A possibly cheap "Movi"ish rig.

I just shat bricks. That's frickin awesome. I do like the idea of the gimbal style underneath and in the middle of the handles, seems like a lighter and maybe? cheaper solution to a steadicam
 
Yeah i feel like that rig is basically a huge fig rig... didnt seem super stable.
 
few hundo? man with all the reading i was doing it seemed like it would cost at least a grand to involve that technology. i was cruising the forums you had mentioned in the other thread, but i might not have been looking in the right places.

i'm looking to build an idiot version, as all i know right now about servos and gyros is a couple hours of reading online forums haha. maybe someday.
 
guess i was lowballing a little.. i think you could do it for under a grand, lets put it that way. the most expensive part would be the radio, but there are def some fairly cheap options for the downlink stuff. radio+servos i think we could do for around 500 (you really only need 3 channels, but well say 5 for some extra switches). the gyro would be the more experimental part, but i dont think it would be more then 150-200. screen/glasses- another 150-200. the set up would definitely be the hardest part, but a project that you could add to as time goes.
 
I looked into it some and it looks like something that'd be a ton of fun to do. Most of the ones I saw DIY'd on that heli forum were for tiny cameras though, would I be paying a shit ton more for stuff that could handle a 5d3?
 
that was kind of my plan. i'm be pumped to get into the whole brushless gimbal thing at some point, but right when i saw that $15k price tag i automatically thought there has to be a way to build a dumbed down version of that, possibly even a market to sell it. i mean if you could reproduce glide-cam smooth shots without going through the pain staking process of tearing your wrist/forearm to shit, wouldn't you?
 
This is what I was hoping for too when I saw that sketch up. Not to mention that this kind of setup would be sweet for low follow cams, It would probably feel more like flying an x-grip then a glidecam right?
 
It's really not that bad haha i laugh at anyone who complains about a glidecam with a dslr. The fs100 is about 5-6lbs and my hvx was 8lbs and with the glidecam 4000 and weights you're pushing 20-30 lbs vs like 5-10lbs with a dslr.
 
Weight shouldn't make too much of a difference in price. The weight of your camera only effects the size of motors you'll need to be using. Depending on your design and how big of a load you're planning on rotating, its fairly easy to calculate how much torque is needed from a motor:

T = F*R

Where F is the force (i.e. weight of load) and R is the "moment arm," the distance radially from the motor shaft to the load. Obviously give yourself a margin of error and even double the necessary torque.

Based on this you can spec different servo's.

The problem could then become finding a servo thats both strong enough and precise enough. Some servo's don't have very high precision, meaning when you tell them to go to a position they are off by a degree or so. Seems small, but it can be a large error.

These are all very solved problems.

I recommend controlling shit with an Arduino microprocessor. Its a super easy to use board with tons of help and pre-made code online. I use both an UNO and a NANO. The UNO should be fine for prototyping shit like this.

For servo, ardunio, and other component shopping check out:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/index.asp
http://www.pololu.com/
http://www.servocity.com/
https://www.sparkfun.com/
 
thanks for this, awesome info. I'll take a look. And I was thinking that I could use an Arduino or other board for it, so that's good to hear you (and I assume others) do
 
then you are more a man than i. i was dicking around with a 5d3 and a 15mm fish on a 4000 in finland and i constantly had to take breaks.

the only issue where i'm sure ill loose some fluidity is locking in the Z axis. but i see a value in doing that on follow cams. oh well, only time will tell. I'll throw up some photos and test shots when i'm done.
 
this,

i agree that the weight issue with a 4000 and just about any rig we are all filming skiing and action sports with certainly isn't a problem

30lb mark is pushing it though in my eyes

with the movi really being the first of its kind out side of the heli world, it is only a matter of time until modified versions are thrown into the mix

like where this is going,

for that reason i'll sit right here...

 
have you ever held a glide cam with a big camera on it? lol no? An hvx is 8lbs + another 1lb at least for a mic and a wide anlge lens. you counter weight with aprox the same amount of weight(i had about 8 weights on each side) and the glidecam 4000 pro is easily 5 lbs on its own.

my fs100 setup is probably 6lbs or so with all the shit on it + counter weights + glidecam weight its probably 16-17lbs which in all honesty isn't THAT heavy but when you support it with one arm for a length of time it becomes taxing. Anyone who grabs my setup goes OMG this is so heavy! even moxely bitched how heavy my setup was, he couldnt even glide with it this summer at momentum (even though he definitely can glide heavier shit now, just a practical example)
 
Logan how do you plan on framing? Seems that'd only really work with an art. screen or point an hope.
 
i use an Arduino based system to link my 8ch to the 7d itself, using the range of the R/C transmitter-to-reciever. Its an infrared trigger that lets me switch from pic/video and remotely trigger as well. not very complex, but for $80, works great.
 
You're going to have to rephrase that because I have no clue what you're asking. Framing while shooting? Like any other single grip frame I suppose, hold low with a WA/fish on it. Maybe I'll rip off the dual handlebar that the MoVI has too so it can come up to eye level.

I am nowhere near talented when it comes to filming, I just like to tinker and build stuff that sparks my interest
 
^^

2-axis for 650.00

the MOVI rig is clearly a rip off. i wouldnt be suprised if they rethink their business strategy and significantly drop the price.
 
my super cheap first model of a dumbed down version. i'm going to take some more test footage today but my only real issue is a little bit of "sway" in the pitch axis which i'm suspecting is due to the bearings being perfectly lined up. biggest future improvement is going to be upgrading to machined joints instead of PVC so the axes line up squarely on the CG of the camera and there isn't as much play in the joints.

8714818319_d9a21c81d7_c.jpg


manfrotto 577 quick release system $60

5' - 3/4" aluminum tubing $12

scrap aluminum plate and angle $8

6 pvc 90's $3

3 bearings $9

2 part aluminum epoxy $6

misc hardware $10

without the quick release i would have been under $50, but i'll definitely be using it on other projects so i'm not worried about it.
 
first test shots from today chasing the dogs around. the pitch axis rocking that i was talking about is pretty distracting, i really need to figure that out before it'll be worth a shit. but aside from that i'm pretty pleased.

2 axis stabilizer test 3 from logan imlach on Vimeo.

2 axis stabilizer test 2 from logan imlach on Vimeo.
 
Nice! if you can get the pitch figured out it will be sweet, I'm assuming it is easier to fly than a glide cam? Also were you on blades in the first test or just running? Nice job!
 
just running for all of it. and i think it's way easier than a glide cam because the yaw axis is locked in. but it probably wont ever be the same quality as a well done glide cam though, no matter how dialed in i get it.
 
those were shot about 15 minutes after the first iteration was complete, gimme some time to iron out the bugs haha.
 
Car shot was garbage. I could basically do that same thing by just hand holding the camera and then using a post stabilizer for the whole damn thing like they did.
 
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