Build your own MoVI camera stabilizing rig for around $500

 

 

Ever since the $15,000 MoVI stabilization rig was announced, we've been intrigued by how incredibly smooth videos taken with it are. But with that big pricetag, it's still out of reach of many indie videographers. Filmmaker Tom Antos has assembled his own version for around $500, and while it's not quite as good as the MoVI, it goes most of the way for a fraction of the price.

What's also interesting about Antos' rig is that it doesn't require any soldering or advanced electronics tweaking. It's literally a gimbal, a shoulder mount, and a remote control. The whole thing's assembled using velcro.

You can see Antos talk about the rig and watch some footage from it in the video below. While not perfectly smooth, apparently it can be tweaked for better results by spending a bit more time making sure the camera is perfectly balanced in the gimbal, and by tweaking the gimbal's software. But for something that's 1/30th the price of the MoVI, it's a much more affordable option for small-budget film-maker using a light camera.

This isn't the first attempt we've seen to make an affordable MoVI equivalent, there are even some floating around that cost just $100. We also interviewed an inventor who created a low-cost stabilizing rig similar to MoVi, before MoVi even existed. And if you're willing to program and assemble your own gimbal from scratch, you could probably replicate the one shown in the video below for substantially less money.

(via ISO1200)