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Cameras are getting smaller and lighter. People are attempting to fly GoPro's and iPhones on Steadicams. For lightweight cameras including Sony's A55, Panasonic GH2's, or Canon T2is, here's a simple DIY DSLR Steadicam (merlin style) stabilizer idea from Vimeo member KFLeung. There isn't much tooling required, it's more of an assembly of readily available pieces which combined provides you with a framework, gimbal handle, and counterweight for a camera Stabilizer. Starting with an inexpensive Flip Flash Bracket. These brackets are made for photographers to mount a Flash above the camera. When the camera is rotated in either landscape or portrait position, you can flip the flash so it still remains above the camera (i.e. to bounce light from a ceiling). This video is actually about 3 years old, but there are still several people using this method with good results.

KFLeung's first test video posted after the build

The Gimbal (handle) is based on a mini tripod with ball head so that it swivels freely. Getting a good fluid mini tripod is key to having smooth movements.

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A really simple method to creating a 3 axis Gimbal Handle most people don't think about is to literally take a mini ball head and throw it on top of a Barska Handgrip. This setup adds some size, but is extremely comfortable and acts as a decently effective Gimbal Handle system. (I can see many of your minds already at work with that idea...)

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Mini Ball Head 		Screen shot 2011-05-20 at 5.40.25 AM
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BARSKA Grip

The arch design of the bracket gives space for your hand to work, while providing an area to mount a counterweight below. At this area, you can use simple Fender Washers like most Hague or Indiehardware stabilizers. When you're done, the stabilizer folds into a small form factor.

Flip Folding Flash Bracket
find-price-button Folding Flip Flash Bracket

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Is a three wheel dolly better than a four wheel SpiderTrax dolly? It's definitely more difficult for the average DIY'er to tackle, and unless you have clear markings on the wheels, setting the rotation can be a bit tricky. There's one thing that a three wheel dolly can do that a four wheel can't, and that's rotate in 360 degrees without changing the center axis. Not super helpful as a camera movement since you can already do that with a basic Fluid Head, but if you place a stage and a product, you'll have yourself a nice 'lazy susan' style rotating table. Outside of that party trick movements are pretty much the same. Here's another version of a three wheeled rotating camera dolly (technically 6 wheels) by the same guys who make the iPad Prompter on 15mm Rails, and looks like a pretty solid build.


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find-price-button Rotating Three Wheel Camera Dolly Skater

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Vimeo member Ragnar tackles the DIY suction cup camera mount for his GH2. There are much cheaper suction cup mounts, first posted here: http://cheesycam.com/diy-double-and-quad-suction-camera-car-mounts/, but Ragnar decided to go with a slightly more expensive Suction mount with articulation so that it can mount on not-so-completely flat surfaces such as hoods, windows, and other car panels. I'm sure we all don't believe in specs, but the one he's chosen states that it's rated for 132 lbs, so even if it's half true, that's more than suffice for a small GH2. So far it looks like he's fairly comfortable with the setup, trusting it to about 50mph (with a backup safety strap attached of course). For GoPro owners, this inexpensive setup should have no issues with the mini lightweight camera.

Exact Tools used:
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find-price-button Double Swivel Vacuum Cup

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find-price-button Manfrotto 494 Ball Head

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I think i've received at least 2 questions/day since this new 'Flycam Nano DSLR' had been advertised online. It's quite confusing since there already is a Flycam Nano that supports DSLRs. This one claims to be better and can handle more weight. Of course it does! It's bigger and looks almost exactly like the Flycam 3000 (far right). Did they just swap the handle and slap on the Nano name because the hottest search term is 'Flycam Nano'? The Flycam DSLR is just about the same price as the Flycam 3000 too. To me it just doesn't make sense.. what do you make of it all?

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Flycam Nano

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Flycam Nano DSLR

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Flycam 3000

My personal opinion is that you should use the max capacity for any stabilizer. If you get something bigger than the original Nano, then you may have to end up adding more weights to the top of the camera in order to make it fly better. So do you need a larger one? Unless you're pushing more weight that the common 7D + Tokina 11-16mm (BTW you can balance a bit more than that), then you don't need to go to the next level. I have several stabilizers and the one I take with me the most is the smallest one I can pack to do the job. The Glidecam HD4000 and Steadicam vest are only called upon when I really need to carry some weight...

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There are plenty of old vintage lenses you can slap onto your cameras, and Canon FD mounts are just one type. They might not be as good as other lenses (i.e. Nikon lenses), but for the hobbyist who can't afford several hundred dollars, you can find these FD's fairly cheap. After posting a few samples of my sexy 85mm F/1.2L Canon FD lens on a GH2, a few new questions came back around. I'll start by answering a few by saying, the FD lenses work better on MFT (Micro Four Thirds) cameras than on my Canon 5D Mark II full frame. By better I mean I can get a wider aperture, but if I stop down a bit to about F/2.0-2.2 with my 85mm, i'm getting excellent results.

These lenses have a completely different look, and that's not a bad thing at all. Lens flares, softness, and contrast are all things I personally desire. It's like slapping a Holga Toy Lens to a 5D Mark II - doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's pure creative fun for the artist. There's some other fun facts about old FD lenses, and Caleb Pike over at DSLRShooter.com put together the best video with sample footage you'll find online. You'll get an idea of crop factor, usable aperture, and yadda yadda yadda. He's using basically the same adapter i'm using with the Glass Element. If you haven't seen it before, it's an oldie but goodie. If you've got further questions, you can hit him up over at Vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/17805517 [Thanks Caleb]

You can check out the video sample I shot with GH2 + Canon 85mm FD here: http://cheesycam.com/canon-fd-lens-85mm-f1-2-on-gh2/

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find-price-button Search for Manual Focus Camera Lenses

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find-price-button Canon FD Lens adapter for Micro 4/3 Cameras

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If you've got a Panasonic GH2, or other Micro Four Thirds camera, you'll know what this lens is. It's been tough to track down lately when they went out of stock because it's just that awesome for a MFT camera. Luckily I grabbed mine months ago, and it's been on the GH2 as the primary lens. My GF2 also came with the 14mm Pancake, which is another popular and highly recommended lens for these MFT cameras. More than likely this new shipment of the 20mm won't last very long, so if you've been waiting patiently here's a chance.

Lumix 20mm F/1.7
find-price-button Panasonic Lumix 20mm F/1.7

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We all DIY with what's available, convenient, and affordable. One of those materials is found in the household section in your local grocery mart. I tell ya, IKEA must be making a killing on cutting board sales. First seen on a DIY DSLR Rig, and then played a small part on a Slider, and now here's another DIY camera slider from Vimeo member TaQ Inoue.

I'm not sure it's an actual IKEA cutting board, but you can get the same hefty material there in large sizes. It's cheap, easy to cut, carve, drill, and shape. Not very clear on the details or specs here, but it's a good excuse to creatively shoot the project from beginning to end. Overall costs stated at $30 dollars. It also seems to be working out fairly well in his example video 'Littlest Mountains 2 Trailer'.

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It wasn't long before the nice discount on the 5D Mark II body expired from BestBuy.com, but maybe there's new hope. There's a special announcement for a Midnight Sale - Online Only.Starting midnight tonight until 8am tomorrow they'll be launching some additional special deals. Besides the slew of other electronics and gadgets, there's DSLR's on the list. Hmm..Canon T3i, Canon 7D, Canon 60D? Who knows what's in store, but you have to be up past midnight or online before 8 a.m. to see what's in store. Follow the banner for more details.

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visit-button Midnight Sale, Online Only, Starts Midnight Through 8 a.m. EST on Thursday (5/19)

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What do you get when you mix an old Bike Wheel, Bike Crank, and Bike Wheel Hub? You get a functioning Video Camera Stabilizer a.k.a DIY Steadicam. It will all make more sense after checking out the video above from YouTube member thomasumJohnson. Improvements? I would stay start with a smaller wheel maybe from a childs bike. This should cut down on about half the size, but still give you that nice arch. The smooth wheel hub is a nice touch, and it appears he's using a U-Joint similar to the WSClater builds for making a Gimbal Handle. But if you're not the type to tackle a 'Gimbal', Lensse can provide you with something http://cheesycam.com/lensse-gimbals-for-diy-steadicam-stabilizers/.