SteadXP Provides Smooth Shots By Recording The Camera Shake
Sep 11, 2015
Udi Tirosh
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
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https://vimeo.com/137937011
A while back we asked the world to add a small Gyro to each camera so that shake can be eliminated. It looks like the world was listening and a new kickstarter aims to bring smooth and steady shots be recording camera movement and applying it into the stabilization algorithm.
SteadXP is a small box that attaches to the back of the camera and does one thing: it uses an accelerometer and a gyroscope to accurately record your camera’s movements.
This should enable you to get complex moves in a smooth way without the use of big gear like steadycams or heavy gimbals.
You can then feed that info into the stabilization algorithm and gain a smooth shot. The idea is not that different from how Adobe reduces motion blur in their photos. Only instead of guessing the blur kernel, it is handed to the software on a silver platter.
Here is how SteadXP describes the process:
Under the hood, our algorithm automatically builds a new virtual camera trajectory freed from geometrical distortions, vibrations and even the worst rolling shutter deformations
A major advantage of SteadXP technology compared to 100% software solutions is how fast and robust is the processing. Knowing everything about your camera movement, we don’t need to run a “first pass” analysis on your video.
Computation time is therefore very significantly reduced. Moreover, if you ask us the GPU support, we will add a Stretch Goal during the campaign. You can therefore expect real time correction even in a 4K workflow!
Here are two very impressive demos that show the technology in action, the first one removes the shakes from a flying airplane, and the second one tracks Parkor artist via a Handeld shot with GoPro Hero4. Quite impressive.
https://vimeo.com/134924230
https://vimeo.com/133186916
Here is SteadXP comparison to current stabilization solutions
The device has flavors both for the Gopro (which mounts on the back of the camera) and for a DSLR which mounts on the hot shoe, though I would love to see a merged device that can connect to both.
Specs wise SteadXP weighs 34 or 60 grams depending on the model and features an array of sensors and connectivity ports:
- powerful 32 bit ARM processor
- 3 axis gyroscope
- 3 axis accelerometer
- microSD card slot (FAT16 / FAT32 class 4 min: 32 GB max)
- USB connectivity (Mass Storage Device)
No word if the software will come as a plug in to Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, Final Cut Pro or other common software but I sure hope it does a pretty seamless integration with the current common workflows.
A unit will set you back between 100 and 200 Euro and is expected to ship on Jan 2016.
[ SteadXP]
Udi Tirosh
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
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13 responses to “SteadXP Provides Smooth Shots By Recording The Camera Shake”
How much is that? I am aware it’s a project, but what’s the damn average price?
Did you even read the article?
The last line says “between 100 and 200 Euro”
it was added after my comment.
It’s not as simple as “average price” as there are several different prices based on when you get in and which model you are looking for. It is best to click the project link to see what is still available.
Final retail prices will be 250€ for SteadXP@ and 380€ for SteadXP+, so Kickstarter early birds offers was thought very attractive!
Yes, that is all well and good… but the true test is connecting it to a GoPro (if possible) or on a small mirror-less camera on a set of Harley Davidson handle bars and see if the shake can be removed from standing still in idle, to running down the highway.
They do have a GoPro version. It is called SteadXP@ and it is compatible with GoPro Hero2, 3, 3+ and 4 as stated on their Kickstarter page.
We did even worse as a Harley Larry ;)
https://vimeo.com/134924230
if i ever get to do video this is my first investment … period. no questions asked non negotiable … completely sold on your product… Ive seen competing gyro setups and they are bulky (to say the least) cumbersome and so power hungry they need a battery pack that is anything but portable to be able to power them… .THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORT in developing this product.!!!!!
Thanks a lot Franck, the team really appreciate your feedback! It’s good to read you!
Can you expand on the workflow as it isn’t clear. Is the stabilization ‘part’ an extra step in the post production process or does the little box write extra data to the image file ‘in camera’ through the HDMI on the fly so that when you bring the file onto your computer, it has already been stabilized? Please confirm. If the file is added to post workflow, maybe it would be a good idea to have it marry up to a transcode process so that transcoding and stabilization happened similtaniously. I have a GH4 and only shoot 4K. I find that the transcoding procress takes no longer that transfering the data from the card to the computer.
Cool. You can already get better results that this with this software https://vimeo.com/136663915
All this because GoPro refuse to add image stabilization via sensor shift technologuy to any of their Hero cameras, plus as far as I can work out it works with the software editor you’re using and still crops the video resulting in slightly degraded image quality due to the end result having a lower resolution after the video has been cropped. Also considering the Hero 4 Black has such poor battery life when recording start, stop, start, stop short videos and a lot of people including me have the GoPro BacPac on to give us a few more minutes battery life we won’t be able to use this SteadXP thing because the GoPro BacPac will on the back.