stabilizer
Latest
DJI's lightweight RS 3 Mini camera stabilizer is designed to be used with one hand
Where DJI's RS 3 and RS 3 Pro stabilizers were about maximum convenience and power, the company's new model is about reducing as much weight as possible.
DJI's RS3 mirrorless camera stabilizer unlocks automatically and is easier to balance
DJI has significantly expanded its gimbal lineup with the RS3 and RS3 Pro models designed for mirrorless and cinema cameras.
DJI Ronin 4D review: The most advanced cinema camera ever created
DJI’s announcement of the Ronin 4D last year shook things up with features never seen on a cinema camera.
Zhiyun's three-axis camera gimbal houses an LED light and small display
Zhiyun has just released the three-axis Crane M3 gimbal with some interesting new features like a tiny LED light and a built-in screeng.
DJI patent imagines a drone that can't fly
DJI has quite a gamut of drones and gimbals, but most are either handheld or airborne. However, the company seems to have ground-based ambitions too, as a new Chinese patent seen by Weibo user "Machine Power" and others shows. The document shows a rugged looking land-based "all-in-one" vehicle with an elaborate suspension holding a stabilized camera. It might be a way for DJI to compete against Tero's ground-based Freefly camera platform.
DJI's Osmo 3 smartphone gimbal has a travel-friendly folding design
DJI continues to improve its smartphone gimbal technology with the launch of the Osmo Mobile 3, a cheaper and more travel-friendly version of its last model. The electronic stabilizer has an all-new folding design and locking mechanism that takes up a lot less space. At the same time, it's easier to operate thanks to a new Quick Roll control that switches the gimbal from portrait to handheld mode with no need to remove the phone.
DJI leak reveals teeny-tiny Osmo Pocket gimbal
DJI looks set to unveil a tiny gimbal-based action camera that will compete with the GoPro Hero 7, according to several leaks. Called the DJI Osmo Pocket camera, it will supposedly pack a 1/2.3-inch sensor that shoots 12-megapixel stills and 4K video at up to 60 fps. There's a touchscreen on the back to control the camera and monitor the live feed, along with smartphone support via an all-new app called DJI Mimo.
The new Ronin S gimbal is essential YouTube gear
If you're reading this you're probably a filmmaker or someone who might like to become a filmmaker. If so, you already know that the Ronin S is a gimbal: a robotic stick that stabilizes your camera. The reason your YouTube faves are geeking out over the Ronin S is that it can carry larger cameras than the previous generation -- nearly eight pounds -- compared to the 1.4 pounds of the original go-to gimbal, the Zhiyun Tech Crane-M. The Ronin S is what you need if you want your footage to look both crispy and smooth at the same time.
Steadicam Volt's cinematic smartphone stabilizer is a little fiddly
Steadicam is the company behind iconic tracking shots in films like Rocky and Return of the Jedi, so when parent Tiffen launched a smartphone stabilizer bearing its name at CES 2017, there was a ton of interest. The $195 Steadicam Volt nabbed more than $1 million on Kickstarter and is now on sale at stores. It works very well and can produce natural-looking, cinematic shots, but don't expect it to do that out of the box. It takes a fair amount of time to set it up, and even longer to master.
DJI built a one-handed stabilizer for your SLR or mirrorless camera
DJI hasn't just been working on smartphone stabilizers ahead of CES -- it also built its first single-handed stabilizer for SLRs and mirrorless cameras. As with the refined Osmo Mobile, the newly unveiled DJI Ronin-S is all about keeping things simple in the field.
Steadicam comes to smartphones with the gyro-stabilized Volt
Steadicam changed the film industry with unrestricted tracking shots in films like Rocky and The Shining, and now, it's going after smartphone users. Parent company Tiffen has unveiled the Steadicam Volt, a handheld gimbal up for grabs on Kickstarter for $139. Unlike models you may know like DJI's $299 Osmo, the Volt (built in collaboration with drone-maker Yuneec) is not an entirely electronic affair. Rather, it uses a combination of Steadicam's traditional balance-type gimbal and motorization to give you a smooth tracking shot with more control over tilts, pans and other moves.
GoPro sells the Karma's stabilizer grip by itself for $300
No, you still can't buy GoPro's Karma drone in the wake of the recall, but you can get a taste of the technology that came in the box. GoPro has started selling the Karma Grip, the stabilization wand that takes the jitters out of your Hero5 Black or (with a $30 harness) Hero4 Black/Silver camera footage. Spend $300/£250 and you can capture a bike ride or snowboarding adventure without making your friends motion sick. There's a mounting ring to attach it to wearable accessories, too, so you don't have to give up one of your hands while you use it.
Making Karma: Behind the scenes with GoPro's camera drone
A typical GoPro camera launch is much how you'd imagine it to be: Extreme sport athletes perform for the press at a beautiful outdoorsy location. But where I am today is not a typical GoPro launch. That won't happen for a few weeks yet, when CEO and founder Nick Woodman will present the company's much-anticipated Karma drone to the world. Karma's reveal will be the climax to one of GoPro's most scrutinized business moves yet. After multiple delays and much investor speculation, it's important that GoPro get this one right. Will Karma silence GoPro's doubters, or give them more to talk about? Engadget spent some time behind the scenes during Karma's crucial final stages to find out.
DJI's new OSMO Mobile captures pro-level selfies
Shaky cam shots are great for indie horror films and Jason Bourne-esque action sequences, but less than ideal for filming your family's holiday. With DJI's latest addition to its popular line of handheld gimbals, you'll be able to perform pans and tilts like a pro.
The revolution in action cameras will now be stabilized
Shaky action camera footage is such a common problem that it's almost become an accepted part of the experience. There are thousands of forum threads seeking advice about what software is best for smoothing out video that's already been shot. The inevitability of the shakes is so accepted that stabilizers (known as gimbals) for GoPro cameras have become their own cottage industry -- with companies such as FeiYu Tech making names for themselves by selling products that keep your camera steady. Revl founder Eric Sanchez clearly had enough of the situation and created the 4K Arc action camera with a gimbal built right in. The Arc is currently on Indiegogo, but you can expect more cameras like this to follow.
DJI Osmo review: A hand-held stabilized camera worthy of its price
Thanks to the rise of small action cameras, camera stabilizers (aka gimbals) are becoming more portable than ever. Amazon has plenty of these coming from random Chinese brands, but most are either poorly designed, or only a partial solution to your problem. For instance, they often lack a handset mount for those who need a live screen. There are also gimbals that use smartphones as the camera, but I've yet to come across one with raving reviews; the current options appear to be more of a nuisance due to their awkward calibration and erratic stabilization. So unless you've tried one and are certain that it works well with your phone, your best bet is to go with a dedicated camera gimbal. In terms of full-featured gimbals, we have only two compelling options so far. The first one is the Aetho's Aeon, which takes a GoPro and has its own display, but it won't arrive until early next year. This leaves us with DJI's latest creation, the Osmo, which we first saw back in January. This device features a 4K camera module similar to the one on the company's flagship drone, the Inspire 1, and it can house your smartphone as a viewfinder on the side. But it isn't just about the hardware, because like the company's drones, the Osmo also has a full-featured companion app for greater versatility. Let's see if this fancy package is worthy of its $649 price.
DJI's slick 4K hand-held gimbal is ready for action
The day has finally come. After our sneak peek at a prototype back in January, DJI's first hand-held gimbal is finally arriving in its slick true form along with a new name: Osmo. This $649 device is designed to house the Zenmuse 4K range of detachable three-axis stabilized cameras, with the default one being the Zenmuse X3 which packs a 1/2.3-inch Sony Exmor R CMOS with an effective resolution of 12.4 megapixels. Together with the single-hand grip and the metallic phone clamp, the whole package is essentially a wingless Inspire 1 and its controller combined as one. Should you decide to jump on the Micro Four Thirds bandwagon, you can also pop on a Zenmuse X5 at an extra cost.
Aetho's 'Aeon' GoPro stabilizer looks slick, and so will your video
"Shoot video that's worth watching" reads one of the straplines for Aetho's "Aeon" handheld GoPro stabilizer. It sounds kinda obvious, right? But, if you've ever walked/ran/danced/dived/whatever with a GoPro in your hand/mouth/knees/whatever you'll know it's not that simple. You thought you had an oak-like steady grip, turns out you shake like a cold chihuahua -- and the GoPro does a wonderful job of translating that to your videos. Aethos's marketing copy suddenly doesn't seem so vapid, does it? Especially once you see what the Aeon can do for your footage. Which, helpfully, you can right here in this article.
Compact 'Stubilizer' could smooth out your GoPro footage
Though GoPro cameras excel at capturing your insane escapades, the resulting shaky footage is not what we'd call production-ready. Now an inventor named Stuart Smith is looking to smooth things out with his self-named Stubilizer, a kind of mini-Steadicam designed for the GoPro's mount. Thanks to the small size, you can attach it almost anywhere you'd normally put a GoPro -- like on a helmet or vehicle, for instance. Despite the size, it seems to excel at drastically improving shaky video (shown after the break) even when you're running. Smith has launched three versions on Kickstarter, the Solo, Duo and Pro, which run £149, £199 and £299 (about $250, $340 and $500), respectively. All three use gyroscopes and motors to steady footage, with the Solo helping roll only, the Duo adding the pitch axis and the Pro stabilizing all three: pitch, roll and yaw. If you're interested in pledging, you can hit the source -- just keep in mind the extra risk to your neck with such helmet-attached devices.
Emulsio does an excellent job of stabilizing your iOS videos
Emulsio (free, but more about that later) takes a shaky video and really smooths it out. Shoot a video of up to 15 minutes in length with your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and load it into Emulsio. The app fixes horizontal or vertical movement, and even removes some shots that are just too shaky for viewing. One nice feature of the app is that you can see a split screen of the processed and unprocessed video, allowing you to increase the strength of the stabilization routines to fit your needs. You can then send the photo to your camera roll, email, Facebook, Dropbox, Evernote or iMovie. The processing was very fast on my iPhone 5s -- a twenty second clip was processed in about eight seconds, and it was obviously smoother and more professional looking. You can see a good demo video on the web. OK, on to some complaints. While billed as free, the app is just a sampler for the "real" US$1.99 version which is available as an in-app purchase. The free version processes only 30 seconds of video, and then exports the processed video with a watermark -- that makes the app pretty unusable in the real world. I think free apps should not be so completely encumbered. Frankly, Emulsion is worth $1.99. It does what it does very well, and in my view it should be sold that way. Sure, the app will get sampled for free, but I think happiness will be followed by disappointment at how crippled the free app is. A lot of work went into producing this app, so don't let my negative comments about the free app dissuade you. Emulsio supports most Apple hardware (iPhone 4 and up, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2 and up) and it is optimized for iOS 7 and 64-bit devices. Emulsio really does work. I just dislike the come-on.
