3-Axis Gimbals?

[Evan Bourcier]

I highly recommend MoVis. Yes they cost money, but they're hands down the best. I'm friends with the guys at Letus and talked to them at NAB about the Helix, and it's super cool for certain things, but impractical for others. Freefly has a system that works, and it works well. The M5 is fantastic for 90% of the people on here, and you can rent an m10 if you need a bigger payload. The majestic mode software is fantastic.

[Peter Corbett]

Yeah but it's three to four times the cost of the Helix. I think the Helix is going to be brilliant and be able to do things the Movi and Ronin cannot do. Have you seen the Garret Brown video of a Movi mounted to a Steadicam? You would have to be a giant from GoT to fly that all day.

[Charles Papert]

Originally Posted by Peter Corbett

Have you seen the Garret Brown video of a Movi mounted to a Steadicam? You would have to be a giant from GoT to fly that all day.

Working Steadicam operators spend their days flying camera payloads at least as much as a Movi and often quite a bit more.

[Dylan Couper]

Originally Posted by Dave Allen

NAB 2104 seemed to be "The Year of the Gimbals".

Hey, that's MY nickname for NAB2014! :)

Seriously though... it is.

Anyway, two thoughts on Vavaron and DJI since they've both been brought up.
1) I've been disappointed with the lack of professional quality of what I've bought from Vavaron up to this point. I would hesitate to buy pro electronics from them at this point.
2) I spent almost 10 minutes flying the DJI gimbal with a Red this year at NAB. I was... ok... It was really superb. As good as the Movi? Nope. But a pretty good value for the dollar. Als.o, I'm currently very impressed with DJI, their level of support and their gear. I'd have no hesitation buying it.

Just my two cents.

[Sam Pat]

Nice discussion. Based on the engineering I would pick the Helix, but it is out of my price range once you add all three axis of stabilization. It also doesn't come with much, even the carrying case is extra.

I went with the VARAVON Birdycam. Liking it so far!

I played with it last night and put together a quick overview in a new thread here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/stabiliz...eo-review.html

VARAVON Birdycam 2 Review: New 3 Axis Brushless Gimbal First Look on Vimeo

[John C. Chu]

Thanks for sharing the video. That is a nice little setup.

I saw a quick run thru of the setup of Varavon via Cheesycam today, it looked fairly easy.

Varavon BirdyCam 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizer First Look » CheesyCam

[Leon Kolenda]

Originally Posted by Peter Corbett

I've just pre-ordered the Letus Helix 3-axis Gimbal. I'm surprised it's not on your list. It is completely different design from all the other gimbals in that it supports the camera from below, as against being suspended like the heli-mount hybrids.

This allows the gimbal to sit flat on a table or the ground (or a crane) without the need for a stand. Letus have also patented a 4th-axis design allowing the helix to be mounted on a Steadicam arm to completely remove the "walkiness" that many gimbals exhibit and taking the weight of your arms.

The Helix is also shipping with more powerful motors than anything out there. Cost for the 3-axis is $3,975 or $2,675 for the single-axis (great for Steadicam to completely eliminate the horizon yore that arm-based stabilisers produce.

The closest one I was keen on was the Ronin, but I feel for single-operators who aren't interested in RC helicoptor use, the Helix is more practical and better designed. Pre-orders opened today and shipping in only a few weeks away. Letus Helix Deposit Program

Letus are very active listening to users. You can can check out a huge thread over on Reduser in the accessories forum. There is more here on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/letusdirect And here is a very rough prototype video shot at a NAB party. Helix ESS - 1st Test Footage on Vimeo

Anyone it's another gimbal to throw into the mix.

Whoa! $3,975.00!! It better be good. I just decided to order the AllSteady 5 Pro form TurboAce, $1,399.00 It will be here tomorrow. I can't see $2,600.00 dollars difference between the two.
http://www.turboace.com/Turbo-Ace-al...ree-stand.aspx For me, I also like that they are an American Company, and have a English speaking tech support department. They answer the phone!

[Rakesh Malik]

I just got a Helix recently, and so far I'm pretty impressed. I haven't had a chance to do that much shooting with it yet, but the first experimental flights turned out better than expected. I hope to have the follow focus rigged up and integrated in a couple of weeks, and then I should be able to use it in some actual production. :)

[Paul Mailath]

I took a punt on the BeSteady SteadyGim15 - and wasted my money - it's crap! half the screws won't adjust (the metal is too soft and they were threaded before they got to me. there are no instructions or how to videos and the company attitude is amazingly bad.

[Rakesh Malik]

That's pretty disappointing, and I'm sorry that you had such an experience. The BeSteady gimbals were actually ones that I was considering, but the combination of load capacity and system weight biased me toward the Letus Helix, and then reading about other folks' experiences with Letus' customer service convinced me. I haven't needed much customer service from them, but they've been good about answering questions and giving me advice when I needed it.

[Robert Turchick]

I just listed my Ronin in the classified section. If I had enough work to justify keeping it I would. Excellent build and software works perfectly. Used a few times with my C100 and Ninja. Balancing was maybe a 15 min job! My only concern was the weight but with the C100 being so light when stripped down, the rig was easy to handle.

[Clive McLaughlin]

Can I just clarify that Paul accidentally attributed the Steadygim 15 to Besteady when the company is BeStable.

Besteady are a whole other level of quality.

Just clearing that up!

[Rakesh Malik]

Originally Posted by Clive McLaughlin

Can I just clarify that Paul accidentally attributed the Steadygim 15 to Besteady when the company is BeStable.

Besteady are a whole other level of quality.

Just clearing that up!

Thanks :)
That is good to know!

[Paul Mailath]

Originally Posted by Clive McLaughlin

Can I just clarify that Paul accidentally attributed the Steadygim 15 to Besteady when the company is BeStable.

Besteady are a whole other level of quality.

Just clearing that up!

thanks mate - I think I'll change my company name to BeSenile :-)


BTW - I just got the Nebula 4000 lite, had it balanced in about 30 minutes and testing it now - what a joy compared the the other brand (who shall remain nameless in case I get it wrong)

[Simon Denny]

Hey Paul, I would be interested in your thoughts on this gimbal when you have had a good run with it. I'm thinking of adding this to my kit with an A7s.

Cheers,
Simon