Camcorder stabiliser for on snow use

[SunSurfer]

Been searching the Net for video camera stabilisers that will work under the conditions of blasting down the slopes.

Best results I've seen so far are from this Italian design, the Sanda 100.

Form your own opinion.

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nhU_GMs6iGA" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="560"></iframe>

SunSurfer

[SunSurfer]

Another, simpler design, able to be easily made in a home workshop (search YouTube), is the Fig Rig.

Here a professional film maker explains why he used a fig rig style stabiliser to help him make his film on the effects of global warming told through the eyes of snowboarders.

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1d_c_v8ebuQ" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="425"></iframe>

SunSurfer

[Gcarve]

The Fig Rig is very cool. I've seen some similar devices being used here in the US, they were more of a sideways "U" shaped grip.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

The Fig Rig is very cool. I've seen some similar devices being used here in the US, they were more of a sideways "U" shaped grip.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Manfrotto-595B-Fig-Rig-Camera-Stabilizer-System-/170648872184?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bb7724f8

[Gcarve]

This is the "U" shaped one that I've seen being used on the local slopes.

[philw]

Best results I've seen so far are from this Italian design, the Sanda 100.

Yes, that looks good.

The Fig Rig I've seen before, but I'm unconvinced that approach will be sufficient.

I can't find anyone selling the Sanda 100 though... anyone know a source?

[philw]

To continue with a long an honourable tradition of talking to myself...

A little research reveals quite a lot.

The OP's video was shot using a gimbal-type device. Those are types of Steadicam, although that term is probably trademarked.

So the U-shaped thing isn't the same thing, although it will probably make it easier to handle the camera, it has no gimbal, counter-weights or damping. In my view those are in the same class as the (Manfrotto distributed) Fig Rig - they're just fancy handles to holding the thing, which isn't really solving the problem in my view.

There are a handful of "Steadicam" type devices. I'm interested in only DSLR steadicams. Suitable gadgets include the following, for which you'll find multiple reviews and comparisons online. The catch is that they're using them to do things like video people walking, which may not be relevant to performance whilst snowboarding.

The contenders include:

1. The Steadicam Merlin. This is the Rolls-Royce of the DSLR market costing about 600 of whatever your currency is. It looks well engineered and you can buy it at my local Pro dealer. This one is a cueve with a join in it, to spread the counter weights through space.
   
2. Glidecam devices. The HD2000 or HD1000 would appear suitable. Cheaper than the Merlin (eg 450 units), uses an offset handle. This is a simple t-shape with weights stuck on the bottom.
   
3. Camera Motion Research Blackbird. This looks like a cross between the Merlin and the Glidecam, with a curve but also a t-section to spread the weights.
   

I can't find any reference to the Sanda 100 other than the manufacturer's site. Perhaps it's very new. The design is different from the other stabilizers out there so it could be better or worse.

Reading the reviews and looking at the video, the main issues in my mind are:

• None of the tests are from snowboards, which must have radically different characteristics than people walking.
  
• Many of the reviews are not from DSLRs so are of dubious value for DSLRs which clearly have very different characteristics.
  
• Test footage ranges from excellent through to "I could do better hand holding my DSLR".
  
• These things seem to be tricky to set-up and use in practice, although user experiences (even with the same device) differ widely, even with the same device.
  

I checked with CoC and their pro park photogs were using two devices to help with snowboard video:

1. The Camtrol mount. That works the same way the u-shaped thing works, it just makes it easier to hold the camera.
   
2. The Glidecam HD2000. The CoC Camp B ski edit for 2011 has some of this footage in it.
   

I was about to buy a Merlin, but then one comparison plus CoC's stuff made me go the other way and I ordered a Glidecam. I'll give it a shot in our local 'fridge once I've persuaded their ops manager that it's not a lethal weapon.

[queequeg]

Fig Rig - they're just fancy handles to holding the thing, which isn't really solving the problem in my view.

Well, it's a matter of trade-offs. It solves some of the problem, which is probably enough for 90% of people out there. The idea behind the fig rig is to provide a broader support such that any small movements by your hands are reduced at the camera, providing a degree of stability. That's not going to eliminate bouncing from uneven terrain etc, but it will remove a significant amount of user-provided jitters. To my mind, carrying around something as complicated as a steadicam while skiing or snowboarding isn't very appealing, so something as simple as the fig rig seems much more appealing to your average non pro-video user. Particularly if they made it portable: All the fig rig really is is a wide grip. It's way larger than it needs to be, since you don't usually rotate video cameras. I could see making one with a collapsible pole and a camera mount. Put the mount in the middle of the pole, grip the ends and viola: you have some added stabilization in a very small size. I'm pretty sure that between something like the fig-rig, stabilization software like Smoovee, and a wide angle lens (since stabilization software tends to crop quite a bit) you could end up with very high-quality video at consumer prices.

And then there's the tooth-cam, which seems to do an amazing job, for what it is.

[philw]

It depends what problem you're trying to solve. For fancy handles, here's a recent list of supports specifically for DSLRs.

Software-wise, consider also After Effects 5.5's Warp Stabilizer. I've not tried it on snowboarding, but it can deal with hand-held standing-still stuff very well.