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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.
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.
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.
ICYMI: Airbag moto-jacket, robotic landing gear and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-582118{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-582118, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-582118{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-582118").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Newly unveiled robotic landing gear is enabling helicopters to land on uneven ground. But that's DARPA for you; always down with the militarized robot inventions. Meanwhile motorcyclists have a new jacket that not only looks legit but uses sensors to deploy an internal airbag if danger is detected. And a Kickstarter project for the SteadXP is interesting because it can make give most digital cameras a steadicam look, no matter how shaky or untrained the operator.
Engadget giveaway: win a Scorpion EX Pro Kit courtesy of Cam Caddie!
Unless you're aiming to film the next Cloverfield-style cinematic masterpiece, you may want to consider some tools to smooth out those shots. Cam Caddie has just the thing, with kits like its Scorpion EX Pro. It includes a USA-made composite thermoplastic grip for stabilization and a series of add-ons for mounting it to shoulder supports, tripods and dollies. It's built to work with DSLR cameras, GoPros and smartphones (up to 5.1-inch screens) and can be expanded with options like Cam Caddie's 7-inch HD display to help track the action. And you know what? They've given us one of these fully fleshed out set ups for one lucky Engadget reader this week. Whether your doing music videos, Kafka-esque art films or just recording ollies down that double set of stairs, this kit will help you improve your game and mitigate that nausea inducing jitter. In fact, anyone can get 25 percent off Cam Caddie products on its site through September 19th with the code: "engadget". For this week's giveaway, though, all you need to do is head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for your shot at the big time. Winner: congratulations to Oleg F. of Jacksonville, FL.
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.
DollyCam app lets you stabilize iPhone 4 videos, we go hands-on (video)
Apple's iPhone 4 can serve as a great little camcorder when you're in a bind, but it's never been our go-to cam for video shoots. Not only is its small sensor not best suited for high-quality HD shooting, but the smartphone form factor can be awkward to hold, resulting in shakier than normal footage. A new app called DollyCam, which also supports iPad 2, helps soften the blow of the latter, letting you successfully stabilize videos -- with a few drawbacks. We took our iPhone 4 out to test a watermarked free version of the app in New York City, shooting a scene first with the phone's native app, and then with DollyCam. It won't replace a hardware solution like the Steadicam Smoothee, but it's significantly cheaper and more convenient. The only major issues we noticed were related to softened sound capture of all things (pay close attention in the video past the break), and the fact that the app can't process in real-time, so a minute-long video clip will need about five minutes to process. The app does crop your footage slightly, as can be expected. You'll also need to remain in the app as it's processing, though you can also stabilize videos later, after completing your shoot. Overall, it's an acceptable solution, especially considering the $2.99 price tag. Jump past the break to see original and stabilized clips, and browse through the gallery below for a quick look at the interface.%Gallery-130039% [Thanks, Jon]
Mountkestrel DuoPod turns your shaky shoulders into a DSLR steadicam (video)
So you've got an expensive new DSLR that can shoot video, and you've seen all of the press about people using the things to make movies and music videos. But really, you're not going to become a DIY Kubrick without the proper accessories. The Mountkestrel DuoPod is a pretty solid looking option if you're looking to do the steadicam thing with your DSLR, slipping over your shoulders for on-the-go shots. It's a little unwieldy compared to a lot of consumer camera stands, but that's pretty par for the course for these sorts of rigs. As its name suggests, the DuoPod also doubles as a two-legged stand for those times when your shoulders need a break. Check out a fittingly shaky video of the stand in action after the jump.
x-Ar exoskeleton arm keeps repetitive tasks from doing you harm (video)
The spring-loaded technology behind the Steadicam has just found another use -- the x-Ar exoskeleton arm, which attaches to your wrists to reduce or eliminate the feeling of weight. Just unveiled at the Applied Ergonomics Conference in Florida this week, the mechanism mounts to a chair or other stable object and loosely cuffs your arms, allowing for a fairly extraordinary range of motion while bearing "the weight of your arm and small objects." (Sledgehammer-wielding workers will probably be better served by one of these.) While manufacturer Equipois suggests that the arm will likely see use in factories, assembly lines and the like where workers are subject to repetitive stress, we can also think of a few bloggers who wouldn't mind taking a little strain off their wrists. PR after the break.
Chicken-based camera stabilization more effective than the human head mount (video)
As you're undoubtedly well aware, the chicken's vestibulo-ocular reflex and gaze stabilizing function (Google it!) is highly evolved, making it just the thing for steadying your camera. Of course, you need access to live poultry, a tiny camera, some sort of rubber band, and the patience and skill to befriend a rooster and bring him to your film shoots. You've already seen one loyal Engadget reader's fledgling attempts at the Chicken Powered Steadicam™, but you can rest assured that this fowl gadget (groan) is constantly in development. Check out our friend Jeremiah's video after the break to see comparison shots between a rooster cam, a handheld camera, and one just sort of strapped to Jeremiah's head.
Chicken Powered Steadicam proves poultry has a future in Hollywood (video)
If you've decided to use a full-fledged Steadicam in your next indie blockbuster you'd better make sure you have the budget -- they can run upwards of $45,000. Sure, there are cheaper options out there, some more sophisticated than others, but none are quite as amazing as this. It's the Chicken Powered Steadicam from Pennywhistle Productions and it is, quite simply, a chicken with a camera on its head, making use of the bird's stabilizing vestibulo-ocular reflex. In the video, embedded for your enjoyment below, you can see that version 1.0 didn't go so well. So, our intrepid barnyard cinematographer quickly advances to version 2.0 -- "a much bigger rooster." While the video quality is low the effect is actually quite well done, but it's the ending that really makes it all come together. Just watch the video, we won't ruin the surprise.
ReadySteady pocket camcorder stabilizer review
What is this strange pendulum hanging below the camcorder? An external battery? Some eccentric fashion accessory from the Far East? Actually, this is the ReadySteady: a camera stabilizer (and potentially a stand) designed for use with various pocket camcorders such as the Flip Mino, Sony Bloggie, Sanyo Xacti (like our HD1010 here) and Kodak PlayTouch. The device really is as simple as it looks -- it consists of just a two-part 3.5-ounce aluminum disc and a flexible camera stand, the latter of which can be stored within the disc. Likewise, the instructions are pretty straightforward: simply poke the stand through the disc, screw it into your camcorder, put a grip near your camcorder's bottom, and then apply some force onto the disc with your other hand (as pictured). Voilà! So, does this $29.99 device work? And is it worth it? Read on to find out -- an extensive test video awaits you after the break.%Gallery-101476%
DIY Steadicam for the iPhone
This is really awesome. While there are rumors that an iPhone 4 Steadicam is in production, Spencer Watson didn't wait -- as you can see above, he went ahead and built a Steadicam-type rig for his own iPhone out of some parts he had sitting around. As you can see from the video it takes, it works pretty well. While you probably wouldn't want to use it in place of a professional rig (the iPhone isn't really meant for high-motion video, and it looks like he's applied some other stabilization filters), it definitely looks better than if the iPhone was on its own. You can pick up some of the parts he used in his online store, but it all looks pretty easy to put together. All together, he says it was about $40 of parts from Home Depot or a skate store, and I'm betting it's about a weekend of work. Very cool. [via Make]
Found Footage: Steadicam releasing Smoothee for iPhone 3GS
In the world of professional film and video photography, the Steadicam stabilizing camera mount revolutionized tracking shots by allowing a camera operator to "hand hold" a camera, but keep the camera steady. This Academy Award-winning invention is now available for the rest of us in the form of the Tiffen Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone 3GS. Designed specifically for the iPhone 3GS, the Steadicam Smoothee weighs a scant 25 ounces and features the same counterweighted construction of the professional models. While no price has been announced for the Smoothee, it's sure to be much less expensive than the pro video and film versions that sell for $50,000 - $60,000. The promotional video above has several examples of the type of smooth tracking shots that are the signature of Steadicam movies. The fact that Tiffen has chosen the iPhone for a Steadicam model appears to show that the company sees the potential of citizen journalism and movie-making with the platform. One of these would be great for doing TUAW TV Live from Ustream Broadcaster on the floor of Macworld Expo 2010... [via Engadget]
Tiffen Smoothee brings Steadicam to the iPhone 3GS
We had no idea the market of iPhone filmmakers out there was big enough to support pro-quality accessories, but it looks like we were mistaken: Tiffen just announced the Smoothee Steadicam rig for all you mobile Tarantinos out there. As with all Steadicam rigs, the Smoothee stabilizes a handheld camera by means of a counterweight, and the phone cradle can also be detached and mounted on a tripod or used as a stand on a flat surface. No pricing or availability yet, but those things don't matter when your masterpiece is at stake. Video after the break.
Shoot steady iPhone video with Zgrip iPhone PRO
ZGrip iPhone from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo. A few weeks ago, I shot a video of myself riding a bike around. The result was a bit jumpy, as you might imagine, so I used iMovie 8's stabilization feature to eliminate the shakiness. The result is nice and smooth, but also artifical looking. I assure you, I was not moving that slowly. If only there was a steady cam-like apparatus for the iPhone.Check out the Zgrip iPhone PRO by Zacuto. The fully articulated arm holds the iPhone in place and several adjustable pivot points allow you to get interesting angles. We haven't played with one, but it sure looks pretty cool. Before you scoff, check out what some people have done with video on the 3GS. The Zgrip iPhone PRO is available now and costs $295US (a low-cost consumer version is forthcoming).[Via Coudal Partners]
