GLIDECAM vs. GIMBAL - Which is Better for Cinematic Footage? 

when Running, the gimbal looks like grand theft auto and the glidecam looks like a hollywood movie

The glidecam footage looks really natural. The diagonal pan with the gimbal was kinda bad and more like a diganol + horizontal pan.

As a videographer who has experienced both for weddings, I can honestly say I prefer my glidecam over my studio's Ronin-S. The Ronin is a great gimbal and is very reliable. If you're new to video and want to jump into the fray, it's a good tool. However I find myself loving not just that organic feel to the glidecam, but the learning you get as an operator. Plus, rebalancing on a gimbal can get messy and the motors might struggle. With a glidecam, it's all just balancing all the axises.

Wow I'm impressed so many people here are feeling the Glidecam

your buddy on the glide cam was the difference,

This vid should have 2M views, not 3K. Excellent demo. Thank you!

I thought the Glidecam beat the Gimbal on a number of shots that you judged a tie. The subject change shot in particular I thought the Glidecam tilt/pan was much smoother and less robotic. I thought the Gimbal performed better full stop to full speed running shot and obviously the 360 roll shot.

Glidecam is not only a tool. Its the way you think as an operator, you have to tell the story by movement of your body, its like a painting or dancing. You can be the perfect printer or you can be an artist. In my opinion gimbals are for people who knows what to do with glidecam not in a reverse.

Seems like the Glidecam provides more control

Glidecam is CLEARLY better

being 'too' stabilized isn't always good, especially when you're shooting actions

I definitely prefered the glidecam footage. So much more cinematic. I dare say I wouldn't have the patience to learn it though... so it is a tough one.

This man really hating on the glidecam

Thank you for this. I didn't expect the Glidecam to be my favorite footage overall, but it totally is. I think it has just enough stabilization + enough bounce to make it seem much more natural than the gimbal movements.

Excellent demonstration. I like the Glidecam shots. It's looks more cinematic than Gimbal in my opinion except 360 degree shot. But As you said to shot like a pro in Glidecam will take time and need more practice. Really It's a great demonstration video. Thanks a lot!!!

The glidecam has a really natural look, I would almost say that's the average between handheld and gimbal, really interesting. Thank's for that video.

I have been shooting on a Glide Cam HD2000 for about 5 years now. I purchased the old Ronin M thinking it would work better surely a $1200 gimbal would do better than a $500 steadicam but I returned in after using it 3 times. Bought a Ronin SC thinking the same thing and returned it after about a month of use. Glidecam just feel so much more organic to me.

Use the Rhonin to get stable shots when you don't need to use the stick to pan up/down, left/right. Use then glidecam to get any other shot where you need human control of the center point of the shot. ANY ACTION SHOTS.

Great VIDEO. I've recently picked up a Used Glidecam HD 4000 with quick release plate for a super good price and I've been working on using it now. I recently had it on my 1dxii however I sold that fora an XT3 and I find it much easier to operate as it's A LOT lighter. Sure there are shots that a Gimbal can get that a Glidecam cannot however, like you mentioned I think the slight movement or more natural movement actually is more appealing to the eye and ads to the shot over the extreme steadiness of the gimbal. I think some filmmakers "I know I was guilty" of this when I first started shooting video, want that absolutely super steady footage. Everything needs to be 100% smooth ect. However if you're telling a story and depending on the shot a little motion can go a long way.

Owning a few gimbals, I'm starting to looking for a glidecam. Gimbal gives you this stutters, that feels robotic. It can be seen on rotational video here as well. Where as glidecam seems very smooth with human factor :)

I personally don’t think they look similar at all. The glidecam footage is so smooth and natural even with little bumps here and there. The gimbal footage is so tense and the movement is so clearly robotic side by side like this (to me, at least) I’ve only ever used a gimbal (crane 3 lab) on a job before and I’ve been looking to grab a glidecam. It may be more work to figure out the glidecam but that might be a sign that it’s the better way to go. Idk. Gotta see

Canada Place in the background! I have spent some time in that city. I noticed it mostly by the square you were walking through, and that building. It was years ago. Some places never change.

Great comparison! Would've been nice to include some glidecam signature shots as well. You can clearly see how each glidecam user has their own strengths. Marcus' orbit was really impressive and much better than I could do! I personally love the low mode and transitioning from that to a high wide shot. Unfortunate he didn't nail that.

If you're a freelancer it's great to have both. Honestly, just buy a very cheap glidecam, it servers the same, but do invest into a better gimbal, cause it involves electronics, functions and other perks. Glidecam is really good for simple one angle shots, it's more wavy and results into a really cinematic looks, but it takes loads of practice to frame and to have a good composition. I've been using a glidecam for 2 years now and only now I can nail the composition. Gimbal is more of a robotic smooth kind of thing, it's great if you need different angles, cause you wont need to rebalance the whole thing and it will stay on one angle while filming, but it wont feel as cinematic. Gimbal is great if you're freelancing and you need to film things quick and nail the composition and angles, it's made for that. So yeah honestly just get both of those if you're able, I got my glidecam for 50$ from aliexpress, it's a yelangu s60t i believe, honestly 5 years and it's still holding up and is serving it's purporse, nothing is broken and it works great!

One of THE best Video about Gimabl, ON RU-vid ! .

The biggest difference between a glidecam and a gimbal for me is that the glide cam produces way more natural motion, but if you want to track focus you need a focus puller. The major advantage of a gimbal is that your left hand is free to adjust focus.

I’ve had my Glidedam HD-2000 for a few yrs now. Happy to see a lot people are actually preferring the look of the glide cam. Two different tools both have their place, think I’m going to stick with the Glidecam for a while and save some money. Will probably get a Robin S eventually for certain shots but the glide cam is still be try capable and extremely reliable!

great demonstration !! super helpful! I think u really nailed the main differences especially the learning curve!

I have a Canon XA30. I'll be using it soon for a permaculture documentary. There are a few things I'm wanting to do: 1. Steady footage with face detection mode whilst moving/walking 2. More creative shots, such as from low down, looking up 3. Focus pulling to provide more interest My research has led me to believe a gimbal will be better for me than a mechanical glidecam kit. I'm also considering whether a should rig will assist me, but I'm not sure how I'll go accessing controls on the XA30, specifically for focus pulling. Advice much appreciated.

When walking back you can get cycling mirrors that fit on sunglasses so you don’t have to look back

Team glidecam here🙂

Nice review! I agree completely with your opinon regading the "natural look" of the Glidecam and as you said, the tool you choose will depend on the situation you have and the desired final result....

Glidecam vet of 10 years believe it or not and still using it with the vest. It takes time to learn it but once you do it's very effective. You can put a heavier camera on it, don't have to worry about batteries for it and you can't break it.

Greater stability leads to robotic feels thats why we think glidecam feel more natural

Terrific video with really practical comparisons. You really do get a sense of the differences and pros and cons between these two tools. Liked and Subscribed 👍

Glidecam looks more natural! But awesome video!!

A great demo and you are both skilled operators. Gimbal looks video and glidecam looks cinematic to me.

Learning the glidecam would give in the long run a comparative advantage over the gimbal.

Seems a lot of this is personal preference. Im shooting music videos with the GH5 and clients want the completely level look. Gimbal.

I think the universal joint is better, and the rotation angle can be based on your own wishes, rather than waiting for the reaction from the electronic stabilizer

The only thing missing was a cost comparison. Would’ve been helpful having a Amazon link to both. Otherwise, it was a great video that answered all my questions. Thanks

Where I see the complete benefit of the glide came is better control over zoom and you mic wont get cut in the motor. To me, as a ronin S owner, not being able to capture audio on the fly makes a lot of my footage mute the volume and put audio underneath it. I think that is great, but I want to be able to have flexibility with my clients. If someone is watching this and thinking well shoot, they are the same price. I would say buy the glidecam because this video is true in the sense learning the gimbal is pretty easy. Learn the hard thing first but also have the benefit of hooking an external mic to the camera. Disclaimer: you can hook up a mic to your gimbal set up but it can get caught up when you do pans and rolls. For me? I'd rather not have the mic on in those scenerios because its not worth the trouble. All in all, this is a pretty vanilla video "Both are great", they are great but there are more pros and cons I did not feel this video explored enough.

I personnally had the glidecam HD 2000 and used it for many years. It is a tricky tool and is difficult to get right. If you go sideways with the glidecam, it's almost impossible to keep the frame parallel to the ground, it's gonna look tilted toward the direction you're going despite your best efforts. Rotating around an a subject is also tricky because one most turn the shaft with the fingers to keep the subject in frame while walking, looking at the screen and paying attention where they're going. Too much or too little input on the shaft and the subject wont be centered anymore. Any movement on the shaft will 100% be noticeable in post prod. And it's very painful on your arm after 15 minutes of holding this thing. Remember, the more weight you add, the more stable it is, but the harder it becomes to hold in the air.

Glidecam! The Ronin has some annoying little jumps that they should not be there being a 3 axis motorized stabilizer. I have both. With the Glidecam, the only complain is the weight.

8:24 Wouldn't really call that "similar" to be fair. Two completely different shots

Those running shots made me laugh lol 😂

I'd say the gimbal has more troubles with smooth movements, such as tilt down shot from the building. The motor stops are all so robotic and mechanical, you can see where the camera stops and re-adjusts for the next direction. Is that adjustable because my DJI phone gimbal is never smooth with combined pan/tilt movements. You can always tell when you let off of the move, it never slows down before stopping.

Great side-by-side comparison. Valuable video

Never used a glide or stedicam. I have used the DJI and Crane however. I shoot with a Canon R6 and primarily the 28-70. Both the DJI and Crane motors struggle after a period of time. Anyone else experience that? Resolution? And yep, I make sure they are completely balanced prior to using.

Very informative and awesome illustration!

I think the glidecam looks more natural and cinematic while the gimbal looks kinda digital and too crisp. There are some specific modes that are better for the gimbal, but not for everyday uses.

You Guys really nailed it by doing a Fantastic comparison. Thanks! Could you also mention wich cameras you used? Thanks

Great content. I couldn't help but notice the title is redundant, as both of these are gimbals. One is just motorized, the other is not.

I agree w/ everything here. I liked the Glidecam footage better though. But like you said, Glidecam is extremely difficult to learn. First time I used it, most of the footage was unusable. It takes quite a gentle touch, because any little movement screws up the shot.

7:11 I have mastered the vortex mode shot with my glidecam.

That’s the thing. It’s all about your operator in regards to glide cam. Also do some testing with cine and you’ll find out who wins ;)

Yea i had 2 gimbals and theyre dope but i want to try the glidecam..gimbal motors sometimes

the glidecam looks a lot smoother in majority of the shots, even with slight wobble, they're slow enough that you don't notice a major shift, and seems to be a more natural follow, even in the low shot, while his did shift up and down a bit more it was so slow and smooth it just seemed like natural movement for the camera. in a lot of the gimbal's shots the up and down/left and right panning were much faster and more jerky, like it takes a second for the gimbal to realize a change in motion so it ramps up quickly to catch up then stops suddenly, also the amount of micro jitter from the gimbal almost makes it unwatchable, you can definitely tell the motors are trying to compensate for the camera's shift in weight/direction. as a whole I would have to give the edge to the glidecam for overall smoothness and non robotic micro jerks that produce the very quick start stop motion when the motors need to catch up to any change in direction.

As an amateur, i really like the glidecam

Now I've choose a used Glidecam over a lot of different choices about electronic gimbles which are pretty affordable from second hands in our city. The reason: I need to learn a proper practice 1st. Also I don't want to worry about rain and etc. My camera isn't completely waterproof but the manufacturer claims that it's "weather sealed". And the sub-obvious reason is that I've watched a lot of clips shot on gimbles... And I've seen only few of them which weren't looking "robotic". If some Chinese manufacturer will make a waterproof gimble with a decent battery then I'll buy it _probably._ But I will not sell this great "videographer's axe"! :) It's a bit heavy as I've got HD-2000. But it will be fine for bigger DSLR cameras. Not only for the one that I have now.

Very helpful. I was just playing with my new Raleno (glidecam) that I balanced for the first time today. Once you get used to how to balance, I was able to shoot some decent shots and was impressed. And it only cost me about $50. :-)

They are both great tools I own a glidecam and just started to use it again today after years balanced my cinema camera on it in minutes. I've see people use a gimbal and by the time they balanced it I would be finished several shots handheld and on my glidecam. Less hassle is always a plus and I change batteries on my ninjav enough I dont need a stabilizer with batteries it's just me... great video by the way

Great Vid, think im going to go glide cam

The shots are not similar at all. Gimbal footage is super robotic and not smooth at all. It's obvious in every single pan: pan-gimbal catchess up,pan-gimbal catches up. Follow shots as well. Not organic like a glidecam, not as good as a dolly. Jack of all trades, master of none. If you want to say its operator driven, he blows you out of the water, its not even close.

I prefer glidecam look so muuuch

So to see which is better for a beginner, you use 2 experts on each relative device. It would have been better to use a beginner to see which one is better for a beginner.

very nice comparison, thank you

They both have their benefits I have both tools and I love them both

The results are pretty similar? Gimbals wins by a distance if you ask me

To me, having used a glidecam it's more of a craft and a skill that you learn and get better at over time. The gimbal has a little learning curve but you can essentially operate it out of the box. I wish I could get those extra smooth clinical looking shots on my glidecam though but I'll take the tradeoff of having something that feels like a tool, doesn't need batteries, over a mechanical stabilizer any day.

When it comes to framing, the ronin Sc has a tracking feature so

I have a glidecam too..but it seriously heavy and take a little bit long time to adjust..but glide cam make footage look more cinematic and natural

Great review, please do more

Which is better for traveling glide cam or gimball? Can you take a glide cam on a plane in carry on?

Awesome video! Very helpful

OMG I never taught of how beatufull a glydecam shoot could be while there are some scenes it can't be used for professianal purposes.

glidecam is fine if you have skill to use it. gimbal is if your a novice and just want smoother and less shakey looking video. I like glidecam because its all manual. no electronics to mess around with. and really smooths out micro vibrations.

Great video! I like the glide cam footage the most has a nice feel to it Plus I like mechanical things in all shapes and sizes

Gimbal is stable but struggle maintaining subject at center... GlideCam can maintain subject at center better but little unstable...

Если кто заметил, электронный стедик работает рывками , прям чуствуеться в отличии от механического Глейдкама. И получаеться разница в деньгах, особенно для начинающих. Я для себя сделал выбор, хотя по началу присматривался в электронному китайцу. Всем удачных сьемок.

I prefer both 😁

I have both, but never use the Glidecam as it has some serious limitations, like panning and tilting and when it is windy.

ROllerblades are key

thanks for this great demo. main reason i'm looking at the glidecam is because many of my shoots are run/gun - I need to take my FS5 off the tripod and follow the subject we just interviewed for a walk around. but it looks like with the gimbal, one must strip down (importantly with the side handle and battery). because the gimbal seems to be better suited for dslrs and mirrorless, like my sony A7III. Thoughts?

I honestly just think the other dude is a way better camera operator than the main guy lol

Very helpful, thanks a lot!

Subscribed. Thanks for this amazing video

I am going to start using my came tv h4 (glidecam type stabilizer) and have my weebill s as a backup

I liked the glidecam more for almost every shot

In order to be fair, after doing the inception gimbal move (which the Glidecam could never do), you should have showed how they compare when you remove the batteries from both ;)

I did my own test of a cheap glidecam knockoff vs weebill s. I get very similar results.

GLIDECAM X-10 vs thanos pro 2 which one os the best2

are you using different cameras? the dji photage is way better quality

Amazing video dude! Loved the comparison. Keep it up!

Glidecam looks so much better, much more natural. Gimbals make everything look like a computer game, it’s actually too steady. It’s the same when comparing steadicam to the bigger gimbals on features. Steadicam wins hands down.

Pretty good informations. Tks for it

Thank you!!!

It’s funny but the Steadicam has a smooth cinematic feel. Gimbal looked smooth video. Am going for cinema steadicam. My point is Steadicam feels authentic and gimbal perfect. Digital , Film. Authentic film not perfect video...great video and thanks for doing it. Beautiful equipment

I believe more in the comments then from the video thank you people i got my glidecam ! Happy af

Can I use this for mobile instantly.and this have mobile holder?