The New Wave of Stabilizers

At NAB this year a come company called Freeflysystems showed off a new type of stabilizer that really turned some heads. Compared to the traditional Steadicam this stabilizer was smaller, lighter and could be completely handheld. No vest required. It uses a gimbal similar to what is seen on many quadcopter stabilization systems for video cameras and DSLR's. In this post we will take a look at three companies setting a new trend in camera stabilization.

First off  Freeflysystems

This company was the first to get peoples attention when they announced the Movi M10 and M5 stabilized gimbal systems. Check out the videos below to see what M10 and M5 are all about:

   

   

    

The M10 is available for pre-order and will start shipping on August 15th 2013 at price of
$14,995 US.


 

The next system we will take a look at is the G2 and G5 DEFY products from company called Relentless Inc:

Their stabilizers come in at much cheaper price point however with much less payload capacity as well.  The DEFY G2 can hold only up to 2lbs however this is perfect for the Blackmagic Pocket Camera or the Panasonic GH3. The DEFY G5 Can hold up 5lbs, perfect or Full body DSLR's. They are also currently working a system that can handle even larger payloads for cameras such as the RED Scarlet and Epic.

       
       DEFY G5 Preorder Launch from DEFY Gimbal on Vimeo.


Here is a link to their Vimeo page where you can see the units in action.
DEFY G2/G5 Videos    

The DEFY G2 will cost $2,300 US and the G5 will come in at $3,200 US. The G2 is currently shipping and the G5 is expected to ship this month.


The third company we will take a look at is Kickstarter project by Jesse Spaulding:

Jesse has been working on a stabilization system since 2011, his product is The Ghost and there is great video that explains the whole system in great detail.

         

Here is a link to his Kickstarter page: The Ghost   
His unit will hold up to 3.5lbs and will cost $1,995 US


So these are just three of the companies making waves in the new stabilization industry. There are many others currently working on similar products as well. I am sure you will see some sort answer from Steadicam and Glidecam very soon as these new breed of stabilizers gain steam in the hands of film makers around the world.

The OmniRig: Just when you thought the MoVi system was cool. Wait till you see this stabilizer and its price.

So at NAB this year two things really stole the show. Blackmagic's announcement of two new cameras and the incredible new stabilizer "MoVi"  from Freeflysystems a revolutionary new type of handheld stabilizer that makes the Steadicam seem some how now archaic. Vincent Laforet has a few great  videos on Vimeo demonstrating just what this amazing rig can do:


MōVI BTS from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.


MōVI from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.


MōVI in Action (Quick Video) from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

Here is a detailed blog post from Vincent about what this system can do and why he thinks it is a total game changer:
MoVi: A revolutionary handheld stabilized system takes flight.

As good as the MoVi system is, the $15,000 price tag will be hard for many people to justify. Luckily there is another product out there from Limelite that is much cheaper and can deliver somewhat similar results.

The LimeLite OmniRig is a unique alternative to the MoVi. So here's the deal, there is no gyro with this system which makes it much, much cheaper. Coming it at under $2000 in July this stabilizer looks really interesting. Check out the video below to see it action.

The first video has some stabilization in post:


Single Shot Cinema: Camera flying through the window from 4Film on Vimeo.

Here is the second video without stabilization:


OmniRig - Flying Through Windows from Chris Turiello on Vimeo.

The post stabilization obliviously really helps to smooth out the scene but you can still see the potential of this device considering it is the first version and there is some time before it is released.  With it's great price point I am sure many filmmakers will be taking a second look the OmniRig from Limelite.
For more info on this device click here: Limelite