How Steadicam is managing to stay relevant in a world of cheap gimbals

With accessibility of ever-cheaper gimbals easier than ever, is the venerable Steadicam still relevant for camera movement?

Anybody who has tried to use a Steadicam will know how difficult they are to operate. Trying to move what can sometimes be an incredibly heady camera setup around with the grace of a ballerina takes years of practice, and a sizeable monetary investment to become good. Or at least, that used to be the case.

Over the years, lower cost Steadicam rigs like the Flyer became available, opening up the world of silky smooth stabilisation to a much wider market. The great thing about using lightweight rigs like the Flyer was that anyone who became good at using one could immediately transfer that skill to using a much heavier type of rig. In fact, because a lightweight Steadicam system is much harder to use without introducing micro-movements, such an operator would find the heavier setup much more forgiving to use. Aside from the body fatigue due to the weight, that is.

But, in 2013 the production world was introduced to a new player. One that cost a fraction of the price of even the least expensive Steadicam, and best of all, anyone could use it. The three-axis camera gimbal changed everything, and eventually meant that anyone could achieve Steadicam like smoothness in their shots.

The question, of course, is whether the gimbal would make the Steadicam obsolete. Well, as we've seen, the Steadicam is still very much with us, and it still offers a fair few advantages over a gimbal depending on the use case. However, that's not to say that Tiffen, the company that owns the Steadicam brand, hasn't had to adapt and even embrace the world of motorisation.

In the video below, I take a look at the history of camera movement and how the Steadicam is not only remaining relevant in a world of gimbals, but how it has adapted to make it much more accessible to a much wider range of users.

tl;dr

• The Steadicam has a steep learning curve, requiring extensive practice and financial investment to master, though lower-cost options have made it more accessible over time.
• Lightweight Steadicam rigs like the Flyer allow users to develop skills that easily transfer to heavier setups, making them easier to handle overall, despite body fatigue.
• The introduction of three-axis camera gimbals in 2013 revolutionized camera movement, enabling smoother shots that anyone could achieve at a fraction of the cost of a Steadicam.
• Despite the rise of gimbals, the Steadicam remains relevant, providing unique advantages in certain situations, and the brand has adapted by embracing motorization to meet evolving market needs.
• Watch the video :-)