End Shaky Footage With Glidecam's Inexpensive, Effective Stabilizer
Among the many cameras that we’ve reviewed, several have offered various ways to smooth out jagged shots. None, though, can help much when you’re walking up stairs, or even walking quickly- no matter the digital video camera, your shot will come out a bit nauseating without some level of stabilization.
There are plenty of solutions out there, ranging up to units that cost as much as a nice new car or more. We’ve been testing something a bit more in line with consumer budgets, but that looks, feels, and works like any professional handheld stabilizer. The Glidecam HD-1000 is their entry-level model, suitable for cameras up to three pounds, but they offer slightly different versions for heavier loads of up to 10 pounds.
You don’t have to learn the lingo- multi-axis gimbals, counter-weights- to appreciate smoother shooting. And the Glidecam is almost easy enough for anyone to use- we took the pieces out of the box, and managed to assemble it within 10 minutes. However, balancing is the tricky part, and that took us the better part of a half hour, and still didn’t seem quite right. We ran tests with both Flip Cameras (too light, really) but also a Nikon D90 (which was a bit too heavy).
Balancing is required both horizontally and vertically, and each can be adjusted in two ways. Horizontal balance is controlled by the placement of your camera on the base plate and you can select from a limited set of holes. Fine tuning is done by tweaking the control knobs, though they might be a bit confusing at first (the side knob controls side-to-side balance, and they aren’t clearly labeled). Once you’ve got your camera so it stays reasonably steady, then you have to test out how it moves and adjust the vertical balance as well via the included weights and by adjusting the height of the telescoping central post. Also, changing lenses or even flipping out an LCD screen affects the balance, so make certain that you have everything setup and in order before making doing these steps.
Using the Glidecam is simple- but does require both hands at all times, which seems a bit counter-intuitive at first. Once balanced properly, the system works like a charm, and you can run with the camera or climb stairs and end up with fairly smooth footage that makes it seem like your camera is floating. Normal camera shake is made invisible, and even large movements end up looking more natural and professional. The handle/grip is fairly comfortable and we appreciated the simple snap-on/snap-off camera plate, but a word of warning: the unit is still heavy and a bit bulky, a bit under three pounds including the counter-weights.
We might’ve enjoyed a system that would let us mount the camera in a specific direction or adjust the tilt/pan. And the Glidecam also does present some issues for non-professionals, in that it can be difficult to use built-in LCDs and impossible to use the viewfinder on your camera- they suggest getting an external screen to better see your footage while filming. Finally, the lack of a bubble level is odd, as it would greatly help in balancing (they mention using one, but you need to provide your own).
You can see some example footage here, and the Glidecam clearly scores points for ease of use and offering a fairly low-cost solution to a problem that plagues videographers (and photographers) the world over. At $330 or so, it might be more than you spent on your camera though. For those on a tight budget, we suggest the simple but quite effective plastic bag method- cut a few holes in a decent plastic bag and you have yourself an instant portable and disposable ‘steadicam’. For those wanting to be appear more professional and needing a standard, flexible solution, the Glidecam is durable, well-made, and comes with a 90 day warranty.
The Glidecam is available online and in some stores.
