MOVCAM Knight 202

[Sanjin Svajger]

Hi all! :)

I was wondering if somebody could help me decide with a certain buy. I'm thinking of buying the knight 202 steadicam. This is the 202 not the 202a. It's weight capacity is 11kg. It's mostly gonna be used with smaller form cameras like the hpx 171 or maybe the new AF100 when it gets out:) or even a 5D or...well you get the idea:)

Link: STEADY KNIGHT D-202 MOVCAM

Does anybody have experience with this stabilizer? Is it considered as a good stabilizer? It looks good to me:) I can get it 20% cheaper....

Thanks!!!

[Robert Wall]

I don't have any experience with either, but it looks to me like it has the same lift capacity (actually less range on the lower end) as the Steadicam Zephyr which is half the price, brand new, and probably a better made product, with better support after purchase.

[Sanjin Svajger]

Hm... Interesting. Haven't seen this yet. But the price is way higher then the knight. The standard Zephyr package with an SD monitor comes at 9k - while I can get the knight for 5k.

[Robert Wall]

Well then I'd say you're doing pretty good and to get that - the site you linked to listed it at almost $25,000.

[Sanjin Svajger]

Yes I see. It's 17.000 €. I don't know anything about that price. This is the item I'm considering: MOVCAM Knight D202 Camera Stabilizer

[Mike Marriage]

Sanjin, I would be very wary of these cheap Chinese stabilizers.

IMO you'd be much better off with a second hand Steadicam branded rig. The Flyer is a decent rig, if a little small. There are also a few decent rigs from Glidecam. I used to own a V25 which performed surprisingly well and on the whole was well made. I have seen second hand V25s sell for around $5K.

Definitely try before you buy or you may regret it. Cheap junk isn't a good investment.

[Sanjin Svajger]

Originally Posted by Mike Marriage

Sanjin, I would be very wary of these cheap Chinese stabilizers.

IMO you'd be much better off with a second hand Steadicam branded rig. The Flyer is a decent rig, if a little small. There are also a few decent rigs from Glidecam. I used to own a V25 which performed surprisingly well and on the whole was well made. I have seen second hand V25s sell for around $5K.

Definitely try before you buy or you may regret it. Cheap junk isn't a good investment.

Since when is MOVCAM Chinese? Isn't movcam a good company? It's an EXdemo model used only a couple of times...

[Mike Marriage]

Originally Posted by Sanjin Svajger

Since when is MOVCAM Chinese? Isn't movcam a good company? It's an EXdemo model used only a couple of times...

Do a Google search.

Many of their products appear to be superficial copies of other manufacturers products. This makes me question their design process. I can personally recommend Steadicam/Tiffen and Glidecam as companies, although I wouldn't recommend the lower end Glidecam rigs.

The Movcam rigs may look nice but I have heard bad reports on how they function so I would be wary. Quality stabilizers are expensive for good reason and cheap ones always have corners cut.

[Sanjin Svajger]

Originally Posted by Mike Marriage

The Movcam rigs may look nice but I have heard bad reports on how they function so I would be wary. Quality stabilizers are expensive for good reason and cheap ones always have corners cut.

I'll check it out. Thanks for the warning. But just to clarify this isn't a cheap stabilizer - a new one comes at somewhere in between of 8k and 10k €. And it can handle only 11kg of weight...