Stable framing

09/11/2013 20:00

While adding a bit of the movement to the camera can be an artistic choice, don’t try to do so with V1 shooting handheld, at least with the non VR lenses. Thanks to the miniature size and low weight of the camera, the V1 is very prone to transfer the micro shake of your hands.


300x300px crop from unstabilised footage captured via 135mm eq lens

It blurs out the detail and can make the viewer sick. This effect is less evident with wide lenses (for example 10mm f2.8), but it is annoying issue which you can’t easily fix in post, so I recommend to check out the following workarounds.

“Static device”

All kind of little helpers fall into this category - monopod, tripod, laying the V1 on stable surface like table - all that helps to avoid the micro shake. The disadvantage of this approach is that it is not flexible for shots where you need to move the camera in space, or turn it in controlled way.

“Dynamic device”

Steadicam and various camera rigs are all suitable for floating, yet stable camera footage. The problem is mostly in their pricing.

The good news is that there are affordable solutions to the problem of wandering camera. One of the most basic ones is holding tripod using two hands, or even better, getting simple camcorder shoulder rig. They can be relatively cheap, starting from $30.

Not surprisingly, most of the camera shake comes from the way you walk. You can practice to learn stepping softly by walking around with cup filled up with water.

Another factors affecting the shake can be less obvious, like being hungry or nervous. Feed yourself, calm yourself, the viewers will thank you later. Well, they won't. But they would beat you up otherwise.

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