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Steadi Cam Advice

Jason beaumont

Jason beaumont

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Hello, I was looking to buy a Steadicam for my Scarlet W. As ive started looking, ive found a wide array of price ranges, from us to china manufactured that look identical. I just want to know if anyone could recommend a good starting out Steadicam. Something not extremely bulky or expensive. Maybe that's been around a while so it would be easier to pick up second hand.

I was looking at the David Graham Glidecam. with maybe a glide cam x10 vest and arm. Has anyone had experience with this set up or something similar? I saw a whole Cam-tree set up but it was so inexpensive it made me worry is it cheap. lol

Any direction, information, advice, would be greatly appreciated.
 
You can't just get a steadicam, you'd need a vest/arm for support since that camera will get heavy quickly. There are so many options out there, both here within the USA, and abroad. You'll see price ranges from $350 all the way up to $25k. Since you're just starting out, I'd lean towards one of those cheaper models to see if you even like it. They all pretty much operate the same way and there aren't any electronics really could cause issues. You could always start off cheaper and upgrade down the line if you really like operating.

OPing a steadicam takes quite a bit of practice though. Learning how to walk smoothly while keeping your horizon level can be challenging for sure. So best of luck!
 
Chris McKechnie said:
You can't just get a steadicam, you'd need a vest/arm for support since that camera will get heavy quickly. There are so many options out there, both here within the USA, and abroad. You'll see price ranges from $350 all the way up to $25k. Since you're just starting out, I'd lean towards one of those cheaper models to see if you even like it. They all pretty much operate the same way and there aren't any electronics really could cause issues. You could always start off cheaper and upgrade down the line if you really like operating.

OPing a steadicam takes quite a bit of practice though. Learning how to walk smoothly while keeping your horizon level can be challenging for sure. So best of luck!
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Thank you for the feedback everyone. Yeah I know I will have to get a vest and arm as well, I mentioned one in the original post to see if anyone has used it. Yeah I want to start on the lower end maybe $2000 and under, and upgrade down the line. I am very good at the ronin, but something about Steadicam operating is more attractive to me. I know it will take time to learn, I don't mind that, all I have is time =D
 
Just to throw another idea into the mix...

You can also get a vest and arm to connect to your Ronin if you want to transition into working with an arm. It's called Steadimate. I recently had a chance to work with this set-up and will be shooting a single long take with one in an upcoming short. It seems to work pretty well but I think it will take some practice.

Gimbals and sleds don't necessarily give the same end look but this is another alternative way to shoot on the run.
 
the best advice and suggestion Jason is Davids Collard offer. You will never get anything good and valid for 2k , and be aware that all chinese copycats out there will only give you a faulse idea about what steadicam really is and how it works. The Action products raptor rig is a good starter rig with excellent performance and you will be getting something that works correctly. My 2 cents after 25 year steadicam operating and making tools. Then if you decide that this is a craft that you want to evolve , you can get another pro rig and know that you will be spending every penny wisely. Its a difficult craft , it takes time and a lot of practice to get there, and more time to build trust to productions. But its worth every minute of it. be sure of that.Dont throw your 2k incarbage rigs that you will have to chuck them away later. It will be total waste. Kind regards.
 
constantine Tirintzis said:
the best advice and suggestion Jason is Davids Collard offer. You will never get anything good and valid for 2k , and be aware that all chinese copycats out there will only give you a faulse idea about what steadicam really is and how it works. The Action products raptor rig is a good starter rig with excellent performance and you will be getting something that works correctly. My 2 cents after 25 year steadicam operating and making tools. Then if you decide that this is a craft that you want to evolve , you can get another pro rig and know that you will be spending every penny wisely. Its a difficult craft , it takes time and a lot of practice to get there, and more time to build trust to productions. But its worth every minute of it. be sure of that.Dont throw your 2k incarbage rigs that you will have to chuck them away later. It will be total waste. Kind regards.
Click to expand...


Thank you for the feedback. As a professional of 25 years I'm sure you have a passion, and respect for the craft, like a purist, which is great but right now $5000 on a Steadicam system isn't feasible for me. People are making good content with much less expensive rigs and getting good results. It may not be Hollywood level, but I'm not at a level where I'm shooting motion pictures yet any way. I just need feedback on the rigs that are in my price range so I can make an even more informed decision. When its time for me to buy 5,10,$30,000 Steadicam rigs , ill be back here once again asking for feedback, but for now I'm not there yet. So like any good film maker, I'm just trying to get the best tools available in my price range.
 
Jason beaumont said:
Thank you for the feedback. As a professional of 25 years I'm sure you have a passion, and respect for the craft, like a purist, which is great but right now $5000 on a Steadicam system isn't feasible for me. People are making good content with much less expensive rigs and getting good results. It may not be Hollywood level, but I'm not at a level where I'm shooting motion pictures yet any way. I just need feedback on the rigs that are in my price range so I can make an even more informed decision. When its time for me to buy 5,10,$30,000 Steadicam rigs , ill be back here once again asking for feedback, but for now I'm not there yet. So like any good film maker, I'm just trying to get the best tools available in my price range.
Click to expand...

Whatever you do ,my advice is do not buy a chinese rip off. A glidecam is a much better choice. They have been in business for decades doing this. The chinese sell garbage with no back up and the most important fumctons on a steadicam that matter do not work due to bad machining. Be careful. Its would be best to save your money and buy something later . Or if you really want to find out about the craft , get a workshop. It will tell you all the important things you need to know and you will discover of allthose things you will never be aware if you just go alone with a chinese rip off.The workshop is a must and you get to meet some wonderfull people arund this craft that you will never regret. Cheers
 
constantine Tirintzis said:
Whatever you do ,my advice is do not buy a chinese rip off. A glidecam is a much better choice. They have been in business for decades doing this. The chinese sell garbage with no back up and the most important fumctons on a steadicam that matter do not work due to bad machining. Be careful. Its would be best to save your money and buy something later . Or if you really want to find out about the craft , get a workshop. It will tell you all the important things you need to know and you will discover of allthose things you will never be aware if you just go alone with a chinese rip off.The workshop is a must and you get to meet some wonderfull people arund this craft that you will never regret. Cheers
Click to expand...

yeah I never intended to go with a Chinese knock off, as I said in my original post I was looking at the david graham system with maybe the glidecam x10 vest and arm. ever have experience with this one?
 
I am not sure it would do you much good to get a low rent rig. Probably learn bad habits and bad techniques. Then again, it would get you in the mind set of designing complicated steadicam shots. The offer of the Raptor for $5k is a hell of a deal. If I were you I would beg borrow and steal to snap that up. Pay pal credit, credit card, whatever. Failing that, keep your eyes peeled for deals on ebay. if you come across a steadicam EFP, or an old GPI rig, something like that will fit the bill and not break the bank, but it's still going to be a lot more than $5k. The place to spend money is on the gimbal and the arm. Cheep (and even not so cheep) topstages can have vibration issues. A basic post with a battery solution and a monitor bracket should be able to be found second hand.

If you want to fly light cameras, you might consider a used pilot. It's in your price range, it's a real steadicam, and I've used it with a c-300. It's not awful.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/used...MIgf7Y_Ov72QIVk4nICh2dTw8QEAQYASABEgK9dfD_BwE

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask. I've been flying steadicam for .......fuck me...more than 20 years. I'm getting too old for this shit.....

Oh, also poke around on the for sale section of the steadicam forum.
Nick
 
Nick Gardner said:
I am not sure it would do you much good to get a low rent rig. Probably learn bad habits and bad techniques. Then again, it would get you in the mind set of designing complicated steadicam shots. The offer of the Raptor for $5k is a hell of a deal. If I were you I would beg borrow and steal to snap that up. Pay pal credit, credit card, whatever. Failing that, keep your eyes peeled for deals on ebay. if you come across a steadicam EFP, or an old GPI rig, something like that will fit the bill and not break the bank, but it's still going to be a lot more than $5k. The place to spend money is on the gimbal and the arm. Cheep (and even not so cheep) topstages can have vibration issues. A basic post with a battery solution and a monitor bracket should be able to be found second hand.

If you want to fly light cameras, you might consider a used pilot. It's in your price range, it's a real steadicam, and I've used it with a c-300. It's not awful.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/used...MIgf7Y_Ov72QIVk4nICh2dTw8QEAQYASABEgK9dfD_BwE

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask. I've been flying steadicam for .......fuck me...more than 20 years. I'm getting too old for this shit.....

Oh, also poke around on the for sale section of the steadicam forum.
Nick
Click to expand...

Do you think this pilot is durable enough for the scarlet W with a cine lens, or atleast a regular lens 24-70
 
It's rated at 10 lbs camera weight I believe. So theoretically you could fly that.

Nick
 
I know people hate on the chinese brands but I used this kit for a year or two with my Epic DSMC1 before finally upgrading to a Steadicam Zephyr and its worth a look into. I would never sell myself as a steadicam op or actually charged for it really with this kit but it actually worked very well to teach me some basics of steadicam (I used glidecam before this as well) and I got a lot of use out of it in extreme conditions, shooting music festivals and similar sorts, so it holds up. I was able to fly a dragon with zeiss super speeds, dji follow focus and paralinx wireless transmitter without an issue.

That being said it definitely ran into issues when I started pushing the weight too much, the arm would be considered garbage when compared to a steadicam brand arm.

https://www.came-tv.com/collections...-pro-camera-steadicam-video-carbon-stabilizer

If you're serious about steadicam oping vs just as a tool for your personal stuff then it's only going to be a bandaid till you save money to step up, but I'd say it was worth the $900 still.
 
thankyou for the feedback
 
thank you any ways David, I'm sure its a great deal, I just currently have a list of other things I'm buying.
 
Keep an eye out for an older Steadicam Flyer LE. It’ll fly 19 lbs. I bought one used close to your price range. However, I had to rewire the sled for sdi video and power. It works great. It is an elegant way to move the camera and it takes a lot of practice but there’s nothing like it.
 
For that price get a Glide Cam David Graham edition and the x10 arm and vest. Power it with redvolt xl or red mini v’s. I have this setup and it works. Dont expect to use lenses heavier than the 11-24 4 or the Otus 28. These are at the absolute weight limit. I use the old 5” on top with my weapon on this configuration. Its really, really on the limit but works well.

I also have the original Ronin with Tilta’s Armor Man 2. It does work but for 90% of the shots- follow subject, hero turns, etc, the steadicam, if one knows what he’s doing, is better. Gymbals require much more time and personnel to make it work.
 
Like Constantine, I highly recommend taking a workshop. I started flying Steadicam in 1991 by picking it up on my own. After about a year of operating, I took a Steadicam certification workshop, and discovered that I had developed some very BAD habits. It’s very important to learn how to operate correctly from the beginning. I would also recommend looking around for a used older rig with enough weight capacity overhead that you can grow into… There’s nothing like the original!
 
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