I’ve run into a problem with the Canon 5D Mk2 and the Jaybilizer camera stabilizer.
I had two customers that are using the 5D and had sent me good reports, However, I have found that they had to add significant ( 1.5 lbs) counterweights over the washers that are shipped with the Jaybilizer.
I was able to do some hands on testing today and need to share the results.
First is that I discovered that we need to under sling the counterweights to lower the center of gravity and to provide mechanical advantage for the weights. Otherwise the weight of the camera and stabilizer becomes unmanageable.
Please look carefully at the attached photographs and notice that I had to reverse the bottom 3 1/2″ screw so that is pointed downwards. I then added 4 large (2 1/2″ Dia. (62mm)) washers in addition to the ten of the 1 1/2″ ( 37mm) washers for a total weight of 14 Oz. or 400 grams.
I then mounted the “kickstand” beneath the counterweights and affixed it using the wing nut.
For side to side counterweight, I loosened the gimbal handle screw and moved the aluminum rod as far to the left as possible and added 9 – 1 1/2″ washers to the plastic knob screw.
Note that you will have to purchase the 4 or 5 large 2 1/2″ washers in addition to the 25- 1 1/2″ washers that ship with the Jaybilizer.
This is a temporary work around to allow you to shoot with the 5D. I’m working on engineering a more elegant solution and will ship current 5D/Jaybilizer owners the upgrade your Jaybilizer at no charge as soon as it is available.
In the meantime I am not recommending using the Jaybizer 3000 with the Canon 5Dmk2.
Testing the GH1 on my DIY Merlin-type camera stabilizer (the Jaybilizer3000 jaybilizer.com )
This is kinda a worse case scenario, I was testing for rolling shutter with rapid side to side movement and to see how 24fps looked when moving quickly on a stabilizer also I wanted to see how smooth the camera was on the stabilizer. Obviously for real production footage I would have slowed down my motion to smooth out the 24p.
Here is a quick picture of my current HV-30 with a Jag35 35mm lens adapter. I’m prototyping a lens support and wireless/shotgun microphone support that I’m calling the JayBar3000.
I finally shot and edited this video that goes over some of the shooting techniques for the Jaybilizer 3000 , my homemade “Steadicam Merlin-type” camera stabilizer. The techniques include orbiting shots, tracking shots, low angle tracking shots, flying Shots and crane shots. I shot most of the video with a Canon HV30 on the Jaybilizer 3000 with some additional hand-held footage shot by Rob Martin with a Sony EX1.
Credits: Credits: Thanks to Rob Martin for the excellent EX1 handheld shots
Special Thanks to StickerGiant for the cool Jaybilizer 3000 stickers stickergiant.com/
Special thanks to Jeru at Jag35 for the Jag35 DOF Adapter jag35.com/
Find out More about the Jaybilizer 3000 jayshaffervideo.com/products/
I demonstrate a DIY mirror LCD shade for the Canon HV30 to “flip” the image so that it appears upright when using a Jag35 DOF adapter. It should be noted that the mage is only corrected as far as being upright, the image is still “flipped” left to right. This can make panning difficult, but for static shots I find it an acceptable solution.
I demonstrate a couple modifications and improvements to my inexpensive camera stabilizer design and finally show some footage of the stabilizer in action.
I added a couple things to my DIY camera stabilizer.
Detail of the inexpensive Tripod head mounted on the camera stabilizer
First, I figured out how to mount a cheap tripod head as a camera mount. This gives me a much more precise control of the cameras front to back balance and it also significantly raises the center of gravity of the rig. Secondly, because of the raised center of gravity, I now have to use counter weights on the bottom of the arm. This gives me a little more control of the rig’s roll characteristics. I also optimized the weights for the Canon HV-30 so it takes a lot less time to balance out the rig now.
Overall the design is evolving and improving and as I practice a bit more my shooting technique is improving. I would like to get a more experienced Stedicam operator to take it out for a spin.
Wing nut holds four fender washers as a counterweight
This is my attempt at a DIY Camera Stabilizer. I call it the JayCam MK II. It is a Merlin-like design that utilizes a gimbal. The entire rig cost less than $50 and with a few more tweaks and some practice you won’t be able to tell the footage from stuff shot with much more expensive gear.
