With the advent of the motion picture industry, cameramen experimented with ways to work with the camera to create high quality and exciting shots that could engage audiences. In the 1970s, rails were used for this, along which cranes and carts moved. They carried installations weighing up to 20 kilograms, in comparison with which modern cameras look tiny.
Garret Brown in the 1970s tried to find a way to work with heavy equipment without problems, eventually inventing the steadicam.
What Steadicams are for
This is a device made up of a vest and an artificial arm that holds the camera in a static position on a gimbal rig. The vest holds the arm, and that one holds the device, as a result of which most of the load falls on the operator's body, not on his arm and shoulder. The artificial arm eliminated vibrations, allowing the cameraman to walk while filming.
An additional advantage of the steadicam was the absence of the need to constantly look at the camera for framing and increase the rangemovements with an external monitor that allows you to adjust the focus with high precision.
Steadicam is a camera stabilization system that ensures its smooth movement in different planes. The use of such equipment allows you to get a high-quality image without vibrations and shaking, without resorting to unnecessary costs. Unlike operator rails, steadicams are more mobile. Using the stabilization system saves transportation costs and employee benefits, reducing set-up time and speeding up the shooting process.
Steadicam design
The simple design of the stabilizer allows you to create it yourself: professional models consist of a vest worn on the operator, a pantograph and a vertical stand. The system can be equipped with additional accessories: a monitor for viewing, rechargeable batteries, mounts for installation on a car or helicopter.
Working principle
The basis of the steadicam is the physical law of the conservation of energy. Sharp short shocks transmitted to the lever during the movement of the operator are extinguished by springs-shock absorbers built into the stabilizer. At the same time, vibrations transmitted to the system from the operator's body are compensated. The artificial arm of the stabilizer eventually oscillates between the two connected moving masses.
The connection between the arm spring and the camera stabilization system is optimized by a three-axis gimbal joint, allowing the steadicam to be flipped upside down and rotated around two axes. Such design features allow you to shoot panoramic shots on the move. A camera steadicam, even a DIY one, can tilt, rotate and pan at the same time. Balancing is based on the same principle by which balance is maintained by tightrope walkers. If a camera is mounted on a strictly vertical pole, and a counterweight is placed in its lower part, then a structure is formed with a center of gravity between the camera and the counterweight and two forces.
Three axes of the gimble hinge are located in the center of the steadicam carrier. At the attachment point of the camera, the gravity forces of the counterweight and the camera itself are balanced.
The effects of stabilization and shock absorption of the camera are formed not only by the spring of the hand, but also by the Steadicam mechanism. This makes it possible to place on the stabilizer, when the center of gravity of the camera is shifted, a weight practically similar to the counterweight, since in this case the law of the moment of inertia of the mass begins to work. In this case, the chamber and the counterweight should not have identical weights.
The lever-based gimble joint compensates for the heavy weight of the camera and can move up and down the carrier post.
Electronics or mechanics?
An important feature of the steadicam is the ability to adjust the camera in different directions, which is important for smooth shooting and easy control of the device. This is achieved by installing and adjusting the counterweight. Equally important is the adjustment of the vertical balance, as well as the vertical bar and counterbalance. Steadicam for a camera with gimbal installationsweighted at the bottom so the DSLR stays upright.
When choosing, it is also worth considering that the heavier the camera, the faster the operator gets tired of it. At the same time, heavy cameras, due to inertia and mass, keep the video smooth when moving. Lighter models become more difficult to stabilize and hold as time goes by, and even jerky breaths can affect video quality.
Unlike electronic steadicam, mechanical provides full control of the shooting process. The operator can control the subtle movements of the camera and track moving objects by tilting the machine around corners. It is almost impossible to reproduce the same effect with an electronic stabilizer system.
The downside of a mechanical steadicam is the difficulty of setting it up and working with it. Despite the fact that the manufacturers provide instructions, the setup takes a lot of time. Mechanical stabilizers require more interaction with the operator, unlike the electronic counterpart.
Electronic Steadicams
Their design includes several gyroscopic sensors, which is why they are called gyroscopic steadicams. Depending on the number of sensors, two- and three-axis gyroscopic stabilization systems are divided.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantage of the electronic stabilizer is that it is initially balanced and adjusted: the operator can immediately start shooting. Most steadicam models are customizabletilted up and down to get the desired view from the bottom or top point. The gyroscopic stabilizer automatically maintains the set angle. The disadvantage of the electronic device is the inability to deviate from a certain angle during shooting.
An additional advantage of the electronic steadicam is that the operator does not need to be constantly near the camera. However, it also has disadvantages - high cost and heavy weight.
Smartphone stabilizers
The design of a smartphone steadicam consists of a movable frame on hinges, driven by electric motors, attached to the handle. The smartphone is inserted into the frame and fixed in a horizontal position, which can be changed using gyroscope sensors.
The frame with a smartphone can rotate in different planes without transmitting movement to the entire system due to the interconnection of all structural elements. The phone is set in motion not by the operator's hand, but by the rotation of the frame. The direction of rotation can be dynamic or programmed.
Functional
The main task of a steadicam for a phone is to level shaking when shooting video. However, the possibilities of the electronic stabilizer are much wider:
- Automatically change the position of the smartphone from a horizontal plane to a vertical one.
- Synchronization with your phone via Bluetooth, which allows you to control shooting using the keys on the stabilizer handle.
- Recognition capabilitypersons.
- Various shooting modes and special effects.
- Panorama shooting and Motion Timelapse.
Steadicam for phone allows you to shoot high-quality footage without shaking, using various stabilizer functions.
