With the advent of the film industry, operators have experimented with ways to work with the camera, allowing you to create high-quality and exciting shots that can attract an audience. In the 1970s, rails were used for this, along which cranes and trolleys moved. They carried installations weighing up to 20 kilograms, compared with which modern cameras look tiny.
Garrett Brown in the 1970s was trying to find a way to work with heavy equipment without problems, eventually inventing steadicam.
What do steadicos need?
This device is represented by a vest and an artificial arm supporting the camera in a static position on the gimbal. The vest holds the hand, and that - the device, as a result of which most of the load falls on the operator’s body, not on his arm and shoulder. The artificial hand eliminated the vibrations, allowing the operator to walk while shooting.
An additional advantage of the steadicam was the lack of the need to constantly look at the camera for cropping and to increase the range of motion due to an external monitor that allows you to adjust the focus with high accuracy.
Steadicam are camera stabilization systems that ensure its smooth movement in different planes. Using such equipment allows you to get a high-quality image without vibration and shaking, without resorting to unnecessary costs. Unlike camera rails, steadicams are more mobile. Using the stabilization system saves transportation costs and employee benefits, reducing the time required for filming and speeding up the filming process.
Steadicam Design
The simple design of the stabilizer allows you to create it yourself: professional models consist of a vest worn on the operator, a pantograph and a vertical stand. The system can be equipped with additional accessories: a monitor for viewing, batteries, mounts for installation on a car or helicopter.
Principle of operation
The basis of the work of steadicam is the physical law of conservation of energy. Sharp short shocks transmitted to the lever while the operator is moving are damped by shock absorbers built into the stabilizer. At the same time, the vibrations transmitted to the system from the operator’s body are compensated. The artificial arm of the stabilizer ultimately oscillates between two connected moving masses.
The connection of the hand spring and the camera stabilization system is optimized by a three-axis gimble hinge, which allows the steadics to be turned upside down and rotated around two axes. Such design capabilities allow you to shoot panoramic shots in motion. Steadicam for the camera, even made by hand, can simultaneously tilt, rotate and pan. Balancing is based on the same principle by which equilibrists maintain equilibrium. If a camera is mounted on a strictly vertical pole, and a counterweight is placed in its lower part, a structure with a center of gravity between the camera and the counterweight and two forces is formed.
The three axis of the gimbal hinge are located in the center of the steadicam support rack. At the camera mount point, the gravity of the counterweight and the camera itself are balanced.
The effects of stabilization and depreciation of the camera are formed not only by the spring of the hand, but also by the steadicam mechanism. This allows you to place on the stabilizer with a shift of the center of gravity of the chamber almost the same weight as the counterweight, since in this case the law of mass moment of inertia starts to work. In this case, the camera and the counterweight should not have the same weight.
The gimbal hinge, based on the principle of a lever, compensates for the large weight of the camera and can move up and down the support column.
Electronics or mechanics?
An important function of the steadicam is the ability to adjust the camera in different directions, which is important for smooth shooting and easy control of the device. This is achieved by installing and adjusting the counterweight. Equally important is the adjustment of the vertical balance, as well as the vertical bar and counter balance. The steadicam for a camera with cardan settings is heavier at the bottom, so the DSLR remains upright.
When choosing, it is also worth considering that the heavier the camera, the faster the operator gets tired of it. At the same time, heavy cameras, due to inertia and mass, maintain smooth video when moving. It becomes more difficult to stabilize and hold lighter models over time, and even jerks that occur when the operator breathes can affect the quality of the video.
Unlike electronic steadicam, mechanical provides full control of the filming process. The operator can control the subtle movements of the camera and track moving objects by tilting the device in turns. It is almost impossible to reproduce the same effect with the electronic stabilizer system.
The downside of mechanical steadicam is the difficulty of setting it up and working with it. Although manufacturers have provided instructions, the setup takes a lot of time. Mechanical stabilizers require more interaction with the operator, in contrast to the electronic counterpart.
Electronic Steadicam
Their design includes several gyroscopic sensors, which is why they are called gyroscopic steadicam. Depending on the number of sensors, two- and three-axis gyroscopic stabilization systems are divided.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantage of the electronic stabilizer is that it is initially balanced and tuned: the operator can immediately begin shooting. Most steadicam models are tilted up and down to get the desired angle from the bottom or top. The gyro stabilizer automatically maintains the set angle. The disadvantage of an electronic device is the inability to deviate from a certain angle during shooting.
An additional advantage of electronic steadicam is the absence of the need for the operator to constantly be present next to the camera. However, it also has drawbacks - high cost and high weight.
Stabilizers for smartphones
The design of the steadicam for a smartphone consists of a movable hinged frame driven by electric motors attached to a handle. The smartphone is inserted into the frame and is fixed in a horizontal position, which can be changed using gyroscopes.
The frame with a smartphone can rotate in different planes without transmitting movement to the entire system due to the interconnection of all structural elements. The phone is not driven by the operator’s hand, but by rotating the frame. The direction of rotation can be dynamic or programmed.
Functional
The main task of the Steadicam for the phone is to level shaking when shooting video. However, the capabilities of the electronic stabilizer are much wider:
- Automatically changes the position of the smartphone from horizontal to vertical.
- Synchronization with the phone via Bluetooth, which allows you to control the shooting using the keys on the stabilizer handle.
- The ability to recognize faces.
- Different shooting modes and special effects.
- Panoramic shooting and Motion Timelapse.
Steadicam for the phone allows you to shoot high-quality images without shaking, using various functions of the stabilizer.