Ever use the Proaim / Cinecity / DV city steadicam??

[Luke Holwerda]

Hello Red people...

Just a quick one... Has any one ever used the cheapo Proaim / Cinecity / DV city steadicam... Glidecam... Flyer rigs?

I'm looking for an inexpensive alternative to hiring a steadicam operator... Or buying an $8k+ system... Just to use it for a few days.

Feel free to mock and snicker... But only if you can do so from personal experience. Links to bids would be a plus too.

Link to one cheap example... http://www.thecinecity.com/eshop/pro...cat=243&page=1

Thanks.

[Zakaree Sandberg]

your better off, duct taping your camera to a broom and counter balancing with a few weights..

that thing is garbage..

plus steadicam isnt something you can just pick up and start doing..your footage will be trash.

[Anders Holck]

I'm looking for an inexpensive alternative to hiring a steadicam operator... Or buying an $8k+ system... Just to use it for a few days.

I think you'd be better off hooking up with a novice operator with a Pilot/Flyer rig type rig. Depending on your project you might be able to cut a deal with him. If it's non budget he might appreciate the experience and getting footage on his reel.

If you have a budget, getting a "real" operator will do you good. Nailing a shot right off the bat, and repeating it over and over until you get the performance from your talent, is what an experienced operator will get you. And that's basically what you pay for. The equipment is just a small part of the equation....

[Franck De Togni]

A friend of mine who is official reseller bought one of it and asked me if this is good.
My opinion,
Proaim isn't a good choice. I cannot have well balanced it, at any time. The arm doesn't really respond as it should. And it's not smooth.
Low cost Merlin and Varizoom systems are certainly a better idea...

[Shane Kelly]

the rest of their gear is crap so I would imagine that this is too.

[Nils Ruinet]

Well the guy in their pictures clearly doesn't have a clue how to hold a steadicam... Doesn't look very serious.
Plus, no monitor, how do you frame ?

Looks like a cheap copy of this one : http://www.laigleparis.fr/english-products.htm
...which already happens to be a cheap copy of a steadicam...

EDIT : Just watched the videos. The first one is just hilarious. What is this guy trying to demonstrate ?! Seriously, how can you build a steadicam without having even the slightest idea how to use it ?
I'd stay away from this system.

[Kwan Khan]

Glidecam x10 with hd4000 might work for you.
You can get used action-cam for 8k

[Tim Hole]

Hire a steadicam operator. Who would be operating it otherwise? IMO its better off rethinking how to shoot rather than to use a someone who has not operated before. Its takes time to master and looks terrible when mishandled - especially for anything other than doco, which can be a little more forgiveable that drama.

Is it for mounting a RED?

[Luke Holwerda]

Zakaree - Duct tape wont hold the weight of the Red. You sound pretty hostile, and I did ask for mockery, but only if you could speak from experience. Sam Raimi screwed his camera to a 2x4 for some shots in Evil Dead... if you're good, you can make anything happen.

Anders - Good advice. That might be something I look into. If we can find the right guy with the right attitude, willing to work with us... that could be the way to go.

Franck - Thanks for the info.

Shane - See my response to Zackaree, but thanks for playing.

Nils - Conjecture and personal dialog... thanks?

Kwan - Those names keep popping up in my research. Maybe used could be the way to go at this point in the game. Thanks.

Tim - It would be for a Red, yes. If we don't hire a steadicam operator, it would be me operating it. I agree there would be a learning curve... but you have to start somewhere.

[Nils Ruinet]

Nils - Conjecture and personal dialog... thanks?

Well, it is indeed conjecture as I haven't used one of these, but what I said was meant seriously.

Most of the good steadicams have been made by guys who really know how to operate one. Steadicam, GPI, MKV, Actioncam to name a few... There is a reason to this. It may seem like an easy piece of gear, but there are a lot of small details that make huge differences when operating one. The machining has to be extremely precise if you want to be able to perfectly balance it (which is absolutely critical). It has to be as light as possible, but also very strong and without any vibrations. Same for the arm.
That's why I was pointing out the pictures and videos on their website, it just shows how little they actually know about operating a steadicam, which I find quite a bit concerning.
Buying a cheap steadicam because it looks like a real one is not a good idea. Trust me, I've been there (so yes, I'm speaking from personal experience).

Plus, as a few other people mentioned, you have to know how to operate one, which is far from easy and takes years to really master.
So you would probably be better of hiring a steadicam operator, or at least renting a reliable steadicam that fits the camera you're using (and taking a few days to at least learn the basics if you're new to this). And by the way, you didn't mention which camera that is... If it's a light camera, a pilot or flyer should work fine (Sachtler also make a nice little stabilizer I think). If it's a Red or something like that, you'll have to go with a bigger and more expensive model.

And by the way, the Flyer doesn't belong to the "cheapo" category. Regarding the Glidecams, it depends which model. The newer ones are not too bad from what I've heard.