Tiffen’s Steadicam Smoothee for the GoPro HERO3 Black Edition

HDVideoPro by Neil Matsumoto

GoPro’s acquisition of video compression and workflow technology company, CineForm Inc., made them much more than just a wearable camera company. And with the HERO3 Black Edition’s ability to capture 2.7K in 24p with a Raw-like profile, cinematographers took immediate notice because they were now able to place GoPro action shots into an editing timeline side-by-side with ARRI ALEXA or Sony F3 clips. Because of this, there has been an explosion of new tools that enable shooters to capture cinematic shots with their small $399 HERO3 camera.

Since the GoPro is primarily an action camera, its obvious strength is movement. For surfing or snowboarding, you can mount a GoPro to a helmet or strap to your body but if you’re on foot, you’re going to need proper stabilization like a Steadicam to reduce camera shake.

Tiffen has recently released the Steadicam Smoothee, a camera stabilizer that is designed to work with the Apple iPhone 4/4S, 5, iPod Touch, GoPro HERO2 and 3. Tiffen sent me a review unit of the Steadicam Smoothee with a mount for my HERO3 Black Edition. Although much smaller and lighter, the Smoothee is based on technology that is similar to $60,000 Steadicam rigs that are used on big Hollywood productions.

The Steadicam is a camera stabilizing device that was invented in 1975 by camera operator and inventor Garrett Brown and mechanically isolates the camera from the operator’s movement, allowing you to capture smooth movement while walking or running, even while operating on an uneven surface. They contain a pivoted support, or gimbal, that allows the rotation of an object while remaining independent across a single access. read more...

Check out these items featured in this post and available now at Videoguys.com.
	Tiffen Steadicam Smoothee for GoPro Hero 2/Hero $149.00			Tiffen Steadicam Smoothee Special Bundle with both iPhone 4S/4 & GoPro Mounts $149.00			Tiffen Steadicam Smoothee for Apple iPhone 5 $149.00