More Camera Stabilizers
This week I was going to continue my Camera Stabilizer article by showing how to construct some different Camera Stabilizers, but a friend of ours on the forum, Captain Stevebeard posted this great tutorial for your own Fig Rig-type stabilizer that I think is great and could be really helpful.
Take it away Steve:
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Hi everyone,
We all know about the Poor Man's Steadycam that is supposed to work wonders for your shots. Well, I made one a while ago...and it really doesn't. Plus, it's just not convenient to carry around or pan up or down with. The weight system makes sense, but the principle behind this stabilizer...
...is much more effective. With the lightweight PVC construction, it won't kill your arms. With no weights on the bottom, you can move the camera freely about. Most importantly, with your hands AWAY from the camera and on the frame, it takes away almost all of the shaking.
This is also around the same price as the materials you need for the Poor Man's Steadycam too. I didn't get an exact count because the PVC was rung up with a bunch of other products, but I can estimate it to be under 20 bucks. One long PVC pipe at about 3 bucks, 8 joints and around $1.50, a long 1/4 inch bolt and nut, some scrap would (free), and any kind of soft, thin padding.
This is the stabilizer up close.
Now, when attaching the bolt for your camera, make sure that the nut is counter-sunk below the wood using a drill paddle bit. This process was shown in the Mini-Jib weekend extra.
Just cut out however much wood you need to support the camera, and leave just about a quarter inch of the bolt sticking out for your camera to attach to.
When glueing the PVC together, DON'T glue the center pipe with the bolt through it. This will give you the ability to rotate the pipe, thus tilting the camera to get a better angle.
I also cut out a piece of vinyl and stuck it on with double-stick tape. Just something to make a pad between the wood and my camera, and also grip it better. A lot of stuff will work, like duct tape.
Here's a clip I snagged off youtube to show the difference in footage between a handheld camera and a fig rig.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBAcbrKmKcg
You still have to walk a little more carefully, but this stability relies mostly on your upper body, and not walking like you're sneaking somewhere. I CAN walk normally and still have a steady shot.
So to all Mogulers, if you haven't got one, and want a stabilizer that will actually work, and work CONVENIENTLY, make yourself a fig rig.
PVC, fig rig, stabilizers, captain, stevebeard, camera rig, camcorders
The reason it isn't working as well as expected is because it is to big. You should be able to hold it with your elbows touching your upper body. If you are holding it this way, the images get very steady after a little practice.
Glad I could help out, and thanks for blogging this, Wes. Yes, the ONE flaw in my stabilizer is that it's too bulky. As explained in the thread though, the only sized pipe that had all the fitting components was a 2 incher. Guess my hardware store was sub-par when I decided to make it.
Pretty fancy, perhaps a bit bulky? Another version is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shygantic/129121710/ which uses smaller pipe and costs around $10.
This is a great stabilizer. I need to build it.