Glide Cam & Steady Cam
 

Hello from the Emerald Isle guys,

I've been reading this forum for sometime now, I find it fantastic the way people with the same interest can discuss things, especially how the harden pro's will share info with us complete beginners!!

Basically I have just started out in the wedding business (before it was always doen as favours!! ahhh), I have purchased an XL2 with light, good tripod etc. I am looking into iRiver for sound as I can't afford wireless mics just yet.

I've seen some of your guys footage with glidecams & it's simply breath taking! My question is does anyone know where I could pick up a cheap stadycam or glidecam for the XL2 (used maybe??) or does anyone have any suggestions for someone on a really tight budget.

Cheers,
Alan

Poor mans version
 

I tried leaving the tripod attached to the camera, but then fold up the legs all the way. Then pickup the camera holding it by the top handle (if it has one).

The tripod will act as a pendulum a bit so you have to be careful but the net affect is to add several pounds to the camera weight and dampen sudden moves. It works reasonably well.... not great but decent. your range of motion will be severely limited, but you can move left, right, up, down, and do some forward walking (be sure to roll step to help eliminate movement).

jason

Hey Jason, thanks for the tip - it sounds like a resonable alternative. I know nothing can compare to the real glidecams, hence the price they are but at least know I can try some different shots.

Thanks again,
Alan

Hi Alan

Take a look at this flycam.

I ordered it from the guy who is selling these on ebay and he is the cheapest I have found.

Yes he is based in India and I had it delivered to me in 4 days, I am based in England.

Click the link it will lead you to the flycam.

Regards
Wayne

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Flycam-Steadyc...QQcmdZViewItem

Hi Wayne,

Thanks for that link, it looks exactly like what I need & doesn't cost a bomb! Did you get caught for any import tax/fees? Also what camera are you using if for?

Thanks - Alan

Hi Alan

No import duties paid, just the price you pay on ebay.

I use the Sony DCRVX2100.

It's a pitty theres no quick release on it but you can buy it as a single item from the same guy.

I also recommend having the bodypod with it or the arm brace, it's a killer on the arm.

Regards
Wayne

Wow, that Flycam sure is an exact duplicate of a Glidecam, isn't it. Warts and all.

Alan, understand when you say "nothing can compare to the real Glidecams" that Glidecams themselves are knockoffs of Steadicam products...! And probably the biggest issue with this design is the camera mounting stage, which has exceptionally coarse control of fore-aft and side-side, which need constant adjusting and cannot be done with one hand as easily as with the Steadicam units.

Finally, that bodymounting system as shown on that page would relieve the weight but also introduce unwanted body motion into the system. The whole point of a handheld stabilizer is to use the operator's own arm to dampen vertical movement, which this mount would eliminate. Only systems that incorporate a spring arm can replicate the dampening effect. And with an XL2, you wouldn't be able to handhold it very long without Popeye-size forearms.

You might be truly delighted by this setup, but I would hate to see you get into a piece of gear that doesn't work for--it may be inexpensive, but if it doesn't achieve the desired effect, that's a lot of money for something you can't use. I would read through all of the archives in this section and see what other people are using. It is a reality that you get what you pay for, and if you are a dedicated businessperson sometimes you have to invest more money into the right gear instead of going for the cheapest and learning the hard way.

I have seen one of these. If you own one, throw it out :)

Compared to the glidecam it's garbage IMO.

Rick, harsh words... (and actually i vaguely remember it was me that originally put wayne on to that)

what's wrong with them in your opinion? i think they're 100% fine, and i use it for every wedding i do

maybe u just had a bad one perhaps?

Compared to the Glidecam it's a half priced made in India duplicate ;
all works - pipe(sled), handle, bearing, platform and weights :)
The rest, is an art of balancing,
Cheers!

The only part of a system like that that is really critical is the gimbal: quality and type of bearings, linearity/centering etc. The rest just needs to be rigid. If the gimbal is sub-rate, the photography will suffer.

Guys, I appreciate all the feed-back. I certainly do believe in "you get what you pay for". However, this alternative is hardly a give away at over 250 euro, that said I would not like to throw away my money and if I felt that this product was that poor I would wait until I had sufficent funds for the original.

I would be interested in hearing other thoughts on this, especially others who have used this cheaper alternative.

Decisions, decisions!!!

Well Alan

I'm still learning with it, as it needs a little practice but what I have done with it so far seems fine to me, like Richard has said 100% fine.

Marvellous

:o)

Wayne

Excellent Wayne, can you post up a sample?

Alan, I suggest you go to the "stabilizer" section of dvinfo, you will get much better and informed responses. Guys like Charles Papert, Mikko and others will guide you in the right direction. There are a few decent stabilzer users around the wedding boards but not nearly as many as on the stabilzer boards who can give you the info you need. Stabilizers are not so much "wedding related" as they have their own threads regarding the use and general info of the various types out there.

Comments like "ive seen one", and you might as well "throw it away" are not the kind of responses you should be hearing. You need detailed info such has Charles P. posted.

I use a glidecam 4000 and smooth shooter but like Charles mentioned....it is merely a knock off of the real "steadicam" units. You can get decent results with a lot of practice......a lot!

I do want to point out that my use of the term "knock-off" is possibly misleading. I think that the Glidecams are fine for their sector of the market and perform well enough. The fact of the matter is that the big rig that I operate is in theory a Steadicam "knock-off" itself--which means that it is gear manufactured by companies other than Tiffen (the Steadicam licensee); it's actually not any cheaper, it's just different and my choices were based on which manufacturer made the particular component that I liked the best. As a result I have no less than 5 manufacturers represented in my sled, vest and arm!

Anyway, just trying to make a distinction between the term "knock-off" and "cheap knock-off"--the latter being far more disparaging as it is less expensive but also lesser performing.

OK, here is a sample, but please keep in mind this was my first attempt to use "cheap knock-off" made in India handheld Flycam 3000 with FX1 on it,
with the large battery and a light it gets a bit heavy and after 30-40 sec balance starts suffer, will have to get vest and arm, but that I will buy only from Steadicam or Glidecam :-)
cheers!

http://66.49.133.206/fly.html

Buba - nice sample, it shows what it can do & to be honest I think it was great! For the price the unit is at I don't think anyone could complain with the results.

Thanks - Alan

It wasn't mine. A friend had one and he couldn't get it to balance properly. The handle on the gimble was too close to the shaft. We ended up removing it and adding some washers so he could do the "drop test" without the handle hitting the shaft.

Never could get it to balance properly with a PD170. We had to use the tutorials from the glidecam site to even get it close.

Two of the brass turn screws were also bent and unusable right out of the box.

Also, the lower extension is just some cheesy PVC tubing.

There's a reason this thing is priced the way it is. The glidecam is built much better.

Glad you're happy with yours. That's what counts.

Thanks Alan,
I think that will give you some answers
but XL2 is even heavier than FX1, so be prepared to get the full rig,
And again, they right when they say : it's 20% of steadicam and 80% of the steadicam operator, I've just started , and I have a long way of learnig this art.
To bring the thread back to the wedding vidography here is short sample from the latest, something like that I post for every client next day after the wedding, with the logo and phone nuber, they send that page sometimes to hundreds of people, and I remove the page from the web the day couple gets DVD. Can tell you, works great, getting clients from this kind of "spam"
Take a look, let me know what you didn't like,
Cheers

http://66.49.133.206/cristitest.html

Buba - great, I didn't dislike any of it!! Thought it was smooth & steady, nice song to, what is it?

Sarah Brightman

I just bought one on Ebay from the same guy in India. I live in Canada, and it got here in 4 days, no duty or tax.

A week ago, I had the opportunity to operate a Glidecam. For less than half the price, this one is just as smooth and well built.