Varizoom Flowpod ($499 new)

[HankCastello]

I've had this for over a year now and was never happy with its stabilizing abilities, using my Sony VX2100.  To be fair, the VX2100 with battery and tape is on the heavy side for this model, but even with the extra weights they sell, it just seemed too finicky to me.  Add the fact that you have to clamp a special mounting device onto something (better not be good furniture!) in order to mount your camera, and I just don't see how anyone can use this thing at wedding receptions unless they come pre-mounted and have trained quite a bit.

I have recently purchased a Glidecam and was impressed with the comparative ease with which I could balance this, even with a quick-release plate mounted.  No clamping was necessary and I can balance a remounted camera in a few minutes.  Some, who are more experienced with Glidecams, say they can balance in half a minute.

Back to my Flowpod, when I lock the gimbal down, it works fine as a monopod, but monopods don't have enough stability for long shots of a still subject.  Yet the weight tends to smooth out movement, so if I'm very careful, I can get near (OK, only about 50% as smooth) Glidecam-like shots for short periods of time.  Extending the leg gives a nice long handle for raising a camera above a crowd, which can sometimes be useful, if you have steady hands.

Overal, this costs $100 more than a Glidecam and just is not as useable as a steadi-cam-type device.

[HankCastello]

[actually posted by Endeavor, but moved here by Hank]

I borrowed one of these to use for a wedding this past weekend and thought I would share my experience with it. When I first began to set it up I loved it because of how easy it was. It's alot easier to balance than the Glidecam. I love the way the camera mounts. I also loved the fact that it acts as a monopod as well. That's about where the fun ended. The Flowpod's design is very innovative but it seems they tried to pack so many features in that they neglected to perfect the primary function: Stabilizing the shot. Don't get me wrong, it did a fair job of stabilizing the camera while I was moving or changing positions. The problem came when I tried to use it for creative shots like I like to do. The gimbal that attaches the handle is not very smooth. When rotating certain directions a small "bump" can be felt. Also, although I thought I had the thing balanced, when I tried to rotate the camera vertically (like you would twirl a baton), it seemed like it didn't want to move the way I wanted it to. I don't know if this is because I'm not used to it but I never have to worry about that with the Glidecam. The other problem I had was that when using the monopod feature, you can still use it as a stabilizer but forget trying to lower it (for those crane shots starting low and ending high). And, when you want to raise or lower the leg you have to rebalance the whole thing and add or remove weights to it to get the balance back.

My conclusion:

If you are looking for great "steadicam" style shots for your video, get the Glidecam (you can always get or make a separate monopod). If you want convenience and ease of use, go ahead and get the Flowpod. I would hope that anyone who aspires to be a great videographer would go for the Glidecam and kick your videos up a notch!

Just realized this is in the wrong category. It should be in the stabilizer review section. Hank, could you move it?