{"id":30968,"date":"2015-08-20T17:53:51","date_gmt":"2015-08-20T21:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/?p=30968"},"modified":"2024-05-30T13:26:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T17:26:00","slug":"shooting-video-with-a-stabilized-gimbal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/shooting-video-with-a-stabilized-gimbal\/","title":{"rendered":"First steps in shooting video with a stabilized gimbal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/136803700\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1>First steps in shooting video with a stabilized gimbal<\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\">[Testing out the Defy G2x gimbal, with a test run one evening in Times Square. <\/span><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Here is some of the (random) footage as I played with it to get a hang of its response and handling.]<\/span><\/p>\n<p>That smooth, fluid movement when shooting video with the camera moving, used to be the domain of cinema or higher-end productions because of the cost of the gear. Recently however, stabilized gimbals have appeared on the market around the $5,000 mark &#8230; and then the more accessible, smaller units at around the $2,000 point. Suddenly, these items were more within reach of everyone who aspired to add another slick level to their videography &#8211; sweeping cinematic movement of the camera while following the subject.<\/p>\n<p>Mechanically balanced devices, such as the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/579907-REG\/Glidecam_HD_2000_HD2000_Stabilizer_System.html\/BI\/2096\/KBID\/2822\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Glidecam<\/a> (<em>B&amp;H<\/em>), had their fans who could create smooth movement with them &#8211; but they were difficult to balance, and difficult to master. I hated my Glidecam &#8211; it needed constant adjusting, and was heavy. So I was happy to ditch it for a stabilized gimbal.<\/p>\n<p>I rented the Freefly M\u00f6vi M5, to see whether I&#8217;d even want one. I quickly adapted to it, even though the general warning is that it isn&#8217;t a &#8220;turn-key&#8221; product. In other words, you can&#8217;t expect to use it with skill right out of the box. It needs some practice. Even then, the M\u00f6vi quickly allowed me to get smooth movement in video.<\/p>\n<p>I then tried a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1046473-REG\/dji_ronin_3_axix_gimbal_stabilizer.html\/BI\/2096\/KBID\/2822\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DJI Ronin<\/a> (<em>B&amp;H<\/em>), but it is a heavy monster that killed my back after shooting with it for a while. There is the lighter (and quite\u00a0affordable) <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1137174-REG\/dji_ronin_m_3_axis_handheld_stabilizer.html\/BI\/2096\/KBID\/2822\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DJI Ronin M<\/a>\u00a0(<em>B&amp;H<\/em>), but I decided on a different gimbal.<\/p>\n<p>I wanted something light\u00a0and\u00a0fun to use, and easy to set up. My needs for a gimbal is different than a serious videographer&#8217;s perhaps, in that I am a photographer who wants to expand his range and skills. (As opposed to say, running a video production company.)<\/p>\n<p>In the end, I settled for the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defy-products.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Defy G2x gimbal<\/a><\/strong> for a few\u00a0reasons:<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defy-products.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/video-gear\/defy-g2x-rig-inverted.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"650\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Review: the Defy G2x gimbal<\/h2>\n<p>The Defy G2x is USA designed and manufactured. This was a big plus for me, especially considering the first frustrated steps with the DJI Phantom drone &#8211; with the manual and instructions not so very obvious in placed. I really liked the idea of the support for this piece of gear being based in the USA.<\/p>\n<p>It is light and small. In that video above, I could walk through the crowd without my hands being spread wide, as it would with a larger gimbal.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, this smaller size meant that this gimbal can&#8217;t carry a heavy camera &amp; lens combination. I had to make some accommodations there. I started off with my <a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/recommends\/canon-6d\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canon 6D<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/recommends\/canon-ef-16-35mm-f4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canon 16-35mm f\/4 IS<\/a> combination (<em>affiliate<\/em>). That lens is so crisply sharp! (Here is my <a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/review-canon-ef-16-35mm-f4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">review of the\u00a0Canon 16-35mm f\/4 IS lens<\/a>.) The one challenge with a zoom on a gimbal, is that when you change the zoom length, the glass inside shift position &#8230; and the gimbal is unbalanced again. Not such a huge issue with a stabilized gimbal, since it can take up some of the slack &#8211; but it does work harder when it has to fight against the center of gravity of the camera &amp; lens combo.<\/p>\n<p>I then settled on a <a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/recommends\/nikon-d750\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nikon D750<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/recommends\/nikon-20mm-f1-8g\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nikon 20mm f\/1.8G<\/a> combination (<em>affiliate links<\/em>). That lens is razor sharp, and has very little distortion. This is a huge bonus if you are creating a video where architecture features.<\/p>\n<p>The best part of the Nikon DSLRs &#8211; they allow you to crop in camera to a 1.5 crop that still gives you 1080p video. With this, I effectively had two focal lengths &#8211; the 20mm and the crop-sensor 30mm equivalent. Both of which gave me 1080p video. No change in the balance!<\/p>\n<p>The Nikon D750 also has a swiveling LCD screen, which is a big bonus. With this smaller gimbal, an external monitor would&#8217;ve thrown off the handing again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best of all<\/strong> &#8211; you can partially see it in this photo from Defy&#8217;s website\u00a0&#8211; you can balance the camera &amp; lens combo on the gimbal, while in that position. You would actually flip the two handles horizontally. Then the gimbal itself becomes its own stand! Genius. No need to carry a separate stand around &#8230; or clumsily hold the gimbal inbetween shots.<\/p>\n<p>You can also invert the gimbal from this position, and add the handle for a low point of view.<\/p>\n<p>I also added the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defy-products.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pan &amp; Tilt Joystick<\/a> which clamps to the horizontal bar. This allows me to move the camera in a different direction. Quite elegant, and somewhat takes away the need for a 2nd person to monitor and control the gimbal.<\/p>\n<p>With the way this gimbal rests on its own handles so you can balance it &#8211; combined with its smaller size &#8211; this is as close to a non-clumsy one-person setup as you&#8217;ll probably get.<\/p>\n<p>[ For more videos, follow me on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/neilvn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vimeo<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/NeilvanNiekerk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Summary<\/h2>\n<p><div class='one_half'>\n\t\t\t\t\tThis video clip at the top was a first outing on the streets with this gimbal, other than just testing it out in the studio.<br clear=\"all\" \/><br clear=\"all\" \/>One thing was immediately clear with any of the gimbals I have used &#8211; if you hesitate in your movement, it shows very clearly in the shot. You need to be specific about your movement, and follow through firmly.<br clear=\"all\" \/><br clear=\"all\" \/>It will take a bit of time to get used to its handling, and how it responds to specific movement &#8211; but I already like these initial random test segments. With practice the movements will become more fluid still.<br clear=\"all\" \/><br clear=\"all\" \/>Early days, but I am excited to have added this device to my arsenal of cool toys.\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class='one_half last'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/neilvn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/video-gear\/IMG_6402.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><br clear=\"all\" \/><br clear=\"all\" \/>And here I am &#8211; an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/neilvn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a> shot from that evening. Yes, this is my happy face. (The strap you see over my shoulder isn&#8217;t part of the gimbal &#8211; it&#8217;s my camera bag.)\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class='clear'><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First steps in shooting video with a stabilized gimbal [Testing out the Defy G2x gimbal, with a test run one evening in Times Square. Here is some of the (random) footage as I played with it to get a hang of its response and handling.] That smooth, fluid movement when shooting video with the camera&nbsp;<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/shooting-video-with-a-stabilized-gimbal\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read more inside&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43,367],"tags":[854,853],"yst_prominent_words":[10612,10606,1310,10600,6097,10604,6096,10608,10597,3452,10602,10599,6095,10610,9169,2400,6164,10601,10598,1141],"class_list":{"0":"post-30968","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-video-clip","8":"category-video-shoot","9":"tag-stabilized-gimbal","10":"tag-video-gimbal","11":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30968"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30968"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47693,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30968\/revisions\/47693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30968"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=30968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}