Glidecam Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System - Supports 4 to 10 lbs
- Price: $369.00
- Instant Savings: -$40.00 Offer ends FEB 29 '12
- You Pay: $329.00
- Free Shipping (USA)
- In Stock
Imagine a world in balance. Imagine smoothness, freedom and grace. With the Glidecam 4000 PRO your camcorder floats, always balanced, isolated from your hand's undesirable motions. Now you are free to move with your camera panning, tilting, booming or running without any camera instability or shake. Lightweight, hand-held camcorder stabilizing systems allows you to shoot incredibly smooth and graceful shots, even while running up and down stairs or traveling over rugged terrain. And when it comes to normal shooting, like walking or moving the camera slowly around someone, the results are equally magical. Shot after shot, move after move, it delivers beautifully smooth and professional results. With the Glidecam 4000 Pro you no longer need a tripod or a dolly. All you need is your imagination!
- The 4000 Pro is 18" tall and supports any camcorder weighing from 4-10 pounds.
- Easy to set up and balance, they allow unrestricted booming and 360 degree panning.
- Offset handle grip is attached to a free-floating precision Gimbal, allowing hand movement up and down and side to side, thereby isolating unwanted hand interference from the camera. The up and down movement alleviates the bouncing pogo-type action associated with other systems whose handles can't move up and down.
- You can shoot upside-down, sideways, low near the ground, overhead and angled, as in a Dutch shot.
- The system's free floating, precision gimbal includes integrally shielded bearings, two of which are housed in the unique Offset Handle grip. These precision bearings create the super-smooth and pivotable connection between your arm and the unit's Central Support Post.
- Counterweights on the Base Platform can be quickly attached or adjusted while the system is resting in an upright position on its base.
- Camera platform moves back and forth and side to side, allowing quick adjustment of your camera's horizontal balance. Camera's vertical balance is adjusted by varying the amount of counterweight disks on the base platform. When balanced properly the camera floats, ready for you to move into action.
- For remote viewing, an optional LCD monitor can be attached to the mounting holes on the base platform.
- Can also be used as a Monopod.
| Construction | Aluminum |
| Load Capacity | 4.0 to 10.0 lbs |
| Vest | Optional Body-Pod |
| Arm | Optional Forearm Support Brace |
| Head Assembly/Top Stage | Adjustable |
| Quick Release | No |
| Docking Bracket | No |
| Dovetail Plate | No |
| Gimbal | Free floating, precision Gimbal |
| Dynamic Spin | 360-degree panning and tilting |
| Post | Telescoping (no tools required) |
| Monitor | No (optional monitor could be mounted on Base) |
| Battery | No |
| Battery Mount | No |
| Optional Accessories | Low Mode Kit |
| Weight | 3.1 lbs (without counterbalance disks) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 53 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
91%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Improves performance (22)
- Professional quality (21)
- Compact (13)
- Lightweight (13)
- Easy to use (12)
Cons
- Heavy (8)
- Difficult to adjust (7)
Best Uses
- Independent films (22)
- Complex projects (15)
- Home movies (15)
- Stabilization (13)
- In the studio (9)
- How long have you owned it:
A month or less
57%
(4 reviews)
One-to-three months
Three-to-six months
More than six months
- Reviewer Profile:
- Professional artist (16), Business owner (14), Aspiring film maker (5), Film professional (5), Film student (5)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (16)
Most Liked Positive Review
Nice product
I got this for my EX1 and I can tell you that it works just great. It's a handy piece, and it's well built.
A few things to be aware of...Read complete review
I got this for my EX1 and I can tell you that it works just great. It's a handy piece, and it's well built.
A few things to be aware of though:
- The balancing is an art in itself, it takes a while to get it right. At least in my case, even pivoting the viewfinder will put the system off balance with the need to readjust. It's not hard to do the finetuning, I'm guessing it's just the laws of physics at work here. I wonder how the more expensive systems solves the finetuning though, I sure hope they have come up with easier ways to achieve it. The manual that comes with the 4000 Pro is pretty decent though.
- I also got a Manfrotto 577 Quick Release Adapter Assembly, it's definitely a good thing to have. Otherwise the rebalansing is more difficult, because the upper plate of the 4000 Pro needs to be completely loosened to get the camera off of it. So get the quick release adapter as well, you'll thank me later.
- Lastly, the 4000 Pro with the camera attached weighs quite a lot, and longer shots or repeats will quickly make your hand tired, making it impossible to keep shooting. I'm thinking of getting the Glidecam Smooth Shooter. I think it's a must for someone who really wants to use this thing. But I wanted to try it out without the added cost first.
That's all folks, enjoy!
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Good First Time Flyer & Not High End
I picked up the Glidecam 4000 this past month because I wanted to add some extra shots into my bag of tricks for weddings (and for some other productions I have in mind). I...Read complete review
I picked up the Glidecam 4000 this past month because I wanted to add some extra shots into my bag of tricks for weddings (and for some other productions I have in mind). I bought the forearm brace sight unseen because I figured I would need it. I'm shooting with a GL2 and wanted the extra weight capacity to stick a light on top for reception footage so I went with the 4000 over the 2000 (I weighed the camera & light at a tad over 7 pounds).
The build quality is decent (for the money) but shortsighted in design (more later). Balancing is a royal PITA since there is no single point to screw / unscrew to change the balance. Four thumbscrews (per axis) are required to change balancing making slight adjustments or quick adjustments nearly impossible.
The over all look is .... clunky & cheap (though I suppose that is the point of a budget device such as this). If you had $4K to spend, you would be heading over to Steadicam, and not the knock off Glidecam. Steel washers with nuts & bolts hanging out? You better have either one of the following in order to pull this off:
1) great footage and clients that know they are getting a good deal on their productions or
2) a relatively clueless client (ie not someone in the industry) that is happy to get such "professional" equipment.
3) be an amateur shooter so it is all for fun and looks don't matter.
The gimble is unfortunately positioned too close to the camera base mounts to allow the offset handle to provide your camera with much downward movement below the plane of your chest. This means your hand movement is concentrated below the gimble (meaning shots at or above waist / chest angle at the lowest) to avoid knocking the base plate with the handle.
The second major problem I noticed was that the provided mounting screws for a camera only provide one point of contact. There is no spring loaded video pin to fit into the camera base and prevent the camera from rotating around the screw. And since the camera mounting base is slick black metal, the camera WILL rotate around on the base if you bump it or of you make sudden moves. This is one of the 4000s weaker points and something for which I swore at it when balancing and while shooting. If there were just a few strips of dense rubber on the top (running the length of the top bracket) then cameras might stick to the mounting plate and not swivel around if bumped. I applied a line of cork dots usually used for kitchen cabinet door padding as a DIY fix.
The forearm brace is necessary if you aren't going to spring (pun!) for the arm & vest ($1500 here on B&H). Unfortunately, the arm brace holds in sweat like you cannot possibly imagine, and requires taking a few of the velcro straps off to get in and out. Don't do this during a wedding ceremony or in an environment where loud velcro noises are not welcome. You will not stay discrete. A fix is to adjust the brace so it is loose enough to get in & out with out touching the velcro, but this puts more of the weight of your camera & glidecam on your wrist instead of the forearm brace.
Now to my uses of the system. I spent the usual several hours balancing (good static and passable dynamic) and a few more flying through the house / yard before the wedding shoot this weekend. The first thing I noticed when balancing the rig is that mounting a camera absolutely positively requires a QR plate receiver and QR plate on the camera (I purchased these from B&H just this week). There is NO way to remove the camera with out destroying any balance you had for the unit. Expect any camera changes to be at a minimum 30 seconds to get it off and another 5 minutes or so to re balance when returning the camera to the Glidecam. Also, you have to securely stow the camera mount screw & washer as well as the four plate adjustment screws because they are not attached in any way to the rig.
I attached my Panasonic GS320 (entirely too light weight for the 4000) with some weights attached under the black camera mount frame to make up for the slight weight of the camera. No weights were used on the bottom and the post was almost retracted the entire way up. Drop time was around 1.5 seconds. This provided a good frame of reference and clear proof that the Glidecam 4000 is NOT meant for light weight cameras with out goign to the hardware store to buy some extra bolts & washers, etc.
My use of the Glidecam at a wedding (I'm a videographer) highlighted a few wedding specific problems...
1) With the lack of any quick way to mount the camera, the 4000 is useless for weddings unless you have a dedicated camera on it or a QR plate on the camera and a QR receiver on the Glidecam. And even then, slight adjustments might be needed which take far too long with the 4000.
2) The mounting screw lacks the offset spring loaded peg so anything you mount might swivel around if it gets bumped. Not exactly durable for rough shooting environments.
3) Vertical movement is NOT easy because the gimble is mounted too close to the bottom of the camera mounting plates and will knock up against the plates when trying to hold the rig low in order to shoot low to high angle reveals.
4) and this goes practically with out saying, the rig is very heavy when held at arms length and torquing on your wrist. I could not use it any longer than about 20 seconds at a time.
Having said all that, I think the experience shooting with one of these devices was valuable. It will help me expand what shots I think of, and certainly has a niche to fill beyond the MultiRigPro which is pretty lousy for smooth walking shots, even when held with the side handles tilted up and the camera "under-slung". I'm not sure it was worth the price, given the construction materials and what I think are pretty shortsighted (and trivial to fix) design flaws. The only part that seemed well machined was the gimble. Everything else looked like painted stamped metal that is trivial to make in bulk, but probably hard to make as a one off.
If it says anything though Mark & Trish of Tulsa Weddings / aka Von Training use both the MultiRigPro and the Glidecam, so professional results can be achieved with much practice and in the hands of skilled shooters.
If you are trying to decide between the Glidecam and the Steadicam Merlin, then budget and your potential uses will dictate the choice. If you can go for it, the Merlin is far superior (from what I have read). If you will be shooting in windy conditions, he Merlin is useless because it is too light weight. The Glidecam will be about your only hand held option. If you need to maintain a professional look, skip all Glidecam products and go directly to the Steadicam Merlin or Pilot. If you want real results but have a tight budget, run away from the U-Fly and all other knock offs and give the Glidecam a try.
It may not be sleek and professional looking like the Merlin, but it gets results and in some cases is better than the Merlin.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 53 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-20
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Pros
- Highly Compatible
- Lightweight
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Independent Films
- In The Studio
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
Balancing was hard at first, but after the initial setup, with the additional of a quick-release plate, this baby was amazing!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Compact Design
- Easy To Use
- Highly Compatible
- Improves Performance
- Lightweight
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Home Movies
- Independent Films
- In The Studio
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
Honestly too many people complain about the balancing; but if u know how this device works and how to distribute weight, literally took me 3 minutes after a 15 minute setup! Very reasonable for the price!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Improves Performance
- Professional Quality
Cons
- Needs fluidhead control
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Independent Films
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
My kit arrived on time and packed securely, with support vest in one box and the swing arm in the second. I spent about two hours unpacking, sorting, reading the manuals, and completing the basic assembly required. The swing arm cam with a special hanger that fits on the top of a typical light stand and supports the swing arm under the gimbal bearing, this part is very handy I'm please they included it in the kit.Next, the fitment of the vest to me and the balancing of the whole system. I'm not a small person and at first I could not get the vest to fit me. I was about to make extensions for all the snap/buckles on the straps until I realized there was more adjustment in the straps. Now with all the straps at full extension I just fit into the vest. But for the future operators that may be larger than me I found nylon workman belts with the same plastic snap/buckles, as the vest, at [@]. You could extend the straps on the vest if needed.With the vest now fitted to my body I turned to setting up the camera, battery, and monitor on the swing are. The directions state that the whole system works best when load to near its max capacity. At first I thought if the camera is balanced then the system should work fine. I use a Canon 5D on a 15mm rail system with a matt box. The counter weights (Large galvanized washers) were replaced with a large battery and a 5" monitor. I had to solder in some extensions to my power cables to reach the camera but this set up seem to balance the swing arm just right. The spring loaded articulating arms come pre-set to the lowest setting. After increasing the tension in the arms to allow the camera to float only used up about ¼ of the capacity in the support arms, according to the handy tension gauges for each spring (the kit comes with nice T-handle Alan wrenches to make adjustments on the fly). I'm a first time steady-cam operator and my first opportunity to use the system made me painfully aware that a zero-G balance system for the camera does not mean zero-G for the operators back. All that canter livered weight, moments, and forces are controlled through your lower back. For a younger more fit operator this may not be an issue. But I'm determined to make it work. After a few takes into the first scene I discovered the real skill of a steady cam operator, controlling the ocean motion. Although the footage was smooth and floating like, the start and stop momentum is a trick to manage. Practice will prevail here. Even though my screaming back is saying no more I need to increase the weight of the swing arm and slow down the undulation effect.Overall I feel this system is a little costly but well-made and engineered. It works well for my indie film making budget and I would recommend it to others.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Highly Compatible
- Improves Performance
- Professional Quality
Cons
- Heavy not for long shots
Best Uses
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
I use the GlideCam for my DSLR. I can do great walking shots with it. I also use it to shoot moving vehicles when shooting car to car. Handheld with a DSLR is really tough and this product makes you look like a pro, without the pro cost.
The only down side is it's weight. You can't shoot really long periods with it. It's like a beer stein holding competition at Octoberfest. But it's not a problem for short lengths of time.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Improves Performance
- Lightweight
- Professional Quality
Cons
- Difficult to balance
Best Uses
- Independent Films
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
I've been following the instructions and the online tutorials for hours. I've also actually graduated college and find it extremely difficult to balance this glidecam. ;)
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Highly Compatible
- Improves Performance
- Lightweight
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Home Movies
- Independent Films
- In The Studio
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
It's a bit cumbersome and hard to balance the first couple of times, but once you get it down the results are very nice. The rig really does create a smooth motion by isolating jerky hand motions. It is a wise investment for any film maker as well as wedding and event video work.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Improves Performance
Cons
- Arm gets tired
Best Uses
- Independent Films
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
Takes A while to balance depending on your camera... but after an hour I had it out the box, built, set up and balanced...
Use it for filming on a DSLR... definitely buy a base plate adapter to save time.
Really happy with mine :)
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Improves Performance
- Lightweight
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Home Movies
- Independent Films
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
I purchased the Glidecam 4000 pro only a few weeks ago and I can't keep my hands off it. It works perfectly.
I take to my tafe i go to to use on all my student films, which no one has ever used these types of shots at this tafe before until now.
Smooth, Professional design and all-round awsomeness.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Improves Performance
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Home Movies
- Independent Films
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
A little tricky at first to get used to and to figure out how to balance correctly, but once you do, it will become one of your favorite additions to your video equipment! I used it while filming a wedding and it was a huge hit in the video!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Home Movies
- Independent Films
- In The Studio
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
This items is lacking good instructions in the box and is very sensitive to rig configuration changes. WWW offers many tutorials for setup and correct balancing.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Compact Design
- Easy To Use
- Highly Compatible
- Improves Performance
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Home Movies
- Independent Films
- In The Studio
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
am shootin a feature film and am using the glidecam to shoot the making of the movie which is going to aired in te local satellite television..its great with no shakes and vibrations ,its very light weight to handle and to carry....
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Compact Design
- Easy To Use
- Improves Performance
Cons
Best Uses
- Home Movies
- Weddings
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
As soon as I got this, I knew it was a great buy. I use a canon xl1s and it works great. I bought the arm brace and it helps A LOT. takes a little while to balance but you can find videos online teaching you the best way to balance it, once you have it balanced just practice practice practice. its a great buy and for the money can't be beat. it has added a professional look to our weddings.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Compact Design
Cons
- Limited Compatibility
Best Uses
- Independent Films
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
I'm using canon 5d mark II and this glidecam is a bit overkill consider the weight of the camera, but this is a good product for my Canon XH A1s
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Compact Design
- Easy To Use
- Improves Performance
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Independent Films
- In The Studio
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
A very helpful product to have with anyone using a cannon 7d. Improved the quality of my shots tremendiously. I was very satisfied with the learning curve and the ease in use.
A must buy for any filmmaker.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Compact Design
- Easy To Use
- Improves Performance
Cons
- Lacks Functionality
- Poor Design
Best Uses
- Home Movies
- Independent Films
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
Over all very basic. The construction is not quite what I was expecting. But it works. And that is really why I give if four stars instead of just three. For the price, it is definitely worth getting to improve the professionalism of your shots.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Highly Compatible
- Improves Performance
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Home Movies
- Independent Films
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
Finally purchased a Glidecam after wanting one for so long. I purchased this particular Glidecam for my Canon 7D and will primarily be using it for that camera as well. I found that you really don't need too many counter weights with the 7D. There are plenty to spare.
Even though you can almost instantly get smoother shots once you do your initial balance, one must still practice as much as possible with the Glidecam to get it perfect.
The initial balance takes some time, especially with the DSLRs due to the nature of distributed weight in a DSLR, but once that is set rebalancing is relatively simple.
The one thing about this Glidecam is that it does not have a quick release plate like the next gen version, the 4000HD. That is probably my only gripe about it. Other than that, just keep practicing with it and you'll love the results.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Improves Performance
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Home Movies
- Wedding Video
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
bought this Glidecam 4000 Pro for doing wedding video. I tried one wedding without it and there was nothing much that was useful out of that. Then I bought this and all the videos were nice and smooth. I even did some video by chasing my kids around the backyard with is and it looked like the camera was on rails. I use a 5D MarkII and the balancing was wonderful.
Pros
- Compact Design
- Improves Performance
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Home Movies
- Independent Films
- In The Studio
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
There is a lot of set up time involved with this product. However, if your looking for professional steady shots and are willing to practice a little - this could work for you. It has for me so far
Pros
- Compact Design
- Easy To Use
- Highly Compatible
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Independent Films
- In The Studio
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
I heard so many good and bad about the glidecam, but decide to buy one and try it, at first glance kinda disappointed, the camera just tilted from side to side, back and forth, went online and follow a really good tutorial, and got really close within 2 hrs of putting it together, Got to tell that once you get it stabilized or close enough its REALLY exiting, furthermore the footage looks amazing!!! Just a quick tut! start the right amount of weighs, then drop time, front to back than side to side, be patient and you will get it at least 95% right. with time you'll get it to 99% even 100%.
Pros
- Compact Design
- Improves Performance
- Professional Quality
Cons
- Lacks Functionality
Best Uses
Comments about Glidecam 4000 PRO Camcorder Stabilizing System:
Look, I thought I could handle the weight (I have a Sony HD1000u - 6lbs), but after getting this thing put together and balanced, my arm/shoulder was already shaking. The beauty of the Glidecam design lies in the precision gimble. If you aren't able to comfortably hold this away from your body using only the gimble handle, then you defeat the purpose of the product and compromise your stabilization. If your throwing something like a 5D on here, it works beautifully. But, any camera over 5 lbs, I would recommend against it.
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System Extensions
- Price: $14.95
Stands & Mounts
- Price: $50.99
What's in the Box
- Camera Mounting Plate
- Mid Plate
- Bottom Plate
- 18" Central Post
- Three Axis Gimbal with Yoke and Offset Handle
- 9" Telescoping Post
- Base Platform
- 14 Steel Counter Balance Weight Disks
- Hardware Bag
- 90 Day Warranty
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