I'm interested in building my own stabilizer, recommended or not, i'd still like to do it and i'm wondering if anyone has made one successfully that works even marginally well. I think it can be done rather cheaply i've seen some good stuff from a buddy with a dvx and yes they are much lighter and smaller than an XL2, but i don't have another 1500 dollars to spend on a stabilizer, and i'm in a kind of make it yourself mood.
This guys stuff actually looks pretty cool

http://www.codydeegan.com/
http://www.cafepress.com/stabilizer/608257

i really just want to hit up lowes/home depot and see if i can't put something together with whats available. I'm thinking of taking apart a shoddy tripod i have and using that as a start.

I've heard there's a good book out there for Build It Yourself items like dollys, steady cams, tripods, cranes, etc. i'm trying to find this guys site right now but i'm getting some bad luck i think.

My buddy and I are building one based on the Cody Deegan plans as we speak. We're about a week or two away from getting it done, but all is looking good so far. There will be some pieces that you will not find at a hardware store and will have to special order online. To find out more about dollys, stabilizers, cranes, etc., try going to:

http://www.homebuiltstabilizers.com

I'm interested in building my own stabilizer, recommended or not, i'd still like to do it and i'm wondering if anyone has made one successfully that works even marginally well. I think it can be done rather cheaply i've seen some good stuff from a buddy with a dvx and yes they are much lighter and smaller than an XL2, but i don't have another 1500 dollars to spend on a stabilizer, and i'm in a kind of make it yourself mood.
This guys stuff actually looks pretty cool

http://www.codydeegan.com/
http://www.cafepress.com/stabilizer/608257

i really just want to hit up lowes/home depot and see if i can't put something together with whats available. I'm thinking of taking apart a shoddy tripod i have and using that as a start.

I've heard there's a good book out there for Build It Yourself items like dollys, steady cams, tripods, cranes, etc. i'm trying to find this guys site right now but i'm getting some bad luck i think.

Cody has an excellent design and it will work well if you build it correctly. The other book you are looking for is by Dan Selakovich and is available through his site http://www.dvcamerarigs.com. Both Dan and Cody are members of DV-INFO and have posted here and provided support from time to time.

regards,

-gb-

great info guys thanks a lot. now i've got my work cut out for me.

killer dv camera rigs is a killer book!! i havent had a chance to build anything since i got it a month or two back but the instruction is amazing. most solid DIY guide ive seen

This thread actually belongs in the camera support forum so that's where it now resides. Carry on gentlemen.

-gb-

I studied a variety of designs on http://www.homebuiltstabilizers.com including Cody's, and built my own about 2 years ago.. http://www.webbpickersgill.com/stabilizer/ The reality is that I spent about $600-$800 building it and it still didn't work the way I wanted. I LOVE making stuff, but it really didn't turn out to be a good use of my time. I was a ton of fun to build, but in hiendsight I would have put that money towards a commercial system. Just my 2c.

I purchased the book by Killer Camera Rigs by Dan Selakovich http://www.dvcamerarigs.com and am absolutely thrilled with everything so far.

Have built the Kiss Crane, the Car Mount and the Dolly. All of which I have used in a couple of shorts for the DV Challenge hosted by this very site. The last film I used the Car mount and it was great!

Another high recomendation for Dan, in my experience, is that whenever I had a question, he always took precious time to reply. What service!

Will build the Stabilizer next when I make time to clear out my garage. lol