Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S

by SteadiCam

• Designed to fit the iPhone 4
• Gives extremely smooth bounce free video
• I Phone mount can be used as table top tripod
• Durable construction
• Comfortable ergonomic grip

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B004CJ8CS2
• Item model number: SMOOTHEE-APPLIP4
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #61 in Camera & Photo > Accessories > Professional Video Accessories > Stabilizers
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 8, 2010

Product Description

Style: iPhone 4

The Steadicam Smoothee is specifically designed and engineered to work with your iPhone 4/4s. Based on the same technology as the big $60,000 rigs used in Hollywood, it allows iPhone 4/4s owners to capture incredible video without the shakes normally associated with hand-held video shot on the go, right out of the box, the very first time. The Steadicam Smoothee is small and agile enough to take on vacations or follow the action at sporting events. The Smoothee lets you "fly" wherever the scene takes you--up and down steps, indoors and outside, through crowds--almost anywhere, with precise, elegant control and ease. Its quick release mount lets you instantly swap camera connections between your Smoothee and any tripod. While designed for the iPhone 4/4s the patented quick release removable mount also serves as a tabletop stand or can be mounted to any tripod with a standard ¼ x20-Inch camera mount. The comfortable ergonomic hand-grip folds up securely when not in use. Also included with the Steadicam Smoothee is a quick guide DVD on how to get the best possible shots, along with a carrying strap. The lightweight, compact, agile, and easy to use Steadicam Smoothee features an innovative, patented design built around a durable mono-frame metal structure that requires no complicated instruction to use. With its "go anywhere" compact dimensions, the Steadicam Smoothee is approximately 8-Inch W x 14.5-Inch H x 2.5-Inch D (20.3 x 36.8 x 6.4cm) in operating configuration.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No more shaky free-hand shot videos May 11, 2012

By D. Sanders

Style Name:GoPro|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Steadicam Smoothee for GoPro Hero has made my videos look much more appeasing due to no handshake, and allows a unique camera movement (visual flow). Like any steadicam device it takes time and practice to master it. It can be discouraging so hang in there. You need to watch all four Steadicam Smoothee Operations Manual videos on the Tiffen website to see the unit in operation and see lots of helpful tips. The printed instructions that came with the Smoothee are very basic and not detailed like the videos. Pay special attention to the position of the weight on the arms. When the Smoothee is shipped, the weight was high on the arms and thus the Smoothee was ultra sensitive to movement with the camera. The weight needs to be moved down to the dimple (on the arms) and then the camera is less prone to unwanted movement. Another importance is to use your thumb and finger and/or both hands, ever so lightly to help steady unit as it pivots with the gimbal. Least touch is best... so experiment.

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad For a First Gen February 15, 2011

By tripbreaker

Style Name:iPhone 4|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've had this for about a day, and I'm one of those that has tried to construct one of these myself. I like it, and here's some noteworthy points:

1. It's light, around 5 lbs which is great if you don't want your arm to tire out but the smallest wind or tap will still shake the camera.
2. You're supposed to "guide" the camera by using your thumb to keep it positioned the way you want. This contact added shake to the camera but is needed to keep the camera from drifting while you move with it. A cotton ball affixed to the thumb area with some 2 sided tape provided enough cushion against the thumb contact but still gave the needed control for shooting.
3. Practice, practice, practice. The pros have been doing it for years, don't expect feature film quality your first outing.
4. If you shoot video with an iphone and you want to actually move and have the end result be watchable? Buy this.

I have been waiting years for something like this, and they did not let me down. Once again, you need to practice with it, but the quality and watch-ability of what you shoot will increase X 10.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Works well, after little getting used to it. March 31, 2011

By Usok S. Choe

Style Name:iPhone 4|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was about to chuck the thing across the room after fidgeting the two red knobs to balance it. It simply would not stay balanced...until I realized that the middle weight, which is the black connector near your knuckles if you hold the unit, moves up and down between two aluminum rails. You need to make sure that this weight is moved to the furthest bottom as possible before you begin to fine-tune those two knobs. I wished there is a way to lock those red knobs after getting it balanced, either with a cap or a locking mechanism. It is little too easy to "accidentally" rotate it while carrying it. As for the performance, it works quite well. I certainly recommend it to anyone who might be seeking such a device. It does take some time to get the feel for it. More usage will lead to better performance.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ready, Steady, Go December 23, 2010

By BuzzMega

Style Name:iPhone 4

That should be their motto.

I'm biased. I've been playing with the prototypes for over a year. And I made their official video demos.

See the "Worlds Of Smoothee" on Vimeo (17824739). This was done with a near-production prototype.

Yesterday Steadicam gave me one of the first actual production units. To my hand, it feels significantly smoother than the preproduction unit.

This gizmo makes the iPhone into a real tool. iPhone 4 + Smoothee = Wow.

You'll have to practice with it, since the way it works is sooo very different from anything else you've worked with. But when the switch inside your head clicks, you will be shooting outright marvelous video with your iPhone. See my more extensive review on it here:[...]

Something to note: The individual camera holders are pre-balanced and each has a tripod socket. Shoot time-lapse!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Smooth Operator October 28, 2012

By Hey Hey Paula

Style Name:GoPro|Amazon Verified Purchase

After wasting a few nights following internet blueprints cobbling one of these together, I realized that no matter how closely I followed them I would not be able to achieve the level of smoothness this product delivers. So, all the pvc pipe, rc car drive shafts, and roller skate bearings went back into the workshop and the order was placed.

Shipping was prompt and the packaging is professional. Out of the box this thing was great. With minimal weight adjustment it let me create nice swooping video with my go pro.

Here's a pro level hack for this thing. You can mod it to use any light handheld camera without damaging the Steadicam. All you need is the tripod Go Pro piece GoPro Tripod Mount for HERO Cameras, a short piece of 1/4" threaded rod, and a bolt. Just go to your local hardware store with the tripod mount and find the one that fits.

1. Attach the go pro base into the Smoothee
2. Use the bolt "instead of the GoPro bolt/knob" to attach the end of the tripod mount that the gopro would normally attach to. "Interlocking fingers" To find out what size screw you need just take the knob with you when you go to the hardware store for the rod and get a bolt the same size. The plastic knob is too big, but you still the threaded bolt part.
3. Thread in the 1/4" rod. I found about an inch to be the right length. Thread a nut onto the rod down to the tripod mount to secure it.

Now you have a smoothee with a standard 1/4" mount that any camera can screw onto.

I've used this mod with my Kodak ZI8 and my canon handheld with the same results as the go pro. Nice smooth action.