Stabiliser or shoulder rig first?

F

Foggy

I am looking to add some dynamism to my shots as currently my GH2 just sits on my tripod/head and the shots are starting to lack interest and be very static.

I have done some reading on shoulder rigs and handheld stabilisers but can't decide which to buy.

Eventually of course I will have both but for now I can only spend around £120 so it will either have to be a film city shoulder rig or a DNA 1000 stabiliser.

What would you folks spend your money on first?

Cheers.
 
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Reviews of the DNA 1000 seem very favorable and the videos I've seen all look perfectly acceptable, ok they aren't as good as the £400 or so kits but for the price it seems more than adequate to my eye.
 
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My experience with cheap gear is that it feels cheap,it doesn't provide the confidence and smooth of operation as better gear,and the worst is that you will have to either upgrade or repair it really fast. In the stabilisers world 500£ is a consumer gear,nor even prosumer.

I would strongly suggest to either save up for lets say 500£ glidecam which will give you a good starting point,or rent project to project. If you are serious about it,don't waste your money now on cheap stuff. You pay what you get for.

EDIT: Another thing is all stabilisers require extensive practice, that's why on pro sets they hire steady cam operators,who have tons of experience. Skills that you will learn with cheap stabiliser will not be transferable,once you get to heavier cameras and better rigs.
 
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Foggy said:
I am looking to add some dynamism to my shots as currently my GH2 just sits on my tripod/head and the shots are starting to lack interest and be very static.

I have done some reading on shoulder rigs and handheld stabilisers but can't decide which to buy.

Eventually of course I will have both but for now I can only spend around £120 so it will either have to be a film city shoulder rig or a DNA 1000 stabiliser.

What would you folks spend your money on first?

Cheers.
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Have you thought about a slider/dolly? The quality gap between affordable and high-end sliders isn't as significant as for rigs and stabilizers.

You can get a nice 0.6m Koolertron for £110.

Cheers,

Bill
 
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Depending on your requirements and how seriously you will be taking your film making in the future, £120 will get you a plenty good enough stabiliser. If you're on a mission to go pro and get some heavy-ass rigs, then it's not such a good idea of course, but for a hobbyist, there's no need to buy into pro gear that you'll never get your money's worth out of.

'Came' and 'Wondlan' reportedly make some excellent steady systems now. 60/80/120cm Carbon fibre 'Magic' stabilisers can be had for £115-200 (varous rebrands exist too). They will fly cams from 0.5-6kgs, which is more than enough for a casual user.

You have a tripod? Cool, then you've got a shoulder rig. Just tilt and lock the cam 90 deg upwards, and then pick it up and sling it on your shoulder. You can also use tripods for some incredibly smooth low shots too, by opening up one of the legs 90deg from the center column and holding it, with the cam/rest of tripod hanging freely.

A PVC dolly track is a good suggestion too. Cheap to make, though will you get as much use out of it as a steady? Depends how you like to shoot I guess.

Sliders can be made even cheaper, and motorising is easy too. I personally would not spent £120 on what are essentially just a couple of rails, but I like to get my hands dirty though. There's plenty of awesome DIY tutes out there for slider designs.
 
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Cheers folks,

My plan was to build a DIY slider in conjunction with this purchase,I should have clarified that so my apologies.
Right now there is no way I can afford to splash out upwards of £300 on a stabiliser,I will in the future be looking to invest in better gear in order to further my career,but in these relatively early stages I see no reason not to spend say £120 on either a shoulder rig or stabiliser in order to add more than acceptable moving shots to my work.I can always sell on the cheaper gear at not much of a loss when it comes to upgrading and I may save money when I do upgrade as I can make a more informed and experienced decision on what I feel I need.

I will look into those brands A.D,cheers.

As a side note I did a handheld,low light interior shoot today(back stage with no lighting and loads of walking) and literally anything would have been an improvement,tricky circumstances but Its taught me some lessons.
 
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Came and wondlan linky here, or check out amazon uk for some great deals on rebranded version (search for 80 or 120cm magic stabilizer, or whatever size you want). There's better buyer protection if ordering from a UK seller of course.

There's plenty of YT vids and reviews out there now too if you wanna check them out further. The majority of owners and reviewers agree that they are the best value stabilisers out there at the mo. Very well built and priced nicely. I'm considering having a play with a 120cm one myself tbh.
 
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Try and get some sort of decently balanced should rig design. It'll be quicker to pick up and go, you won't have to spend heinous amounts of time balancing, you'll get better results for less money, and you'll use it more.

But then, it really depends on the story, and what you're shooting. If you're not shooting narrative, go for the shoulder rig. If you are shooting narrative, it's going to depend on the feel of each scene as to whether a stabiliser or shoulder rig (or both) is the go.
 
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They look very nice, they do a 60cm version of it to which is a lot cheaper and I would assume can be balanced just fine with my GH2 and rode videomic.Are these rated better than the fly cam nano then?

To be honest jax I wouldn't be confident deciding when a shoulder rig should be used or a stabilizer. I will be shooting a mockumentary style piece for the next few months and whilst a shoulder rig may be the more orthodox way to shoot everything bar the interviews, I do feel a stabilizer could give it a nice and slightly different feel that is out of the ordinary. Maybe I should spend out on a film city rig and a fly cam or magic carbon stabilizer at the same time and just be poor for a while.
 
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Foggy said:
I am looking to add some dynamism to my shots as currently my GH2 just sits on my tripod/head and the shots are starting to lack interest and be very static.

I have done some reading on shoulder rigs and handheld stabilisers but can't decide which to buy.

Eventually of course I will have both but for now I can only spend around £120 so it will either have to be a film city shoulder rig or a DNA 1000 stabiliser.

What would you folks spend your money on first?

Cheers.
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Definitely a shoulder mount with the grips close to the body so that its easier to keep camera stable. I got an older version of this one from ebay a few years ago. Company from India. It comes apart and can be placed in a back pack. $167, fairly cheap for a cam shoulder rig.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Proaim-shoulder-mount-support-Steady-Rig-120-for-DSLR-film-making-video-camera-/281208127152?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item41794f7eb0
 
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Actually, for maximum stability grips should be as far from the body as possible, with the cameras mass between them and the shoulder. This puts more strain on the arms, but a counter-weight on the rear of it (behind your shoulder) will alleviate this, as well as providing more mass for stability and balancing.
 
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Ofcourse

A.D. said:
Actually, for maximum stability grips should be as far from the body as possible, with the cameras mass between them and the shoulder. This puts more strain on the arms, but a counter-weight on the rear of it (behind your shoulder) will alleviate this, as well as providing more mass for stability and balancing.
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True, That all depends on the size of the camera and how much counter weight you have behind you attached to the rig.But then again it all depends on the Cam and rig. I use the RED and ARRI on a shoulder rig but the cam sits directly on my shoulders and the battery pack serves as a counterweight. And when i use a DSLR with monitor and rig the cam sits pretty much in front next to the monitor. So i prefer it to be closer to my body for more stability since there isnt much counter weight. Also slowing down your breathing helps a lot too when operating the mount with cam. The further away without counter weight the more it will lean and shake. But it all is determined by budget of course.

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I hate handheld on a RED.

Love it on Alexa though.

I personally think a shoulder rig in this case is going to be more versatile - you can always save up and get a stabiliser as well later on.
 
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jax_rox said:
I hate handheld on a RED.

Love it on Alexa though.

I personally think a shoulder rig in this case is going to be more versatile - you can always save up and get a stabiliser as well later on.
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Agree!! Its definitely a workout with the RED. You would be surprised on how inexpensive rigs are now a days. A lot of companies in India offer great replicas for a fraction of the cost. Save the rest of the $$$ on a couple good prime lenses and a good zoom.
 
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DanielCFilms&Productions said:
Agree!! Its definitely a workout with the RED. You would be surprised on how inexpensive rigs are now a days. A lot of companies in India offer great replicas for a fraction of the cost. Save the rest of the $$$ on a couple good prime lenses and a good zoom.
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RED cameras just never feel quite balanced on my shoulder.. Even an Alexa takes the right combination of kit to feel balanced, but it's relatively easily achievable with lightweight kit and a light lens.

I'm excited for the Amira - sliding shoulder plate is going to make handheld an absolute breeze.
 
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