When it comes to working as a filmmaker for a living, or if you are passionate about creating video content, there are a few must haves that you should absolutely consider investing in, and one of them is a good stabilizer. Nobody likes footage that doesn’t look professional and a lack of stability on the image can immediately take away the quality of your content. Stabilizers are the one piece of equipment that is a cinematic Swiss Army knife because it can produce a range of different shots from Steadicam- to slider-style. Here are a few things to consider before you buy one:
- Consider your budget
Probably the most important question, is the question of budget. Just like any other equipment that you have to purchase, you need to make sure that you budget appropriately for it. You should know that the heavier the camera load-out, the more expensive the stabilization rig will be. The price range will depend also on the brand you are choosing, and also the model. If you don’t have the budget to invest in some powerful gear for now, you could still invest in a stabilizer for phones, it’s a cheaper version and you can shoot some pretty decent footage with it.
- Consider the heaviness of your camera
As mentioned before, this is going to be a very important question that you need to answer as soon as possible. Knowing the weight of your camera load-out will determine how much you need to spend for stabilization, as not all stabilizers can accommodate heavier amounts of weight. Cheaper stabilizers can handle lighter camera loads, while the more expensive stabilizers like the MoVI M15 can handle up to 15lbs of camera load, which should cover a number of higher-end cameras.
- Choose the right settings
You’ll want to also make sure that you know exactly how long the setup time is for each stabilization option. This is important information to know… you don’t want to waste shooting time trying to set up your stabilization option. Also, you’ll want to know how compact the stabilization option is as well.
- Learn how to use it
Finally, you have to understand that whatever you purchase, there is an art to using the device. So no matter the quality of your device, if you don’t know how to use it, your videos won’t be as pretty as you wish they were. There are plenty of Youtube tutorials that will help you achieve your goals, whether it’s for vlogging, travel or business videos.
