Steadicam Merlin

Videos and Articles related to the Steadicam Merlin flying camera stabilizer

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Vimeo member Carl throws up a demo video with the Canon T2i on Hague MMC video stabilizer. Something i've shown a while so nothing new there. Jump on over to 2:18 in the video and you find out how Carl balances the GoPro and iPhone properly. I've always said if your camera is too light for the stabilizer, you need to add weight to the top. Carl achieves this by adding a small Manfrotto tripod which works well for weight and adds the function of a quick release adapter. Now that the GoPro has an LCD BacPac, we could start seeing more GoPro Flying. Watch out Tiffen Smoothee, the cheaper Hague MMC with some small mods can easily balance a Flip, GoPro, iPhone and more...[Thanks Carl]


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find-price-button Hague Mini-Motion Cam Video Stabilizer

Now Carl does an excellent job with the Hague MMC, but i've used this stabilizer before and there's other (better and cheaper) options. The Hague is higher priced than the IndieHardware which I reviewed against the Hague MMC not so long ago. You can definitely save a few clams if you considered the IndieHardware over the Hague for your lightweight cameras.


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find-price-button IndieHardware Camera Stabilizer

If you're really interested in flying a GoPro, you should also check out another version of these type of stabilizers from Lensse. Probably just as good if not better than the rest with a price that sits in between. There's also a smaller version offered by Lensse dedicated to small Cell Phones (iPhones) or PDA's. Right now Lensse is trying to grab some marketshare and some items are being auctioned off starting at .99 cents. These small stabilizers already designed to work with an iPhone without any further modification, just might be good enough for the GoPro too. A deal hard to pass up..

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find-price-button Lensse i-Steady Camera Stabilizers

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Above is the only example I know of showcasing a Hollywood Lite Camera Stabilizer. When I first mentioned the stabilizer on this blog, the auction sold lighting fast from this article: http://cheesycam.com/hollywood-lite-video-camera-stabilizer/. This is a discontinued type of stabilizer that is designed to support cameras up to 4 lbs. I can't imagine it was very useful in the old days of heavy cameras, but with all the new lightweight Canon T2i's, Sony Alphas, and Panasonic GH2's coming around, it's seems to be relevant once again. Now i'm not saying it will fly a 7D, but for those GoPro Video makers, or iPhone Video junkies this might be an inexpensive solution. Cody left a comment and wanted to share that another thought to be extinct Hollywood Lite stabilizer shows up online again. On auction now and up for another day.

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find-price-button Hollywood Lite VS1 Video Camera Stabilizer

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You think you've got it tough when balancing your Glidecam at home? Well, you might be thinking differently after seeing this next video. Having just received the Glidecam HD1000 without testing things out, Adam was out in Africa and needed a bit more help getting things fine tuned. Talk about DIY and ingenuity, these guys took their time to make something look OEM, instead of just duct taping some random weights. Very cool video from Vimeo member Adam, thanks for sharing.

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Ok, just to say I tried, here's a video trying to explain what I do to balance a stabilizer like the Glidecam or Flycam. This is one video I never wanted to do, because there are so many good ones already on the web. If you can find the videos on how to balance a Glidecam, that's pretty much the same thing for the Flycam. There is one thing those other videos don't talk about, and you'll hear me stress this several several times in the video. This most worthy tip comes in after 5:20 when I talk about moving the sled slightly upwards to reduce that awful rocking motion while you walk. The biggest problem with people trying to balance stabilizers is that they believe they need to really load up on the bottom weight to get the camera to stand upright. That's not true at all. You'll notice I begin to dial things in when my stabilizer is slightly at an angle. Once the stabilizer is at an angle, DO NOT ADD MORE WEIGHTS! Start adjusting the top stage to center the camera. If you can't seem to balance the camera by moving it on the stage, remember that the bottom weights can also be shifted back and forth to get the camera to stick upright.

Ok, now that the camera is upright and you think you have it ready to fly, check to see if it starts swaying. If the stabilizer is swaying side to side (like a boat in the ocean), then move the sled just millimeters upwards. Try try again and do it by just millimeters at a time. For the Steadicam Merlin - you will need to adjust the 'arch'. If you own one, you'll know what i'm talking about. The Arch is similar to the Glidecam Sled. Lower it and you'll be making it more bottom heavy. Close the Arch and you'll make it 'less bottom heavy'. For the Steadicam Merlin and Steadicam JR, you can also 'unthread' the Gimbal Handle. This is a design that Steadicam uses to change the center balance ever so slightly by unscrewing the handle. Balancing stabilizers takes patience and practice. Of course a few prayers and a three wolf moon shirt might help you get there faster.

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I know I know. You're sick of hearing about the Nano and I said I wasn't going to show any sample footage of this uber cheap video stabilizer with the 7D + Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8. My first video was to show people that it does work with this weight, and I think I did accept a challenge. Every few minutes someone is saying it won't work because the weight would exceed what is listed on the product specs. Well after I shot the last video showing it was balanced, it worked so well, I had to do an example. In fact, I think some of you would be upset if you didn't see this next video. It handles superbly at this weight, and it can carry more. Believe me, i've played with many stabilizers. For something so cheap i'm surprised at the handling in this next video where I abuse the #$%^& out of it. I throw it around, spin it, whip it, whatever I could do to shake it around. Just to show there's no camera tricks, I threw a mirror in the studio. You can hear the wind pass the camera microphone as I toss the unit forward and back. Warning, it's quite dizzying footage but I wanted to show something more than just a casual walk. The demo stabilizer video was also shot in one take so there's no picking out just the 'nice footage'. This is a real look into how this thing flies with the Canon 7D + Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8.


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find-price-button Tokina 11-16mm Wide Angle Zoom

And since I know there will be additional questions about the Canon 5D Mark II, I balanced that too. The Tokina 11-16mm doesn't work on the full frame camera, so I threw on the Sigma 20mm F/1.8. This combination is actually lighter than the 7D + Tokina combo, so I needed to move the post higher up (making it less bottom heavy). The weights and all the configuration was still basically the same and I only needed to move the post upwards by about an inch.

And who ever threw me the challenge, let me know if this qualifies as a win? LOL. Check out the related article here: http://cheesycam.com/canon-7d-tokina-11-16mm-will-she-fly/

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The Flycam Nano video I posted recently with the Canon 60D + Sigma 20mm seems to have been a big hit. eBay seemed to have sold quite a few of them, and I wouldn't be surprised if they would be out of stock soon. It's happened a few times before. After posting my video with the Nano there were tons of questions about the Canon 7D + Tokina 11-16mm lens combo and if it would fly. The Tokina 11-16mm is an awesome lens for you who aren't familiar with it and it can maintain an aperture of F/2.8 throughout it's range - good for low light stuff. It's one of the top favorites for cropped cameras and wide angle flying stabilizers. (Note: Available for Nikon and Sony also, but won't work on Full Frame cams)


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find-price-button Tokina 11-16mm Wide Angle Zoom

I've worked with many different stabilizers and had no doubt that it could fly this weight with ease, but for many of you 'seeing is believing'. Actually I wished I tried this combination earlier as it seems to fly much better than the 60D + Sigma 20mm. The reason why it would fly better is because of the weight. One of the top stabilizer tips I always give out is that you should really load up your stabilizer. Sometimes I'll add weights to the top of the camera and then compensate with more weights at the bottom, just so that I can make it overall heavier. The bearing handles on these stabilizers are very strong, and my experience with stabilizers are that they just fly so much smoother when the bearings are loaded up (especially on windy days). So here it is, and I've included in the video my secret recipe of weights and position for this combination, and also the secret power hidden in the Three Wolf and a Moon shirt (gag gift).

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find-price-button Flycam Nano DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

If you're not familiar with the shirt, the history is that someone posted a funny 'review' and then thousands of others followed with their own 'gag review'. It became so viral, you'll now see this available on XBOX controllers, iPhone skins, Laptop cases, and has even been featured in Television Shows like 'The Office'. This is also another great inexpensive 'Gag Gift' to consider this holiday season for your co-workers and close friends. You have to check out some of the Customer Reviews on Amazon.com and also the uploaded 'Customer Images' found here: The Mountain Three Wolf Moon Short Sleeve Tee Hilarious!!

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Three Wolf Moon Shirt Gag Gift on Amazon

[Update] OK I lied. It worked so well, I decided to shoot a sample video found here: http://cheesycam.com/flycam-nano-stabilizer-abused-with-7d-tokina/

Other Related Articles: http://cheesycam.com/flycam-nano-dslr-video-camera-stabilizer/

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I've talked about this particular video camera stabilizer before, and have been suggesting it to many people. In my older posts i've always shown demo videos of other people using this Flycam Nano stabilizer. This time around, i'm actually doing the demo. It's an affordable stabilizer with a Gimbal bearing handle that has more range of motion than the Hague MMC or IndieHardware. It's more expensive than the IndieHardware and about the same price of the Hague (if not cheaper) depending on where you live and shipping costs. It can also carry much more weight than both the Hague MMC and IndieHardware stabilizer. The design is similar to the Glidecam series of stabilizers, and it's possible it can carry the same weight as the Glidecam HD1000 which is 3 times the price.

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Flycam Nano next to Glidecam HD4000

The Flycam Nano is a cheaper stabilizer not only because it's coming from overseas manufacturing, but also because it doesn't spend on fancy aesthetics. The weights used on the sled (lower tray) of the stabilizer are just large washers with a wing-nut and bolt combo. The finish of the whole unit looks like it's some type of hard flat black paint as opposed to higher end units that use a flat black anodizing process. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing that feels like plastic. It appears to be an all metal rig. Unlike the the Glidecam HD1000 there are also no simple fine tuning knobs. To balance this stabilizer, you'll need to loosen all the thumb screws, shift the plates, recheck and try again if it's still off. With any stabilizer, this could be a time consuming and frustrating process especially for those who aren't familiar with balancing a stabilizer. For myself who has balanced many other stabilizers, it took me less than a minute. Of course, the first time I balanced a Glidecam it literally took me several hours. I've learned to understand what to look for when balancing my cameras, and practice makes perfect.

I'm very impressed with this stabilizer and the amount of weight it can carry. I'm only using 5 of the weights on each side and the unit shipped with 10 on each side. With the amount of weight I have on there now, it doesn't feel like the unit is struggling. I'm flying the Canon 60D with a Sigma 20mm Prime lens. The Flycam Nano I ordered also came with several extra parts including extra rubber feet and wing nuts. It was packaged nicely in a box of solid foam with cut outs. There are a few parts on the unit i'm planning to upgrade like the screws that hold the weights, and changing out the wing nuts to fancier clamp knobs. There's also a small hex screw that holds the top stage to the post that seems to work it's way loose after a while. A simple lock washer will prevent this from coming loose. It also lacks any type of quick release system to remove your camera when traveling. I'll be placing a Quick release adapter to the top of this unit.

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Minimal Parts for easy Travel

It's super compact and if you decide to take it apart will fit into a small bag. It's a really fun stabilizer, and i'm hoping to shoot something worth watching. If you have any questions for me at this point, leave them in the comments section. You can also check out the earlier related posts showing more examples of the Flycam Nano in use.

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find-price-button Flycam Nano DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

Related Articles:
http://cheesycam.com/flycam-nano-now-available/

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This $24 dollar shoulder rig just won't quit. Well, we may have to change the name as the popularity of this cheap plastic design gains popularity, the price has since inflated. This unit also is being sold under different names, but I have never heard of any one designed better than the other. There's an adapter that allows for an offset, I don't suggest loading that up as it's not designed well, but the base shoulder support works great. I posted several articles about this thing over the year, and there's been several others enhancing the use of this cheap support. Here's a recent look at how Vimeo member IE DNLab used it as additional support for the Steadicam Merlin DSLR Stabilizer.

Limited in range unless you feel like squatting for every low shot, but using it for something like this will definitely provide you with longer shooting times while you save up for your vest. Prices have inflated elsewhere, but right now you can find it cheaper than $24 dollars over at Amazon. As always prices subject to change normally after being posted here. LOL. If you're interested in something I did with my cheap shoulder mount, check out this video http://cheesycam.com/a-s-s-implants-how-to/


find-price-button Shoulder Support Pad for Video Camcorder

But if you're looking to step up your dollars a little bit, the Gliders Shoulder Support has the same functionality, with a bit more quality in parts.
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find-price-button Gliders Shoulder Adjustable Support Camera Mount

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Some bit of news going out to all the iPhone Fanboys (and FanGirls). It's been a long long time since the annoucement of the Tiffen Smoothee. The 'Smoothee' is a Steadicam Merlin like device originally designed as a stabilizer for the iPhone, but it doesn't look too difficult to port something like that to support other cameras as well. The handle on the Smoothee looks like the exact same design from the Steadicam Merlin, which is very effective in stabilizing movement from walking or running. I originally posted about this stabilizer way back in May. Looks like Tiffen just missed the boat on the iPhone 4 launch, but better late than never.

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They just opened up a form you can submit if you want to register for some spam as someone interested in the Tiffen Smoothee, that should be released in limited quantities around December. If you decide to drop your name down on the form, do me a favor and leave this website address in the comments, i'm hoping they'll send me something for a test drive LOL!. Here's the link: https://www.tiffen.com/steadicam_smoothee_signup_form.html.

More information about the Tiffen Smoothee Video Stabilizer for the iPhone can be found here: https://www.tiffen.com/smoothee_home.html