Lensse DSLRpro Camera Stabilizer

[paul zoom]

hello videographers are these any good ive got a gh2 which im yet to do much video work with ,but i have a trip to france come sept a fishing one and want to make a documentary type video over the week with some naration and some music i already have a good tripod and boom ,will tthe lensse help aid my video skills or is it hard to use is there something better at equal costing ?,i do have the eoshd gh2 guide on me ipad for help and inspiration ,another point will i need nd filters if using my summilux branded lens when wide open on bright daylight ,any advice much appreciated

[Chris Mann]

I haven't used that specific stabilizer (which looks very much like a cheaper knock-off of Steadicam's Merlin) but whether it's good or bad, if you buy it expect to spend some time getting it balanced and learning how to use it before shooting with it on a real project.

All these stabilizers operate on the same principle - moving the centre of gravity of the rig outside the camera so that you can control it. Where they differ is in how easily and accurately they can be balanced, how well they work with your particular camera, and the quality of the components (especially the all-important gimbal).

As with most things in life you get what you pay for; a cheap stabilizer may be a bargain, but something like the Steadicam Merlin (designed by Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown) is likely to be a better long-term bet if you plan to use it a lot.


As for using fast primes outdoors, yes you will want to use neutral density filters if you plan to shoot at the typical shutter speed of 1/50th second (for a film-like motion blur) and use wider apertures.

A fixed neutral density filter (e.g. a 0.9) is the cheapest option, but a variable ND (such as the Fader ND) is more flexible if lighting conditions will vary.

[paul zoom]

Thanks for the response will I need a nd filter for all my four lenses ie panasonic 14-140mm 4-5.6 ,100-300mm 4-5.6 ,45mm 2.8 ,25mm1.4 ,the steadi cam is a lot of money to much for my budget I don't think I could do it justice either. really need something reliable but affordable .