It doesn’t matter how extreme your stunt was no one’s going to want to see your home video when it’s bouncing all over the place making people sick to their stomach. But now you can skip the stabilisation software and stop the shaky cam problem at its source with these handheld gimbals.
Keeping a video camera steady is particularly difficult when it’s small and light since there’s less heft and inertia to smooth out a move. So Mastor Technology has created the Cheetah-CH1 and Greyhound-GR1 handheld stabilizers that automatically pan, tilt, pitch and roll a camera to counteract and cancel out any unwanted motion.
The gimbals are designed to accommodate either GoPro style cameras or various smartphones thanks to adjustable mounts, and feature a built-in rechargeable but lightweight battery so you can easily hold it one hand for longer shots. And for those times when you actually intend for the camera to move, a small controller located near your thumb lets you manually pan and tilt the camera while the stabilisation is still doing its thing.
Pricing and availability aren’t known just yet, but it’s a safe bet that both these stabilisers will cost far less than a full-on Steadicam rig. And that’s particularly great if you’re planning to use one while careening down the side of a mountain and the risk of wiping out is all but guaranteed. [Mastor Technology via Ubergizmo]