Camera stabilizers for helicopter. What to choose?

[Gediminas Butkus]

Hey guys,

Looking for a good stabilizer to helicopter. The mount is Tyler R44, so it's working with GSS, Shotover, Eclipse, Cineflex and some others (to what I know). I believe there are a lot of those what I don't know. I would love not to spend 100k for this toy, is it possible? Can you recommend me something good for a smaller budget? It will have to fit with RED camera and too long lenses are not needed to fit. Hoping to get any kind of answers!

 

[Nick Pujic]

I do a lot of R44 shooting. Are you set on a front mounted system or would doors off shooting work? If so, get a ronin or Movi with some bunjee cords strapped to the top of the frame and you're in business.

 

[Dominik Muench]

exactly what Nick suggested. Last time I used a Movi M10 with bungee straps out the side door and it worked perfectly. and it wont cost you anywhere near 100K

 

[Gediminas Butkus]

I have thought about Ronin, it is an option, but still interested in attaching frame with gimbal on it. Are there any chances to get cheaper option then Cineflex which costs a fortune?

 

[Kenny Mosher]

I do a lot of R44 shooting. Are you set on a front mounted system or would doors off shooting work? If so, get a ronin or Movi with some bunjee cords strapped to the top of the frame and you're in business.

Do you have any pictures of this setup? We are using an R44 with the side door off and our ronin this weekend and I would love to use this setup. I was originally planning on using our Easy Rig + Serene arm but I would love to get the rig off my body.

Thanks Nick!

 

[Tobias Heilmann-Schuricht]

I would love to see a picture of this set up as well. We are currently prepping and testing for a shoot with our G-Rig (g-rig.com) and a self designed construction for a Jet Ranger. The one thing we are "worried" about are the vibrations of the Jet Ranger itself, not as much the flight movements.

Best,
Tobias

 

[Nick Pujic]

Sorry guys I didn't get a chance to snap a pic of the setup. Will do next time we are up in the helo. I did however find a pic of a similar setup minus a gimbal from previous posts on this forum. See below. Replace the ropes with bungees and you're in business.

However, the rig is quite simple. Balance your camera on the Ronin or Movi. Get two heavy duty bungee cords and attach them to the top of the door frame (once the doors are removed). Loop them around the cross brace that the two handles attach to the gimbal (this is the horizontal cross-bar, the longest piece of the gimbal), loop the bungees back up to the frame. This will give you a 4th axis of stabilization (up and down) while in the chopper and works in conjunction with the gimbal's 3 axis stabilization.

This setup works equally well in a vehicle, and takes only minutes to setup with no permanent modifications to the chopper or vehicle. And EZ rig works off the same principle but is a bit cumbersome in a small chopper like the R44s.

I can tell you from experience that fixing a gimbal such as the Ronin or Movi to the exterior of the shopper does NOT work. The turbulence and wind shear overcome the power of the motors and the whole system freaks out, leaving your camera pointing down or up or sideways. This is why the Cineflex or Shotover systems are in an enclosed aerodynamic dome. Lesson learned. While shooting doors off, keep as much of the rig inside the chopper, with just the lens poking out facing the wind shear. If the wind catches the monitor or too much of the gimbal, you'll be up the creek.

Hope this helps!
Cheers,

Nick

 

[Nick Pujic]

Here's a more accurate picture of the exact setup, only not with a RED and in a van. But the concept is exactly what we're talking about: http://www.cinema5d.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Bobo_MoVi_car.jpg

 

[Nick Pujic]

And here is an example of the results:

 

[RikiButland]

I use a Tyler minigyro most of the time as we can jump in and out of the choppers without any fuss.
If you just gently guide it rather than fight it,the images are rock steady.
It is a very cheap quick solution, however you will not get your nose mount shot with it

 

[Michael J Brennan]

As has been said before..…
It is generally illegal to install a camera suspended by bungee cords in the open door of a helicopter.

No legal exceptions unless it is signed off by an engineer.

Tacit approval or turning a bling eye by a pilot does not validate insurance, does not reduce the likelihood or effects of a bungee fouling a tail rotor nor magically improve your safe egress in an emergency.

The majority of deaths and serious injury since year 2000 have occurred with open door filming, it is dangerous enough without making a spiders web in the doorway.

Three cameramen have died, trapped by home made rigs.

You don't just do this at your own risk, you do it at the risk of whoever else is on board including the pilot, who may just be less of an alpha male and defer to the keen cameraman with his home made kit.

Arrange for a helmet with a visor, especially if you are not going to strap yourself firmly to a seat and also are operating a 10k mass of metal on a rubber band near your head.

Any test or shoot involving hard mounting a Movi or Ronin on the outside of a helicopter would require an engineers signature.

Most pilots are not engineers!


Pilots have blamed cameramen and directors for accidents where poor planning and moving goalposts mid flight is a contributing factor, even if they have flown into wires.

We have had a good year for low number of accidents in aerial filming, lets keep it that way.

If a suspension system for a movi works well then "bottle the idea" and get a kit certified for installation into the common airframes.



Mike Brennan

 

[Nick Pujic]

Mike, in Canada doors off shooting is NOT illegal. In fact it is recommended. The pilot I fly with has over 6000 hours of experience and is a member of SAG. He has flown IMAX Cameras in and through the Grand Canyon. Not sure what the regs are in the USA, but in Canada the only time you need a special safety certificate is when mounting any physical structure (such as a gyro mount) to the exterior of a helicopter.

As for the 3 deaths you mention, that is terrible. However more vehicle accidents have claimed the lives of cinematographers, drivers and innocent parties than that. Any time you are in a helicopter is a risk. They defy the laws of gravity. Each person makes that call for themselves, including the pilot.

Just wanted to clarify that what we do every week is NOT illegal and is fully insurable.

 

[Peter Lyons Collister ASC]

The FAA is very very specific about what needs to be certified and what does not. ANYthing attached to the exterior of the helicopter in a semi rigid way needs to be certified for that piece of kit AND that particular type of helicopter. Thus you cannot attach a Shotover K1 to a Bell 206 but you can attach a Shotover F1.

As far as door mount shooting I am not positive except that weight and balance limitations and gross weight need to be within legal limits.