I have a wedding to do in less than two weeks. I've looked at Varizoom's website and I was wonder if VZ-LSP would be good for those walk and shoots.

Yes, I'm a newbie at this. Thanks.

Joe,
Varizoom's VZ-LSP, unlike many other other braces, is a well-engineered and nicely manufactured shoulder brace for small cameras. I owned one until earlier this year.

With that said, I must point out that a shoulder brace is not the same as an inertial stabilizer. That is, if you have visions of silky smooth walking shots you'll likely be disappointed by the VZ-LSP or most other shoulder braces, for that matter. By resting the camera on your shoulder and abdomen these braces actually transfer more vibration, that your right arm normally absorbs, to the camera. Unlike heavier (15lb-20lb) professional cameras, the small prosumer cameras just do not have enough inertial mass to resist such vibration.

In my opinion, the DV Rig Pro (http://www.global-dvc.org/html/DV%20RIG%20PRO.asp) is the best shoulder brace available today. It manages to offset many of these issues through well-placed mass and a shock absorbing hip brace. Of course, it's much more costly than the VZ-LSP.

One last note. You will need to use a remote controller when using a shoulder brace. Your right hand will be occupied with the brace's handle and will not be free to manage the zoom and start/stop. So you'll need to factor this cost into the overall purchase if you do not already have a controller.

Have fun!

. .surely Ken you meant this site . http://www.dvtec.tv./ "How DV Rig PRo Changed my life!" .. gotta larf .. .

Ken, are there any sliding adjustments going on? What are the 2 big hinges doing?

Grazie

<<<-- Originally posted by Graham Bernard : . .Ken, are there any sliding adjustments going on? What are the 2 big hinges doing?
Grazie -->>>

Ah, that's part of the genius of the DV Rig Pro's design! The hinge toward the shoulder basically enables you to set the balance and vertical position of the overall rig. During most shooting this will be locked-down.

The hinge at the front enables you to adjust the camera platform's tilt. Quite often I will leave this a bit loose.

The whole rig also disassembles from those hinge points for compact storage and transport.

I'm nearly finished with a full review of the DV Rig Pro. We'll have it up asap. Meanwhile if you have any other q's fire away and I'll answer as best as I can.

Okay .. here's the "cheeky" one.. had enough of the hoo haa with the XL2 today [ hmm Robin went and saw it at Pinewood Studio .. about 20mins from where I live AND he didn't tell me . ] . .sorry Ken. . .yes the cheeky question is , could one actually fabricate it? Is there a waist-band thing going on? Any gas shock absorbers or springs? Anything working independently of the cammie .. ?


Grazie

Well, after much Googling for the pros and cons of this and that, I think these two links convinced me to get the Steady Tracker Xtreme.

This link http://www.digitalproducer.com/2002/10_oct/reviews/10_07/steadytrackerxtreme.htm has a video of his Steady Tracker in action on page 2. Not bad. I know my deltoid muscles will get a really good work out soon!

And this website (in the middle of the page) has a review about it as well. http://www.makingthefilm.com/diary5.html

For $299, it's not bad at all.

Ken, that DVRig Pro will certainly be a future purchase. But seeing as I'm on an extreme budget, I'll have to set that aside for now. Thanks for teh info!

Sorry Joe, in terms of engineering I just think it is ugly . . I've been around these items for the past 2 years and i still haven't sen one or used one that comes near to being something akin to looking and performing in a sweet way . . . The nearest I've seen is the Anton Bauer one .. but loadsa money on that baby ..

Grazie

Joe,
We all have to live within our budgets!

But if $299 is your budget and you're up for a sore arm you'll get far, far better results from the Glidecam 2000 PRO (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=193812&is=REG). That Steady Tracker Xtreme is trying to be an inertial stabilizer without a critical part: a gimbal. It really looks like someone's hobby project. You'd achieve similar (poor) results just sticking your camera on a monopod and attaching some weights to the bottom.

The GC 2000 is a far, far better stabilization product for the same money.

Have fun.

Ken, that's ugly too! . . Doesn't anybody see what I'm saying? . ..

Fortunately, the camera never shoots its support.

No, I'm not sure I follow you.

There has been a lot of man hours producing function over form - hoping that the function will win out. I think that form will and needs to be explored more. The closest I've come to "it" has been the Martin Bauer system. I feel this system has or is the closest to this "it" . . .

A Charles Rennie Mackintosh chair has "it" . . an egg-cup has it . . . the Sony Walkman had "it" . . what I've experienced to date, with all the weights and spindles and stuff being put together - as if out of a need to only "solving" the problem of stability . . it does not "appear" to have confronted the effect on the user . . . yes yes this sounds blasphemous, when one thinks of the time and money spent on the development of say Steadicam stuff ... doesn't anybody else think that this end of the market are lumbered with naff looking and naff bits and pieces . . it's as if we are expected to be working from inside a Swiss/French Carriage clock - really!

Y'know what, we have some of the best designers, on both sides of the Pond, that need to be enlisted to produce THE design for a cammie support/stabilizer for our end of the video market . . I betcha if they were shown the stuff so far they would wince . . . .

I sometimes feel I'm the only one who sees this . .bit like that poor bloke at the end of the "Invasion of the Bodysnatchers" who is trying to "warn" off Sutherland to get outta town!

. . Grazie

As an architect by education I certainly understand the appeal of good industrial design. There is, however, a degree of good industrial design beauty in devices like the Steadicams, the DV Rig and, yes, even the Glidecam 2K. Theirs is not a sculptural beauty but rather a certain elegance of their functional refinements and finishes.

But this thread is probably getting a little long-haired, eh?

Understood . .. gone ..

Originally posted by Ken Tanaka : Joe,
We all have to live within our budgets!

But if $299 is your budget and you're up for a sore arm you'll get far, far better results from the Glidecam 2000 PRO (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=193812&is=REG). That Steady Tracker Xtreme is trying to be an inertial stabilizer without a critical part: a gimbal. It really looks like someone's hobby project. You'd achieve similar (poor) results just sticking your camera on a monopod and attaching some weights to the bottom.

The GC 2000 is a far, far better stabilization product for the same money.

Have fun.

Okay. I will take your advice and go with the Glidecam 2000.

Good choice, Joe.

One note: Don't underestimate the amount of time you will have to practice with this, or any other inertial stabilizer. It's definitely not immediate success out-of-the-box. But if you're dedicated you will be rewarded with some million dollar results.

Have fun!

Ken, if it looks like a duck, if it sounds like a duck . . . . as you say,"It really looks like someone's hobby project. " . . sometimes things just don't "look" right . . sometimes they DO look right .. . this was my only point. You too have this innate understanding of what looks right . . This was at the centre of my opinion. Glide Cam Pro could be near it, but it still lacks that design "bite" . .. ..

Grazie

-- Originally posted by Ken Tanaka : Good choice, Joe.

One note: Don't underestimate the amount of time you will have to practice with this, or any other inertial stabilizer. It's definitely not immediate success out-of-the-box. But if you're dedicated you will be rewarded with some million dollar results.

Have fun!

Well, Ken, do you have a review for the DV Rig Pro? Coz I splurged and bought that one along with the Varizoom Stealth Zoom controller. I figured that the Glidecam would utterly destroy my deltoid muscles so the benefits would only be shortlived. So, with that in mind, I bought the DV Rig Pro.

Maybe the next purchase will be the Magiqcam (after I've robbed a bank)! =8^D

So I guess the budget gave way to other considerations. <g>

My DV Rig Pro review is not quite ready. But I think you'll be very pleased with this brace. It's an excellent accessory comparable to that of a good tripod and head.

Have fun with that DV Rig Pro!

My wallet hates you! J/k!

I figured that if I'm gonna spend $300 on a Glidecam I could probably build myself, why not get something a lot better? So I considered your experience in this field and decided to go with your advice.

I finally got to use it last Saturday for 12 hours. I did't get tired until about 7 hours into the day. I was mostly tired from standing around. 7 tapes and 3 battery replacements later, I was finished with the wedding. I could have kept going if not for running out of tapes.

My mini-review - the stem that supports the camera has some shock absorbing qualities which will take most of the jolt out of your steps. This is not as smooth as a Glidecam 2000 but could you imagine holding that for 12 hours? Even if you took breaks every now and then, you arm would fatigue. The DVRigPro, for my limited experience in videography, is the perfect blend of a tripod, shoulder mount and Glidecam. This is not the camera to use for running up and down the sideline but it's perfect for weddings and "walk around" events.

Getting the DVRigPro setup with my GL2 took no more than 15 minutes the first time. When I used if for the wedding, I had it on me in less than 2 minutes and I was ready for shooting!

Thanks Ken for suggesting this setup!

<<<-- Originally posted by Joe Calalang : ...This is not the camera to use for running up and down the sideline but it's perfect for weddings and "walk around" events. ... -->>>

Good to hear back from you, Joe! And good to hear that your first impression of the DV Rig Pro was positive. Your sentence, above, sums up the DV Rig's application perfectly.

Now that you've gotten the general feel of the brace, if you've not already done so, try making some fine-tuning adjustments. Specifically, shift the camera's horizontal placement along that t-bar to see how it changes the balance. Also note that you can loosen those chrome nut heads on the handlebar handles to reposition the handles along that t-bar and also change their angles. Small changes to these handles can make big differences in comfort. I also prefer to leave that front hinge knob just loose enough so that I can tilt slightly without changing the camera's horizontal position.

Thanks for reporting back!