20Jun Low price DIY Mōvi camera stabilizer alternative
By now most people have seen the Mōvi camera stabilizer. This handheld 3-axis digital stabilized camera gimbal provides very smooth steady cam style shots in a very compact package. The price of $15,000 might not seem to bad if you’ve had too invest in a high end Steadicam vests and sled, but it’s out of the range of most budgets.
A few lower price options have started to show up. The Rotorview for example uses the same method of stabilization with a smaller design profile. You can pick up a Rotorview for around $3,800 USD (2,900 euro). The demo video shows the Rotorview in action, flying what looks to be a Sony FS-100. The results appear to be just as smooth as those of the Mōvi camera stabilizer, with a cost savings of around $11,000.
If you take a look at the Mōvi design (picture from NAB, they let me touch it), you can see that two out of the 3 brushless motors are doing most of the stabilization. Pitch and roll do most of the work well the yaw (top motor) is being used by a remote operator for pans. Even though the technology was praised as new and innovative, there have been a lot of other companies and DIY groups working on the same tech. The Mōvi camera stabilizer was simply the first to make it to market.
The DIY versions of the Mōvi have come a long way in the last few months. Now for $600 or less you can build your own DIY Mōvi and get very similar results. There are already a few kits showing up on ebay designed around the Sony NEX 5 and GH2 cameras. That form factor would also be ideal for the Black Magic Pocket Camera.
There are still some downsides to the 2 axis DIY design. Walking motion is eliminated but you can still introduce a little bit of jitter when panning the camera by hand. There’s a kickstarter version of the 2 axis concept that’s designed around the gopro called the STABiLGO. Even though the two founders in the video look like zombies, their demo footage makes it easy to see the effect. As long as the camera isn’t making a dramatic pan everything looks pretty nice.
All the parts used in the STABiLGO (above) look like they’ve come right from kits on ebay. Basically it’s just the two brushless motors, mounting bracket, controller, and battery attached to a BARSKA hand grip. It looks like they’ve taken a dremel to the handle in order to accommodate the battery. All together, it’s about $300 worth of parts and it looks like they are shooting for a $600 price tag.
I’ve already started to see DIY 3 axis kits showing up on ebay. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before this sort of thing completely eats away at the traditional steadicam market. Hopefully we’ll start seeing sub $1000 kits with no DIY required designed around smaller cameras like the Black Magic Pocket Camera showing up on the market by the end of the year. If I had a steady cam like this on set every day, it would probably start to take over my shot list.
UPDATE: Looks like you can now buy a ready to assemble kit for $299 on ebay. You get everything but the battery and that price includes shipping. Still only designed for smaller cameras, but that’s a better deal then the STABiLGO kickstarter.
June 20th, 2013 at 4:28 pm
I clicked the link for the kits showing up on ebay and they all appear to be for aerial use. As cool as that is, I was looking for simple hand held versions.
June 20th, 2013 at 4:53 pm
All you have to do is attach the top to a set of handles, or flip the kit upside down and mount it to a shoulder rig. Either way should be quick and easy with all those mounting points.
June 21st, 2013 at 7:00 am
There is a lot of stabilization rigs out there, but having worked with some of the lower brands and with the higher end name brands, there is definitely a quality difference from say Stedicam and a off brand from India or China.
It would be interesting to put the Movi side by side some of these cheaper rigs to see the differences. Im going to guess that part of Movis price tag comes with the quality motors and components they are using. This can be the difference between Prosumer and Professional.
Interesting post and research. 🙂
June 21st, 2013 at 7:39 am
The motors are some of the price ($500 a peace) as the Movi can handle 10 pounds while these low price units only handle a pound or so max. But the biggest part of the price for Movi from what I gathered talking to the reps at NAB is actually the software and electronic motor controller. Apparently Freefly spent over a year developing the software that controls the motor systems and the price reflects the need to recoup development costs.
Playing with the unit they had at NAB, I would guess the hardware motors and all is less than $3,000 total. After that you’re paying maybe another $1000 in labor (on the high end) for assembly and testing of each unit.
June 22nd, 2013 at 1:48 pm
Ordered the eBay kit. We’ll see how well it works…should be here next week.
June 24th, 2013 at 2:34 pm
Availability not an issue…it shipped already today.
June 26th, 2013 at 2:11 am
Any feedback on this or test video footage to share?
June 26th, 2013 at 7:32 am
Once mine gets here, and I build it, I’ll be able to test it. I’ll share the results.
June 24th, 2013 at 5:40 pm
Does anyone know how critical balance is on these rigs?
If you have for example a 5D or GH3 or something with a zoom lens, would you have to re-balance if you change the focal length on the lens?
June 26th, 2013 at 7:35 am
Like any gimbal, balance is important for proper performance. It’s my understanding though that it doesn’t have to be 100% perfect. As long as it’s close and the motors aren’t over loaded, everything should still work…though if the motors are having to work a bit harder than they need to be you’re going to see battery life impacted.
June 26th, 2013 at 5:00 pm
I dont understand why you cant post for weeks at a time. Not even one post in a week. You realize how many people who go on this site everyday for something new are getting pissed. You are a great blogger but you should definitely add some more posts if you wanna compete with other blogs that do what you do but everyday. nobody goes as in depth as you but how bout getting somebody else to take the helm at times when you can’t.
July 1st, 2013 at 8:58 am
Sorry Deter, Just getting back. I’ve been shooting a lot of overnight stuff over the last 2 weeks and moving during the day (old house sold). I’ll be back at it starting today. I’ll see if I can rope someone in next time I’m gone for a few weeks.
July 3rd, 2013 at 1:37 pm
There exists something like an rss reader. Check feedly for example…
July 3rd, 2013 at 5:34 pm
Update on the eBay rig…
It’s typical of a made in China kit. One page of instructions with no english to be found. They look inadequate regardless of language.
Some of the screws are mis-shapen and un-usable.
All of the carbon fibre looks fine but it’s not finished very well. There are some slivers and rough edges.
I’m only half way through assembling it and in two hours I HAVE ha d to use a file and a hammer on more than one occasion and will be short some screws because of defects. I’ve had to re-build parts a few times because I either put it together in the wrong order or using the wrong screws. The average Joe will make a few mistakes but should be able to put it together with just the few photos in the instructions to go on.
That said, aside from a few issues the fit is pretty good. The motors are very nice and much larger than I anticipated them to be.
With so many screws, it’s going taking some time to build and will take just as long to get it fully adjusted and balanced I’m sure.
The size is about what I expected. I want to shoot with either a NEX-5, 7, or Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera and this seems ideal.
Motor wires require soldering to the circuit board. Not sure yet just how much assembly is required there as there are no instructions included for the board. I’m going to have to download something I think. I’m fairly certain the controller will need to be tuned as well…not sure what’s involved there either.
Sorry no photos or unboxing or sniffing video. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
July 7th, 2013 at 12:08 pm
Thanks for the update. I’ve been trying to hunt down a 3 axis system controller, might try and order one and get it setup next month once I catch up with things. If I do, i’ll post some more info.
July 8th, 2013 at 1:50 pm
So far so good but not quite there yet.
I found a manual for the Martinez board online. It’s fairly well documented but you have to hunt down the information yourself. Between the documentation and extensive forum chatter, all the info you need is out there for the finding.
The board doesn’t come with a battery connector so I had to buy one from a local hobby shop to solder myself. Still looking for servo extension wires so that I can connect the gimbal to a regular R/C radio receiver…they’re in short supply as it’s full swing R/C season here. Also looking for suitable plugs to put onto the motors so I don’t have to solder the motor wires directly to the circuit board.
It also needs a good battery so expect to buy a heli style LiPo battery and charger. My $299 rig is going to cost closer to $500 just to get it running though your mileage may vary.
I should have it together enough to at least calibrate it by the middle of the week…another thing for which no instructions were included. I’m not 100% sure yet but it looks like you have to flash the software to the board yourself before it will function.
July 12th, 2013 at 12:29 am
Any new updates on your progress…anxious to see some of your test videos. I would really like to build one of these rigs.
George
July 19th, 2013 at 10:33 am
Yes – Would like to see and hear of your progress. – Thanks
July 22nd, 2013 at 2:10 pm
Thanks for your patience guys. I had to special order some servo leads to connect the control board to my radio receiver. They just came in late last week.
Once I have it together and calibrated, I’ll post here again.
July 22nd, 2013 at 3:04 pm
Thanks for keeping us posted Dave! If you get a chance send me some pictures and I’ll post some info on your experience.
August 20th, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Hey Dave any updates? Video footage? etc….Thanks!!! See my long winded response lower in the thread really needing to find a solution for my needs!
George
August 20th, 2013 at 1:27 pm
Hi George,
Sorry I haven’t been able to update you more on this one. It’s been built but a lack of documentation has made the going slow. Combined with my busy schedule and it’s not ready to test yet.
A few notes in the interim however. Building it is fairly simple but getting is balanced for my NEX-5R with the kit lens took some time. This thing has a LOT of screws and half of them need to be repeatedly loosened and tightened to get all the bits in the right place. Getting it balanced is a matter of millimeters and frustrating. There’s no way I’ll use this thing with more than one camera or even more than one lens/camera combination…getting balance again makes tuning a Steadicam as easy as pie. More to that, once it was balanced, there’s no gap on the side for an HDMI cable…it’s tighter than I expected…the NEX-7 won’t balance. Don’t expect to use a monitor unless you’re flying a small point and shoot or a gopro…or can find a very very small 90 degree HDMI adapter.
One other thing which this design doesn’t account for is placement of the battery, radio, and other circuitry. It needs a LiPO battery to run and requires mounting of a daughter board to measure the orientation of rig independent of the camera. Normally these would be mounted to the hexacopter (or whatever) but for hand holding there isn’t anything so I’m having to get creative with velcro and double sided tape…but with the main structure of the mount being carbon tubes, it’s not ideal.
My opinion so far is that it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Even if I’d have purchased a pre-built model, it still would have required a lot of tuning to match the chosen camera and lens. If the results end up blowing my socks off, then I might change my mind but given my experience using a CMR Blackbird as my stabilizer of choice, I’m still not convinced it will live up to the hype.
August 20th, 2013 at 12:04 pm
Hi, Deejay:
Sorry if I missed this; I’ve looked around and can’t find it, even in the kickstarter. But, what is the lowest price for a system like this? And I don’t mean the $15,000 system that Vincent Laforet speaks of. Of anything, do you know what the end price for the Kickstarter would be, if they were to go into full production. As I understand, the Kickstarter campaign is just for the full assortment of pre-orders they have to get their business started. It’s not for future orders yet.
August 20th, 2013 at 12:18 pm
The one I have been watching is this one however its not looking good for me obtaining funds and taking the plunge, it does look sweet. As with anything I know once I did there would be 3-4 more on market for less and better just my luck. This one was successful for the GoPro as it was sold for air or hand/ground use http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hansskjersaa/xpg-brushless-gimbal-for-gopro-hero-2-3-by-xprohel?ref=live I am also trying to find out more about this one http://hackaday.com/2013/07/04/showing-off-a-high-performance-brushless-motor-camera-gimbal/ I just need something simple either for my 5D MkII with 17-40mm, Sony NEX-5N or willing to invest in GoPro if necessary I am doing simple video walk-through virtual tours for Real Estate and everything seems overkill or the ones for Go-Pro of Sony seems like several have made what looks like great brushless stabilizers but just one hit wonders on the web and no follow-up or responses from them to inquire about them. Then there is all the China kits but I just don’t trust being stuck with $600-$700 if something goes wrong or doesnt work…Hopefully there is an answer out there for me, as I am tired of messing with a Steadicam Merlin 2 and also the Rhino Steady which I end up using 100% time because its the only thing I can get halfway balanced! Keep me posted if anyone see’s anything here is some of my work http://www.wolfpawstudios.com and recent work http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY3SQsQmgv4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QocH-bcQl_U and https://vimeo.com/user14543504/review/71977401/1faa5288f6
August 20th, 2013 at 1:37 pm
If you search “2 axis gopro” on ebay you can find a few kits out there for around $200. They are only really designed for something the size of a gopro but it’s probably the most affordable.
August 27th, 2013 at 3:10 pm
Another update for everybody…still more troubles…
The NEX-5R isn’t flat on the bottom so there is only about a square inch of plastic on the bottom which touches around the tripod threads. It’s flat and shiny…just like the carbon fiber in the gimbal.
What keeps happening is the camera twists very easily, throwing balance out…or dislodging the screw all together.
I’m going to be upgrading to an allen head screw so I can get it tighter and will be putting something on the mounting surface to create some friction and prevent twist.
Sooner or later, I’ll get this thing to work…
June 17th, 2014 at 6:34 am
DaveT,
Any update on this? I am thinking about buying the Came-TV 7000 version.
Let us know whether you have managed to put it together.
Cheers,
O