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MillimeterRoll and Judder:
Keeping Widescreen on the Level
Jun 25, 2007 7:29 PM, By Steve Mullen
Shooting widescreen video with a handheld camcorder is made more difficult by their side-of-the-camera grips. Worse, the heavier the camcorder, the more a side grip contributes to hand strain as one tries to keep the widescreen shots level. Folks try to solve this problem by using the swing-out LCD as a second “handle” even though the panel was never designed for this function. However, this problem need not exist.
In the old days, before a handheld video camera could even be imagined, all but the cheapest film cameras had some type of “pistol grip.” The virtue of this type of grip, compared to the side grip on today’s handheld video camcorders, becomes obvious in the pictures at right.
Because the grip is positioned at a point centered under the camera, the tendency for the camera to “roll” (side to side) is minimized. Of course, with a Bolex 8mm H8 and 16mm Rex, the camera is top-heavy, which presented a different problem.
With cameras such as the Bolex Regular 8 camera (shown above), both “roll” and “pitch” (front to back) were well controlled. (I’ve owned all the cameras pictured, and the Bolex K2 was my favorite.)
Naturally, the pistol grip caused problems when a camera needed to be stowed in a bag. The Beaulieu Super 8 Model 4008 ZM Super 8 (shown above) tried, unsuccessfully, to solve this problem with a short grip.
The Minolta XL-Sound 84, a Super 8 camera (shown below), used a more successful angled folding grip that was kinder to my wrist.
At NAB 2007, I was approached by Bob Franco, who showed me the Camhandle he has developed and is selling at his website, www.camhandle.com. Below, you can see how the Camhandle stabilizes a camcorder.
Because the Sony HVR-V1U functions so well in automatic mode, it works well with the Camhandle. However, when you do need to use your left hand to make an adjustment, the handle can no longer stabilize your camcorder. It’s great to see folks working on aftermarket solutions; however, it seems to me that as with film cameras, the ultimate solution must be designed and implemented by camcorder manufacturers.
Lightweight camcorders that rest on your shoulder are one way to solve the problem—assuming the shoulder pad is shaped to hold the camera level. (Unfortunately, most shoulder cameras have a thin, flat pad that requires one to hunch a shoulder to keep the camera level.) Sony may soon announce the 3-CMOS HDV camcorder shown below—perhaps at IBC 2007.
