5D MkII Stabilizers

[Anmol Mishra]

OK. I have seen some awesome footage. However, the Reverie helicopter footage and the aerial footage posted here all used gyro stabilizers or 3-axis gimballs. Not sure if everyone is aware of this, but they START at 2500/- USD.
Now, I do not see myself paying the cost of the 5D Mk II again to stabilize it.
So the question is, are there cheaper options to stabilize it ? I looking for at least some dolly moves over concrete, as this is pretty much the basic of what a filmmaker would need. I cannot afford a helicopter shot, but I may mount it on a RC plane if there is a cheaper 3-axis gimball solution.
Lets say under 1K ??
Any thoughts out there ? Any DIYs ?
For the record, the Homebuilt Stabilizers site has some links
The Ultimate in Homebuilt Stabilizers!
And here are the plans for Cody's gimbal based stabilizer.
The Ultimate in Homebuilt Stabilizers!

Has anyone tried these ? Or other ideas ?

[Rod Cole]

Originally Posted by Anmol Mishra

Now, I do not see myself paying the cost of the 5D Mk II again to stabilize it.
So the question is, are there cheaper options to stabilize it ? I looking for at least some dolly moves over concrete, as this is pretty much the basic of what a filmmaker would need. I cannot afford a helicopter shot, but I may mount it on a RC plane if there is a cheaper 3-axis gimball solution.
Lets say under 1K ??
Any thoughts out there ? Any DIYs ?
For the record, the Homebuilt Stabilizers site has some links
The Ultimate in Homebuilt Stabilizers!
And here are the plans for Cody's gimbal based stabilizer.
The Ultimate in Homebuilt Stabilizers!

Has anyone tried these ? Or other ideas ?

Cody's homebuilt stabilizer looks amazingly like the Glidecam 4000 Pro, which I purchased from B&H Photo for $399.00. While it does help stabilize the camera, even with just the camera and a prime Nikon lens, for my purposes, it is simply not a good solution without purchasing the vest, which I am considering doing. I can only shoot for a few minutes before my wrist starts hurting. Glidecam does have the Body-Pod for $189 which they claim helps distribute the weight of the complete system on your waist and shoulders. At this point, I am reluctant to possibly throw away another $200 to purchase the Body-Pod when I really need either the Smooth-Shooter or X-10 Vests instead.

Here is Glidecam's assessment of the Body-Pod:

Since the support of the Body-pod is rigid and for the most part inflexible, it will not absorb and smooth out camera movements as well as a stabilizer which is being held in just your hands. However, shooting with your stabilizer attached to the rigid support of the Body-pod still yields results that are far better than unstabilized, hand-held shooting or shoulder supported shooting. Once you get used to using the Glidecam Body-pod, you won't want to shoot anything without it.

It appears to me there is no way out of this problem without biting the bullet and purchasing the vest.

From other articles I have seen about the Steadicam Merlin (good for 5-8 lbs with their vest), this too requires the vest otherwise your arm and wrist gets tired very easily.

The Glidecam 4000 will hold cameras up to 10 pounds.

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