Neewer Handheld Stabilizer Review | Best budget "STEADICAM"? 

Thanks for the encouragement and feedback TTT! Concise AND comprehensive - now there's a compliant!

Thanks for the tip!

Wow, thank you for the compliment @holgerlangbein1440 !

Thanks for the comment Beno! What would you say were the biggest upgrades/advantages that came with your upgrade?

@@DallasJyl a lot, the fact that I could attach a heavier rig to a vest, this took the enormous strain off my hand and put it on my back. Having a vest with a spring arm is also another point of stability and i feel it makes operating the rig more organic. I also could now do inverted mode the proper way. They’re a whole lot of benefits, but in my opinion, if you only use it for particular shots, not majority of the time, you don’t need a name brand steadicam, they all operate on the same principle anyway.

@@DallasJyl a lot, the fact that I could attach a heavier rig to a vest, this took the enormous strain off my hand and put it on my back. Having a vest with a spring arm is also another point of stability and i feel it makes operating the rig more organic. I also could now do inverted mode the proper way. They’re a whole lot of benefits, but in my opinion, if you only use it for particular shots, not majority of the time, you don’t need a name brand steadicam, they all operate on the same principle anyway.

@@iso64media13 Thanks Beno, I am sure others will find your info useful!

I believe it! Where did you find it?

@@DallasJyl In an online shopping platform called Shopee. I guess it’s only available in a few asian countries including Malaysia 😉

You're very welcome! Thanks for the kind comment :)

Awesome, thank you! It's a great tool for the right person and the right application (which is a lot of us!).

Thanks Jojo!

I actually shoot with the z6 myself, and try to remember to disable IBS when using this stabilizer. When I don't, I often notice in post. Not always, as depends on the shot, but often enough it ends up with a bad jerk from the IBS somewhere.

Thanks very much! Congrats for the great job!

Thanks!

I have not tried an "L Bracket" - but as long as you can mount the L bracket to a standard tripod it should work fine. The steady-cam plate uses a 1/4" tripod screw.

I wish I could remember... to many audio filters & tweeting trying to make it sounds good I think? The trick is that it only sounds bad on 50% of devices - on many others it sounds fine. So I didn't notice it in editing on my computer, but only on my phone after it had been uploaded for months. :(

I have had a lot of vids with audio issues over the years, but I never thought of this vid being one of them! What is off with the audio for you? Listening to it again myself - at worst it sounds a little over processed? I would be interested in hearing your thoughts Eric - Im always trying to improve!

Oh, and thanks for the sub! 😎

@@DallasJyl It's thin and warbly. The warbling, shifting from right to left, is more obvious on my studio monitors (a cheap set of Makie CR3-X) and not so much on my cheap JVC consumer headphones but the audio is really thin. Your other video "Cinematic Gimbal Movement Shootout | Whats The Difference?" doesn't have that problem.

@@EricLefebvrePhotography ​ @Eric Lefebvre Thanks, that's helpful! The stereo bouncing is weird, as the audio was a single mono source! Both videos should have had the same/similar processing, but I wonder if I sped this video up to 110% in the edit to cut back on time a bit, and while I often like how that can add a bit of movement to the flow of a long info heavy video like this... I am starting to question how well DaVinci handles the audio retiming. I've definitely not been happy with a number of my videos when it comes to audio and I'm still trying to figure out how best to do it for youtube vids!

@@DallasJyl I record and edit lats plays for someone else's channel and it took me a bit to get the audio where I like it. I use a cheap bm800 condenser in a Behringer um2 interface. Recorded into OBS. In Fairlight, normalize, add ClarityVX (a dialogue isolation vst) and do some compression. My gameplay audio is on another track and for that I use sidechain ducking to duck the gameplay when I speak.

Thanks for watching the video Dinesh, I hope you found it helpful!

@@DallasJyl i have this Beast More then 8yrs now but from other brand and I'm much More comfortable and happy with,my most of the Cinematic video i use this steadycam and yes it's helpful, keep it up 👍🙂 thumps like and new subscriber for you channel 🙂👍

@@DineshGohil Thanks for the vote of confidence & the sub Dinesh!

@@DallasJyl My Pleasure 🙏😊

Should be 100% posable, though, for cell phones I expect there are other options - that are actually designed for phones - in this price range that would work better.

😂

I can eye it!!

Sorry to hear that. Whatever I did with the audio seems to play inconsistently from device to device. I've had some complaints on this video before, but most others think it's fine. What device a are you watching on?

At one point there were some weird and unique stabilizers starting appear, but stye didn't stick around long for whatever reason. Maybe the motorized gimbal killed them, or maybe they were all hype and not actually very useful. I'm not sure. I'm not sure how two handles would help this style of stabilizer at all. You can still find some mechanical gimbals from the "innovation" phase though.. here is one: amzn.to/3bYPA2k called a "Spider Stabilizer" it looks like. If anyone has tried ne of these, I would be interested in hearing about your experience with it!

Here is an adapter that you could use with a regular steady-cam or gimbal to get two handles: amzn.to/3uAM8By

Thinking about it though, two handles would not be ideal for a mechanical steadicam style gimbal, as to operate it efficiently, you need a free hand to guide it, without that you have to control of where the camera is pointing or to correct movement.

On the 'weight-plate', at the bottom of the column, are four holes symmetrically arranged at a uniform distance from the column. What would make for a useful after-market add-on to provide a degree of control over 'aiming' the lens could be mounted there. I'm wondering about appropriately-oriented, variable speed micro-motors under wireless control being the means to control rotation about the steadicam's principal axis (i.e. the vertical); relative variation in the speed(s) of the motors (RPM) would allow precession to rotate the shaft. The summed spinning masses of the motors -- which would _tend_ toward perfect uniformity, speed-wise, with all of the precessive forces being balanced -- could improve the overall stability of the rig as a whole. But that's work...

You will need some kind of standard mount adapter, but as far as balancing - yes.

lol - thats one way to say it!

You bet! Your T5i is lighter than both my Z6 and D7000 :)

Actually yes, I recently bought this steadicam (the aluminum model) and I’m having the biggest amount of trouble balancing it. Whatever I do I just cannot balance it. I’m using a Lumix G7 so that’ll maybe give you an idea of what weight I’m working with. Is this designed to have the weights facing the opposite direction of the way the camera is facing, like you were using it? I’m wondering if this is the root of my issue because I always see people using other steadicams with the weights facing the same way as the camera is. Help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

​@@raegan06 Without seeing exactly "how it's not working", its hard to know for sure... but I will give it a shot! 1. When I search for the G7 I am seeing a camera that google tells me is roughly 1/2 a pound. Both my mirrorless setup, and my DSLR setup are roughly 2.5-3 pounds. So that is a significant difference in weight. I imagine that is near the minimum weight for the unit to balance - all-though I can't find any official documentation that lists a minimum weight for proper functionality, there 100% is a functional minimum. Is it acting like the phone in the video at 4:45 ? That would be a wight issue. Things to try: a - Remove all the counter weights from the base of the gimbal. They are too much for such light load. b - Keep the gimbal at minimum extension (the upside-down trick won't work for you). c - If you still are top heavy, you may need to try to add some extra weight to the top/camera side of the gimbal. Maybe something can tie in to the camera hot shoe? 2. You are correct in observing that the more conventional way to orient the counter weights is "with the lens". However, things will work either way. There is a slight difference in behaviour however, so there are reasons to configure the orientation differently depending on the balance of your camera rig, the movements you are performing, and the desired behaviour. For example forward/backward action (trucking) may perform better withe front back orientation, and side to side action (dollying) may perform better with a sideways orientation. For the most part that stuff is pretty minute fine tuning and a matter of taste. In retrospect I probably should have mounted the camera the other way to avoid confusion, and would recommend new operators try the orienting with the sense to start! I doubt that this is your issue, but could see how it the effects might magnify as the camera wight to counterbalance weight becomes more disproportionate. I hope that is helpful - let me know if it helps or if there is something I missed!

@@DallasJyl Thank you!! I appreciate it! After I posted this comment I decided to return my unit because it was defective (the base plate wouldn’t tighten and it was slipping all over the place) but if I end up buying another one I will definitely use these tips! It was acting somewhat like the phone, my camera was probably too light.

@@raegan06 Sounds like a good decision to send it back. Having a loose part like that would make balancing a nightmare!

@@DallasJyl yeah 😅

Haha! Isn't that the truth!

@@DallasJyl most fellow filmmakers I know that I've collabed with are pretty much out of shape like me, so it's a stretch learning to operate a Steadicam

@@massetozacarias5693 Don't be too hard on yourself. Even the buffest big time professional steady cam operators with stabilizer vests are pretty motivated to keep their camera rig small, only operate for short stints at a time, and take frequent breaks. A steady cam is not well suited for constant use - that is what tripods and dollys are for.

I'm sorry if you were hopping for an actual Steadicam video! You are correct, Steadicam is a brand - not a technology. However, like Kleenex has become the defacto word many use for the whole category of "facial tissues", or the Frisbee brand name has become the name for the category of throwing disc toys - for many "steadicam" has become the name that used for mechanical gimbal camera stabilizers. That is the spirit I used the word in this video. Steadicam (the brand) offers a range of camera stabilization solutions, ranging from sled only solutions, to body worn stabilizers that include vest, arm, and sled. - Vest: Primarily for ergonomic purposes, the vest takes the weight of the camera rig and distributes it across the body allowing for longer operation. The vest serves as the mount or the arm. - Arm: Usually comprised of two sections, and uses springs to stabilize vertical movement, such as comes from walking or running. The Arm serves as a mount for the sled, attaching to the sled handle. (walking "heal-toe" will serve the same function as the arm - but a arm will do a far superior job) - Sled: A post, with a camera mount on one end - and a counterweight on the other end. A mechanical 3-axis gimbal connects the post to a handle. This gimbal is what stabilizes the tilt, pan, and roll of the camera. The mechanical technology and principles of function found in this Neewer stabilizer is very much the same principles as an official Steadicam "sled."

Yes! By 10% lol - It cut down the length of the video by 2min.

I wish I could remember! I think I got too excited about EQ and over did it? The weird part is it only sounds bad on half the devices I try it on. The other half sound just fine!

Not so. Generally you will get better results when the steady-cam flanges pint in the direction of your movement. So the when performing a "dolly" type shot the 'outward" position will perform best, and when performing a "trucking" stile shot, a "side to side" will perform better. Unlink most other steady cams I have seen, this particular Neewer steady-cam is strangely setup to default for a "side to side" trucking movement setup.