This was much easier to set up compared to the Steadicam. The only issue was the strap on the camera as it affected the weight and balance of the camera on the Gimbal. This would have been better if it was removed beforehand as it would stop it from interfering. This also affected the use of the gimbal and filming with it just as much as weight problems. I pointed it out towards the end of the video. What I found was that it would weirdly cause the camera to do a sudden jerk movement, which obviously ruined the smooth look that the gimbal provides. This was due to the strap rapping itself around the gimbal and sort of tangling up. Which then caused the strap to suddenly release while I was using it causing the jerk of the camera.
There where many buttons to play with which I had fun using. I first learned how to turn the machine on and off, which was clearly quite important. The button usage was fairly simple, with one button which selected multiple settings by pressing varied amounts. Some of the settings available were a follow mode, that tracked the person in frame. Another was the option to snap back to the centre after messing about with the direction of the camera.
The Gimbal included a stick to tilt the camera up and down or pan left and right. I loved using this to create these different movements seamlessly.
Some differences between the Steadicam and Gimbal, which I can now note after using them both, is that the Gimbal is powered while the Steadicam isn’t, and the Gimbal was simpler to set up. I felt that in terms of using them, the Gimbal was nicer to hold because of it being lighter. In terms of how useful they are individually, the Steadicam was useful just for making regular videos cleaner. However, the Gimbal has the full package. It’s really fun to use and offer loads of options for different ways of filming.
This is the video I made showing how it went testing it out for the first time:
