A member of the community recently emailed me and asked for an assessment of the Spiderbrace 2, in response to one of my posts about ordering it.

I haven't used it a lot yet (my next project doesn't go into production until March 4th) but I did get the chance to test it out at a stage show recently and I'll tell people what I think based on that.

For this event I was using a university-owned PD-150, and the Spiderbrace fit it perfectly, allowing me to hold it stable with both hands while keeping the viewfinder directly in front of my right eye. The camera still began to feel heavy after a while, and I noticed a little bit of trembling once I started feeling the heaviness. Another downside of the rig is that you can't zoom while you're using it. I personally don't have a problem with this in my own pictures, since I seldom use zooms anyway, but for this show I was expected to zoom in a lot, and I had to switch from the Spiderbrace to a tripod so I could zoom.

I think, however, that this event may have been the wrong venue for the Spiderbrace. Just from free-shooting with it, it seems like it will be great for running around on the set of a movie. It is lightweight, unbelievably so, and it definitely adds stability.

Well you kind of need a lanc controller to zoom on a Spiderbrace, but with the controller it's pretty awesome for zooms.

I've had a Spider Brace 2 for about seven months, and it's great for when you need to move around and shoot from various vantage points. It's come in handy shooting along the sidelines of soccer and basketball games and near the stage while recording concerts. If you don't need mobility, you're better off using a tripod because after several minutes of your body being locked in shooting position, you will feel some fatigue setting in. I've shot continuously for an hour using a DVC80 on a Spider Brace 2, and I'm not an athlete. I've found that shifting the Spider Brace 2 around on my shoulder very slightly every three or four minutes gives your muscles enough to do to avoid feeling stiff; I'll slowly alternate between holding it close to me and holding it a littler farther way, and then I alternate having the shoulder bar closer to my neck or shoulder. It just takes getting used to and depends on your body shape. (Some people's shoulders slope more than others, some people have better developed biceps, etc.)

Thanks Matthew

I ordered the Spiderbrace 2 for my DVX, can't wait to get my hands on it!

Well you kind of need a lanc controller to zoom on a Spiderbrace, but with the controller it's pretty awesome for zooms.

One thing to keep in mind if you're using an FX1 or Z1... the LANC controller doesn't give you anywhere near the full range of zoom speeds possible with the camera. This is been one of my only disappointments with my Z1. If you want the really slow, subtle zooms the camera is capable of then you need to use the rocker switch. See the following for more info: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=55047

Of course with the A1, the opposite is true. The Lanc controller gives you much better control of the zoom than the tiny built in rocker. To me, the main issue is how steady I can hold the camera while I'm working the zoom, and the lanc controller is better. Even on a tripod, touching controls on the body of the camera makes the camera move a little. I use a lanc control all the time.