Hi,

I have a Sony HD-SR10e and I'm thinking of buying a Sony HD1000 to start a small, part-time videography business (start-up money is definitely an object).

My problem is, I'm not sure what sort of stabilisation to use for hand held work. I like the look of the Glidecam 4000 for the HD1000 but think the camera may be too bulky for it.

The Manfrotto Fig Rig has been recommended as a possible alternative but being a newbie I'm not sure which way to turn and which would get me best value for both cameras.

Any help very much appreciated.

Matt (Goldfinger)

Hi Matt. Wait a while, get yourself down to the IOV show and try out a few for yourself. Personally I think the fig rig is a pile of steaming dog poo. Take your camera with you so you can test out the options in a genuine way. See how difficult to balance etc.

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The HD1000 is a shoulder held camera - this is far better for stability than a fig rig - it would be worse.
The fig rig has it's followers but to me it looks restrictive and pointless.

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Lowering the tone of video since 2004.

www.zaskarfilms.com You tube channel 'zaskarfilms'
JVC DV5001e (big cam), Sony PC6E (tiny cam), Vinten pro5, PAG light, SM58, Sony ECM50, Sony C-76, 0.5x convertors for sony, Rode video mic, Vegas 7.

That hd1000 has 'wedding vidder' written all over it.
I am a big fan of shoulder cams so i am pleased it has been made - looks like the spiritual sucessor to the vx9000e - I have 2 of those in the back of a cupboard somewhere.

__________________
Lowering the tone of video since 2004.

www.zaskarfilms.com You tube channel 'zaskarfilms'
JVC DV5001e (big cam), Sony PC6E (tiny cam), Vinten pro5, PAG light, SM58, Sony ECM50, Sony C-76, 0.5x convertors for sony, Rode video mic, Vegas 7.

Cheers for the advice guys - I'm down in Cornwall so don't know whether making the show is do-able or not but it's god to hear advice anyway.

No weddings here by the way, I'm concentrating on promotional video for local businesses !! Starting out but hey, we've all got to start somewhere !

Do you think then that the Sony HD1000 and SR10-E are OK places to start camera wise and what stabilisation would you guys recommend then in the grand scheme of things? Think I'm definitely going to need something!

Cheers again

Goldfinger (Matt)

Hi Matt. You've not said whether you've already invested in a good tripod - and that's the place to start of course. You can achieve alot with a good one, and there are a few tricks you can employ that will extend its capabilities. As for movement, a good crane from Hague (Nottm) and a glidecam 4000 would be my choice I think.

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You're right of course Andy - when you say 'invest' - how much do you reckon you can get a good tripod for nowadays?

I'll have a look into the other suggestions you give!

Cheers Again

Matt

In my opinion, it's important to get a "good" tripod, not something cheap and wobbly. Common "pro" tripods are Vinten, Sachtler and Miller but they are outrageously expensive. You can get pseudo-pro tripods but they tend to be heavy or don't last very long. The most common value-for-money professional videography tripods are from Manfrotto.

In your position I would look at the 501, 503 and 505 tripod heads from Manfrotto and go for the best you can afford. It's better to get a larger tripod head than you need as it will be smoother. For the legs, again look at Manfrotto, secondhand on ebay you can find legs at very decent prices. Personally I wouldn't buy a secondhand fluid head though.

So, a head (new) will cost from about £160 to £350 and a set of legs about the same. It's worth it, they will last you for decades!

Having used the Fig-rig I actually like it. It's definately not a form of Steady-cam though. It has it's own aesthetic and shouldn't be thought of as a glidecam or steadycam, more of a way of dealing with certain types of shots. In a drama or rehearsed environment it really is excellent, on a documentary shoot I would imagine it's more trouble that it's worth.

Thanks for those tips - I will certainly act upon them

" on a documentary shoot I would imagine it's more trouble that it's worth. "

Indeed - and you would look a complete loon.

__________________
Lowering the tone of video since 2004.

www.zaskarfilms.com You tube channel 'zaskarfilms'
JVC DV5001e (big cam), Sony PC6E (tiny cam), Vinten pro5, PAG light, SM58, Sony ECM50, Sony C-76, 0.5x convertors for sony, Rode video mic, Vegas 7.