Has anyone made their own glidecam?

thats actually a pretty legit design because it uses the gyro handle. You could probably add a glidecam like handle to it. However its not going to replace a glidecam. It doesn't have the adjustable top plate and weights that help balance the glidecam and make it so smooth.
 
i made one, il post pics and sample vids later.going to the free flow tour at rye airfield, so il get some shots there.
 
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I've made several ghetto glidecams of various designs. Some work better than others, but they all help quite a bit. One important thing i've learned through building them is that PVC doesn't work with larger cameras. It wobbles and creates a really strange effect. For a small camera like an HV20 it works fine though.
 
I have an HVX200a and have been experimenting with a few different designs with a DIY steadicam because I do not have the money to spend on such an expensive accessory. Many of the designs you find on the internet are for much smaller camera's...and this has been an issue for me, finding a design that I could trust to have my HVX on and work correctly. Right now, I just finished a combination of this design:

http://www.yb2normal.com/DIYsteadicam.html

and

http://steadycam.org/

Basically, the first was too flimsy for my HVX. There was no way I was going to trust a piece of allthread with my camera haha. So I used the plumbing idea from the second link, but made the same sort of gimbal as shown in the first. The only problem I have found right now, is that the gimbal is very loose...perhaps too much. Also, you have to be very, very precise with your drilling, otherwise it will be a nightmare to try and fix with weights...anyways...my recommendation for those with a bigger camera is try doing a combination of this...or even (as shown above) this idea:

http://www.youtube.com/user/sophtware#p/u/3/_CapjsF4uoc

for the gimbal. goodluck! it's a pretty fun summer project.
 
I just finished my glidecam, I got inspired of that scottish guy http://diycamera.com/stabiliser/index.html because I found out that I had a similar flashlight to build the gimbal of. I made a couple of test shots to see if it worked and it was pretty decent, alot can be improved... Gonna bring it on a ski trip the 16th so hopefully I've figured out how it works by then.

30322_393280612685_549692685_4382496_1558249_n.jpg


Test shot: https://www.newschoolers.com/web/content/viewvideo/id/355367/member_id/60377/

 
so im looking for a good, not extremely ghetto, glidecam design that will work with my d90 which is larger and kinda heavy. anyone have some good suggestions? thanks guys
 
i finished mine but am having trouble weighting it properly, any ideas for weights besides washers? (they arent heavy enough)
 
That's where I am now, but I think I can fix it by adding a extra set of wachers at the bottom. Mine is for a D90 without the battery pack and currently the 10,5mm btw.
 
It would be good to know what camera ur using for suggestions. I run a XH-A1 with a shotgun and wide angle on my glidecam the camera weighs about 8 Lbs at that point and i would not suggest running a homemade rig with that kind of weight. Unless you are very good at fab work. If you are running a small camera you could build some of these small DIY rigs and it will probally work alright.
 
go to homedepot and get what are called 'foundation washers' or something of that sort. they will be by/with the rebar. they are pretty heavy for being the size of washers...
 
Damn, this looks legit! Footage looks pretty decent for such a small budget home project. My threads for trying this later
 
bumping this thread. just put one together and will have pics and some sample footy up tomorow evening. here is a sketchy picture
35788_1470901286992_1067409384_1411053_503010_n.jpg
 
Indeed it is, but it gets easier after you've used it a couple of time (at least mine did) I have a whole bunch of footage with summerskiing I'm making a edit of, but I need to get my new laptop to finish it so it'll take a while before it gets posted.

BUT I can say that the shots exeeded my expectations and worked really well, not as good as the real deal but much better than without the rig.
 
Time to wake up this thread again, here's a edit made with my diy glidecam. The rig has been a little updated with some other washers and a simple paintjob:
1280519877DSC_2477.jpg


The edit (hopefully):

2010 Juvass Edit from Robbin Gälliner on Vimeo.
 
Nikon D90, yeah I realise some people might not like the long timelapse in the begining but that's just how I wanted it to be, it kinda takes you on a journey...
 
holyyyyyyyyy shit, I loved that edit. The sun conditions, the park, the song, the filming, the skiing, it all came together really well. I'm really surprised that was shot on a d90, but any camera in the right hands can do fine. The long timelapse was not needed, I see why you put it, but it took to long to get to the good stuff! Keep it up, I look forward to more edits.

PS kid in the red slayedddd, cork 9 dub mute (maybe sw 7, can't remember) and underflip were both insane
 
i finished mine and the footage with it is pretty legit. my comp is too slow to process hd footage though... so it wont be up any time soon
 
i just realized the swiffer max heads that you use to sweep your floors would work perfectly for a gamble! going to go buy a cheap one right now.
 
Ha yeah dude you gotta cut that intro, I couldnt watch it. But loved the edit! I know your shooting with the 10.5 but many of your shots were too wide, the skier didn't come close to filling the frame. And if you didnt shoot the video Id almost say that wasn't shot on a D90, I didnt see much auto exposure shifting as I figured I would. Id definitely be pleased with the edit..
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP9JGL1goIc this is my first test using my homemade glidecam. its not balanced cause i dont have a good camera right now, im using my sisters flip (shudder). im happy with it other then the balance and it needs to have a thicker rod so it doesnt like vibrate as much. not bad for 15 dollars though. oh and embed would be super duper cool
 
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