chris gonzalez

impromptu session with the home built 2 axis gimbal and a gopro3. it is starting to get dialed in. pan is not stabilized but the horizon stays pretty level. i had no monitor but the gopro is so wide i eyeballed the framing and hoped for the best. i think the gimbal did an admirable job and allowed me get some useable footage. video is cropped but no other post was done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iI1R2bRdFo&list=UUo3OMj9gCzRMRq2DwBtzSeA&index=1

with a gimbal like this, if you use only 2 axis (no pan correction), then you have level horizon but have to boom and pan manually to compose. the AR looks impressive if you were to have a duel with Darth Maul, but does not have as much utility as a lightweight, compact rig. i foresee many more users of the latter rather than the former.

Chris, did you try the unit yourself? I see that this unit can change the industry in some parts, but I really don't understand how one can shoot with an Alexa with this for several takes, let alone a whole day. You don't have the vest and arm to hold it up for you. Only your hands. And it's not like it's resting on your shoulder. You're holding the rig away from your body. And such creating muscle tension between your shoulder blades. I've shot a lot on cameras like the EX-3 and F-3, and without any support, my back starts bitching after about 5 minutes of operating. I know this isn't supposed to be shot with for many minutes, but I don't get the physical use of the unit. Seems to me there's a component missing. LE Yes, I did try it at NAB. I built a smaller version for my Sony NEX5 and it felt very similar, only bigger, totally silent (my rig emits a high pitched whine) and much more polished, of course. I feel that there is an air of resentment or apprehension from the steadicam community and it reminds me of the time when animators felt threatened by computer aided animation software since "you don't even have to draw anymore." As I said in an earlier post, it will not replace your rigs. Yes the handheld version could wear on you, (whoever designed the EX3 was not an ENG guy that's for sure) but it would be trivial to create a mount for an arm. I mounted mine on a merlin and now it will work with my arm/vest. Yes, there will be countless youtube videos with "why the hell did he do that" shots, but at the end of the day, its all about the filmmakers that know how to use the language properly. And, yes it will scale, absolutely. It will require bigger, heavier motors for those big camera builds, but guess what, now that G70 arm is looking really nice. It will be cool to go over this thread in a year or two and see how the attitudes will have changed.

in 1976, a grip and and camera assistant sitting on a 500 lb dolly probably said something similar and just like the steadicam, now there are new ways of telling a story, and isn't that what cinematography is all about? i just got back from NAB and the rig demos were blowing people away. they knocked this one out of the park.

agreed. Actually it was because of open source that all of this innovation came about. This new gimbal technology is a direct descendant (literally the same hardware) of the multi copter, which started out as open source as well. I'll tell the story if you want to hear it, but if it were not for the RC community, we may still be in the stabilization stone age. i myself have been chasing RC aerials for years, starting out with servos. mechanical gyros, electronic gyros, helicopters with 6ft rotor spans, then muliticopters. i personally never thought we'd achieve this level of stabilization (ie, Steadicam stable). even now, i catch myself gawking at the stuff that is coming out of my little nex camera. it will not replace the Steadicam (Garret Brown got it right, it's like trying to obsolete the hammer). It will not stabilize an 80lb 3D camera rig, but it definitely has its place and applications. I don't know what to build next, a mini Revolution with the nex is theoretically possible, or a bigger 5D or Sony EX3 class rig. just wish i had access to a proper machine shop, but for now the old drill press and calipers will have to do.

yes, since it is only 2 axis, the parallaxing (i couldn't think of any other term for side to side) effect will be evident. even the video i posted above you can see the same effect. for now, just as with a steadicam, being smooth is just as important and if you really need it rock solid, fix it in post (4 words that make me wince). you can't really just slap it on a steadicam stage like a regular camera rig since the CG is not static, but you can throw it on an arm to take the weight off. so no, it won't replace a steadicam rig, but it will bring decent stabilized video to the masses and new cine techniques to the industry. here is the video i posted earlier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7dyRBDnRZo

Thought I'd run out and get you guys some quick demo footage of my homemade electronic gimbal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7dyRBDnRZo

I built one of these gimbals for my Nex5n. There is no pan stabilization but the horizon stays flatter than I can maintain on my little steadicam. It is jaw dropping amazing. Makes a kenyon rig look like fred flintstone's foot powered car. It will not obsolete the good ol' steadicam arm but it will definitely make its way into the gimbal market. For once, though, my tech is as good as what's out there! Plus, it flies in the air. :) I'll be at NAB as a spectator, but I might bring my rig to get some show footage.