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WondLan Ares stabilizer
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    This discussion was created from comments split from: Interesting stuff: Stabilizer.
  • 14 Replies sorted by
  • fehafeha
    Hi,
    here is one that I use:

    also a test video:

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    @feha
    Thanks for videos.
    But they are for completely different model.
    May be good idea is to start new topic in gear about Wondlan Ares 2?
  • fehafeha
    @Vitaliy_Kiselev

    Sure, you can start a new topic np ...

    this is more like merlin, it costed me about $300 USD
    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WONDLAN-Ares-Hand-Held-Stabilizer-D7000-D90-D300s-D5100-/270781109787
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    OK, here you are.
  • Ian_TIan_T
    Seems like a potentially good stabilizer but I'm not necessarily convinced by his tests. Maybe (as his video mentions) he just needs more practice.
  • fehafeha
    @Ian_T
    yes I need some more practice :-)
    That was my very first test ...
    Will be posting more tests later with GH2 (hope hacked, waiting for PT) ...

    Below is another video of someone else who uses same stabilizer
  • Ian_TIan_T
    Ahh...ok. That looks a lot better. So I guess the lesson here is...I should not expect to just jump right in and get perfectly stabalized footage without a bit of practice. Makes sense.
  • stoneystoney
    Is it just me? Footages from this kinda stabilizer are giving me seasickness...
  • MrAnthonyMrAnthony
    I have the Ares. The biggest issue for me is that it has a tendency to swing to one side when you walk with this stabilizer. One of the most important things is to not use too much counterweight as this increases the likelihood of the camera swinging to one side or the other. I see this version, the Ares 2, has a chain, apparently to limit the platform from swinging to one side. I might have to do something like that with my Ares. My Ares does a good job with things like going up or down stairs, but walking or running, the camera will start to point off-center and then stay there. I see this tendency in the mine footage too, near the end, when most of the shot is taken up with the mine wall because the camera is swinging that way ever so slowly as he walks.

    @feha: I don't know where you bought yours, but my Ares came in a very nice box and not bubble-wrapped like a leftover.
  • fatpigfatpig
    this is more expensive, and worse than sturdycam. dont you think? theres a genius video of gh2+sturdycam on youtube, check it out!
  • fehafeha
    @MrAnthony
    I bought it from the link above, later I found that there is a boxed (aluminium case) version at slightly higher price.
    I think if balanced right there will be no swings, but as any stabilizer it requires a more practice.
    The chain helps a lot to prevent undesired right-left rotations ...
    Note: there are two versions except Ares there is also smaller one Pegasus i think for small DV/Camcorders ...
  • fehafeha
    @fatpig
    I don't know about that one but I can say that I used before flycam nano and it took every time 20-30 min to get it balanced.
    The Ares can be balanced at max 5 minutes and i think faster than "Merlin" ...
    But even "Merlin" requires practice and skills ...
    Also would like to see more videos from other users not ones who are making them ...
  • MrAnthonyMrAnthony
    @feha: You may be right--I might have the Pegasus version. I'm away from my box, so I'll have to look at it when I return to California. The design is basically the same, only smaller.

    @fatpig: wow, that's way better than anything I could ever get with the Pegasus.

  • MrAnthonyMrAnthony
    re: sturdycam: I'm far less impressed after visiting their website and seeing that for swaying, they recommend solutions like rubberbanding foam around the joint.
    http://www.sturdyshots.com/2010/05/10/no-more-left-right-swaying/
    I also noticed some l-r swaying in the mirror shot, yet the recorded video didn't swing in sync, which implies to me that the footage is doctored to hide it (it's a bit obvious when the lens starts pointing to the side, but the sides of the edges of the mirror never change). I'll have to keep working on my Pegasus technique; maybe I'll post some video from it if I get a chance later this week.
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