Polaroid Professional Steady Stabilizer Gimbal System For SLR's, Camcorders & Digital Cameras

Purchased this for a month of traveling video production. Outdoor and international locations. Worked great; added a new dynamic to my footage. A great, light weight mobile camera. I used this for two functions primarily: walking and handheld. Walking - Early on I tried moving too fast, which created a wobble in my image. Impossible to recover the balance of the camera. So I had to gauge and limit my speed. (Someone might have a technique to balance it so you can run, but I haven't figured it out.) It still looks amazing, though. Handheld - Handheld is sometimes the only way you can capture moments. But it's very hard to keep from jiggling. I found that if I keep my camera on this mount, I can achieve a smoother handheld look. And it's equally mobile. I'm considering using this mount for more events than my tripod. Pros: 1) Price/Quality - You really can't go wrong considering the alternatives. It's very solid. The aluminum body feels sturdy. I checked joints and was not disappointed. (There is one part that has made me a bit nervous, but I mention it in the cons) 2) Weight - the aluminum keeps it nice and light. I was able to hike for a whole day holding it in my hands most of the time. 3) Balancing - It is designed to make balancing easier. The two set screws on the mounting plate and the knob on the armature make it so much easier. Cons: 1) Balancing is hard, and takes me 20 minutes. And small inbalances take effect. If the side to side is off, the camera slowly starts panning. Front to back creates a significant wobble vertically. I watched a YouTube video about balancing and it helped me so much. I also got a quick release plate, and I agree with others that it helps tweak the balance. 2) The lower armature on mine has some play to it. I hope it doesn't compound over time. Unless it is breaks, this doesn't limit the product's function. And judging by the materials they used, I don't think it will break.

I bought this because it was cheap and I liked the micro adjustments. I put a quick release plate with levels on it. It took me a long time to figure out how to balance it. It never really stays in balance because there is too much play at the adjustment on the front middle of the stabilizer (where the round knob is at). Both the top and bottom has about 1/8-1/4 inch of play in it. The top part is pretty sturdy. After I got it balanced it worked good. However, the play in it throws it out of balance. There are some good videos on YouTube about balancing this type of stabilizer. Two important things that helped me was to use the corner of a table to stand the stabilizer on while balancing. The other thing is I had too much weight on the bottom. The drop time should be just over 1 second. My camera kept rocking back and forth and could not figure out what was wrong. I had too much weight on the. I had to use 3 weights, which required me to use duct tape for the weights... another annoying thing. ***********Update************ This was a waste of money. I took it apart and robbed the handle and mount for a DIY stabilizer that works better than this.

It was.... eeeh a pain in the ass to balance then wind throws it off. Honestly I wouldn't recommend this product or any gimbal that is made with a curved body. Just doesn't work as good as a straight Body gimbal.

I've own other small steady cams in the past and this one is by far the worst. It takes way too much time to stabilize. the design and balance technique was not well thought out. I sent this one back.

This is a pretty nice stabilizer in the same vein as a merlin. It works on the same principle, but lacks the front weight or the more extensive mounting plate. Let's be honest: if you are looking at this instead of a $799 Merlin, you probably aren't working for the big names in Hollywood, you are trying to find a decent stabilizer for a decent camera so you can get some better video. This is a good one for that. The Polaroid uses a gimbal, not a U-joint like the UH3- Longbow or a ball joint like the Lensee systems. A ball joint becomes less effective as your rig gets heavier (and it doesn't take much). A U-joint works ok, but can bind as it doesn't move as freely. A gimbal is the way to go, and there is nothing wrong with this one. It takes a while to balance if you haven't done it before. Tough. There is no magic ring that solves this. You are going to have to invest a good 45 minutes into the first time you balance a camera, THEN go learn how to use a stabilizer. This thing will not shoot video for you and neither will a much more expensive rig. And yes, it is VERY, VERY sensitive. Changing the zoom on your lens or moving the LCD to get a better view will alter your balance. Thing about it. You are trying to balance this weight on a gimbal, so put it right up there with riding a unicycle or something. If you take the time to learn it, and you do not overload it, this will serve you just fine.

This is a great unit for the price Surprisingly well made. Compact. Really like how the counter balance works and the adjustment possibilities for camera mounting Bubble level in good spot.

This was advertized as new, but came in an obviously used state. No box, no instruction sheet. The handle had what looked to be chocolate on it. The counterweight bar was scratched. The weights were torqued together so tightly I could free them by hand. I returned it the same day I received it.

This contraption takes a tedious amount of work to achieve balance, I definitely would not suggest to use with a go pro. for a dslr it just takes some serious practice and time to get the weight just right.