HMC150 Stabilizer Advice

[Noah Kadner]

Depends on your budget but any standard rig should do the trick.

Noah

Writing RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera!. Unlock the secrets of the DVX100, HVX200 and Apple Color.
Now featuring the Lens Adapter Guidebook, Sony EX1 Guidebook,
DVD Studio Pro and How to Light Interviews.
https://www.callboxlive.com

[Gilles Gagnon]

Hi Andrew,

DId you ever get a stabilizer for your hmc?

could you share your findings? I have the same question.

Thanks,

Gilles

[Andrew Ray]

Hey Gilles,
A lot has changed in 2 years since I first asked this question! In some ways, I am laughing at the question I asked because of my circumstances now.

I have sold the HMC150 and moved to shooting with DSLR’s only for weddings and commercials. If I thought stabilization was difficult with a large, balanced, easy to hold camera with strong optical stabilization, then you can imagine how I perceive stabilization with cameras that weren’t manufactured for the (sole or primary) purpose of shooting video (DSLR’s).

Now that I’ve been in the business full-time for 3 years I have begun to see that there are simply no easy answers to stabilization. Having said that, here are a couple of ways to stabilize live-event shooting:

1) DSLR Rig for $93. I own 2 of these gems I bought on eBay. Worth every penny. They don’t provide rock-solid on-rails stability, but price-to-stabilization ratio is impossible to beat unless you build something yourself. https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390317513663

2) Monopod for $15. Always have a monopod on your camera if you don’t have any other stabilization. They take away 50% of shake and they are very portable. They don’t provide great moving shot help, but they are helpful for a lot of close-ups and non-moving shots.

Hope this helps.
Andrew

https://www.LightWorksFilms.com

[Gilles Gagnon]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks so much for the info and for taking the time with the details.

So if I get this correct, DSLR rig is not JUST for DSLR? did you use it with your HMC150?

I’m taking you up on the advice for the monopod and am purchasing one!
🙂
Gilles

Gilles

[Andrew Ray]

Gilles,
You can use this for the HMC150, though it is called a “DSLR Rig”. Having said that, I sold my HMC150 before I bought the DSLR Rigs so I haven’t tested them with one.

But in the pictures on eBay, the girl using the DSLR rig is using a camera similar in size to the HM150. I think the HMC150 is light enough to use with this rig, but I haven’t tried.

[Gilles Gagnon]

Thanks for the feedback Andrew.

A glidecam 4000 would be nice but is in another price cat. altogether. It’s also a different system, where it’s not necessarily shoulder mounted.

Do you find the shoulder mount to restrict your shots in anyway?

Gilles

[Andrew Ray]

Shoulder mounts are restrictive for lower angle shots, but the DSLR rig works well for those with a bit of changing the set-up as well. And I would say that shoulder mounts that are well engineered, like the one I linked to, don’t take away that much maneuverability.

But I work by the rule that a stable shot is more valuable then more maneuverability. I love getting many different angles, but I keep another camera close by that’s not on the rig for that purpose.

[Gilles Gagnon]

Interesting.

Thanks again. I’ll have to give this some thought before I jump.

Thanks so much,

Gilles

[Guy Mcloughlin]

I second the monopod solution. Manfrotto makes a great one for video work that has is fluid-dampened for panning.

Manfrotto 561BHDV-1 Video Monopod

[Gilles Gagnon]

Thanks for piping Guy,

I’m also looking at the BlackBird. seems good enough but again, seems pricey for what you get.

Gilles