steadicam merlin bobbing motion

[sdewitt]

Here is a short clip that shows a bobbing motion that I am getting with my steadicam merlin and HV20. It is the up and down "walking" motion that I am talking about.
Wondered if any users had any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong (besides not enough practice!).

Thanks.

Sam

http://hv20.info/yopu/bobbing_02.mov

[dimaxx]

It's no that bad. But i think You should practise more and more. Not always with he camera, try a glass full of water, walk upstairs and downstairs and not spill it.
I wish i have "Merlin" too someday!

[skinnyboy]

Practice, practice, practice.

Take Tai Chi, too, if you can afford it. It helps with centering your motion and keeping movement fluid.
The big trick is to move without your head going up and down - if you can figure that out, you'll be good to go.

[sdewitt]

Thanks for the response, but I have been practicing with water, egg on a spoon and others, but I can not seem to get rid of this annoying bobbing motion.
Yes, more practice is the key, I just don't want to practice more with the wrong basic technique, as that will just take longer to un-learn once I figure out what I am doing wrong.

Sam

[dimaxx]

Hey, taka look at this video http://youtube.com/watch?v=J6HDUDbeEJw
look how smooth his movements are. he moves body, not an arm that's holds a cam.

[sdewitt]

Thanks for that, I have seen that alreaday. If you look at it though, he is never doing what I am talking about, which is simply walking forward.

Strangely enough, when I run (like he does at the end of the video) it is smooth. It is when I simply walk forward that I get this bobbing motion that is so distracting to me.

But again, thanks for the reply.

Sam






Hey, taka look at this video http://youtube.com/watch?v=J6HDUDbeEJw
look how smooth his movements are. he moves body, not an arm that's holds a cam.

[AirShot]

Take up golf. Once you shoot in the 80's, you'll know what keeping your head level means :-)

[mattias]

is the camera really balanced correctly? up and down movement shouldn't show that much, it's probably tilting you see. what happens if you stand still and move the camera forward and back? does the horizon move? it shouldn't.

/matt

[sdewitt]

is the camera really balanced correctly? up and down movement shouldn't show that much, it's probably tilting you see. what happens if you stand still and move the camera forward and back? does the horizon move? it shouldn't.

/matt

Yes, it is balanced correctly, it exhibits no sway when moving (fast) from side to side or forwards/reverse. Drop time is good as well.

Sam

[mattias]

what if you move it "semi fast" forward and back, the same speed as you would walk? it *really* looks like it's tilting back and forth in your footage, not just moving up and down.

/matt

[sdewitt]

what if you move it "semi fast" forward and back, the same speed as you would walk? it *really* looks like it's tilting back and forth in your footage, not just moving up and down.

/matt

It does not sway, but I really do appreciate your feedback.

Sam

[mattias]

well, i'm saying it *does* sway in your sample. how else would you explain the motion? try moving the camera up and down a little and you'll see how little the image changes if there's no foreground. the only way to make the horizon move is to tilt the camera.

wait, you're not dancing lindyhop while shooting, are you? :-)

/matt

[mattias]

look at the guy in the no 1 jersey. his head moves up and down more than the height of his head, and to do that without tilting the camera you need to move the camera up and down more than the height of one head, you don't need much practicing with water glasses to avoid that.

/matt

[sdewitt]

look at the guy in the no 1 jersey. his head moves up and down more than the height of his head, and to do that without tilting the camera you need to move the camera up and down more than the height of one head, you don't need much practicing with water glasses to avoid that.

/matt


If you loook at the wooden box near the leg of the tripod, you will see that there is a bag behind it. With each up step some of the bag is revealed, then with each down step some is obscured. There is distance between the bag and the box. If the camera were swaying, or tilting, as you insist, then the amount of the bag exposed would be less or more than the movement (vertically) on the box. This is not the case. You can see that there is not tilting, or swaying, in that objects are all moving the same RELATIVE to each other. If there was the swaying that you think you are seeing then you would have more or less movement of objects relative to each other. As it is, they all move the same, in concert with the steps, including the horizon.

Sam

[Captainobvious]

Take up golf. Once you shoot in the 80's, you'll know what keeping your head level means :-)


Of course , that will take you 20 years in and of itself

[mattias]

you're absolutely right, but here's a wild a crazy idea: what if there's both? :-)

/matt

[dfwblah]

Check out posts 47-51 on this page:

http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=64062&page=4&highlight=steadicam+merlin

Guy had a similar issue that was seemingly solved. Good luck. If it works, you can 'repay' <wink> me by posting more footage from your HV20 and Steadicam Merlin setup. Thinking of getting one.