Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Filmmaker, gimbal ninja and YouTuber Brandon Li has been playing around with Sony’s new software for the A7S III mirrorless camera and the ZV-1 vlogging camera to see if can actually let us do away with gimbals for shooting video.
The cameras have an accelerometer inside them that allows the camera to record the orientation data of the camera while shooting video. The software on the desktop then reverses these movements in post.
I first saw the DigitalFoto Ares 4th axis stabiliser a little while ago, but I really wanted to see one in person to see how well it performed. When we found out DigitalFoto were going to be at IBC 2019, we decided to pay them a visit so we could take a look. They also had something new with them, too, the Thanos Pro stabiliser kit, which includes a vest and arm system for stabilising those really heavy camera rigs.
Recently, Insta360 announced the Insta360 GO, a super tiny portable, wearable, stabilised, 180-degree camera. Insta360 is exhibiting at IBC 2019, so we went to go check one out in person and have a chat with them while we’re here. Weighing in at just under 20 grams, the Insta360 GO is designed to go with you everywhere without getting in the way and is probably the smallest and lightest stabilised camera out there right now.
It looks like finally making mirrorless cameras isn’t the only thing the big two DSLR manufacturers are finally capitulating on. After recently hearing that Nikon was planning to add IBIS to an upcoming flagship Nikon D6 camera, Canon Rumors is reporting that Canon’s next generation of DSLRs will be getting it, too.
Suggestions that Canon were potentially planning to implement IBIS in a DSLR started to appear last October. Then, just last week, Northlight Images updated its Canon rumours and info page with a new IBIS-related patent. Now, CR believes it may be coming to an impending Canon EOS 90D DSLR, expected to be announced in the next couple of months.
I really have no idea how I feel about this thing. This is the GimbalGun. It looks like something you’d use to take tanks out, but it’s actually a support system designed for use with single-handed gimbals to give you even more stability. It’s not available just yet, but it’s coming to Kickstarter soon.
Essentially it’s a long metal box with a bunch of 1/4-20″ holes for connecting devices. A gimbal, monitor, microphone, lights, mini tripods, or whatever you need to carry around with your gimbal. But its goal is to help take the weight off your arms and onto your more substantial shoulders.
Ever since the GoPro Hero7 leaked online, the emphasis was on the new and improved stabilization. Then, the company promised “hypersmooth” and “gimbal-like stabilization” when the camera was announced. To show off the capabilities of the new Hero 7, GoPro strapped the camera to an eagle and let it fly over a soccer field. And apparently, they weren’t joking when they said that “shaky video is dead.”
It’s funny how things go around in circles. The Warp Stabiliser was added to After Effects and Premiere to eliminate the need for techniques like the one shown in this video from Matti Haapoja. Introduced with Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 in 2011, it was supposed to make our lives easier and our footage perfect. But, as more and more people take to shooting video, the more and more its failures become apparent.
Although the Warp Stabiliser can do some wonderful things, and sometimes does its job perfectly, there are still times when it just doesn’t get it right. It’s a good video, and very useful information to know. At one time, this was just “the way”, but now it’s just one technique in our ever-growing arsenal.
Camera stabilisation has always been a big deal. It’s the difference between a good shot and a piece of footage you can barely watch. Until fairly recently, stabilisation was the realm of Hollywood. Mere mortals could one day only hope to see a Steadicam in person. Now, though, that’s all changed. There’a a whole plethora of camera stabilisation tools on the market.
Two of the most popular are the Glidecam range of gravity stabilisers and motorised gimbals. Photographer Ed Gregory puts the two to task in this side-by-side comparison. The Glidecam HD-2000 goes up against the mighty DJI Ronin M in this side-by-side comparison. The comparison shows some fairly common but also quite tough shooting tests. And, just for a laugh, the Canon G7X with its electronic image stabilisation (EIS) is thrown in, too.
I often get behind the scenes video when I’m out on a shoot. I have a couple of DSLRs packed in the bag just for this purpose. One usually gets locked off on a tripod covering a wide shot. The other goes handheld. But getting smooth handheld footage can be a pain. A gimbal or steadicam would be fantastic, but often overkill. And it’s a lot more weight for me to carry out into the wilderness. Fortunately, there are other options.
In this video, photographer Peter McKinnon shows us some of the methods he uses to get stable handheld footage. I regularly use a few of these techniques myself. But there’s definitely some new ones here I hadn’t thought of that I’ll be trying in the future.
It’s hard to get smooth video without stabilizer, that’s for sure. But unfortunately, sometimes you’ll be stuck without it and you’ll have to improvise. There are various tricks for stabilization, and Ted Sim from Apurture shares six DIY hacks each of us can use. They involve readily available items, and some of them even involve relying only on your body and don’t require any props. So whichever situation you find yourself in, you will find at least one of these tricks handy for getting smoother footage.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube.
His videos have over a hundred million views, have been extensively published by news outlets, and has even received recognition from a few film festivals, such as International Ocean Festival
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