any typical problems like moir'e, anti-aliasing and rolling shutter jello effect?

alex

I"m just like you about to get a gh3, in my case to replace a 550d on a steadicam mainly but for other purposes as well. Eventhough I don't have the camera yet I just looked at the many videos on vimeo and for me it's clear the camera is a very solid performer.

One of my favorite videos is this one, shot handheld using just one lens:

bali on Vimeo

yes, nice video there. i wished it had less slo mo, but i still like it. thanx
if you notice, i posted a lot yesterday about this camera. trying to decide if these shortcomings people speak about will be a deal breaker for me.

alex

The typical problem is that the camera is not a video camcorder. You have to adjust your expectations to the qualities of the camera. If you are used to a pro video camera, this will take time to adjust to.

I am just asking how this camera performs with the typical moire, anti aliasing stair stepping and rolling shutter problems. Some cameras , like the 5dm3, have added a filter in front of the lens to reduce the first two problems. Some cameras have better rolling shutter, etc. how is the gh3? I am trying to learn as much as possible about the gh3 right now.

alex

Sorry, my experience is that the camera doesn't work to our typical expectations for video recording. I find that moire, aliasing and rolling shutter is minor on the camera compared to other DSLRs. You can induce rolling shutter but it's not as easy as a few years ago with older cameras.

I"m just like you about to get a gh3, in my case to replace a 550d on a steadicam mainly but for other purposes as well. Eventhough I don't have the camera yet I just looked at the many videos on vimeo and for me it's clear the camera is a very solid performer.Noa, if you haven't purchased yet then I suggest that you look at the new Panasonic G6. Video performance is on a par with the GH2 but with 1080@50p plus the WiFi control etc from the GH3. The beauty is that the G6 is almost half the price of the GH3.

If it is exclusively to replace the 550D for Steadicam use then it's worth looking at the Olympus OM-D E-M5. Not only is the best MFT stills camera with great low light performance but the in body 5-way stabilisation is amazing. If only shoots 30p so if you conform footage to 25p but that adds a nice slo-mo look.

SLR Magic 35mm T0.95 test footage with 5 axis Olympus stablisation on Vimeo


There is a guy in Israel shooting weddings with an OM-D & he has done some great stuff

Anna & Dima Preparations on Vimeo

GH3 is a very good camera,
when you have enough light.

I think almost all the cameras today look good when there is enough light. So, the quest for the best low light camera to shoot HD video in the less than or around $1k.

alex

I spent two weeks with the GH3 in Zambia. If it matters to you, camera has serious ergonomic problems. Frankly, it strikes me as a camera designed by people with a neophyte view of shooting video.

Ergonomically it's a good improvement over the GH2 - but it's basically a stills camera that shoots video. You really need to accessorise to make it work well for video. And that is the DSLR conundrum.

Aaccessorize as in how? I don't agree and I don't get into all that shoulder rigging overpriced.stuff. I can do video with just the camera, a lens, batteries and a carbon fiber lightweight small fluid head system. And some small headphones to hear audio on interviews which a lot of cameras except the 5dm3 also has. I never have gotten into dog and pony shows with elaborate crews and long drawn out sessions. Yet, I have made a long successful career on very high quality video/ audio with my way. The only time I did shoulder mount camera was when I was shooting news for ABC Network. I guess if you get into weddings and reality show (crap), then yeah, shoulder rigs run and gun. But, not my ticket for doing movies and docs.

I know some will disagree cus they do those other things and it's needed. And I have respect for what they do, too. I hope I have made my point of why I disagree on accessories. It's really not needed if you know what and how to do things to get quality footage and sound in a fast efficient manner. Spend the extra cash for a good carbon fiber small fluid head and you can run around all day getting excellent footage using only one hand to pick the camera and tripod up.

Alex

Well you did ask if there were any problems, the main one being seeing the LCD properly and focussing in daylight - so one accessory is a loupe or EVF such as a DP4. The disappearing display is another problem as you can't monitor audio levels after 10 seconds unless you trigger the display by waving your hand over the sensor or half-pressing the shutter. You may want a juiced link or beachtek "accessory" to assist and rads.
Finally don't patronise by suggesting we do dog and pony shows while you forge a career otherwise. There's plenty of people here that make a good professional living using GH3's, me being one of them. No-one said you need to pimp your rig, but the GH3 is NOT an ENG camera and you need to make allowances.

The GH3 needs a loupe for ease of use in my opinion. I am right now using a Varavon Loupe EX designed exclusively for the GH3. It turns the headache of using a DSLR as a motion camera into a slight annoyance. Suddenly the camera works handheld and on the tripod in the sun. Focusing is easier as well. For $200 dollars you can't really lose although there are pricier loupes that may offer better quality. As stated earlier, this camera is still designed for still photography not long sessions of eye to the viewfinder like most motion cameras are. The disappearing viewfinder info is disturbing but the record indicator and time duration indicator remains so it takes getting use to. Once you find a few lenses to your liking, the camera will produce excellent results especially if you shoot at 50mbs. Are there other cameras better suited to your needs? Possibly but in my opinion the GH3 is the best in it's price range for what you get. That is a combo of image, sound and function that needs little in the way of accessories.

William, I am surprised that you don't use the GH3's built in EVF. The resolution is better than enlarging the pixels of the rear screen. Perhaps it's the fact that using the the loupe is better ergonomically for prolonged use? I used to use the EVF on my GH2 a lot when I lived in the South of France & had to contend with very bright sunshine.

I have got used to not using a loupe on my 5D3. I loved using a loupe on my 5D2 partly for the extra stability of the third point of contact but initially there were no loupes that fitted the 5D3 so I was back to using the camera 'naked'. The screen on the 5D3 is superior to the 5D2 & I think that I use my Glidecam a lot more nowadays rather than the monopod so don't miss the loupe.

Noa, if you haven't purchased yet then I suggest that you look at the new Panasonic G6.

Well, I just have :) I might get the g6 body as b-cam, I have two 550d's of which one was on the steadicam all the time, since I got my nex-ea50 one 550d was not being used anymore, plan to get rid of both canons anyway, hopefully the gh3 will prove to be a worthy upgrade. I got the body for below 1000 euro which is a good price as not so long ago it was listed at 1300 euro.


If it is exclusively to replace the 550D for Steadicam use then it's worth looking at the Olympus OM-D E-M5. Not only is the best MFT stills camera with great low light performance but the in body 5-way stabilisation is amazing. If only shoots 30p so if you conform footage to 25p but that adds a nice slo-mo look.

Thx for that link, great video from the Olympus, the image does look very good and the stabilsation when shooting handheld seems great but for on a steadicam I don't need stabilisation and the fact it only shoots 30 or 60i and p only makes it useless for me, I need 25p or 50p.

Noa, what lens did you get for the GH3?

I have been using a 5D2 with a 16-35mm F/2.8L on my Glidecam & TBH it seems a terrible waste when I could sell them & get something smaller/lighter/cheaper so I have started looking at MFT cameras again. I sold my GH2 as while I liked the video a lot I found it too small & fiddly to use but using it on my Glidecam I wouldn't need to touch the camera much.

When I first started using the Glidecam I used the widest possible lens to cover up my lack of skill. I even used a Samyang 14mm at one stage. However as my skill in flying & framing has improved I am using a tighter focal length so don't need to worry about distortion of close objects (or worse still people). I generally use the 5D2 at 24-28mm now. While the Olympus 12mm F/2 lens l(24mm FF equivalent) ooks great it's almost the same price as a G6 so I would probably be better off with the panasonic 14mm F/2.5 which is equivalent to a 28mm on a full frame. It's a pancake lens so manually focusing isn't easy when shooting video but on the Glidecam I would be adjusting focus while shooting anyway. In any case the hyperfocal distance of the 14mm lens on a MFT camera is 5.5m at F/2.5 with everything in focus from 2.67m to infinity.

BTW I also found this lightweight handheld Steadicam that could be great for an MFT camera Xcam stabilizer steadicam minicam Mini Cam for video excellent Skyler | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xcam-stabilizer-steadicam-minicam-Mini-Cam-for-video-excellent-Skyler-/121147897448?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c34fa3668)

There is a demo of it on Cheesycam XCAM Mini vs Skyler MiniCam Handheld Stabilizers CheesyCam (http://cheesycam.com/xcam-mini-vs-skyler-minicam-handheld-stabilizers/)

Noa, what lens did you get for the GH3?

Well, initially I was not planning to get any lens and to just get a adapter to fit all my samyang lenses, I did plan to get the leica 25mm f1.4 and the olympus 12mm f2.0 as both seem to be excellent lenses for their price but that would be a upgrade I want to do much later.

But then I saw a good deal on 2 of the cheapest pana lenzes, the 14-42 f3,5/5,6 ois lens and the 14 f2.5 pancake, it was a bundle offer with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5, if I would buy both lenses separately it would be the almost the same price of that bundle offer including the DMC-GF5 body so I would be getting that body basically for free. Since I need a stabilized lens that cheap 14-42 lens seems to be a good start, will see how that goes and I have a pocketcam with the pancake lens I can take along everytime I go out. It's not a bmcpc but since it was about "free" and available I"m not complaining. :) And from what I have seen it does output a decent image.

Will be doing some thorough testing with the gh3 before I put it into production, need to know what the best noise free settings will be and if my 14mm samyang will be wide enough on the steadicam, in full frame terms I"m going from 21 to 28mm so need to see first if it's wide enough.

I have five or six nice Canon FD lenses & several adaptors but none of the lenses is wider than 28mm i.e. 56mm FF equivalent. The FD lenses are also heavy hunks of metal & rather defeat the object of a small & light MFT camera. When I had my GH2 I did have the Panasonic 7-14mm F/4 lens with it. It's a fantastic lens & I regret selling it now but I got rid of all my MFT gear when I sold the GH2 & AF101. The 7-14mm is expensive & quite large but not too heavy. The only drawback is that it's only an F/4 but as the GH3 has better low light performance than the GH2 that would not be too big a problem.

William, I am surprised that you don't use the GH3's built in EVF. The resolution is better than enlarging the pixels of the rear screen. Perhaps it's the fact that using the the loupe is better ergonomically for prolonged use? I used to use the EVF on my GH2 a lot when I lived in the South of France & had to contend with very bright sunshine.

I have got used to not using a loupe on my 5D3. I loved using a loupe on my 5D2 partly for the extra stability of the third point of contact but initially there were no loupes that fitted the 5D3 so I was back to using the camera 'naked'. The screen on the 5D3 is superior to the 5D2 & I think that I use my Glidecam a lot more nowadays rather than the monopod so don't miss the loupe.

Until a loupe was designed for the GH3 LCD (which is larger than the GH2 LCD) I did use the EVF almost exclusively and it's an experience I don't want to repeat on long shoots. If you are shooting short shots here and there, it's fine but if I am shooting a twenty minute interview or a two hour long stage presentation it's awful. Sometimes the LCD is not viable if I am shooting from within the audience. And keeping the EVF to my eye results in a soggy camera from breath condensation. This is why I stated that the design is still for still photographers who rarely keep the camera next to their face like video people have to. The past couple of days I have been filming a dance performance in natural locations with the GH3 and it's been great. Last weekend I filmed a live stage performance and used a pro video camera as the GH3 is just too fidgety to deal with. And I needed a parfocal zoom that is greater than 1 to 4.

The Varavon loupe has a unique design that really changes the ergonomics of the GH3 and once magnified you'll find the LCD much sharper then you thought it was. I recommend it.

Here is my standard GH3 set-up. Hopefully the 2 pictures upload from my phone. I apologize for the focus.

For whatever reason only one picture uploaded. Here's the front in focus.

Can I ask which type of loupe that is William? Does it stay well on the viewfinder and doesn't it slide from left to right?

edit, sorry, I see it's a Varavon loupe

I think almost all the cameras today look good when there is enough light. So, the quest for the best low light camera to shoot HD video in the less than or around $1k.

that's the thing - what's enough for Mark 3 is not for GHx;
the issue i hated is when you start shooting video after a few seconds all on screen data goes away, and there is no option to keep it there, not even histogram, why did they do that - mystery;
probably GH3 is the best low lighter under $1K, depending on the lens of course, at least compare to GH2 it is noticeably better in low light and has wider DR, but i gave it up in favor of another Mark3,
still keeping my GH2 though :)

Can I ask which type of loupe that is William? Does it stay well on the viewfinder and doesn't it slide from left to right?

edit, sorry, I see it's a Varavon loupe

Yes, it's a Varavon. The metal mounting mechanism is very secure and the LCD should be safe from any but the most severe damage in case of a fall. It is adjustable in terms of fit but I find that the very extreme right of the viewfinder is a little obscured in the viewfinder after moving the camera in and out of the bag. The eyepiece comes with a diopter so it can be adjusted for eyeglass wearers like me. The eyepiece also folds up so you can step back from the camera and still monitor the image. In normal use it's held closed by magnets. The loupe goes on and except for what I describe below does not interfere with the normal operations of the camera.

What are the functional drawbacks?

- It is moderately tough to attach and remove so I keep it on 99% of the time. The camera is significantly bigger when it's on (but not much heavier) so your camera bags may not fit it. I have a configurable bag so it's nice and snug for traveling.

- The eyepiece only has about an 80 degree range of swivel from horizontal to facing up so it's not good for holding over ones head to get a shot of a crowd for example. But it's perfect for most eye level shots or low angle shots which are 90% of what I shoot anyway.

- The loupe makes the audio and HDMI ports hard to access. The Rode mike you saw in the photos comes with a right angle mini jack which is perfect. The headphone jack is lower on the body so a short right angle headphone extender would have to be installed before the loupe is put on. Since I never use the camera for main audio anyway I haven't put one on. To tell the truth, I am not sure if a standard right angle mini adapter would fit in the headphone jack with the loupe there. The mini HDMI port is a bigger question, I have a right angle mini HDMI wire but I have never tried to see if it fits with the loupe. Quite frankly, my need for an external monitor on this camera is low and I haven't found an external recorder that does 24p from the HDMI yet. If I get one (which is presently unlikely as the 50mbs files have been great so far) it will probably be a Atomos Ninja Recorder that has a monitor built in (with focus peaking!) and I'll remove the loupe when I use it.

William, I've also have the varavon and find it really comfortable and functional. Like an ENG viewfinder actually. I slip the loupe off at the end of a shoot but leave the plate attached - makes it a really easy add-on. The headphone jack is not accessible, however the line out is if you're using a pre-amp like juiced link and you can monitor from that.
I have also ordered the Samurai Blade to use as a monitor for the GH3 (and recorder for my Z5), so will let you know how it goes when it arrives.

For whatever reason only one picture uploaded. Here's the front in focus.

William, do you have a photograph for how the base bracket for the Varavon attaches to your quick release bracket you need for your tripod? I have a similar looking one for a DV Multi Rig that I use with the GH3.

I was starting to get the impression from a couple of the videos you could only use the sliding "tube" type rigs and make it work until I saw your photo.

Thanks much

It's pouring today and I can't get a decent phone photo of the underside but there's not much to see. It's a standard tripod attachment for any camera. I sometimes use a Spiderbrace shoulder mount with the camera for long hauls of handheld work and it attaches easy. It should not be a problem for you.

OK. It's just I was watching one of the youtube videos last night and it "seemed" to me that the knob on the bottom brace which is used to screw the bottom brace into the tripod hole in the bottom of GH3, did not have a tripod hole of its own to be able to screw a quick release adaptor into it. Your spider brace does have some similarity to the DVMulti-Rig I'm using.

And then I found a link for the Varavon EX UNI loupe which I liked because it could be configured with the LCD against the back of the GH3 or swung out to the side. But had the same question there as did not see mounting hole in bottom of the Varavon tightening wheel for the under the camera part of the bracket.


Varavon Loupe EX UNI & GH3 : little tip on Vimeo

Varavon does not recommend the EX UNI for the GH3 as there are issues with mounting it due to the LCD's size which is slightly larger than older LCDs on DSLRs. I actually tried to buy one from Varavon for my GH3 last year and they told me to wait until they were ready with the GH3 exclusive loupe. Zacuto makes a similar model to the EX UNI and they sell a special adapter to get it to fit on the GH3. Plus it costs much more.

Got it. Just wanted to confirm then with the EX above that there is a proper threaded hole so that your normal plate for whatever rig or tripod can still be attached? Can you get it pretty tight easily with fingers or do you have to "gorilla" it to keep the camera from twisting?

Hi again. So here is the link for the Zacuto below. Does it only offer straight back from LCD when its centered on back of camera, or like the Varivon also can be used and tilted when the LCD is flipped out?

What is the nicer magnification .... 2.5 or 3x? Just a general question between those magnifications with an LCD of the GH3's quality?

If it were equal between near or far sight choice, as I'm sure there's a good diopter on the Zacuto or the Varivon or any other brand, what would be the nicer performance as far as focussing? Is 2.5 enough to really help a lot? Or is 3x needed, or is it maybe too much and annoying with how big the pixels get?? What do you see in other models with focussing and the choice between 2.5 and 3x?


http://store.zacuto.com/gh3-z-finder-pro/

Edit. This one does not flip out apprently from watching the video.

Hey just so no one is silly like me and remembers to check whether or not the offset with the Varavon will work if you have some kind of a rig, at the last second .... don't. With mine it has to be straight back but I really like where that is going to fall for me. It positions nicely right where an ENG camcorder's viewfinder does on a Sony PMW 320. I could not have reached the loupe if it would have been out to the left.

I got my gh3 yesterdaymorning by mail, just before I was off to a wedding so deceided to take it along and have some play with it. Didn't look at the manual, just pushed some buttons and managed to use it for some shots at the venue that will be used in the final edit of the wedding.

The very first impression I got was how small this camera was, like my 550d, I expected something bigger. I also got the 14-42 and the pancake lens with it, very cheap lenzes but they perform remarkably well. I had a laugh when I first held the pancake in my hands because I thought it was a lenscap, also the 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 lens looks like a toy.
Got a kiwi adapter to fit my samyang lenses but the adaper is a piece of junk, there is no thght fit when the lenses are put on, this will be send back.

An annoying thing was that the screen info dissapreared after a few seconds and when I held my hoodloupe against the hinged lcd screen it turned of each time, hopefully that's just a setting. Probably will be getting the varavon loupe as well.

Also the resolution of that lcd screen was not that good, just sufficient to focus as I could see the pixels. My 550d has a much higher rez screen. I did like the auto magnification once you turned the focus ring.

The 2.0 cropfactor, ouch... have been flying the gh3 on my steadicam with my 14mm f2.8 and it was a much narrower fov compared to the 1.5 cropfactor of my 550d, ain't going to cut it for me so I need at least a new 8 to 10 mm lens.

I barely noticed any moire, much less as on my 550d, then the 50p option, mmm, sooo nice to get smooth slowmotion on steadicam shots.

I also have been shooting at 6400 iso and these shots are all usable, there was noise but not big blotchy grain like on the 550d. It also maintained the color much better at these high iso.

And so much more resolution, really sharp images.

First impression is very good, happy I got it , just need to do much more testing to determine the best setting for least noise.

Ergonomically it's a good improvement over the GH2 - but it's basically a stills camera that shoots video. You really need to accessorise to make it work well for video. And that is the DSLR conundrum.

I don't care if it's better than the GH2. What matters to me is an absolute "fit for purpose" perspective.

There is no accessory that stops the GH3 from turning off the overlays after 10 seconds. Ditto that the record button does not start recording when the displays are off. You have to press it a second time. I missed a number of shots because of this. Then there's the inability to shoot stills quickly while using the VF because it mirrors the behavior of the LCD. Each picture taken is displayed in the VF for whatever number of seconds you have setup for Preview on the LCD. It should behave differently than the LCD and let you see what's going on. Then there's the easy to accidently hit "Display" button just trying to hold the camera that causes the LCD to toggle through it's 4 modes one of which is off. Accidently squeeze the camera on that spot while shooting and you are shooting blind.

Also, you can't just glance at the camera and see what settings you are using or what the camera automatics are choosing. Those disappear after 10 seconds and there is no "always on" display like the Canons and Nikons have.

I think there are no "perfect" camera's for that price, I notice that especially the last years more camera's are coming out that are crippled in one way or the other, often mainly to protect sales on higher end models.

Having to work around those issues is something that has become normal when using a dslr, me only interests what image comes out of the camera, if that is good I don't mind to work with limitations, especially when the sales prize of a camera is low.

Noa, you mentioned using a steady for your GH3, do you mind saying what brand and model it is, please? I might get one very soon, still deciding what is best, a steady or a shoulder rig.

Also, do you have any of that respective footage on youtube or vimeo? Just curious to see both the perspective a 14mm lens gives you (want to buy the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5), and to see how well your stabilizer works with the GH3 on it. If I like it I might steal your idea and order one myself :P

Thank you sir!

Some quick and dirty footage and framegrabs (photos below the video), the steadicam shot was actually not intended, I was trying to get the gh3 balanced on my blackbird steadicam when suddenly something happened and I had to make a choice of shooting handheld with my nex-ea50 or go with the gh3, so I decided to take the risk and shoot with the gh3 and it turned out pretty allright. :) The frame was a bit too low as the couples heads where cut off a bit but taken into consideration the blacbird was not 100% balanced (I was still making some adjustments just before I had to shoot) it's good enough.

The field of view shot you can see below the video a 14mm lens on the nex-ea50 (cropfactor of 1.5) and a handheld shot (a bit croocked but you can clearly see the difference) with the gh3, same lens, same position.

I also included a shot with the steadicam and gh3 mounted on top, I had to go with the smallest wheights and position the vertical rod as high as possible, this is absolutely the lightest setup possible while still being able to balance it.

Here the steadicam shot I did with the 14mm lens from samyang.
password: gh3
Private Video on Vimeo

Wow thank you for all this! Now you really made me curious - how did you manage to keep everything in focus? Were you filming at f/2.8, wide open?

Yes, I usually always shoot wide open at the venue. Just before I start to shoot I set my focus distance and try to maintain that distance towards the subject I"m shooting during the shot. I actually don't want a faster lens on the steadicam since you are shooting more or less blind. I do see the frame in my lcd screen but I have no clue if my focus would be off while I"m shooting if I"d use a f1.4 lens wide open. f2.8 is quite forgiving in that respect, then I just crank up the iso to get the best exposure, something I also dial in before I start shooting.

Why do you say you are shooting blind? You have the nice screen on your GH3 that you can look at without even having to extend it out. I know you can't determine if things are in focus 100%, but it does give you a good idea.


Hmmm... considering everything you say, I don't see any reason to buy the much more expensive Olympus 12mm f/2 anymore... the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 should do the job. Is there any particular reason you chose the blackbird? A friend with much more experience in video recommended I get a Wondlan Ares. But this Blackbird seems to do the job very, very well!

Yes, I meant flying blind in terms of determining focus, I can clearly see what my frame is but I can't judge critical focus from the distance I"m keeping the steadicam in front of me when I"m flying, especially not with a very fast prime, focus distance would be just a few cm and that you can only maintain if you have your eye on a loupe against the viewfinder. Btw, the gh3 lcd screen is not that great, my 550d has a much higher rez screen, it's ok to focus with a loupe but just ok.

A friend with much more experience in video recommended I get a Wondlan Ares. But this Blackbird seems to do the job very, very well!

Don't know that one but I do know I can set up my blackbird in a few minutes between taking it out of it's case, assemble it and having it ready to fly and time can be crucial as well during weddings. There was no particular reason I choose the blackbird but I like using it. I might get the tokina 11-16 f2.8 as 11mm should be roughly the same fov on the gh3 as a 14mm on a 1,5 crop camera.

Btw, I wouldn't bother with the ares steadicam, just looking at below photo I"m sure you can't take it seriously.
http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/m0MY-iNbjrxaaR7ykVfkf8w.jpg

Better get a glidecam 1000, 2000, a merlin or a blackbird, more expensive but at least the best steadicams in the lower price range, from what I have read the merlin is not so easy to balance so maybe something to take into consideration.

Haha nice pic, definitely convinced me to buy it. But seriously, it works well!

wondlan ares test - YouTube

About the Tokina, I really considered it myself, but it's double the price of the Panny 14mm and it's slightly slower, plus you need an adapter, plus it's heavier, plus it's bigger, plus no AF (I also take pics occasionally, when I get bored). I also use AF with the touch AF feature, which I really like on the GH3.

Yes, I meant flying blind in terms of determining focus, I can clearly see what my frame is but I can't judge critical focus from the distance...

If the GH3 had peaking, you could judge focus. Case in point it doesn't matter how great the IQ is if the ergonomics cause you to bring home lots of blurry footage or fail to bring home footage at all from missed shots.

Btw, I wouldn't bother with the ares steadicam, just looking at below photo I"m sure you can't take it seriously.
http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/m0MY-iNbjrxaaR7ykVfkf8w.jpg

Better get a glidecam 1000, 2000, a merlin or a blackbird, more expensive but at least the best steadicams in the lower price range, from what I have read the merlin is not so easy to balance so maybe something to take into consideration.
Or watch a bunch of youtubes and see how easy and cheap it is to build one. I am. What really matters is the cost, the total weight and most important, the final look in video. Spend time learning to to tune them for weight balance (all of them, including the ones Noa mentioned) need that and spend time learning to use them. None of them are real easy at first to get "good" results. To build one? Takes hardly nothing but to drill a few holes from parts bought at stores like Home Depot. You can also find DIY steadicams low priced online that someone else built and they look good too. I rather spend one hour and forty bucks instead of $800 for a Merlin 2 and I can get the same results. Watch the training videoss for the Merlin 2 and you can learn a lot and see how it all works. Amazon has the Traxxas U joints used for the gimbal at $6 and I saw it for $10 at a hobby store one block from where I live which I will buy since Amazon shipping/handling gets it up past $10 too. I can buy a jump rope at Walmart for $4 that has a handle grip with a skateboard bearing already installed. Or build your own handle and find a bearing.

If you got $600 or more and feel the need to impress other camera guys, then buy the name brand. You can build a nice looking one for less than $40 and get the same results. True for DIY sliders and jibs. You can make one look just as good. Doesn't have to look like plumbing. LOL Heck, paint a name brand on a DIY and fool everyone. I am not into ever trying to impress anyone with gear or name brands. I have always let my work and the look/sound sell my clients and none have ever complained. I am also talking here about my high end clients. Paint it black and no one even cares. :-)

Alex

Peaking is no holy grail either, it can be of help but depending on the situation it's not always 100% accurate, If it's too dark it won't help either. I have focus peaking on my ea50 but don't us it at weddings, I rather use my own eyes to judge focus.

If you got $600 or more and feel the need to impress other camera guys, then buy the name brand. You can build a nice looking one for less than $40 and get the same res. :-)



Dream on, a steadicam is a precission tool that requires precission and high quality hardware and manufacturing. If you can't afford one, then sure get a 40 dollar one or build one yourself, if you are serious about results, get the real deal and pay for it.

I don't know man, I've seen DIY steadicams work extremely well. I saw a vid of a guy running down a pretty steep hill with his own DIY rig and it was unbelievably smooth :-/ it's just that I'm horrible at manual labor and generally at building things, so I don't know if this is a valid solution for me...