One of you asked me to write about DIY steadicam for DSLR cameras. Since I don't have a DSLR photo/video camera I figured you could use the tips and tricks from Cheesycam.com.
The blog is specialized in DIY photo and video projects like camera rigs, workflow, video shooting, camera stabilizers, etc. You will also find lots of information on professional video gear (reviews), studio lights and techniques.
In these videos you can see two types of glidecam for heavier cameras - both resembling the Merlin design.
You also requested a tutorial on how to build a DIY articulated arm for a steadicam. I haven't found anything yet but I suppose it's too much work so most people who build their own stabilizer prefer to to have it hand held, without the dampening arm. I believe practice can make your shooting better without the arm and the vest. See this article on how to shoot video with DIY steadicam for more details.
My current glidecam design (three axis gimbal made of PVC pipe rings and skateboard ball bearing) could be used with DSLR cameras but it needs a smarter camera plate - one that slides in two directions (forward and sideways). I have a concept in mind for that so stay tuned as this will come out as a new post in the near future. :-) This will enable you to adjust the balance of the rig much faster.
The rig in the video above lets you shoot steady footage by holding the frame with both hands. It's not a glidecam but the results are pretty impressive. You can also mount a microphone, a flash and other gadgets that connect with your DSLR.
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A glidecam is a device used mostly in professional video shooting that enables the camera operator to follow the subject (walk or run) on uneven terrain without transfering any of the bumps to the camera. Since an original Steadicam (trade mark) costs several hundreds of dollars or more, it's more convenient to build your own glidecam on a budget as low as $30.
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Since I'm no longer selling the DIY Highball steadicam, you may wanna check out these other camera stabilizers. Click on any picture.
The result of using a DIY camera stabilizer is smooth footage just like in the movies - adding an artistic touch to your videos.
The model I suggest you build consists of a PVC pipe gimbal, a skate ball bearing, a threaded bar, weight plates made of laminate flooring, bolts, nuts and washers (as weights). All the materials you need for this project are available in any hardware store at reasonable prices - basically each item is pretty cheap.
An easier version to build is the Merlin design - made of a ball joint or an universal joint and a bearing. However, I believe the regular glidecam has more advantages than the Merlin.
I use it mostly with my GoPro HD camera but it can accommodate other type of consumer cameras as well, including compact photo cameras.
I recommend you use wing nuts for fast adjustments of your DIY glidecam. This is especiallyhelpful when you want to change the camera on the top of the system - the glidecam must be rebalanced with every camera. The wing nuts will allow you to add more weights (washers) and to loosen the bolts when you need to slide them in their channels. The balance of the rig can be fine tuned better by sliding the weights than adding additional weights.
Another thing you can do faster with the wing nut setting is to lower or raise the gravity center of the glidecam. I do this by changing the position of the bottom plate (first picture below) closer or further to/from the gimbal. I simply loosen the nuts and slide the plate on the threaded bar, then I fix it in place tightening the wing nuts against each other, holding the plate between them.
Wing-nut and bolt for fixing camera on upper plate
The bolt goes into the threaded hole - tripod mount of the camera
Update: Check out the latest DIY camera stabilizer design, suitable for GoPro, compacts and DSLRs.
A glidecam or steadicam is a device that stabilizes the video camera for a smooth footage even when the operator is moving on uneven terrain. As the subject being filmed is moving, the cameraman may follow the subject and the video capture will convey a gliding effect.
Before the steadicam, a director had two choices for moving (or "tracking") shots:
* The camera can be mounted on a "dolly", a wheeled mount that rolls on tracks or leveled boards. However, this is time consuming to set up and impractical in many situations.
* The camera operator can hold the camera in his hands. This allows greater speed and flexibility, but even the most skilled camera operator cannot prevent the image from shaking, if only minutely. Hand-held footage has therefore traditionally been considered suitable mostly for documentaries, news, reportage work, live action, unrehearsable footage, or as a special effect to evoke an atmosphere of authentic immediacy or "cinéma vérité" during dramatic sequences.
A steadicam essentially combines the stabilised steady footage of a conventional tripod mount with the fluid motion of a dolly shot and the flexibility of hand-held camera work. While smoothly following the operator's broad movements, the steadicam's armature absorbs any jerks, bumps, and shakes.
The steadicam was introduced to the industry in 1976 by inventor and cameraman Garrett Brown, who originally named the invention the "Brown Stabilizer". After completing the first working prototype, Brown shot a 10-minute demo reel of the revolutionary moves this new device could produce. This reel was seen by numerous directors, including Stanley Kubrick and John Avildsen. The Steadicam was first used in the biopic Bound for Glory, but its breakthrough movies are considered to be Avildsen's Rocky in 1976, and Kubrick's 1980 film The Shining.
When building a glidecam you must think of two concepts: inertia and center of gravity. Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change its state of motion. The center of gravity (center of mass) is the point at which the system's whole mass can be considered to be concentrated.
This means that a steadicam must have somewhat a significant mass and the whole system must be perfectly balanced. The mass of the rig is given by the mass of the camera but it's not entirely dependent of that. In order to achieve the right balance for a given camera one can do one of the following:
add weights
slide weights on the the rig
lower or raise the center of gravity of the rig (with telescopic tubes instead of fixed bar)
The most of important piece of the glidecam is the gimbal. It's basically the part of the glidecam which allows you to move around with the camera without shaking it. Thus you'll get a movie-like effect in your video.
Upright position of the whole rig is granted if the center of gravity is slightly lower than the gimbal. This means that if you tilt the glidecam (threaded bar axis) it will come back to being vertical. As a measure of the perfect balance, the glidecam must restore it's vertical axis in 1 or 1,5 seconds. You basically set the system somewhere between a stable equilibrium and a neutral equilibrium.
Materials and tools needed for the PVC gimbal and threaded bar glidecam design:
a threaded bar, approx. 50 cm long, 10mm diameter
a small ball bearing (a skate bearing will do fine)
three PVC pipe rings of three different diameters
6 mm diameter long and short bolts (I used long bolts which I cut)
10 mm diameter bolts
self locking nuts for both the ∅6 mm and ∅10 mm bolts (ones that have a piece of plastic at one end - along the inner thread)
regular nuts
lots of washers (used as weights)
a few pieces of laminate flooring (any other type of plates will work as well)
a drill
a jigsaw
a hacksaw
a vise
wrenches
pliers
Prepare the bearing
Most of the times the bearing won't fit perfectly into the small PVC ring. If the bearing is too small then you can add a few layers of duct tape. If the bearing is too big for the plastic pipe then you can heat the pipe, and fit it on the bearing while it's warm/hot and malleable.
In my case the bearing was smaller than the diameter of the inner ring and I used duct tape. I ensured the bearing remained firm inside the ring by piercing the ring and the duct tape all the way through - until it reached the bearing - with a hot thin nail in about six points on the lateral side of the ring - just a low tech solution for rivets. I also added super glue inside the ring before sliding the bearing into its place.
Duct tape was used on the threaded bar as well in order to accommodate the bearing better. The bearing was slid onto the bar and fixed in place with two nuts which were tightened against each other - the outer diameter of the nuts was no bigger than the inner diameter of the bearing. This allowed the bearing to spin freely.
Make the gimbal - the core of the system
Use three rings of PVC pipe to make your gimbal. The rings must be drilled sideways and each set of two holes must be diametrically opposed. The smallest ring will have two holes, the middle ring four holes and the third ring (outer) will have either two holes or four holes (if you want to add a handle to the gimbal).
In the end you'll have a set of three concentric rings, each spinning on an axis that is perpendicular to the axis of the next bigger ring. Use self locking nuts or add super glue to the thread of the bolts - this will keep the nuts in place and will hold the gimbal. Leave some leeway between the nuts so the plastic rings can spin easily - if the nuts are too close there will be drag in the system which will prevent it from working smoothly.
You can make the holes using a hot nail that you can push through the plastic rings or you can simply drill them.
Cut the weight plates and the camera support plate
Use any type of plates - aluminum, hard plastic, wood, etc. I used 8 mm thick pieces of laminate flooring and a jigsaw.
Cut an upper plate (camera holder) with a sliding channel and a set of holes for mounting the camera using it's tripod threaded hole. An "Y" shaped plate is needed for additional weights below the camera - opt for slide channels again as to adjust the balance faster by sliding weights closer or further to/from the main axis of the system. The third plate will be used for the bottom weights (below the gimbal).
If you use heavy material, the plates themselves will act as weights and you may not need so many washers for balancing the rig.
Assemble your camera stabilizer
Put all parts together on the main axis using nuts and washers and then balance the system adding weights. Place the camera on the upper plate and adjust the steadicam accordingly. Look for an upright position of the threaded bar and make sure the camera stays horizontal.
Balancing the glidecam can be tedious but it's important to get it right if you want it to function properly.
Please note that you can also do the Merlin design - which is simpler than the PVC gimbal system. It consists of an arch and a gimbal made either of a ball joint or of a double joint (universal joint) and a bearing. Some say the ball joint creates too much friction and thus is inefficient. A double joint and a bearing seem to work better for this type of steadicam.
The only type of a double joint I was able to find was the one in a spark plug wrench. I guess I'm gonna buy one and use it in my next project...
How to Balance Your Glidecam - Demonstration Videos
DIY Merlin Steadicam VideoDIY Glidecam - Gimbal with HandleDIY 11$ GlidecamMy Glidecam Test Video Notice my home made fingerboard - training for climbing - in the steadicam test footage. Special thanks to Kornel Cseri - a Facebook friend who suggested the slide channel feature for my glidecam! For further inspiration, he pointed out the above how to videos as well. Cheers man!
Have you built a glidecam? Share your outdoor videos, glidecam tips and video advice with the community.
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