Steadicam Curve-BK Handheld Video Stabilizer and Grip for GoPro Hero Cameras 3, 4 Black & Hero 5 (Black)

A very good stabilizer for the inexpensive price tag.When I first started researching it, there were/are several negative reviews - mostly because "it wouldn't balance correctly." I got a deal at Amazon Warehouse - so I decided to pull the trigger. The Tiffen website was of little use - even with their balancing videos.I placed the large weight in, balanced my X and Y axes, and couldn't get a stable shot to save my life. I had to watch a couple of youtube videos on how to balance other stabilizers/steadicams, and voila! I got it balanced, and the videos look great. I mostly document adventures with my children, so I am always on the move - and the price of motorized gimbals is currently cost prohibitive.I recently took this to Yellowstone, a Cody Rodeo, Dinosaur Provincial Park, and Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum - all places with large amounts of time walking - and it performed admirably - it just takes practice. Once you get the feel for HOW you hold it, you get used to it, and can easily get great, smooth, flyover type shots. It works very well when walking at a normal pace - obviously trying to reduce shock with your arm/hand. I even tried jogging with it, and most of the footage came out useful - IT'S A MATTER OF PRACTICE and VIGILANCE in how you operate it (provided you got it balanced to begin with).CONS:- WIND - Any wind whatsoever will attempt to move the steadicam - but the fix for that is you are SUPPOSED TO lightly grip the rubber ring with your thumb and index finger - this controls sway and movement.- NOISE - The gimbal itself has minute vibrations I can't hear when using it, but when review footage - it is very noticeable. Since I usually discard most of the audio anyway (lets be honest - the mono mic on the GoPro was not great to begin with) - this isn't an issue for me. If I wanted great audio with it, I would use a separate audio recorder (i.e. ZOOM H1)- SENSITIVITY - An acceptable "problem" would be that it is hyper sensitive - in that I have re-balance when I take it out of my camera bag. But this is to be expected. I kept the GoPro (HERO 3+Black with LCD backpack) connected the entire time - but going back and forth from by bag to use, the left/right weight (at the bottom) moves slightly. I understand it, but I wish it would be a tad more rigid, so it can remain balance with the movement to and fro hand to bag.

The Steadicam Curve with a GoPro camera creates a very smooth video look that appears as if the camera was floating. To achieve this effect, the Steadicam Curve has to be balanced for the GoPro camera that is being used prior to use. I use the Steadicam Curve with the GoPro HERO4 Black and after a half hour or so, I was able to achieve the correct balance. The build quality of the Steadicam Curve is nice and it's small and light enough to throw in a backpack, etc. along with other camera gear. Mastering using the Steadicam Curve is a simple process but it takes practice. At a high-level, the user must apply a minimal amount of pressure with their finger. This allows the Steadicam Curve to create that floating video look, unlike a GoPro camera that is firmly grasped by a user's hand. After mastering how to film while walking forward, a flick of the finger towards the right or left can be made to pan the camera. It creates a very cool look! I've tinkered with other products that stabilize a camera's image in the past but balancing the Steadicam Curve was a much less painful experience. Sure, it takes time and patience to initially balance the GoPro camera but once balanced, the improved video quality is well worth it in my opinion. One advantage to the Steadicam Curve over the many gimbals for GoPro that are on the market is that batteries are not required. I still love a GoPro on a gimbal too but the Steadicam Curve produces nice results, after balance is achieved. One thing I don't like so much about the Steadicam Curve is filming in strong winds while on a boat, etc. A GoPro on a gimbal definitely trumps the Steadicam Curve in filming scenarios such as that.

This product could have been a great investment but there are two major flaws in my opinion.First, I am sure that I am not the only person in the world with bear paws for hands. This product seems to have been designed for someone with smaller hands and even the artist drawing on the instructions seem to be of a person who has hand the bones in their hand cut away for the product to work right. The camera balanced fine and there was a noticeable reduction in camera bounce from walking but with my hand position on the grip my bottom two fingers hung well below the grip causing the counter weight to hit them...causing camera shake. Even grasping the handle in the recommended one handed control position, thumb and index finger above the grip, my pinky finger still interfered with the counter weight.Second, the gimbal is made of some sort of super carbon polymer that gives the best lubricant a run for its money. While grasping the handle with fingers and thumb so my beefy bear paw did not interfere with the counter weight, the breeze from a person speaking about 100 yards away seemed to make the camera swivel. Standing perfectly still with no breeze it was perfect, a car passed by and the camera started to spin.While this may be a great product for some people with smaller hands and the ability to not send the camera spiraling when they use their mini human thumb to make adjustments (which according to the manual takes little time to master), people with larger hands may find this product difficult to use. While I like the Steadicam rigs over other products the solution for me is to use the larger products like the Smoothee or the Merlin2.

Il prodotto è molto bello e veramente compatto ( le quattro stelle sono soprattutto per questo). Come stabilizzatore funziona abbastanza bene ( anche se non eccezionale)e per calibrarlo bisogna armarsi di molta pazienza. Sono solo riuscito a provarlo in casa e in ambienti chiusi spero che all'aperto e con più movimento faccia il suo lavoro.