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Product Description
The Opteka SteadyVid PRO is a video stabilizing system designed to reduce shake and stabilize video on cameras and camcorders weighing up to 5 lbs (2.26kg). The SteadyVid PRO features aluminum construction, adjustable mounting plate, comfort grip handle, super-smooth gimbal, sprit level and includes 2 removable weights in addition to the main counterweight.
Specifications
Load Capacity: 5 lbs (2.26kg)
Construction: Aluminum Body, Rubber Padded Handle, Polished Chrome Counterweights
Dimensions (LxHxD): 8 x 9.5 x 1.2" (20.3 x 24.1 x 3 cm)
Counterbalance Weights: 1.15 lbs (515g) (1x 335g & 2x 90g weights)
Weight (without counterweights): 1.55 lbs (705g)
Weight (with counterweights): 2.68 lbs (1.22kg)
Warranty: 1 Year
Specifications
Load Capacity: 5 lbs (2.26kg)
Construction: Aluminum Body, Rubber Padded Handle, Polished Chrome Counterweights
Dimensions (LxHxD): 8 x 9.5 x 1.2" (20.3 x 24.1 x 3 cm)
Counterbalance Weights: 1.15 lbs (515g) (1x 335g & 2x 90g weights)
Weight (without counterweights): 1.55 lbs (705g)
Weight (with counterweights): 2.68 lbs (1.22kg)
Warranty: 1 Year
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I previously used the glidecam and I also owned a Steadicam Merlin for quite some time. When I saw the Opteka SteadiVid Pro I decided to give it a try... after all, at this price point there's not much to loose. The design of the Opteka SteadiVid Pro is very similar to the $800+ Steadicam Merlin. Having owned the Merlin, I expected the Opteka Stabilizer to be of much lesser quality giving that it only costs a fraction of the Merlin but it turned out I was wrong. Shipping from this Seller was fast, and I was absolutely surprised by the quality when I received it a few days ago.
It's actually very well built, I would say very similar to the Merlin. Almost everything is done from metal and nothing feels cheap. Like with the Merlin, the top stage has "micro adjustment screws" which is not common at this price point. This is a life saver when balancing the rig, and I wouldn't buy a stabilizer that comes without it. The set-up works exactly the same as with the Merlin, and given the fact that the Opteka only comes with very brief instruction, I would suggest to google/youtube for the merlin set-up videos. Pretty much everything applies 1 to 1 to the Opteka. It took me about 20mins to achieve perfect balance with my GH2 and I was ready to shoot.
Results are much better than I expected from a product at that price point. I achieved almost perfectly smooth runs with it after some practicing. I really like the handle of it, it's very comfortable, and it also has a feature that the Merlin doesn't have that I started to like very quickly: There's a "pan grip" that is separated form tilt and roll. This makes it easy to pan without messing with the tilt and pan. The gimbal is very smooth, only the pan has a bit resistance, which sometimes shows up a little bit in the footage but practice should certainly help here.
All in all, an unbelievable value at this price point. Definitely worth the money...
It's actually very well built, I would say very similar to the Merlin. Almost everything is done from metal and nothing feels cheap. Like with the Merlin, the top stage has "micro adjustment screws" which is not common at this price point. This is a life saver when balancing the rig, and I wouldn't buy a stabilizer that comes without it. The set-up works exactly the same as with the Merlin, and given the fact that the Opteka only comes with very brief instruction, I would suggest to google/youtube for the merlin set-up videos. Pretty much everything applies 1 to 1 to the Opteka. It took me about 20mins to achieve perfect balance with my GH2 and I was ready to shoot.
Results are much better than I expected from a product at that price point. I achieved almost perfectly smooth runs with it after some practicing. I really like the handle of it, it's very comfortable, and it also has a feature that the Merlin doesn't have that I started to like very quickly: There's a "pan grip" that is separated form tilt and roll. This makes it easy to pan without messing with the tilt and pan. The gimbal is very smooth, only the pan has a bit resistance, which sometimes shows up a little bit in the footage but practice should certainly help here.
All in all, an unbelievable value at this price point. Definitely worth the money...
44 of 49 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Product - works well out of the box. Not sure about durability of gimbal - to be seen
April 25, 2012
By gh
Amazon Verified Purchase
|
Length:
0:35
Mins
This video is my first test of Opteka SteadyVid Pro stabilizer. My dog was the only subject accessible to me at the time, so she's the star of this video.
I had no experience using a Steadicam or similar device prior to getting this Opteka device.
I wanted to get a low shot, so instead of hand-holding the unit, I used a boom pole with a mafer clamp attached on top, so I could get enough of an extension to get the low shot I wanted (to be on the dog's eye level). I'm by no means a skilled steadicam operator, but I'm still pretty satisfied with this camera stabilization system after the first test. I hope I will become better at using it. This weekend, I'll be shooting a friend's wedding with it.
Update 4/27: I just created a YouTube channel where I'll be posting my progress with SteadyVid: youtube dot com/videotestground
Update 5/09: I just posted a guide to balancing Opteka SteadyVid at my YouTube channel (videotestground) where I discuss correct drop time, static balance and dynamic balance - it should be useful to beginning users.
Overall, the Opteka product seems sturdy. The gimbal is very fluid and rotates easily. I can only hope that it's durable. The fine-adjustable balancing platform is very nice, although the mounting plate itself seems awfully thin. Presence of precise adjustment controls is the primary reason I chose this Opteka unit over competing designs - I was terrified that without fine-tuning option it would be a nightmare to balance the system. Even with the Opteka, It takes some work to get the system balanced properly, but I didn't find it too hard to understand how it works. The first time I did it, it took me about 20 minutes. I imagine I'll get better at balancing it with some practice.
This is how to adjust the Opteka SteadyVid Pro:
To adjust bottom heaviness, you use the big knob on the body of the unit. Once you get it in the ball park, you can adjust camera positioning on the platform. For fine tuning fore and aft adjustment, you unscrew the 4 little lock bolts on the sides of the camera-mounting platform, then adjust with the bigger knob on the back of the platform. For side to side adjustment, you unscrew the four small lock bolts on the bottom of the platform and adjust with the bigger knob on the left side of the platform.
I filmed this video with a Canon EOS Rebel t3i camera. The camera had a battery-adapter add-on on the bottom, which somewhat increased its weight. The lens was a stock Canon 18-75mm, set to 18mm for wide angle. I tried to shoot at a higher f-stop to maximize depth of field (I was on F16 or f22 for the outdoor shots, and on f8 in the forest). The ISO was set to 160 using Magic Lantern firmware modification.
I had no experience using a Steadicam or similar device prior to getting this Opteka device.
I wanted to get a low shot, so instead of hand-holding the unit, I used a boom pole with a mafer clamp attached on top, so I could get enough of an extension to get the low shot I wanted (to be on the dog's eye level). I'm by no means a skilled steadicam operator, but I'm still pretty satisfied with this camera stabilization system after the first test. I hope I will become better at using it. This weekend, I'll be shooting a friend's wedding with it.
Update 4/27: I just created a YouTube channel where I'll be posting my progress with SteadyVid: youtube dot com/videotestground
Update 5/09: I just posted a guide to balancing Opteka SteadyVid at my YouTube channel (videotestground) where I discuss correct drop time, static balance and dynamic balance - it should be useful to beginning users.
Overall, the Opteka product seems sturdy. The gimbal is very fluid and rotates easily. I can only hope that it's durable. The fine-adjustable balancing platform is very nice, although the mounting plate itself seems awfully thin. Presence of precise adjustment controls is the primary reason I chose this Opteka unit over competing designs - I was terrified that without fine-tuning option it would be a nightmare to balance the system. Even with the Opteka, It takes some work to get the system balanced properly, but I didn't find it too hard to understand how it works. The first time I did it, it took me about 20 minutes. I imagine I'll get better at balancing it with some practice.
This is how to adjust the Opteka SteadyVid Pro:
To adjust bottom heaviness, you use the big knob on the body of the unit. Once you get it in the ball park, you can adjust camera positioning on the platform. For fine tuning fore and aft adjustment, you unscrew the 4 little lock bolts on the sides of the camera-mounting platform, then adjust with the bigger knob on the back of the platform. For side to side adjustment, you unscrew the four small lock bolts on the bottom of the platform and adjust with the bigger knob on the left side of the platform.
I filmed this video with a Canon EOS Rebel t3i camera. The camera had a battery-adapter add-on on the bottom, which somewhat increased its weight. The lens was a stock Canon 18-75mm, set to 18mm for wide angle. I tried to shoot at a higher f-stop to maximize depth of field (I was on F16 or f22 for the outdoor shots, and on f8 in the forest). The ISO was set to 160 using Magic Lantern firmware modification.
23 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I've seen some reviews here where the Opteka is compared to the Steadicam Merlin. I am actually that fortunate that i have been able to work with both of these steadycams the last few days. From reading the reviews here I was given the impression that these two steadycams are equally good. They are not equally good, but the thing you should take into account is the fact that one is about 4 times more expensice thant the other. The really big plus on the Merlins side is the extremely good gimbal - Optekas "gimbal" doesn't even come close, it has got a few big faults. Here's my impressions on the Opteka:
Pros:
Good steadycam with a good build quality, it really doesn't feel or look cheep
Gets you steady shots for a good price.
Has an integrated bubblelevel.
Great and comfortable handle - this is important when you are going to hold it for a few hours
Verry similar to the merlin in the stabilizing prosess, it takes a bit of time, but once you've got the hang of it you can rig it in a 60 seconds!
Cons:
Tends to pan to the right whan you tilt the handle to the right and visa versa
Gimbal not as smooth as the Merlin
When stabilizing some setups, my experience is that the opteka tends to get slightly heavyer.
All in all I would say that for my use, which is freelance and semi pro work, the opteka does a good job, i would probably get slightly better shots with the merlin, but for me the expence is to much. I would buy this product again and definatly recommend it! I give it five stars because of the price and the good build quality!
Here is a video shot with both the Opteka steadivid and the Merlin!
[...]
Pros:
Good steadycam with a good build quality, it really doesn't feel or look cheep
Gets you steady shots for a good price.
Has an integrated bubblelevel.
Great and comfortable handle - this is important when you are going to hold it for a few hours
Verry similar to the merlin in the stabilizing prosess, it takes a bit of time, but once you've got the hang of it you can rig it in a 60 seconds!
Cons:
Tends to pan to the right whan you tilt the handle to the right and visa versa
Gimbal not as smooth as the Merlin
When stabilizing some setups, my experience is that the opteka tends to get slightly heavyer.
All in all I would say that for my use, which is freelance and semi pro work, the opteka does a good job, i would probably get slightly better shots with the merlin, but for me the expence is to much. I would buy this product again and definatly recommend it! I give it five stars because of the price and the good build quality!
Here is a video shot with both the Opteka steadivid and the Merlin!
[...]
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Do not buy.
I have been using this for at least 5 day now and it has not worked at all. If you are looking for a good stabilizer look else were.
Waste of my money :(
Waste of my money :(
Published 3 days ago by Shamshud Deen Ali
5.0 out of 5 stars
A bit tricky, but once you get it....
....it works fine and does what you'd expect. There are a few "flaws." One major flaw is that the silver knobs tend to loosen too easily. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Sleepysnails
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works good once it's balanced right
This product works very well once the balancing is correct. I had to remove the battery grip from my Nikon to get it to balance.
Published 17 days ago by Wesley C. Brooks
1.0 out of 5 stars
does not work
i wasted 3 days trying to get this thing balanced. i read the manual. i watched youtube vids. i had a friend who balances his own "steadicam" rigs all the time assist. NOTHING! Read more
Published 18 days ago by filmguydfw
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Alternative to the Merlin
Worked great for less. Check out a video I shot with it for a competition entry. Let me know what you thinkOpteka SteadyVid PRO Video Stabilizer System for Digital Cameras,... Read more
Published 22 days ago by James Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excelent!
I liked it very much! The product was delivered on time, in perfect condition and it was very well packaged! Read more
Published 22 days ago by Daniela D.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Impossible to calibrate...
This product is a great concept but it is almost impossible to use. Getting a proper calibration is the whole key of this stabilizer working... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Todd D. Bailey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great camera stabilizer!
This product is really one of the best. The quality gives you the feel of an expensive product, but any stabilizer in the world need practice and practice before you can master... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sameer Abdul-latif Al-Bazi
3.0 out of 5 stars
You Get What you Pay For
Build quality is cheap. The screws get loose easy, so always have tools handy. However, if you know what you are doing, this compact steadycam can get you some nice shots. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Josh
2.0 out of 5 stars
Screw is too long, impossibe to tighten the camera
I didn't have much trouble balancing my cameras on this product. It seems to be a sturdy, well built product, but either my package was missing some parts or the screw that came... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jansin
