$14 Poor-Man’s Steadicam - Help Plz!!

Ryan Kingston (Guest) · January 8th, 2007, 11:11 PM

After all the talk of sore arms I decided to weigh my camera and home made steady cam made from mic stand parts I had laying around. Total weight with my HV10 is 6.2 pounds. I shot probably a solid 4 hours yesterday and was far from sore. ;)

The people that say it will not help are a bit foolish. It is the difference between day and night especially with a camera as small as the HV10. Footage I shot prior to it I dont even like to look at. Im not doing Hollywood quality pans and whatnot, but get some very steady shots, and I do ALOT of moving around when shooting. More I practice the better I get.

Charles Papert · January 9th, 2007, 12:19 AM

Ryan, glad your system is working for you, that's what it's all about. Let's be careful how we label other people though.

There's absolutely no question that a tiny camera like the HV10 needs help once you take it off the tripod. Optical stabilizers are a miracle when trimming vibration out of telephoto shots, but they aren't much help when it comes to walking and/or wide angle work.

The main problem with this class of palm-sized cameras is that they have very little mass, and thus inertia/stability. Mounting it on a vertical pipe rig like we are talking about is one way to increase the inertia and help with making smoother shots. Another way is to make it function like a full-size shoulder mounted camera.

For those making rigs like this one, consider also making a shoulder rig that will mount the camera on the front and a counterweight on the back (and of course plenty of padding where it meets the shoulder). Ths will give you another shooting option where you don't need to necessarily knock out the handheld look entirely, but want a more elegant and controlled appearance to your footage. Frankly, the current trend is very much towards this look--quite a few TV shows and movies have adopted it (I've been through a number of these gigs myself). "Children of Men" is a great example; I don't necessarily agree that all of the handheld shots were necessary but a number of them were fantastic, and anyone who has seen the movie knows about the marathon shot towards the end!

Ryan Kingston (Guest) · January 9th, 2007, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles Papert

Ryan, glad your system is working for you, that's what it's all about. Let's be careful how we label other people though.

There's absolutely no question that a tiny camera like the HV10 needs help once you take it off the tripod. Optical stabilizers are a miracle when trimming vibration out of telephoto shots, but they aren't much help when it comes to walking and/or wide angle work.

The main problem with this class of palm-sized cameras is that they have very little mass, and thus inertia/stability. Mounting it on a vertical pipe rig like we are talking about is one way to increase the inertia and help with making smoother shots. Another way is to make it function like a full-size shoulder mounted camera.

For those making rigs like this one, consider also making a shoulder rig that will mount the camera on the front and a counterweight on the back (and of course plenty of padding where it meets the shoulder). Ths will give you another shooting option where you don't need to necessarily knock out the handheld look entirely, but want a more elegant and controlled appearance to your footage. Frankly, the current trend is very much towards this look--quite a few TV shows and movies have adopted it (I've been through a number of these gigs myself). "Children of Men" is a great example; I don't necessarily agree that all of the handheld shots were necessary but a number of them were fantastic, and anyone who has seen the movie knows about the marathon shot towards the end!

Agreed Charles. Alot of times though you use whatever works, or increases your quality at all. I personally know the rig I made works very well for me, though 75% of it is practice and a little skill to get good results.

Matt Newcomb · April 5th, 2007, 11:20 PM

I am debating getting < $2000 type model or experimenting with something like this < $100 type rig. I'm all for paying more to get something of good quality, but I've just never had any experience with a device like this and not sure i know what I'm getting in to.

Russ Holland · August 26th, 2007, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Newcomb

I'm all for paying more to get something of good quality, but I've just never had any experience with a device like this and not sure i know what I'm getting in to.

I know where you are coming from: I brought the U-Flycam from India: Sure it works, I'm just having trouble with the balance still. You get what you pay for as I've said in the u-flycam topic but the reason I brought such a cheap rig is to practise first and see if the style is right for me - as soon as that's sorted and know it will get loads of use then that's the time to upgrade to a better model.

John Stakes · January 23rd, 2009, 08:56 PM

Wow what an old thread but it's the only one I see...so....

Has anyone using this mated theirs with a quick release plate? If so, how did you do it? I have my own version of this unit but the same concept. The ability to mount a quick release will determine if I buy a Glidecam or not. Right now my cam sits on a 3/8" piece of wood just as the "poor mans" version for heavier cameras. I know it can be done...ideas?

Terry Thompson · January 24th, 2009, 01:16 AM

John,

Check out B&H Photo for their Manfrotto 577 quick release and base. You mount the base on the camera platform (where you would normally mount the camera) and the quick release on the camera. It gives you the advantage of quickly going from a tripod to a stabilizer providing you have the same base on your tripod. It is also useful on the stabilizer as you can move the camera fore or aft easily for fine balancing front to back.

Here's the link:
Manfrotto by Bogen*Imaging | 577 Quick Release Adapter | 577

================

With regards to this whole thread...Any system that can help you get better shots is a plus. Once you see how good your shots are with an inexpensive rig and how good they can become with a full fledged stabilizer you will get the "bug" and start looking for better equipment.

Tery
Indicam

John Stakes · January 28th, 2009, 02:39 PM

Thanks Terry. This is a purchase I will definitely make. And I can also use this if I decide to "upgrade" my system ; ).

One quick question. I can't tell from the pictures, are there some holes in the "baseplate?" that will simply allow me to run screws through? Or is the plate threaded to recieve a certain size bolt?

Thanks again

Terry Thompson · January 28th, 2009, 06:18 PM

John,

To reiterate...The base-plate of the quick release has 1/4 x 20 threads for the standard camera connection. Just mount it where you would the camera and the quick release on the bottom of the camera. It's pretty straight forward.

This system will work on all stabilizers which have the standard 1/4 x 20 bolt connection such as our Indicam PILOT, Glidecam, Steadicam, etc.

All the best and "Smooth Shooting"

Tery
Indicam

January 9th, 2007, 12:19 AM	#17
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	Ryan, glad your system is working for you, that's what it's all about. Let's be careful how we label other people though. There's absolutely no question that a tiny camera like the HV10 needs help once you take it off the tripod. Optical stabilizers are a miracle when trimming vibration out of telephoto shots, but they aren't much help when it comes to walking and/or wide angle work. The main problem with this class of palm-sized cameras is that they have very little mass, and thus inertia/stability. Mounting it on a vertical pipe rig like we are talking about is one way to increase the inertia and help with making smoother shots. Another way is to make it function like a full-size shoulder mounted camera. For those making rigs like this one, consider also making a shoulder rig that will mount the camera on the front and a counterweight on the back (and of course plenty of padding where it meets the shoulder). Ths will give you another shooting option where you don't need to necessarily knock out the handheld look entirely, but want a more elegant and controlled appearance to your footage. Frankly, the current trend is very much towards this look--quite a few TV shows and movies have adopted it (I've been through a number of these gigs myself). "Children of Men" is a great example; I don't necessarily agree that all of the handheld shots were necessary but a number of them were fantastic, and anyone who has seen the movie knows about the marathon shot towards the end! __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

January 24th, 2009, 01:16 AM	#22
Terry Thompson Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Auburn, CA Posts: 578	John, Check out B&H Photo for their Manfrotto 577 quick release and base. You mount the base on the camera platform (where you would normally mount the camera) and the quick release on the camera. It gives you the advantage of quickly going from a tripod to a stabilizer providing you have the same base on your tripod. It is also useful on the stabilizer as you can move the camera fore or aft easily for fine balancing front to back. Here's the link: Manfrotto by Bogen*Imaging \| 577 Quick Release Adapter \| 577 ================ With regards to this whole thread...Any system that can help you get better shots is a plus. Once you see how good your shots are with an inexpensive rig and how good they can become with a full fledged stabilizer you will get the "bug" and start looking for better equipment. Tery Indicam __________________ He's only mostly sDEADy. sort of from "The Princess Bride" www.indicam.com

January 28th, 2009, 06:18 PM	#24
Terry Thompson Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Auburn, CA Posts: 578	John, To reiterate...The base-plate of the quick release has 1/4 x 20 threads for the standard camera connection. Just mount it where you would the camera and the quick release on the bottom of the camera. It's pretty straight forward. This system will work on all stabilizers which have the standard 1/4 x 20 bolt connection such as our Indicam PILOT, Glidecam, Steadicam, etc. All the best and "Smooth Shooting" Tery Indicam __________________ He's only mostly sDEADy. sort of from "The Princess Bride" www.indicam.com

January 8th, 2007, 11:11 PM	#16
Ryan Kingston (Guest) Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 40	After all the talk of sore arms I decided to weigh my camera and home made steady cam made from mic stand parts I had laying around. Total weight with my HV10 is 6.2 pounds. I shot probably a solid 4 hours yesterday and was far from sore. ;) The people that say it will not help are a bit foolish. It is the difference between day and night especially with a camera as small as the HV10. Footage I shot prior to it I dont even like to look at. Im not doing Hollywood quality pans and whatnot, but get some very steady shots, and I do ALOT of moving around when shooting. More I practice the better I get.

April 5th, 2007, 11:20 PM	#19
Matt Newcomb Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 212	I am debating getting < $2000 type model or experimenting with something like this < $100 type rig. I'm all for paying more to get something of good quality, but I've just never had any experience with a device like this and not sure i know what I'm getting in to.

January 23rd, 2009, 08:56 PM	#21
John Stakes Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 558	Wow what an old thread but it's the only one I see...so.... Has anyone using this mated theirs with a quick release plate? If so, how did you do it? I have my own version of this unit but the same concept. The ability to mount a quick release will determine if I buy a Glidecam or not. Right now my cam sits on a 3/8" piece of wood just as the "poor mans" version for heavier cameras. I know it can be done...ideas?

January 28th, 2009, 02:39 PM	#23
John Stakes Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 558	Thanks Terry. This is a purchase I will definitely make. And I can also use this if I decide to "upgrade" my system ; ). One quick question. I can't tell from the pictures, are there some holes in the "baseplate?" that will simply allow me to run screws through? Or is the plate threaded to recieve a certain size bolt? Thanks again