Stablizing: Juggling with the proper balance

[DMKAlex]

Ever since I started videoing 4-5 years ago, it was a constant juggling on how to stabilize the video clips.

Initially, like most beginners, I relied on the IBIS of the camera, then applying warp stabilization in PP. I didn't like the result. The stabilization created jello effect and it was a pain having to stabilize every clip. I also didn't have a high power video-processing-dedicated computer which I built a couple of years later.

I then tried the strap around the neck and monopod approach, both without success. The problem with both methods was that it may work on a short clip and on distance, my body tends to oscillate causing the camera to move.

Eventually, I gave in to the tripod. Initially, I used the my still carbon fiber tripod which helped a lot, but the pan/tilt was not smooth enough and it took a long time to balance the camera. But once I accepted the fact that I have to drag my tripod with me, I upped the ante to have a fluid video head on a true video tripod where I can easily level the head.

I also added a gimbal which is a lot more versatile. While it is a lot more convenient to carry around, the gimbal footage is just not as smooth and solid as a tripod. I also added a slider and am absolutely amaze by the effect a small slide could generate. But that's adding more bulk and more weight which is very taxing for a one man band.

Currently, I am revisiting a few youTube tutorials on how to use the gimbal to achieve cinematographic results. Some of them are absolutely amazing. I am starting to wonder if I am not using the gimbal properly. Maybe the convenience also leads to haste and sloppiness.

I am starting to practice the different basic technique with my gimbal. I hope I will get better and develop a better skill set. If I do see some drastic improvement, I may invest in a newer generation gimbal (like the Zhiyun-Tech WEEBILL-S ) with better handles arrangement. My original Moza Air was great but it is a grand daddy by age.

Does that make sense to you? Like to hear your learning experience.

 

[NickZ2016]

To a certain extent you alluded to this. Your choices depend on what you're doing.

A tripod and a gimbal are opposite ends of things. You aren't going to use a gimbal for a long static interview. OTOH a tripod isn't much use if you're following someone.

I personally think a good monopod can get a person fairly far. It takes some practice. But so does everything else. A monopod can be fairly static . My Ifootage will hold a camera up . I wouldn't suggest a large unbalanced camera with the thing fully extended but a reasonable sized camera won't be a problem. It can be used in interesting ways if you really wanted to. Imagine just sliding it up while filming.

 

[Sean Nelson]

My video work these days is mostly capturing memories of trips that I take, and the primary purpose of those trips is enjoyment - so I try to minimize the amount of junk that I have to lug around. Most of my footage is captured with my Sony RX100 (I've gone through a few of these over the years and I'm up to a Mark VII now), although I sometimes bring my GH5 if I plan to shoot something that requires its additional capabilities. I love the RX100 because it shoots great video and fits in a belt pouch so that I can take with me it quite literally every time I leave the house. And I've become a bit addicted to shooting things like waterfalls at 960fps.

I have a Joby micro tripod I sometimes use for the RX100 if I want to do time lapse or selfie style work - this is a fantastic little ultra compact gadget that folds up into a package that's probably around 1/3 the size of a pocket comb. It's a crying shame that they're not making these any more. They work really great with compact cameras, although they'd never be able to deal with something the size of a GH5.

I sometimes bring a proper tripod traveling with me, but it tends to only get used when I have a specific shot in mind that would require it.

So most of my shots end up being handheld. The stabilization on the RX100 and the GH5 is good enough that this mostly works, and for the shots that wander a little too much I stabilize in post production.

I've switched from Premiere to DaVinci Resolve - I refuse to rent my software so I was stuck on Premiere CS6 and Resolve was my ticket into newer video formats that CS6 just doesn't support. I really like Resolve and I've become a big fan of the tracker node in Fusion which lets me stabilize using specific parts of the image. It really comes in handy for some shots in which certain kinds of subject motion confuses the normal stabilization algorithm.

I shoot at 60fps and don't mind using fast shutter speeds, so stabilization in post production works pretty well. The image from the camera shot with in-camera stabilization is steady enough that motion blur and rolling shutter aren't usually an issue. The big exception is for closeups of things like flowers, where stabilization can make the image look a bit surreal because even though the flower is stationery there is relative motion between it and the background as a result of me having let the camera move around. In these circumstances sometimes it works better to forego stabilization and slow down the footage instead using frame interpolation.

 

[Joe Lynch]

When I was doing more run and gun at the dog park, where I actually had to move while shooting, what seemed to work pretty well was a cage with a top handle. Not only did it allow me to get to dog level without being on my knees to hold the camera with two hands, it also gave me the ability to add a small Shinobi monitor. It would not be too expensive to try this. There are also variations of side handles that you can add that make holding the camera much more comfortable and easier to move smoothly.

I bought a DJI R2 gimbal to use with the Sony FF cameras, but I can't make myself use it very often.

Next up is an iFootage monopod with 3 fold out legs, which I use daily just to steady a long lens, on top of a K5 video head. But I've used it upside down for low angle clips and up high. It can be used collapsed against your belt for walking shots but you still have to do the Ninja walk.

With the stabilization of m43 camera bodies, perhaps a cage with top and side handle options is worth a try.

 

[DMKAlex]

Yes, Sean, I remember around 4-5 years ago I was shooting with the Rx100m4 and you helped along with the camera and Premier.

I had tried Resolve a few times but just never got any traction with it because I had to stop and figure how to. It’s not like Premier gradually becoming like a second nature to me now. I am capable of doing editing with Resolve but it is not as fun.

Are you using the Studio version?



I am set with the GH5 because, other than great video capability, I still like to capture stills. With my lens collection I can do both amply.

Like you I am capturing video of my travel. I play back my 2019 cross country collection with a lot of satisfaction.

 

[Sean Nelson]

I had tried Resolve a few times but just never got any traction with it because I had to stop and figure how to. It’s not like Premier gradually becoming like a second nature to me now. I am capable of doing editing with Resolve but it is not as fun.

Are you using the Studio version?

Yes, I'm using the Studio version. When Blackmagic brought out their Speed Editor keyboard they offered it with a Studio License for the price of the Studio License alone, so you essentially got the keyboard for free (or, if you prefer, the Studio version for free). I had been exploring Resolve for a couple of months when that offer came out and I knew by then that it would be the way to go for me.

When I first got into Premiere Pro I was intimidated by the interface and the capabilities and it was cumbersome for me to use because I was constantly having to figure out how to do things. I decided I needed to take a minute and invest some time in learning it properly, so I went out and got the Adobe "Classroom in a Book" and went through it methodically. It was really well worth the effort as it made editing fast, easy and enjoyable.

Having learned that lesson, when I got Resolve I did the same thing by downloading their sample projects and following along through their very good series of training videos. While there are still huge areas of Resolve that I haven't explored (such as multicam editing and quite a lot of audio capabilities in Fairlight), I now feel very comfortable with it.

I find Resolve to be a lot more capable than Premiere, but it's probably not a fair comparison because I only have my decade-old version to use as a reference point. I do think, though, that the "node network"-based compositing capabilities in Resolve's "Fusion" page are head and shoulders above how the layer-based compositing in Premiere works.

 

[apekkpul]

Since I shoot for a hobby, I tend use either locked tripod shots (with PeakDesign travel tripod) or handheld, using camera strap or my body as an extra point of stability. Good OIS lenses help (Olympus 12-100mm pro lens has excellent OIS - I used it a lot with the BMPCC 4K).

Mark Bone has some good tips how to shoot better handheld footage (he shoots documents but anyway)

When I travel with a car I might use my heavier Manfrotto tripod with a fluid video head, but typically I just leave it at home. I have also an old gimbal that I don't use often. The easier, the better.

 

[DMKAlex]

In my pursuit to the optimal stabilization with minimal amount of equipment, I came up with one of the options that I had not thought about.

My Moza Air didn't come with a tripod. For years, I have added a 4.5 inch extender at the bottom of the handle to add better control. But I cannot put the gimbal down on any flat surface to use it as a tripod.

I came across a tripod made for gimbal and decided to give it a try. It is a very solid tripod which serves as an extender as well. If there is any flat surface close to where I shoot, I can station the gimabl as a tripod on top of it.

I am going to try it out in the next few days and hope that it would be able to add to what I have. My hope is that I don't need to drag my video tripod on my international travel.

 

[owenleve]

Have you looked at using a shoulder rig? I have one and use it all the time. Between resting on your shoulder and camera stabilization I can shoot with a 400 mm lens mounted to my shoulder. You can get one for about $200

 

[Hendrik_nl]

I have been told by someone professionally active in big budget productions that almost all shots are taken supported and almost never handheld. They use tripods, sliders, rails, robotic arms, and sometimes expensive steadycams.

It was for me the reason to use a tripod more often and the results improved a lot. I own a DJI RS3 Pro for only quick dynamic movements creating a few minutes of movement. My next purchase will be some sliders.

The most important question is, what effect do you want and are your shots planned or not?