Stop the shakes, rain or shine: All-weather Sybrillo GoPro gimbal hits Kickstarter, offers VR control

 

 

Want to banish the shakes from your GoPro videos? If you are outputting your video at Full HD resolution, you could stabilize after the fact by shooting at 4K resolution with the Hero4 Black, but it's not really the best solution. A lot of processing will be involved to steady long clips, and the results likely still won't be perfect. You'll almost certainly get better results if you stabilize at capture time, and there are a variety of options out there to do just that with handheld or mountable gimbals designed specifically for use with GoPro's tiny, omnipresent cameras.

GoPro's cameras are frequently used in situations other cameras would shy away from, though. Extreme sports fans really punish these things, mounting them on everything from on-road and off-road vehicles to aircraft, surfboards, you name it. Chances are if you treat your GoPro this way, it's going to get wet, whether it just starts raining mid-shoot, you're splashing through puddles from an earlier shower, or you got a bit too close to the water.

If you want a weather-sealed gimbal, your choices are a bit more limited. The only one we're aware of currently is the Removu S1, and this is said only to be water-resistant or rainproof. If you want more capable waterproofing, you're out of luck -- until now, that is.

The Sybrillo gimbal -- currently in the crowdfunding stage on Kickstarter -- is said to be compatible with most GoPro cameras on the market, and its makers say it's not just weather-resistant, but actually waterproof, able to withstand an immersion to a depth of one meter for as long as 30 minutes. That makes this gadget unique among GoPro gimbals, and one very interesting option indeed.

 

 

Powered by a removable battery good for two to three hours of use, and remotely controlled from your Android or iOS smartphone, the Sybrillo is more than just a waterproof gimbal, though. It's also programmable, with the smartphone apps providing a simple and intuitive way to enter a list of pre-prepared motions -- complete with hold times in between -- that you want the camera to follow, all without the need for any programming skills.

 

 

And as if that wasn't enough, it's also said to allow VR remote control simply by moving your head while wearing a compatible VR headset or Google Cardboard setup.

There's just one catch: It's not available to buy just yet, although videos are available showing development samples in operation, and its creators say they're already two years into the development process. Instead, you'll have to take your chances on Kickstarter, with a $200 pledge level currently sufficient to put a Sybrillo in your hands when it launches, and the final pledge level for a standard Sybrillo set at $230.

 

 

Availability is set for March 2017, so you'll have to wait a while -- but if it lives up to its creators' promises, this looks to be one very cool GoPro gimbal indeed!

(via ISO 1200 Magazine)