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(More customer reviews)The SteadyTracker UltraLite is one of what seems like dozens of non-vest/arm steadicam units aimed at prosumer camcorders and videographers at a reasonable price. Put your camera on it, balance it, and get smooth tracking shots. This unit was rated #1 by VideoPro magazine, and in the age of DSLR cameras being used for video quality, this unit has a lot of appeal. But there is one key aspect to the SteadyTracker Ultralight (and it's bigger brother, the Extreme) that gives it an advantage, and a disadvantage at the same time: It does not have a traditional gimbal like other devices.
Because there is no gimbal, and the user's hand rests under a proprietary grip base, the camera is much easier and much faster to set-up to balance than others, it's easier to handle than others, and easier to get used to than others. The biggest key being it's faster. Much faster. Traditional steadicam units take a lot of tweaking to get right, even the high quality ones. The Steadytracker can be set-up and running quickly, with only minor adjustments after that.
The disadvantage is that because there is no gimbal, you won't get super smooth pans you will with other units that freely float on ball bearings, instead relying on your body and arm's rotation to give you as smooth of pan as you can. This makes the SteadyTracker prone to rotational jerkiness that takes a lot of practice to cut down, and is almost impossible to completely eliminate. That being, pans that make what appear to be abrupt stops or starts in the smoothness of the panning. I should however note that getting a traditional steadicam unit to not do this takes a light touch that comes with a lot of practice, but it can ultimately be accomplished, in superior way to the SteadyTracker.
None the less, that criticism aside, if you are just getting into steadicam work, and have little or no practice with one, starting with another unit can result in hours of frustration balancing it, and practicing it. And that's the real appeal of the SteadyTracker. There is a great feeling of satisfaction of only spending a few minutes balancing your camera before you can get pretty good shots with the thing.
Because the unit is small, and built for small camcorders and DSLRs, unlike larger units it's weight can be kept down to a reasonable amount. This is key because unless you're built like a power lifter, carrying these units around can put a big stress on your arm. I should also note though, do NOT try to exceed this unit's 3lb maximum. Doing so can create balancing issues. Better buy the Extreme unit.
In conclusion, if you are just starting out and looking to buy a unit, this is a very good place to start. You'll likely be happy with the results. If you need something bigger, take a look at the SteadyTracker Extreme. If you need something better, you're going to have to move up to something like a Steadicam Merlin, or Glidecam-2000. If you have less of a budget, you can always look into many of the do-it-yourself units that can be found on the web that don't have gimbals either. But they don't have the SteadyTracker's balanced grip pad, nor build quality, obviously.
Click Here to see more reviews about: SteadyTracker UltraLite Video Stabilizing System , for Camcorders up to 3 Lbs.
This lightweight steady device is easy to operate whilie taking amazing footage. The SteadyTracker UltraLite gives you the ability to shoot subject matter that is impossible to shoot otherwise. Take amazing footage as you walk, run, travel upstairs, or even out of a moving car. Expand the creativity of your production by engaging the viewers when making them a part of the action.The competition can fly, pan, boom, and tilt but there is no control of the device during these moves. This is what sets the SteadyTracker apart from the others, with the SteadyTracker you can accelerate and decelerate when panning, quickly start/stop, reverse directions while flying, tilt smoothly at the start or end of a boom, or dutch off the axis during a flying move.The SteadyTrackers have been designed for handheld use, body supported use, and self supported use. When hand held smoothly circle around your subject, dutching, booming, and tilting on the fly, changing angles and framing just like in music videos. You can do chase scenes, go up and down stairs, jump off walls, go over picnic tables, follow people in cars, shoot weddings, receptions, love stories, sports, documentaries, choirs, plays, etc.When body mounted it rests on your leg letting you zoom and focus with a heads up position with both eyes free to monitor or look for new scenes. Pull it up to your body with your eye against the viewfinder for traditional zooming style shots. Lift it up on your shoulde
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