The iPhone already has built-in image stabilization (which is why the frame zooms in annoyingly close whenever you shoot video), but who could argue with this tiny, cute steady-cam-a-like for smartphones? It works on a very simple principle, hanging a counterweight below the camera to stop things shaking. Despite this simplicity, though, the kit will cost you a surprising $180.
It’s another Kickstarter project, and it’s called the Picosteady. The kit is based around a custom cut-and-bent metal arm, with a tripod mount on one end and a counterweight at the other. In between is a handgrip which sits below the phone/camera so you can run down movie corridors chasing aliens one-handed.
The Picosteady can also be used with any camera, although once they get above the weight of an entry-level DSLR you’ll probably have to start adding a lot more counterweights to make it work. The Picosteady comes with a universal iPhone 4/S mount, but if you have a Glif or other tripod-compatible case, you can use that too.
As ever with Kickstarter, you can get a better price if you pitch in now – $139 will secure you a unit should the project be successful.
Source: Kickstarter
Thanks: Nadim!
Charlie Sorrel writes reviews and how-tos. Follow Charlie on Twitter at @mistercharlie, and at micro.blog on @mistercharlie
4 responses to “Picosteady, A ‘Steady-Cam’ For Your iPhone”
That’s a huge markup on an item that would cost about $30 in parts. For $3.99 or less on ebay you can buy the mount and a small tripod that would do just about the same thing.
Truth be told, just by taking your hands off the camera you would make a huge difference in the shakiness of your footage.
You can get a real Steadicam, the Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone for $150 on Amazon. What advantage does this have over the finished and available professional product?
A better, more convenient and cheaper steady cam is The AirClip. http://www.airclip.com
I think Steadicams are BS. Just tape your phone to the head of a chicken. You’ve seen those videos, right?