Pictures of this arm and vest system for use with the GC 2000 and 4000 are now up at the Glidecam site:

http://www.glidecam.com/smooth_shooter.html

Nice clean looking design!

Wonder when it will be for sale? Any chance you'll
ever take a look at it?
Oh ... and when you see Garrett ... I'd be looking
forward to any feeling about the release of a
new JR ... even if you could just say "see
how NAB goes".

GC's Tom Howie says that it will be viewable at NAB, and available "Spring 2005".

I'll see what GB says about the new JR.

Will you be going to NAB this year, Charles? ; - )

Sadly, no. (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39305)

It looks on the Glidecam site that they are
flying one of the new HDV cams with the
Smooth Shooter.
Maybe they're aiming it at indie makers who will
use HDV.

Huh, that was supposed to be out a long time ago. I wonder what took so long. I think I first heard about it a year ago.

Any guesses on what the retail is gonna be
on this new rig? They claim it's going to be the
cheapest.

Tony, it has taken a while for the Smooth Shooter to make it's debut, that's true. We spent a long time carefully designing this one, and a long time prototyping and refining it.

Dave, as listed on our pricing page (http://www.glidecam.com/pricing.html) the Smooth Shooter's MSRP is $1,499. It's designed to be used with either a Glidecam 2000 Pro or 4000 Pro hand-held stabilizer. This system now effectively replaces the V-8, at a much lower cost!

Thanks for responding, Casey.
How does it compare in functionality to the V8?
And do you plan on continuing the V8 line?
And any idea what month of this year it
might be available?

Wow.

$2000 for the Smooth Shooter and 4000 Pro.

If this thing works well you are going to sell a boatload of these things. Can't wait to see some footage, I'll be in line with my money ready!

The Smooth Shooter is marked improvement over the V-8 in all areas. It's a much more compact, much lighter rig. And it certainly beats the V-8 performance-wise as well. Obviously, that being the case, the V-8 has now been discontinued and is no longer being manufactured.

I cannot say exactly what date it will be shipping, but I can assure you it's not very far away.

Hey Casey, congrats on the new arm. It's finally nice to see the GPI pro principle in lower rigs. I assume there are two springs in there? I see some of the stabilizer manufactures are heading in this direction. Nice going.

It looks to have a single arm but just to make sure, it's a single right?

Hi Charles,

The arm can be used with one or two springs, for the 2000 Pro and 4000 Pro weight ranges, respectively. The Smooth Shooter has a single spring arm. A dual arm will be introduced with the upcoming Glidecam V-10.

Thanks Casey. Whats the max weight of that arm?

damnit! just when i think "the dvrig pro is what i want, the glidecam will require too much practise to get it looking good and will probably be quite heavy on my arm" and you go and make this! the upgradeability of a standard glidecam is now looking very attractive!

Technology marches on, James!

FYI, the suspension system will certainly relieve the weight of the system, but don't be fooled into thinking that it will make operating easier or require less practice. The basic skill is exactly the same; if anything, it will take a bit longer to get used to manuevering with the arm and vest than if it were just handheld (learning the restrictions of the system, getting through doorways etc). Absolutely worth it, though. I think handheld systems should be limited to cameras 2 lbs and under, myself.

Casey:

I see the Smooth Shooter is listed with dual arm posts (steel vs aluminum). Are they both the same length? I'm hoping the steel is at least twice as long if anything. I'm a big fan of extended armposts, especially with single-arm systems that have limited boom range. Although I'm puzzled that steel would be necessary...all of my armposts, even the 15" Manmaker, are aluminum and can take the torque of a fully-loaded PRO rig.

Charles, the steel arm post is used in cases where an operator wants to quickly add a couple of pounds of weight to the end of the arm without having to take the time to redistribute weight on the 2000 or 4000 Pro and rebalance it. Solid steel was chosen simply for its weight, it has nothing to do with torque.

Both arm posts shipping with the Smooth Shooter are identical in size, varying only in weight. Longer arm posts, if anything, would be available as an accessory to be released down the road.

Is the Glideam 2000 Pro purchased separately
from the vest/arm or does it come all together?
And is that the regular Glidecam 2000 that is used
with it, or has it been modified?

Dave,

The Glidecam 2000 Pro or 4000 Pro must be purchased seperately.

The Smooth Shooter was designed to mate perfectly with the existing Glidecam 2000 Pro or 4000 Pro, and as such they have not been modified in any way. This provides an easy upgrade path for those who already own either of the hand-held systems.

Thanks for the armpost explanation Casey--the steel/aluminum thing is an interesting way to approach the fine trim issue.

Since it is such an easy thing to manufacture, I would think that a longer armpost would be a no-brainer as an optional accessory. The few times that I have used a single-arm rig, I've been constantly frustrated that I can't get the lens to a standard eye-height.

This looks great. It'll hold an XL1s? I can't remember how heavy it is right now.

Hi Aaron,

The XL1, XL1s, and XL2 cameras all weigh in at under 10 pounds and therefore can be used on the Glidecam Smooth Shooter.

Outstanding.

Don't foget to make one for me!

Hey Casey,
I am trying to add up alll the weight, but if anyone knows can it handle a DVX100A, with LA7200G anamorphic adapter, the Chrosziel 411-53K, with follow focus, and a small 7" LCD screen like the pany TC7?

Is that more than 10 lbs if I use the Glidecam 4000Pro.


Thanks in advance CAsey

Jun:

You might as well ditch the follow focus, you won't be able to use it while flying. The monitor should really be mounted down at the bottom of the sled to help with weight distribution also.

Jun,

Charles is correct, the follow focus would be useless, and the 7" LCD monitor and battery for the monitor would be used as counterweight on the bottom of the sled.

This should leave the DVX100A, AG-LA7200G, and the Chrosziel 411 on the top of the sled. Assuming the anamorphic adapter and the matte box together don't exceed about 5 pounds, you should be in good shape.

You'll really want to assemble your ready-to-shoot camera package, minus the follow-focus and LCD monitor. Make sure this includes the tape and appropriate battery for your camera. Weigh it on a scale to make sure it falls at or under 10 pounds.

Hope this helps.

When will the girl wearing the rig be available?

Hum... The girl wearing the v-8 has a much better build quality! (IMO) Too bad she has been discontinued...

True, although anything is better than the Steadicam girls. They all have beards.

Though either way I think Glidecam should point out that the girls do not come with the rig and that they need to be purchased seperately.