Merlin Steadicam Versus Manfrotto modosteady 585

[titaniumslug]

Nice demonstration. What is the music in this video?

[flashatizer]

WOW! Great. Thank you.

[Xavo333]

what camera did you use it ??? n' what's ur weight ??? Thanks :)

[KenshinNihon]

Hahaha, For 730$ more the Merlin best do a better job..

[arfurlife]

is it just me but I would nt find any of these snips of film usable. The cruelest thing you can do to a viewer is induce nausea and they are all still guilty of this. I think even with steady cam the filmer still has to be realistic about the shots they choose to take and imagine from a neatral point of view the effect it will have onb the viewer. yes get a steadycam but learn to film better too. The same mistakes need not keep croppong up. ie over fast zealous movements, panning etc

[beerborn]

I have the Manfrotto modosteady 585. By using Sony Vegas with it's built in stabilizer, you can get the same steadiness as the Merlin. That is if your not planning on spending $800 for the Merlin.

[thunderbroomm]

Thanks for this video. I was on the fence about trying the Manfrotto but now i see that the Merrlin is the way to go. Huge difference!

[TakeOffCaptainJohn]

thanks for doing this...it answers a lot of questions I...and probably a lot of other people have:)

[drumcafe]

monosteady gives me a headache.. no better than with nothing and the steadicam is excellent ... This video made up my mind for me thanks... Bruce Lee /Karate Kid, well its a bad metaphor because Bruce Lee is a martial artist and Karate Kid is an actor... Who would win in a real fight , Bruce Lee or Will Smith's son ?

[AlexTheodin]

@drumcafe Am I the only one who thinks that only Daniel-san is worthy of the title Karate Kid? :p

[heavylids]

Merlin for the win!! thank you for making this. I am now choosing NOT to get the Manfrotto.

[mrwashur1991]

change the damn music...and stop begging for rates...it makes you look very lame..

[motabbirh]

Exellento

[dacloo]

Good comparison, thanks. Ignore the trolls.

[SpacedCowboyFromHell]

ridiculous comparison? i don't think so. it helps to understand that it's worth waiting for buying merlin and it's better not to waste even a 10$ on this shit

[HailAnts]

Video would be better if you added some useful narration and/or got rid of that godawful music!

[kokolandia]

thanx

[MrAliDorate]

Thank you for your post; I found it very useful :-)

[BboyRacing]

you cannot compare a $90 stabilizer with a $800 one!!!!!!!

[cam94z28]

Question. Did the camera you used have Optical Image Stabilization? I have a feeling the manfrotto would be usable on a good camera with OIS. If your cam did have OIS, then the difference is sickening. 

[X0RDS]

@cam94z28 yes, i did have OIS.

[YourBunchTV]

great work!Thanks

[fastrabbit07]

The steadicam merlin is a clear winner! Thank for the video I need $800 dollars!!!

[1iNova]

I think this provides an accessible demo of why nice things cost what they cost.

I just got the vest+arm for my Merlin, and wow, another jump up in camera control...

[kezadrone]

Your right about the price for the Merlin. The spec for it is simple. I made one with orderd parts and it works just as well. And it cost £20. Make your own one. There are vids all over the net.

[SHOTBYKAY9FILMS]

This is Trash, a waste of money..looks like your holding the cam in your had.

[Andrikas22]

Not steady at all .. lol why do they even make these?

[aselasanjeewab]

but merling i think 7 times expensive than modostedy

[totherandomguy]

Love the music in this video.

[subcyber]

Surely the Merlin is a clear winner, but the price on it is just insane. How can they justify $700 for some piece of aluminium frame?

[IllusionaryFed]

Merlin For Me Thanks

[darrenwouldgo]

awesome test. thanks for posting.

[venerojo]

what is the difference between a grip handle and a Steadicam?. Which is better for me for short films? I have a Canon Vixia HG21.

Between Opteka X-GRIP and Manfrotto 585 ModoSteady? which do you recommend for short films?

[coolmanak]

There's no compromise when it comes to really stable footage. It's nice to see a video that really proves this. Nice shot ideas by the way, it looks really artistic when you're flying the Merlin.

[quadbravo]

excellent video. this is the comparison that everyone needs to "understand" as it shows the difference in value and performance. most of us can afford a merlin, the question really is would one feel foolish if the same or similar performance can be obtained for a significantly lower cost. if this were the old YT I would rate 5 stars. thank you. you have made my choice easier.

[DGrieux]

Karate kid is still alive.

[ralevdotcom]

damn good review. The running test is showing the big difference in the quality.

After all the Merlin is 700 USD more expensive and therefore the quality is far better :)

[DesDrukStiv]

Great test. It shows that the modosteady is a piece of junk.

I have just bought the merlin and I am extremely happy with it.

[uhuebner]

Even if it's comparing chalk and cheese I find it highly interesting that money obviously matters. I hoped a cheap steadycam would do. So thanks for showing that it won't.

[motu828mk2]

more expenssive the better :P

[jama01]

You've tested a 99 € vs a 700 € steady?!?!? Now i'm going to test a Nikon coolpix S60 VS a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III ! I think that the second will win the test!

[xavyperronesalvatore]

this test sucks guys...

[textmagic]

This comparison is useless if you do not tell us what camera you used. Did you use a small camera or some heavy camera?

[mkai22]

WOW! amazing. Guess I'm gonna have to suck up the professional's expense.

[psycold]

wow the merlin is like 100 times better, but I guess it does cost almost 10 times the price. To me it seems like if you're going to invest in a steadicam then you should go all out and buy the best, if not then build one yourself for a few bucks.

[fladude06]

I am droooooling over the Merlin! amazing !

[FinalCut6]

brilliant - you can tell when its the merlin right away ;-) - i love steadicam!!!!!!!! :D

[mpassenkov]

You could've made it zillion times better if you just showed everyone pictures of the types you were testing. I am not too familiar with them, so I have to make an extra search.

[awd3atms]

Fantastic video. JMO, but the Modo seems like a waste of money. I've seen better results from diy stablizers here on youtube. The Steadicam is the real deal. There's a pvc pipe stablizer here that is just amazing. Must be an amazing camera guy operating it. :-)

[dimas2487]

thanks so much..

[Sanddesert]

Thanks a lot for this test!! Although it show the merlin is superior, one with practiced skills might actually still get proper results with modosteady, right? On the video it looks like you weren't trying hard to get more out of the modosteady then one could have acting carefully.

[X0RDS]

@Sanddesert Ow i tried! This was the best shot out of 10! and still it has non or little improvement vs the handheld. With SMALL movements you can get a good shot, but not always. Merlin goes all the way (even big movements like running or jumping) and if you screw up, it's almost always your fault/lack of skills

[chadicious]

You get what you pay for, apparently. Nice video!

[mamasiga]

Look at SturdyCam or Hague mini motion-cam. They are cheap enough with amazing results !

[bradstorrs]

What a ridiculous comparison! You can't compare the two. One is for consumers and one is for professionals. One is $100 and the other is $850. That's like comparing Bruce Lee to the Karate Kid! The real question is value, is the modo steady worth the $100 or are you better off not wasting your money.

[robtilla]

@bradstorrs I think thas an excellent question! I'm trying to figure out if I want to waste 100 bucks.

[geetarRamblin]

@bradstorrs I spent 100$ on one made by balvanz enterprises, although a pain in the ass to balance, it works fantastic. The video looks way better than the manfrotto one. I will say the Merlin is much smoother than both.

[himansku]

@bradstorrs See the problem with that, is that the Modo looks as bad as handheld. Which brings the question, why the fuck own one?

[renderz]

@bradstorrs I disagree. Until you really watch a video like this then it's difficult to see the justification of the price. But now I see a clear difference, I know for sure spending money on the Merlin will be a sound investment.

[wintersnake1]

price for Manfrotto Modosteady is €109,95

and for Steadicam Merlin is € 769,00

[BronzeProductions]

Were these videos shot at 30fps?

[X0RDS]

@BronzeProductions no 60fps

[BronzeProductions]

@X0RDS Oh, okay. Maybe its my computer. Thank you for getting back to me so soon. I am now playing with the Manfrotto 585 and not impressed with the shots. Maybe tax time I will get the Merlin. Great shot with you being only amateur. 5/5.

[sonicballer8888]

@X0RDS

I'm guessing you mean 60i right?

[X0RDS]

@sonicballer8888 thats right, my cam only can get as far as 1080i 60fps

[Harakiri82]

WTF? The Manfroto is just a little bit better than handheld. Looks like a real shitty product.

[zool90]

Big difference in picture but in price too.

Have you try to give more pounds for the manfrotto for the stability?

[X0RDS]

ofc, i tried everything.

[brazilianhore]

does anyone know the name of the song used in this video?

[X0RDS]

Junkie XL - New Toy

[fladude06]

the last one is MAZING. LOVE THE STEADYNESS! wow im very impressed as to the slow smooothness... thanks for posting.. can you send me the make and model of the last one you keep using (merlin) looks just like a hollywood camera! thanks so much!

[SNG0]

In the first video, you took about 25 seconds to complete the task while for the second and third, you took about 28 and 31 respectively...

Actually, it is quite difficult to compare the both toys in 2 goals. I think you should better to capture both at once, may be one on left and one on right simutaneously and try to keep both hands in the same moving directions...

[Funkygeek]

Thanks for posting. Good comparison.

[timparkinaccount]

If you reach a stage of zen enlightenment, you can actually float alongside the camera hence not having to soil yourself with any form of capitalist lust at all..

[aviatormxpilot]

I viewed a video a few months of kid that put a mini dv cam at the bottom of a platic grocery bag. He then cut out holes in the front and side for the lens and viewfinder. he hekd by the 2 loops that are used to carry the bag abd it's content. A freebee camera stabilizer! It workes as good as a merlin or manfrotto. He made a demo video and posted here in the steadicam section of youtube.

[Olphus]

@aviatormxpilot

where is that link?

[aviatormxpilot]

Olphus... I don't recall exactly where I saw the grocery bag stabilizer thing but it works. Basically you put a cam in the bottom of a plastic grocery bag. Cut out a hole for the lens. Secure the opening around the lens with tape. Then cut a hole for the LDC so that you can see what youre shooting. Hold the bag by the loop handles and shoot away.

[sexyenrique]

The merlin is a clear winner.

[mutefingers]

In your opinion, what makes Merlin smoother. Overall weight, the additional weight on the front, or something else? The 2 devices are handheld, yet the Modosteady seems to have more up and down movement vs the Merlin's steady glide.

[X0RDS]

i think that the key is that with a manfrotto you only have one way to balance your weight and with a merlin you have 3.

[8AxeProductions8]

WIsh I could afford the Steadicam Merlin

[celico1]

Ahi se ve la calidad del camarografo, quien podria olvidar al que te filma aqui y te filma alla el tremendo chicharo que se trabo al Kamerino a la primera.

[lyzzard22]

Thanks for the comparisons, I found it useful.

[victorvaldeschile]

great, very useful... so... great track too, what´s that? thanks!

[X0RDS]

Its form Junkie xl - New Toy

[DramaKidStudioz]

Cheating, you took your time more with Merlin steadycam than with manfrotto, you pretty much was running with manfrotto, Bad test, not equal test variables.

[X0RDS]

i think all that shaking with manfrotto makes you think im running faster then with a merlin. But you are wrong, that is juist how good a merlin is. :P

[DramaKidStudioz]

yea, BUT with the manfrotto, your footage is BOUNCY, meaning that has nothing to do with the balance of the steadycams but the way you walking on the ground letting the vibrantion go through your body to your arms.. now with Merlin, you seem to be WALKING alot LIGHTER and smoother!

[sherifnagib]

Actually I tend to think that he was running faster with the merlin ! Try to focus on the speed at the which the trees are moving .

[hahlolhah1]

I bought the manfrotto, i returned a week later. I think i'm better off just using a mono pod.

[sonicballer8888]

NO! STOP!

Buy the MiniDV Steadycam, or one of the Hague Motion Cams! They are cheap, and SOOO much better than the modosteady!

[ROTTINGDEAD]

Thank You!

[SeakittenCollective]

Aaah yes, the logic of comparing a 100dollar steadycam to one that is 8 times more expensive... Very helpfull

[lexave]

Great comparison, thanks.

What's the weight of the camcorder on it, what model camcorder is it?

[X0RDS]

It's a Sony HDR-HC9E and its about 550 gr

[KalinNikolov]

hehhhhhh merlin rules

[Simulacra101]

Wow.

Absolutely LOVE the steadycam!

[AEO21Productions]

Great job!! This IS the first comparison to any other stabilizer that i could find. You made it very clear how superior of a stabilizer the Merlin is. This just sealed the deal for me to buy a Merlin. :)

[X0RDS]

Thanks and np, but if you take your time you can get a "nice" shot out of modo. And with "nice" i mean, at least 10 runs, walking smootly (slow) or dont walk at all, no pointing up or down and with hours/days of practices, then mayyybe you will can the same result as a merlin. xD