Video shot by my stablizer[2]

Leigh Wanstead · September 16th, 2004, 03:04 PM

Dear Charles,

Thanks for the advice.

I will try these.

Regards
Leigh

Richard Lewis · September 18th, 2004, 02:10 PM

I just downloaded "follow" watched it...well at least the first 30 seconds. (I think it got the idea) :D
Charles is right, a few more varied shots would be better.

I noticed that you also slowed down the footage and that helped to mask any undesired movement. (or is it just my Divx player screwing up?)

Leigh Wanstead · September 18th, 2004, 02:52 PM

Hello everyone,

Jason helped to convert my video to wmv. I enclosed the URL for your reference.

http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1040&st=15&#entry6338

http://www.steadivideo.myby.co.uk/pingpong1.wmv
http://www.steadivideo.myby.co.uk/follow.wmv
http://www.steadivideo.myby.co.uk/leg.wmv
http://www.steadivideo.myby.co.uk/stair.wmv

I look forward to your comments regarding to the steadiness of my skill.

Regards
Leigh

Leigh Wanstead · September 18th, 2004, 02:55 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Richard Lewis : I just downloaded "follow" watched it...well at least the first 30 seconds. (I think it got the idea) :D
Charles is right, a few more varied shots would be better.

I noticed that you also slowed down the footage and that helped to mask any undesired movement. (or is it just my Divx player screwing up?) -->>>

Dear Richard,

I have not changed the video footage except add my domain name title and mozart background music.

Maybe you need to get latest free divx decoder from www.divx.com. I have seen lots of error report due to older version of divx decoder.

Regards
Leigh

Richard Lewis · September 18th, 2004, 02:59 PM

Hummmm, how very strange.........

I downloaded Divx just to view your clip

Surley you didnt keep that single shot for 0.44 seconds in realtime??

Looks like its at about 80%

Hummmmm......

Leigh Wanstead · September 18th, 2004, 06:31 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Richard Lewis : Hummmm, how very strange.........

I downloaded Divx just to view your clip

Surley you didnt keep that single shot for 0.44 seconds in realtime??

Looks like its at about 80%

Hummmmm...... -->>>

Dear Richard,

Thank you for your interest to watching my video.

I guess the problem you faced might related to incorrect version of divx decoder.

May I suggest you to download wmv file converted by Jason which I posted here? That might got less problem than divx decoder.

Regards
Leigh

Terry Thompson · September 23rd, 2004, 12:03 PM

OK. so I'm new and probably need to be in a different area but since the divx codec was mentioned here I thought I would ask a few questions:

1. When the divx codec is downloaded is it safe meaning does it also install spyware or adware? I did put it on my wife's computer a while back and soon afterwards that computer turned into a turtle with broken knees. I ended up restoring with the restore CD. Bummer! This is why I'm cautious.

2. Also, is divx another name for MPEG4?

3. Does the download include an encode as well as the decoder?

Thanks to all and also thanks for having intelligent conversations on this site.

Terry

Movie quote for the day..."He's only mostly dead."

Terry Thompson · October 1st, 2004, 12:25 AM

Leigh,

I have watched both of you videos and as Charles has hinted, it needs some pizzazing up. Usually a camera stabilizer is used to smooth out video when the camera is moving like when you walked down the hall in the pingpong video. Static shots with light stabilizers tend to look like they should have been shot using tripods for the most part in my opinion.

Stabilizers really shine when you are following someone like on your "stairs" video or when using shots like "crane up", "arcs", "tracking", etc. I would like to see some of those shots in order to judge how well your stabilizer works. It will probably look a lot better.

I found my stabilized shots looked better when I was moving medium slow to medium fast or even running (Caution needs to be taken when running with a stabilizer of course). This is due to the lighter mass of a smaller stabilzer. Kind of like a large car that goes over bumps compared to a smaller car. The larger mass is more stable and less prone to outside forces like an moving arm. Full sized Steadicams or their copies with large cameras are really smooth in the slow shots as well as the quicker ones. Smaller stabilizers can be smooth but usually not as good as the larger ones when moving slow. The operators experience can make a big difference. As it has been said...Practise, practise, practise.

Anyway, I would like to see some video with movement and motivation... make me want to see more of it.

I did like the DivX codec and thanks for the info on it.

Leigh Wanstead · October 3rd, 2004, 09:44 PM

Hi Terry,

Thanks for the post.

I was shy to show my GS400 video as it seems that quite shaking. I just got the camera last Friday.

Here is the link.

http://www.salenz.com/movie/gs400.avi

divx format 18mb

Regards
Leigh

Terry Thompson · October 3rd, 2004, 11:17 PM

Leigh,

Just watched your latest video. Here are my comments:

Following the line on the garage wall (tracking shot) was pretty good. It looked fairy steady.

I did notice it seems you have a bit too much side to side jitter or jumpiness. This is usually caused by:
1. Too much control hand
2. A stabilizer that doesn't have a gimbal to isolate that type of movement
3. A faulty main gimbal bearing that is too tight (as was the case I had with one of my sleds but now is fixed).

FYI-Many of the handheld stabilizers on the market today don't have a gimbal. They use a stop where you put your hand to support it. They are fairly good in the up and down stabilization department but not so good in the side to side stabilization.

If you system is the latter type you have to be R E A L smooth in turns and walking. A wide angle lens is a big help as it masks the movement even more. From your video it doesn't look like you are using an add on wide angle lens so you might try one.

Here is a video I made for a demo even before I fixed my bearing. It shows non-stabilized and stabilized shots. Notice the background doesn't dance around very much in the stabilized version compared to the non-stabilized shot.

http://www.enoch.com/terry/preview_018.htm

Right click on the split4 box and "Save Target As..." to your hard drive. Open it with whatever you have that plays mpg movies i.e. the current Windows Media Player etc.

How long have you been working on your stabilizer?

Keep me informed and say "Hello" to the Kiwis for me.

Best of the best,

Terry

Cliff Hepburn · October 4th, 2004, 11:18 AM

Terry, something about your website makes my browser crash.
I tried it on IE and Maxxon's MyIE2, both same problem. It might be me, can anyone verify?

Roger Moore · October 4th, 2004, 12:21 PM

Terry, I see what you mean by the side-to-side jitteriness in your stabilized footage. You're saying that this was due to the faulty gimbal? The frame oscillates almost like a balloon being tugged along on a string, ie. not continously moving but is jerked along when the string has no more slack.

Leigh Wanstead · October 4th, 2004, 03:35 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Terry Thompson : http://www.enoch.com/terry/preview_018.htm
-->>>

Hi Terry,

I downloaded your demo1.mpg file, but I can't play it by Microsoft Windows Media Player version 7.01.00.3055 on Windows 2000 machine.

What decoder do I need to install?

TIA

Regards
Leigh

Terry Thompson · October 4th, 2004, 06:44 PM

Leigh,

I haven't had any problems watching the videos from an other computers including the one in our office. We're using Windows Media Player 8.00.00. Try upgrading to it or higher.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/.

It also works on Nero Media Player but NOT with my ATI Mutimedia Center software that came with my All-In-Wonder video card. It's very jumpy.

Where does it seem to go bad for you? If you can let me know where you were when it crashed I can check it out.

I know that when you click on "Video Page" one of them begins to download immediatly and takes some time to finish. We thought we had this problem fixed but obviously not. mmm... We'll work on it again. Thanks for letting me know!

===================

Roger,

RE:"Terry, I see what you mean by the side-to-side jitteriness in your stabilized footage."

Which video were you looking at and using which program? As stated above, my ATI software is very jumpy. Maybe some others are as well. Im know our file size is too big for what is shown.

I personally could use some help with getting better video using smaller file sizes and/or learning how to stream video as with Cody's and others video. Now there's a subject for ya!

Terry

Roger Moore · October 4th, 2004, 09:53 PM

Terry: Actually I noticed side-to-side jitteriness in demo1 and split4. But I should tell you exactly what I mean by jitteriness.

The jittery motion has nothing to do with stabilization, it has to do with the arm making micro-adjustments during what should ideally be a smooth seamless continuous movement. It's more fidgety than jittery. I watched some of the demos on glidecam's site and noticed that even they did the same thing.

It's kind of like trying to move your cursor across the desktop from edge to edge without pausing, which is very hard to do since your hand will have to stop the mouse at some point to restart the motion (unless you use a trackball, or your cursor is the same size as your mouse). Perhaps experienced steadicam ops learn to shift the arms ahead of the legs during those figets so the frame doesn't oscillate in the opposite direction every 2 seconds of a long tracking shot.

OMG, don't listen to me. I don't even own a camera yet, let alone a stabilizer, and here I am discussing steadycam etiquette.

edit: I'm using bsplayer to view the mpegs.

September 18th, 2004, 02:10 PM	#17
Richard Lewis Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Manchester and Kent, UK Posts: 256	I just downloaded "follow" watched it...well at least the first 30 seconds. (I think it got the idea) :D Charles is right, a few more varied shots would be better. I noticed that you also slowed down the footage and that helped to mask any undesired movement. (or is it just my Divx player screwing up?) __________________ Richard Lewis. Steadicam Owner / Operator

September 18th, 2004, 02:59 PM	#20
Richard Lewis Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Manchester and Kent, UK Posts: 256	Hummmm, how very strange......... I downloaded Divx just to view your clip Surley you didnt keep that single shot for 0.44 seconds in realtime?? Looks like its at about 80% Hummmmm...... __________________ Richard Lewis. Steadicam Owner / Operator

September 23rd, 2004, 12:03 PM	#22
Terry Thompson Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Auburn, CA Posts: 578	divx to watch the stabilizer footage OK. so I'm new and probably need to be in a different area but since the divx codec was mentioned here I thought I would ask a few questions: 1. When the divx codec is downloaded is it safe meaning does it also install spyware or adware? I did put it on my wife's computer a while back and soon afterwards that computer turned into a turtle with broken knees. I ended up restoring with the restore CD. Bummer! This is why I'm cautious. 2. Also, is divx another name for MPEG4? 3. Does the download include an encode as well as the decoder? Thanks to all and also thanks for having intelligent conversations on this site. Terry Movie quote for the day..."He's only mostly dead."

October 1st, 2004, 12:25 AM	#23
Terry Thompson Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Auburn, CA Posts: 578	RE. Your video Leigh Leigh, I have watched both of you videos and as Charles has hinted, it needs some pizzazing up. Usually a camera stabilizer is used to smooth out video when the camera is moving like when you walked down the hall in the pingpong video. Static shots with light stabilizers tend to look like they should have been shot using tripods for the most part in my opinion. Stabilizers really shine when you are following someone like on your "stairs" video or when using shots like "crane up", "arcs", "tracking", etc. I would like to see some of those shots in order to judge how well your stabilizer works. It will probably look a lot better. I found my stabilized shots looked better when I was moving medium slow to medium fast or even running (Caution needs to be taken when running with a stabilizer of course). This is due to the lighter mass of a smaller stabilzer. Kind of like a large car that goes over bumps compared to a smaller car. The larger mass is more stable and less prone to outside forces like an moving arm. Full sized Steadicams or their copies with large cameras are really smooth in the slow shots as well as the quicker ones. Smaller stabilizers can be smooth but usually not as good as the larger ones when moving slow. The operators experience can make a big difference. As it has been said...Practise, practise, practise. Anyway, I would like to see some video with movement and motivation... make me want to see more of it. I did like the DivX codec and thanks for the info on it. __________________ He's only mostly sDEADy. sort of from "The Princess Bride" www.indicam.com

October 3rd, 2004, 11:17 PM	#25
Terry Thompson Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Auburn, CA Posts: 578	latest video Leigh, Just watched your latest video. Here are my comments: Following the line on the garage wall (tracking shot) was pretty good. It looked fairy steady. I did notice it seems you have a bit too much side to side jitter or jumpiness. This is usually caused by: 1. Too much control hand 2. A stabilizer that doesn't have a gimbal to isolate that type of movement 3. A faulty main gimbal bearing that is too tight (as was the case I had with one of my sleds but now is fixed). FYI-Many of the handheld stabilizers on the market today don't have a gimbal. They use a stop where you put your hand to support it. They are fairly good in the up and down stabilization department but not so good in the side to side stabilization. If you system is the latter type you have to be R E A L smooth in turns and walking. A wide angle lens is a big help as it masks the movement even more. From your video it doesn't look like you are using an add on wide angle lens so you might try one. Here is a video I made for a demo even before I fixed my bearing. It shows non-stabilized and stabilized shots. Notice the background doesn't dance around very much in the stabilized version compared to the non-stabilized shot. http://www.enoch.com/terry/preview_018.htm Right click on the split4 box and "Save Target As..." to your hard drive. Open it with whatever you have that plays mpg movies i.e. the current Windows Media Player etc. How long have you been working on your stabilizer? Keep me informed and say "Hello" to the Kiwis for me. Best of the best, Terry __________________ He's only mostly sDEADy. sort of from "The Princess Bride" www.indicam.com

September 16th, 2004, 03:04 PM	#16
Leigh Wanstead Trustee Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NZ Posts: 1,276	Dear Charles, Thanks for the advice. I will try these. Regards Leigh

September 18th, 2004, 02:52 PM	#18
Leigh Wanstead Trustee Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NZ Posts: 1,276	Hello everyone, Jason helped to convert my video to wmv. I enclosed the URL for your reference. http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1040&st=15&#entry6338 http://www.steadivideo.myby.co.uk/pingpong1.wmv http://www.steadivideo.myby.co.uk/follow.wmv http://www.steadivideo.myby.co.uk/leg.wmv http://www.steadivideo.myby.co.uk/stair.wmv I look forward to your comments regarding to the steadiness of my skill. Regards Leigh

September 18th, 2004, 02:55 PM	#19
Leigh Wanstead Trustee Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NZ Posts: 1,276	<<<-- Originally posted by Richard Lewis : I just downloaded "follow" watched it...well at least the first 30 seconds. (I think it got the idea) :D Charles is right, a few more varied shots would be better. I noticed that you also slowed down the footage and that helped to mask any undesired movement. (or is it just my Divx player screwing up?) -->>> Dear Richard, I have not changed the video footage except add my domain name title and mozart background music. Maybe you need to get latest free divx decoder from www.divx.com. I have seen lots of error report due to older version of divx decoder. Regards Leigh

September 18th, 2004, 06:31 PM	#21
Leigh Wanstead Trustee Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NZ Posts: 1,276	<<<-- Originally posted by Richard Lewis : Hummmm, how very strange......... I downloaded Divx just to view your clip Surley you didnt keep that single shot for 0.44 seconds in realtime?? Looks like its at about 80% Hummmmm...... -->>> Dear Richard, Thank you for your interest to watching my video. I guess the problem you faced might related to incorrect version of divx decoder. May I suggest you to download wmv file converted by Jason which I posted here? That might got less problem than divx decoder. Regards Leigh

October 3rd, 2004, 09:44 PM	#24
Leigh Wanstead Trustee Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NZ Posts: 1,276	Hi Terry, Thanks for the post. I was shy to show my GS400 video as it seems that quite shaking. I just got the camera last Friday. Here is the link. http://www.salenz.com/movie/gs400.avi divx format 18mb Regards Leigh

October 4th, 2004, 11:18 AM	#26
Cliff Hepburn Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Boston Posts: 75	Terry, something about your website makes my browser crash. I tried it on IE and Maxxon's MyIE2, both same problem. It might be me, can anyone verify?

October 4th, 2004, 12:21 PM	#27
Roger Moore Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: toronto Posts: 99	Re: latest video Terry, I see what you mean by the side-to-side jitteriness in your stabilized footage. You're saying that this was due to the faulty gimbal? The frame oscillates almost like a balloon being tugged along on a string, ie. not continously moving but is jerked along when the string has no more slack.

October 4th, 2004, 03:35 PM	#28
Leigh Wanstead Trustee Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NZ Posts: 1,276	Re: latest video <<<-- Originally posted by Terry Thompson : http://www.enoch.com/terry/preview_018.htm -->>> Hi Terry, I downloaded your demo1.mpg file, but I can't play it by Microsoft Windows Media Player version 7.01.00.3055 on Windows 2000 machine. What decoder do I need to install? TIA Regards Leigh

October 4th, 2004, 06:44 PM	#29
Terry Thompson Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Auburn, CA Posts: 578	website crash Leigh, I haven't had any problems watching the videos from an other computers including the one in our office. We're using Windows Media Player 8.00.00. Try upgrading to it or higher. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/. It also works on Nero Media Player but NOT with my ATI Mutimedia Center software that came with my All-In-Wonder video card. It's very jumpy. Where does it seem to go bad for you? If you can let me know where you were when it crashed I can check it out. I know that when you click on "Video Page" one of them begins to download immediatly and takes some time to finish. We thought we had this problem fixed but obviously not. mmm... We'll work on it again. Thanks for letting me know! =================== Roger, RE:"Terry, I see what you mean by the side-to-side jitteriness in your stabilized footage." Which video were you looking at and using which program? As stated above, my ATI software is very jumpy. Maybe some others are as well. Im know our file size is too big for what is shown. I personally could use some help with getting better video using smaller file sizes and/or learning how to stream video as with Cody's and others video. Now there's a subject for ya! Terry __________________ He's only mostly sDEADy. sort of from "The Princess Bride" www.indicam.com

October 4th, 2004, 09:53 PM	#30
Roger Moore Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: toronto Posts: 99	Terry: Actually I noticed side-to-side jitteriness in demo1 and split4. But I should tell you exactly what I mean by jitteriness. The jittery motion has nothing to do with stabilization, it has to do with the arm making micro-adjustments during what should ideally be a smooth seamless continuous movement. It's more fidgety than jittery. I watched some of the demos on glidecam's site and noticed that even they did the same thing. It's kind of like trying to move your cursor across the desktop from edge to edge without pausing, which is very hard to do since your hand will have to stop the mouse at some point to restart the motion (unless you use a trackball, or your cursor is the same size as your mouse). Perhaps experienced steadicam ops learn to shift the arms ahead of the legs during those figets so the frame doesn't oscillate in the opposite direction every 2 seconds of a long tracking shot. OMG, don't listen to me. I don't even own a camera yet, let alone a stabilizer, and here I am discussing steadycam etiquette. edit: I'm using bsplayer to view the mpegs.