Using Camera Stabilizers to Record Clean Video

Action scenes and moving shots can add a lot of value to your video work, but they're often difficult to capture without compromising image quality. Camera stabilizers provide the professional solution to the many issues often involved with a moving camera, whether it's mounted, handheld, or rigged into a larger setup. Some are camera specific and many use different technology to accomplish their goal.

How Do Video Stabilizers Work?

Stabilizers use different methods to achieve the same goal: a clean shot. Setups keep the camera steady, ensuring a still camera despite the changing contours of a surface. They range from fixed suction cups to extensive camera and camcorder mounts, to professional video motorized gimbals that use gyroscopic technology to adjust for movement along three separate axes. As your budget grows, you may look to incorporate other items into a larger rig to personalize your setup and add flexibility to your available shots. This allows the camera to follow a moving target, or be affixed to one, with greater ease and precision.

Why You Need a Video Stabilizer

In many ways, one of the key points of separation between amateur and professional video is the ability to capture moving targets and sequences. Perhaps you want to mount a camera to a car, follow a subject through a house, or film an athlete running the track; the best camera stabilizers allow for your movement and compensate for any motion to deliver a smoother product every time. This removes a lot of the human error associated with the camera skills in lower quality productions, thereby increasing the value of your work. It also removes the need to rely on image correction and stabilization in the post-production process.

How to Choose the Right Video Stabilizers

First, look at your available camera equipment. A number of video camera stabilizers are specifically designed for certain cameras, such as GoPro-specific mounts or handheld stabilizers made exclusively for mirrorless cameras. Once you know that, it becomes a matter of budget. The high-end products, some with battery-operated components, such as an offset roll motor, offer a practically unlimited range of motion while maintaining a steady camera. Mounts are appropriate for situations where there's no cameraperson, but rather an object to safely attach the camera to. One-handed and two-handed options exist, depending on your available work force; so, preparing well is the key to getting the best camera stabilizers for your projects.

Whether you're producing your first film, or you're an accomplished videographer, check out B&H Photo and Video's assortment of top brands to ensure you get the best quality stabilizer or gimbal.