |
...boy! do I remember this one. Had a lengthen discussion about this system on HBS. The discussions did not turn out so good because one of the customers or I think owners took offense. I had to lock the topic because of the heated comments being made. I think Mikko will remember this one.
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Charles, am I reading those pictures right in that it uses a ball joint as a gimbal...? If so (especially after doing the same thing in my venerable Cineglide back in the day), it's safe to say that's not going to be a very smooth rig.
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Yeah, I definatly have to weigh in here with it's "a peice of junk".
- Mikko |
Not sure what's going on inside that arm, but it's big enough to store your bag lunch, or perhaps a bottle of schnapps to sneak between takes.
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You crack me up Chas!
The bones look like they came from a prehistoic dinosaur but not having tried on out I can't comment on it's operation. It certainly is interesting looking though. More power to them if it works as described. Terry Indicam |
well, here is the old thread we had on HBS about this whole discussion: http://hbsboard.com/index.php/topic,2314.0.html
I think you have to start from the beginning of the post. |
Hello!
We found this report coincidental. We get straight hereby: At no time we changed demo-videos of our products afterwards with a stabilization-software or something else. On our website were videos, which represented exemplarily that it is not possible to realize good stabilization with a computer program. This led in the past to misunderstandings. Therefore we removed these videos from our website. Who has interest: We dispatch a DVD with the original video-clips. So everyone can make sure of the fact, that the videos were not "done in post". Sincerely Klaus Schlenstedt by order of STEADYDRIVE Balance Systems Ltd. |
OMG! I couldn't believe it when I saw it, I almost fell out of my chair!
Definitely a no-no if you are planning on shooting a wedding with it... you will probably scare the flowergirl and ringbearer away crying! Yikes! |
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