I guess what I'm really getting at is, is a 2k unit going to be that much smoother than my bent tripod? I guess I know the answer myself--the answer being yes, it's probably a bit smoother, but not worth it unless I'm doing this sort of thing all day long. Also, I'm wondering why people use dollies and tracks when steady cams are available? What's the difference? Don' they do the same thing, and aren't stead cams much easier to haul around?

"I guess what I'm really getting at is, is a 2k unit going to be that much smoother than my bent tripod?"

Most of how well any steadycam system will work is a mixture of how well it is designed, the quality of the components, how well it is setup and the skill of the operator. I've seen great results from the cheapish units we had once they were setup correctly and used by a skilled operator.


"Also, I'm wondering why people use dollies and tracks when steady cams are available? What's the difference?"

1) Shots using the heavy metal are repeatable.
2) Steadycam is never as smooth as a dolly. Try doing a push to an ECU with even a cheap dolly and you can have issues. Forget doing that with a steadycam.

You only consider using a steadycam when all other options have been exhausted.

"aren't stead cams much easier to haul around"

The unit might be but the operator? Trust me, you don't want to even think about 'hauling" one of those guys :)

Bob.

While a good steadicam may be demonstrably better than your tripod, keep in mind that it's probably also going to weigh 20 times as much. Are you prepared to carry that around with you? If you watch movies carefully you'll see that most steadicam shots are quite short. One of the longest ones ever is in the newer version of "The Time Machine" where we follow the students swarming down the stairway and even that one was less than a minute. They had to do it in one try because their steadicam operator wasn't up to the physical effort of doing it twice in one day.

Why dollies and tracks? Because they're even better than steadicams and the operator doesn't have to carry them while shooting.

So why then steadicams? Because tracks kinda limit where you can go with the camera.

Everything has it's place and proper use. For what you're doing, your tripod may indeed be the best option.

I think the longest steadicam shot would be Russian Ark. From memory for parts of it the operator does walk onto a dolly and then that is pushed around.
They did have a medic on standby.....

Bob.

This is one of the questions I've played around with. Overwhelmingly important is operator skill, even when using a dolly. I've been impressed with the skills of TV news guys who can get very acceptable tracking just with on-shoulder cameras; watch them, it's all in the legs and feet. The same with a steadicam. The cheap systems are better than home made or your "bent" tripod only in tuning refinements for getting the camera in neutral balance. Only suitable for small cameras, and never for extended periods of use (depending on strength and endurance). Looking at the more expensive units, I suggest the jacket is as important as the arm. If you have any back injury, a steadicam with a poorly fitting jacket will quickly cause problems. In fact back injury is a common risk for professional operators. I've experimented with various hand held designs and concluded that while they're satisfactory for the odd shot (if you practice enough), they fail completely for the sort of run-n-gun operation I had in mind. Not wanting to spend the $10K+, I built a steadicam arm to carry an EX1 and was pleased with the effectiveness of my take on the design. My body support (jacket) looked good on paper, but proved inadequate because it did not hold firmly on my torso, and my back very quickly pointed out the design flaws. So far I've assigned the redesign of the jacket to a future project and now put all my related effort on refining the funny walk.

nothing beats a funny walk! ;-)

years ago, when working for a major studio, i had free access to a 'serious' steadycam rig (using a sp400a), and instructions from a 'serious' operator.

after a week i, or rather we, that is i and my back gave up. as pointed out above, you can get some lovely shots with a steady cam, but they're usually pretty short since starts and stops require a great deal of practice so there's a tendency to use the middle - moving - in the edit.

frankly give me dolly, rails, anything but a steadycam.

that said, i tried a 'simple' one with my old v1p a while ago. it was actually harder work that the sp rig since the former was predicated on a simple 'jib' type mechanism, whilst the latter on a full jacket that took most of the strain.....

There's a place for everything and the Steadycam has its place. I used them back in the late 70's with film cameras and to this day, my back has not recovered. All the weight gets transferred to the lower back and it is a killer after a while.