stabilizers

[Clyde Villegas]

Thanks Steve. I’ll check it now. God bless.

[Todd Terry]

Back to the original question for a sec, which was single- vs. double-articulated arms….

Single-articulated arms are ok, but I would say they are best saved for the higher-end “pro” rigs. I’m not sure I would go for one of the more prosumer rigs with a single arm. My rig is a single arm, but it’s a Steadicam (an older SK model, not in their lineup any more) and it works just dandy.

I’d say the biggest differences in the more consumer level stabilizers and the high-end ones (such as Steadicam, or GPI Pro, etc.) is not just the arm but the way the who thing works, and the ease and reliability of use…

GIMBAL
A high-end rig will have a gimbal that moves absolutely effortlessly, you can easily spin it around the post with virtually no friction.

MONITOR
A high-end rig will have a good daylight-viewable montior. The CloneCams tend to have little TTF LCD screens that are sometimes not very useful outdoors. The highest-end monitors have things like switchable aspect ratios, TV-safe lines, artificial horizon, etc.

POWER
The higher rigs will have a dedicated built-in power system, and will use pro batteries such as A-B goldmounts… where a single (or dual) battery mount will power both the monitor and the camera itself. Lower end units often do not have any power provisions.

ADJUSTIBILITY
With the cheapest rigs you usually have to physically move weights around on the sled to get the system into perfect dynamic balace… which can be a little tricky. Higher-end units accomplish this by adjusting the camera stage, not the sled itself… there are usually little knobs that tweak the fore-and-aft and side-to-side positions of the camera to keep easy and perfect dynamic balance. This is especially important for film shooters where if you have a horizonally-mounted magazine the weight of the film moving from one end of the mag to the other can change the dynamic balance throughout the roll (I have heard that can be an issue, but I shoot with vertical mags so it’s never been a problem that I have noticed much). Ideally, you should be able to make minor tweaks to the balance without even taking the rig off.

SAFETY
Higher-end rigs will have a “rip cord” type system that, if pulled, will allow a rapid “emergency egress” from the rig in less than a second. Of course no one wants to ditch their very expensive camera or stabilizer… but if you found yourself being chased by a lion or falling down three flights of stairs it might be nice to have the option. I personally have never known anyone who had to “emergency release,” but I know it has happened.

All that being said, I’m not knocking the little CloneCams. I’ve seen some pretty darn good work coming out of them. IF one wanted a stabilizer for just very occassional use, then they might be the way to go. However if one wanted to do a LOT of stabilization work on a very regular basis, then I would recommend one of the upper units.

And yes, go to Steadi-school if you can… and if you can’t then learn as much about the principals and techniques as you can (books, DVDs, etc), or find an experienced SteadiOp who is willing to teach you…. and practice practice practice. Oh, and practice.

And use a spotter if you are moving backwards or through dangerous territory.

Just a few things I thought were worth mentioning….

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Mark Maness]

Being a Steadicam operator for several years, I guess I’m partial to the steadicam rigs. They are definitely a known entity, finely engineered, and we all know they work, even if a little more pricey then the others, but you’re getting quality and years of research and development

I’ve owned an SK, Flyer, and a provid, and have found all of them to be excellent, but of course, I’m biased.

The dual articulating arm definitely gives more range of motion. I’ll never use anything else unless for some reason If I have to.

And, in case anyone is wondering….no, I don’t work for Tiffen or Steadicam….just thought I’d throw that in. 🙂

[Charles Papert]

I think it’s safe to say that once one has tried the current Tiffen (Steadicam) arms, it’s hard to go back to anything else. While all of the competitors and the older lower-end Steadicam arms are quite springy and require significant force to hold in their upper and lower positions, the newer models (Merlin/Pilot, Flyer, G50 and G70) are effortless in comparison. Aside from the comfort afforded, the isolation from the operator’s footsteps is improved as well. This all adds up to a greater useable boom range, less fatigue and smoother shots.

This is not to say that it is impossible to get decent shots from the other manufacturer’s products (although a few of the cheaper brands challenge this assertion), but it is harder, and thus requires more attention to overcome the design deficiencies.

As far as dual vs single arm models: in general it can be very difficult to get a single arm model to boom up high enough to get the camera to eye-level. If the subject is taller than the operator, it will likely be impossible. Having a 2-3 foot boom range is one of the great assets of Steadicam, and single-arm models cannot achieve this.

Outside of the arm, the other most relevant component to consider is the gimbal, as mentioned previously. The more friction and less linearity a gimbal the demonstrates, the more it will fail to isolate the operator from the rig and the choppier the footage.

These are the two moving parts of a rig; everything else becomes secondary once a shot is in motion (assuming that the rig is rigid enough to not present slop or vibration). However the type of adjustments available will greatly affect one’s efficiency with balancing the rig, which becomes a time factor for setups.