Stabilisation for Small Cameras

[deckitout]

I am pretty new to video and on a rather large learning curve at present. I will be shooting mainly family events personal projects and a few weddings  etc.

I own an LX100, G6 and GX7 at present, I am slowly building my experience and kit and would like to add some stabilisation to my shoots outdoors

What type of Rig as in flycam/steadycam would you guys recommend for my outfit that is not to bulky or complex to set up.

Or should I just get an EM5 mk 11  

Thanks for any help.

 

[Mozim]

Would you like to improve the stability of your shots or would you like to add motion to your shots? That's a pretty big difference obviously and the tools you pointed out (steadycam etc.) will not make your footage more stable.
If you want to stabilize your shots outdoors, then my suggestion is to pick up a proper tripod or a monopod if you want to be more flexible. Another option is to build up a rig around your camera. The heavier weight of your setup will reduce the shakiness of your footage and you'll get more professional hand-held results. By adding a cage around your camera, you add weight and a lot of mounting options for accessories. You can also get a rod support and add handles to the rods, and/or add a shoulder pad to the rods. The more stuff you add, the more bulky the camera will be. This does have a lot of advantages but some drawback as well. 
A flycam will not make your footage more stable. It will help you achieve shots with a lot of movement if done properly. But it takes a long time to properly adjust the camera and the steadycam, plus a ton of practice. Don't expect to put your camera on a steadycam and get great results right away. You could also pick up a 3-axis stabilizer such as the Nebula and that's supposed to work very well, but also comes at a price. 

[Xavier Plagaro Mussard]

I have one of this: http://wildiron.com/products/the-steadywheel

It works great with small cameras with OIS. I have an LX100 and it works. 

[deckitout]

Would you like to improve the stability of your shots or would you like to add motion to your shots? That's a pretty big difference obviously and the tools you pointed out (steadycam etc.) will not make your footage more stable.
If you want to stabilize your shots outdoors, then my suggestion is to pick up a proper tripod or a monopod if you want to be more flexible. Another option is to build up a rig around your camera. The heavier weight of your setup will reduce the shakiness of your footage and you'll get more professional hand-held results. By adding a cage around your camera, you add weight and a lot of mounting options for accessories. You can also get a rod support and add handles to the rods, and/or add a shoulder pad to the rods. The more stuff you add, the more bulky the camera will be. This does have a lot of advantages but some drawback as well. 
A flycam will not make your footage more stable. It will help you achieve shots with a lot of movement if done properly. But it takes a long time to properly adjust the camera and the steadycam, plus a ton of practice. Don't expect to put your camera on a steadycam and get great results right away. You could also pick up a 3-axis stabilizer such as the Nebula and that's supposed to work very well, but also comes at a price. 

Thanks, I guess adding motion is my priority at present, being able to move around objects and people, I tried just handholding my Camera but the results were not great. 

[deckitout]

I have one of this: http://wildiron.com/products/the-steadywheel

It works great with small cameras with OIS. I have an LX100 and it works. 

​Thank you

[Nick Hughes]

Flying small cameras is, in my experience, much more difficult than larger ones (aka dslrs). You have to spend much more time balancing- smaller changes make a bigger difference when your camera doesn't have a lot of weight to it. Mozim is right about adding some weight- even something like an on-camera LED would be helpful.

[Mozim]

Thanks, I guess adding motion is my priority at present, being able to move around objects and people, I tried just handholding my Camera but the results were not great. 

​Adding weight to the camera will also improve the way your footage looks when you move your camera around stuff. There's also certain techniques to keep in mind when shooting hand-held. I'm not sure using a steadycam is a good idea, especially when you're just starting out. It takes a lot of time to set them up correctly and small changes can completely throw your set up off balance. You will spend a lot of time adjusting the steadycam and very little time actually shooting. It's fun to experiment around with a steady cam but I wouldn't use one in an uncontrolled shooting scenario unless you have a lot of experience with your set up. 

A slider is also a great way to add movement to your shots. You don't just have to slide from left to right and back but you can use it in many different ways. You'll need a tripod for that but in most shooting scenarios it's much more practical than using a steadycam. 

[ntblowz]

Handheld 3 axis gimbal works well on small cams like LX100, I can zoom to telephoto can it still keep balance really well

[deckitout]

Flying small cameras is, in my experience, much more difficult than larger ones (aka dslrs). You have to spend much more time balancing- smaller changes make a bigger difference when your camera doesn't have a lot of weight to it. Mozim is right about adding some weight- even something like an on-camera LED would be helpful.

​Thanks for your nput Nick

[deckitout]

Handheld 3 axis gimbal works well on small cams like LX100, I can zoom to telephoto can it still keep balance really well

​Thanks I'll look into them

[deckitout]

​Adding weight to the camera will also improve the way your footage looks when you move your camera around stuff. There's also certain techniques to keep in mind when shooting hand-held. I'm not sure using a steadycam is a good idea, especially when you're just starting out. It takes a lot of time to set them up correctly and small changes can completely throw your set up off balance. You will spend a lot of time adjusting the steadycam and very little time actually shooting. It's fun to experiment around with a steady cam but I wouldn't use one in an uncontrolled shooting scenario unless you have a lot of experience with your set up. 

A slider is also a great way to add movement to your shots. You don't just have to slide from left to right and back but you can use it in many different ways. You'll need a tripod for that but in most shooting scenarios it's much more practical than using a steadycam. 

​Some good advice many thanks