ProMax SteadyTracker Review (Part 1)

[Danny Grizzle]

<<Apologies for cross posting this article to DV-L, which is on the fritz
again, as usual.>>

Year before last, I bought a Sony DSR-PD150 from ProMax at NAB 2001. As a
show special, they bundled their handheld stabilization device, the
SteadyTracker Xtreme.

  <http://www.promax.com/SteadyTracker/>

Frankly, I didn't take this device too seriously. I'd worked around real
Steadicam operators, and SteadyTracker is no Steadicam. But this is not a
fair comparison. Price alone tells the story: a top-of-the-line Steadicam
costs $66,000; the ProMax SteadyTracker is $299.

Steadicam features gorgeous precision machine work. SteadyTracker is made
from crudely fashioned parts covered with ugly black crinkle paint. Compared
to the rest of my gear, the appearance of SteadyTracker is almost
embarrassing.

Despite my attitude about SteadyTracker build quality and appearance, I find
myself using it far more than expected. Like the CobraCrane, another ProMax
product that I have faulted for build quality and transportability problems,
the bottom line is SteadyTracker is a shot maker.

I've used SteadyTracker in all sorts of situations. The crossbar on the sled
makes for a surprisingly versatile and useful tripod substitute, on the
ground or on an elevated surface such as a table, road case, or stage. All
that is usually necessary is to shim one end or the other with a book or
magazine, since there is no tilt mechanism.

Last week, I got into a new situation with SteadyTracker, with good - but
not great - results. In other words, a serious handheld task. I had
volunteered to shoot second unit on a documentary about English pop/rock
star Glenn Tilbrook, currently on solo tour of the U.S.

  <http://www.glennmovie.com/>      Documentary Website
  <http://www.glenntilbrook.com/>   Tour Dates

Towards the end of his show, Tilbrook gets wild & crazy, jumps off the stage
into the crowd, acoustic guitar in hand, and leads a sing along with his
audience.

On this occasion, Tilbrook played Pied Piper, leading his audience right out
the front door and onto the streets of the Austin, Texas entertainment
district. Around the block, through the alley, serenading passersby in horse
drawn carriages and traffic stopped at red lights. Not only that, but
through another club, crashing another act's concert in progress.

For a camera operator, this is as unpredictable as handheld gets.

I got the shot with a SteadyTracker. Not only that, but by booming the
camera up a foot or two above the crowd's heads, no doubt I got some unique
shots unlike anything done by hand held cameramen on this night or others in
the tour.

That's the good part. The bad part is just what you might expect, arm
fatigue, lapses in framing, jostled about by the crowd.

After such a near-miss at the Tilbrook show, I was disappointed at my
performance, but at the same time, thrilled by the prospect of doing cool
handheld camera work. Expecting to do more work of this type in the coming
months, this week I began to daydream about purchasing a Steadicam, perhaps
the Mini ($5,500) or an SK2 ($7,995).

Wow. That's serious money. Even the knock-off products like Glidecam are
thousands of dollars. At the end of the day, I'm still looking at this
SteadyTracker, wondering if I might not use it better. Here follows some
specific observations about the device itself, and operation.

Operation... this is a big deal, even for 5-figure Steadicam rigs. Setup is
critical, balance is key. Maybe if I approached the SteadyTracker a little
more seriously, perhaps it would do more for me.

Sunday afternoon, I spent a little time with the PD150 and SteadyTracker. I
had already learned the rough essentials of setup and balance from the
videotape supplied by ProMax, but I have never practiced. All Steadicam
operators know that practice is essential -- in fact, they go to week-long
schools just to hone their skills. SteadyTracker purchase price is less than
1/10th of the cost of a Steadicam training school, but using SteadyTracker
successfully requires no less preparation & practice (practice, practice).

A few tips and pointers:

Today, as I studied websites for Steadicam and refreshed my memory of their
spring-loaded articulated arms, I recalled my first encounter with Steadicam
in the 70's. The design mimics human arm anatomy. It works in much the same
way as your ability to walk with a glass of water, and with practice, hold
the liquid relatively still.

A major problem facing arm-supported stabilization devices such as the
SteadyTracker is muscle fatigue. In my case, framing began to suffer and I
couldn't keep the camera from nosing downwards.

Operation Tip #1: Grabbing a length of bungee cord from off a baggage cart,
I quickly fashioned a loop around my neck and under the hand support on the
SteadyTracker. With this, I was able to sustain prolonged handheld shots,
running through the narrow twisted turning halls of my office building. Wish
I had thought of this trick before the Tilbrook show!

Operation Tip #2: I use a Century Precision wide angle lens with auto focus
engaged. Even though I was shooting in near darkness on the streets of
Austin, there was little searching for focus, and myfootage was very sharp.
Wide angle lenses minimize effects of handheld camera work. The whole idea
of handheld is to move close to the subject, so get as wide as you can and
stay there!

Operation Tip #3: Turn camera image stabilization off. This will surprise
many, but it will make for better shots. Image stabilizers are useful for
high frequency vibrations, such as a trembling hand. They are far less
useful when you are moving the camera on purpose. In fact, image stabilizers
tend to "correct" the beginning of a camera move, then over-compensate in a
very visible way on into the shot, which can often bust a take. Mounting a
camera on a device like SteadyTracker, along with a wide angle lens setting,
is going to eliminate most visible "trembling". What you are going for is
long fluid camera moves, and the camera's image stabilizer will often ruin
these types of shots.

Operation Tip #4: Get a Hoodman or iCuff for your fold-out LCD viewfinder.

Operation Tip #5: Pay attention to horizon line, a pet peeve of mine.
Because the Tilbrook show is being shot in 16:9, all the more important. BTW
- SteadyTracker is great for dutch moves, when you want to deliberately
violate this rule. 

Operation Tip #6: Did I mention practice?

<<Continued in Part 2>>