Do I need a monopod ?

TheArtist

TheArtist

Hello everyone,

In my little quest to buy everything I need to shoot cool stuff, here comes the stabilization.

It seems that steadycams and alike are too much expensive and I can't build one myself for a hundred reasons.

Also, I'm not lookin for the smoothest footage ever, I just want to suppress the handheld induced shaking, that's all. I don't mind a floating camera but no shaking.

Throughout my researches I found that a monopod might be THE thing I need. I've been watching videos done using monopods and it really looks great (this one for example :http://vimeo.com/14659239).

What do you think ?
 
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Tripod first. Before any other stabilization comes a solid fluid head tripod.

But then yeah, a monopod is great. We use them all the time for hand held, run and gun type stuff. The DP in our group has a killer one that will handle a couple hundred pounds or something. I have a $15 one that will handle 8 pounds :) When all that's on it is a DSLR and a normal lens that's enough.

Again though, tripod first.
 
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A friend of mine bought this monopod

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/737980-REG/Manfrotto_561BHDV_1_Fluid_Video_Monopod_W_Head.html

I used it. And I fell absolutely in love with it. And I thought I must have one. But the price is 300 bucks and I live in Canada so it would be 300 + duty (13% and then some).

I also own this tripod:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Pro-Heavy-Du...716?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e5af3e0c

Since I didn't want to spend the money, I just took, two of the legs up and used it as a monopod, and it worked the same as the monopod.

Try using your tripod as a monopod and save the money.

best,
Aveek
 
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I just saw Black Swan where the DP took a 7D into his hands, put a Canon prime lens on it, set the ISO to 1600 and walked behind Natalie Portman, pulling manual focus right out of the lens' ring.

Why do we even bother buying stuff ?

And just how come his shaking is great and mine makes people vomit ?
 
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Monopods are awesome. They're so fast, so cheap and work so well. strap a weight to the base and you've got a poorman's stedicam. Stedicams are a big headache, especially if you're using a dslr because they don't have the weight. People go nuts trying to balance them. Also, to get a truly functional stedicam, you need one the uses a vest, the ones you see all over forums work great (if you're lucky enough to balance it) for about 15 minutes before your arm falls off from exhaustion.

I don't believe you even need a head on them, you can pan and tilt the whole contraption.
 
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I've discovered something you guys should know about. A monopod coupled with After Effects Warp Stabilizer is a $2000 tripod (well, maybe an exaggeration). Don't take my word for it, try it.

One warning about warp stabilizer for moving shots, side to side it eats - in and out gets lumpy. A monopod with a little shakiness looks like a locked tripod shot.
 
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brianluce said:
Monopods are awesome. They're so fast, so cheap and work so well. strap a weight to the base and you've got a poorman's stedicam. Stedicams are a big headache, especially if you're using a dslr because they don't have the weight. People go nuts trying to balance them. Also, to get a truly functional stedicam, you need one the uses a vest, the ones you see all over forums work great (if you're lucky enough to balance it) for about 15 minutes before your arm falls off from exhaustion.

I don't believe you even need a head on them, you can pan and tilt the whole contraption.
Click to expand...

Ditto. I've used Brian's monopod (does that sound cheeky?) and love it. Super handy, you can move it around with ease, it steadies the shot well enough and there's no up & down jitters that you get with handheld. Of course, you get the same issues if you whip pan as you would on a tripod, but if the operator steadies him/herself enough it's very useful.

No replacement for the tripod, but a great addition to production equipment for the field. :yes:
 
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CamVader said:
I've discovered something you guys should know about. A monopod coupled with After Effects Warp Stabilizer is a $2000 tripod (well, maybe an exaggeration). Don't take my word for it, try it.
Click to expand...

This was my thought exactly. That warp stabilizer is borderline revolutionary for micro-budget filmmakers.

Can't wait to upgrade to a 64bit system.
 
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TheArtist said:
I just saw Black Swan where the DP took a 7D into his hands, put a Canon prime lens on it, set the ISO to 1600 and walked behind Natalie Portman, pulling manual focus right out of the lens' ring.

Why do we even bother buying stuff ?

And just how come his shaking is great and mine makes people vomit ?
Click to expand...

Because he's Matthew Libatique and you are not. :)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0508732/

That's the short answer. The long answer is that you've basically ask the same thing as asking why a world famous athelete can do things that you cannot. Libatique has been shooting professionally since the early 90s, and had probably hundreds or thousands of hours of camera-in-hand operating before that.

The really short answer?



Practice.

Also, Black Swan only contains (as I am sure you know) a few minutes of dslr footage at best. They used it to shoot under the radar in certain subway scenes.
 
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I always thought that hand shaking was human (unless you're Billy Costigan from The Departed, not something you can control even with practice.

Still, it's good to know and handholding has potential.
 
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Me again,

I've researching a lot these last months and now that I've got actual things to direct/produce, I need to buy something for the stabilization.

I have access to what looks like a cheap tripod without so much as a fluid head. For now, I'm just screwing it to the camera and holding it by its feet. The greater weight helps wiping off some of the hand shaking. But soon enough, fatigue comes into play... I've never used it as a standard Tripod. I feel like I really HATE static shots. I'm all about movement.

I've found that the Manfrotto BHDV 561 (mentioned before ) was THE Monopod for videomaking. 300$ is not that expensive for the value I guess but it's a little expensive for me.

Is there another Manfrotto I can go wiith ? Or I am really best to save up for it ?
 
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