Diy Glidecam
I couldn't resist making this. I was virtually clueless to their existence a few months ago and now not only do I have one, I made it for a grand total of £3.95!
Click the button below to find out I made it and I also have a video of my first attempt at learning how to 'fly' this rig which you will find at the end of the article. I hope this inspires you to make your own! |
Gopro - £5.00 Budget Filter adapter Modification
I've found a way around the issue of vignetting which seems to be common in budget filter systems and with polarizing filters in particular. If you have a slim polarizer, you only need to do step one. If you have a standard polarizer then both modifications are needed for best results. Click below to see how to do this.
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My Camera gear & Reviews
I've never been wealthy so I don't have the newest or best camera gear but this has taught me to only buy things that I know I will use and will do the job well. Whether they're new genuine parts & accessories, after-market alternatives or second-hand, I choose based on performance and price and in that order. Oh, and because of newly acquired D7000, I've been buying video gear too!
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DIY Glidecam
This was one of my most intricate and demanding builds but the results are well worth the time and effort. If you have seen anything over on my projects page, you'll already know that I like to make things for free or a ridiculously low budget and this was no exception. I only bought one thing specifically to make this and that was a set of bearings for a grand total of £3.95p including postage. Everything else I already had so the whole rig cost me around one hundredth of the price of the Glidecam that mine is based on (namely the HD-2000 which is currently £370-£450).
Although not an exact replica, I'm sure it's obvious that I based mine on a Glidecam and I think it's only fair that I put a link to the real deal Glidecam website in case you want one of these excellent pieces of equipment but don't fancy making your own.
This is a long project because there is quite a lot to do. With that in mind, I have broken this build into a few sections so each section stays focused on just what is relevant to make it less confusing so section 1 is gimbal & tubes, section 2 is the foot/weight plate, section 3 is the camera mounting plate and finally a round up and thoughts.
Although not an exact replica, I'm sure it's obvious that I based mine on a Glidecam and I think it's only fair that I put a link to the real deal Glidecam website in case you want one of these excellent pieces of equipment but don't fancy making your own.
This is a long project because there is quite a lot to do. With that in mind, I have broken this build into a few sections so each section stays focused on just what is relevant to make it less confusing so section 1 is gimbal & tubes, section 2 is the foot/weight plate, section 3 is the camera mounting plate and finally a round up and thoughts.
The Build
Before I start, I just want to mention that as I mostly used random bits and pieces that I already had, I see no point in giving you exact measurements of every little piece of the build because you won't have the exact parts I used so if you do what I did and work things out from the dimensions of a real Glidecam HD-2000 and adjust to suit your materials then you shouldn't be far off. Having said that, any measurements I can give you, I will.
Just to give you an example of how I can make some things for very little money, look at the picture to the right. This is a 12 inch long, 8 inch wide and 5 inch deep tub that's full of bolts, screws, washers, nuts and all sorts of other random parts, it must weigh about 20lbs! It was going to be thrown away to make space where I used to work. Erm, NOT ON MY WATCH!!!
If I need a screw or some other fastener, I just rummage around until I find something that fits the bill. This saves a lot of money but I also don't make a note of all the different fasteners I use so that's why I can't give you a full list of parts. Do you see what I mean? I'm sure you do.
Just to give you an example of how I can make some things for very little money, look at the picture to the right. This is a 12 inch long, 8 inch wide and 5 inch deep tub that's full of bolts, screws, washers, nuts and all sorts of other random parts, it must weigh about 20lbs! It was going to be thrown away to make space where I used to work. Erm, NOT ON MY WATCH!!!
If I need a screw or some other fastener, I just rummage around until I find something that fits the bill. This saves a lot of money but I also don't make a note of all the different fasteners I use so that's why I can't give you a full list of parts. Do you see what I mean? I'm sure you do.
Part 1: Gimbal & Tubes
I had seen lot of different ways to go about building a DIY glidecam. Some were so basic that they didn't have a gimbal so they wouldn't work anything like a glidecam right up to ones that are CNC machined and out of the realms of most peoples capabilities but none of these seemed to fit with what I wanted to build. I then saw a video on YouTube titled 'THE BEST Homemade Glidecam/Stedicam Tutorial DIY' by Vlad of ReviewOutdoorGear and although I was initially sceptical of the claim of it being 'THE BEST', having seen his build and the beautiful videos he has shot with it, I think it's a valid claim. Here's a link to his YouTube channel: ReviewOutdoorGear or you can watch the video I mentioned above by clicking HERE.
I'm not going to go into detail but his build had some really simple and clever solutions to some of the more difficult parts of the build and although my Glidecam isn't just a copy of his, he did inspire me and give me the confidence to build my own version and for that I'd like to say thank you Vlad!
The first thing I did was to buy a set of 4 decent, new ABEC-9 skate bearings by Bulldog. I got new ones because I didn't want any issues with the bearings which might occur with used ones. Once they arrived, I put them in a jar of white spirit overnight to dissolve and clear out the grease they were packed with. After a good few minutes of agitating the jar the next day, the bearings were free spinning but still not enough for my liking so I soaked them in GT-85 (a thin PTFE lubricant just in case you didn't know) and then they flew round!
The next thing was to decide what I was going to use for the tubes. I had a few options open to me but I decided to use an adjustable aluminium tube from what I think was either an old frame tent or a caravan awning. The adjustable part is simply a thumbscrew that tightens onto the smaller diameter tube. Nothing fancy but it works. I cut the tubes with a plumbers pipe cutter so the ends were perfectly square and then filed the inside ends of the tubes to remove the metal that the cutter had bent inwards. I cut the main tubes at:
Back to the inserts. I drilled 2 of the 25mm O.D. ones then tapped them with an M8 tap and the other two (one 25mm, one 22mm O.D.), I drilled and tapped with a 1/4 inch x 20 UNC tap.
There is a logic to this, trust me! Each end of the glidecam will have an industry standard 1/4 inch x 20 thread like you find on tripods and other camera mounts. The hole in the middle of the bearings I bought for the gimbal are 8mm. See, makes sense doesn't it? I can put my camera mount and weight plate on either end of the glidecam for normal or low angle shots.
I used four M3 screws to fasten each insert into the tubes. I was going to epoxy them as well but decided that I wanted to be able to fully strip the rig down and make adjustments if needed so I just used screws which turned out to be a good idea. In the picture, you can see that I had one long 1/4 inch bolt and the other is short. After this picture was taken, I realised that I couldn't fasten the weight plate to such a short thread so I put a longer bolt in so the weight plate could be fitted to either thread.
I'm not going to go into detail but his build had some really simple and clever solutions to some of the more difficult parts of the build and although my Glidecam isn't just a copy of his, he did inspire me and give me the confidence to build my own version and for that I'd like to say thank you Vlad!
The first thing I did was to buy a set of 4 decent, new ABEC-9 skate bearings by Bulldog. I got new ones because I didn't want any issues with the bearings which might occur with used ones. Once they arrived, I put them in a jar of white spirit overnight to dissolve and clear out the grease they were packed with. After a good few minutes of agitating the jar the next day, the bearings were free spinning but still not enough for my liking so I soaked them in GT-85 (a thin PTFE lubricant just in case you didn't know) and then they flew round!
The next thing was to decide what I was going to use for the tubes. I had a few options open to me but I decided to use an adjustable aluminium tube from what I think was either an old frame tent or a caravan awning. The adjustable part is simply a thumbscrew that tightens onto the smaller diameter tube. Nothing fancy but it works. I cut the tubes with a plumbers pipe cutter so the ends were perfectly square and then filed the inside ends of the tubes to remove the metal that the cutter had bent inwards. I cut the main tubes at:
- 2.5 inches. (Short tube above the gimbal. From now on referred to as the 'top tube')
- 8.5 inches. (Long tube below the gimbal. From now on, the 'main tube')
- 7.5 inches. (Smaller diameter tube that you adjust for balancing. From now on, the 'bottom tube').
Back to the inserts. I drilled 2 of the 25mm O.D. ones then tapped them with an M8 tap and the other two (one 25mm, one 22mm O.D.), I drilled and tapped with a 1/4 inch x 20 UNC tap.
There is a logic to this, trust me! Each end of the glidecam will have an industry standard 1/4 inch x 20 thread like you find on tripods and other camera mounts. The hole in the middle of the bearings I bought for the gimbal are 8mm. See, makes sense doesn't it? I can put my camera mount and weight plate on either end of the glidecam for normal or low angle shots.
I used four M3 screws to fasten each insert into the tubes. I was going to epoxy them as well but decided that I wanted to be able to fully strip the rig down and make adjustments if needed so I just used screws which turned out to be a good idea. In the picture, you can see that I had one long 1/4 inch bolt and the other is short. After this picture was taken, I realised that I couldn't fasten the weight plate to such a short thread so I put a longer bolt in so the weight plate could be fitted to either thread.
Now the gimbal. This is quite involved and requires accuracy in a few areas if you want it to work properly. I will explain as best as I can but I think the pictures will be important to helping you understand what I'm waffling on about! As I mentioned before, I have a random pile of stuff to work with and although you might not have the same parts, I'm sure you'll figure out what will work in place of what I've used.
I started with a block of oak for the main body of the gimbal. I would have preferred to use plastic or aluminium but I didn't have a piece thick enough so oak it is.
First I turned it to a hockey puck shape just over 2 inches in diameter and just under 1 inch thick and on what will be the top of the gimbal housing, I cut a shallow recess slightly larger than the top tube diameter and about 2mm deep.
I flipped the piece over in the chuck and in the centre, I first drilled a 16mm through hole then cut a 22mm diameter recess to take the bearing.
The recess for the bearing also needs to put the centre of the bearings thickness at the centre of the gimbal body thickness. This is important for proper balancing.
I then cut a large, shallow recess to take a large aluminium disc to retain the bearing. Once cut, this larger recess should leave the recess for the bearing a little deeper than the bearing is thick.
Next, I cut a 2mm wide piece of 22mm copper pipe which the aluminium disc will press on to the bearing and hold it in place. Do you see what I mean about the photos now?! I hope the one above gives you an idea of what I did while you are reading but at the bottom of this section is a gallery with much larger photos.
The aluminium disc was roughly cut with tin snips then I made it perfectly round by drilling a small hole in the centre, knocking a panel pin through it and into a piece of wood, clamping the wood to my sanding table and sanding the edge of the aluminium disc with the disc sander while rotating the aluminium disc. I drilled four 3mm holes in the disc and used this to mark and do the same to the gimbal body for the screws that hold everything together. I also drilled a 16mm centre hole in the disc.
I started with a block of oak for the main body of the gimbal. I would have preferred to use plastic or aluminium but I didn't have a piece thick enough so oak it is.
First I turned it to a hockey puck shape just over 2 inches in diameter and just under 1 inch thick and on what will be the top of the gimbal housing, I cut a shallow recess slightly larger than the top tube diameter and about 2mm deep.
I flipped the piece over in the chuck and in the centre, I first drilled a 16mm through hole then cut a 22mm diameter recess to take the bearing.
The recess for the bearing also needs to put the centre of the bearings thickness at the centre of the gimbal body thickness. This is important for proper balancing.
I then cut a large, shallow recess to take a large aluminium disc to retain the bearing. Once cut, this larger recess should leave the recess for the bearing a little deeper than the bearing is thick.
Next, I cut a 2mm wide piece of 22mm copper pipe which the aluminium disc will press on to the bearing and hold it in place. Do you see what I mean about the photos now?! I hope the one above gives you an idea of what I did while you are reading but at the bottom of this section is a gallery with much larger photos.
The aluminium disc was roughly cut with tin snips then I made it perfectly round by drilling a small hole in the centre, knocking a panel pin through it and into a piece of wood, clamping the wood to my sanding table and sanding the edge of the aluminium disc with the disc sander while rotating the aluminium disc. I drilled four 3mm holes in the disc and used this to mark and do the same to the gimbal body for the screws that hold everything together. I also drilled a 16mm centre hole in the disc.
I removed the gimbal housing from the lathe and marked a line at half it's thickness then intersected this line with another marked at half it's width. Where these lines crossed on the side of the gimbal housing is where I drilled and tapped M8 threads for the bolts that fasten the gimbal body to the bearings in the yoke arms. By the way, oak takes a pretty good thread! Just make sure to drill into side grain not end grain as this could split and the threads may crumble.
I drilled 4 shallow recesses on the top of the gimbal body to set the nuts on the M3 screws flush with the surface.
During a quick test operation, I did find out that the four M3 screws I used to hold the gimbal together were too close to the screws on the top tube so I had to grind one side of the nuts to let the tube spin freely. Easy mistake to make but an oversight nonetheless on my part.
Once this was rectified, I sanded, ebonised (black wood stain), sealed, de-nibbed and waxed the gimbal housing. Now for the yoke.
I drilled 4 shallow recesses on the top of the gimbal body to set the nuts on the M3 screws flush with the surface.
During a quick test operation, I did find out that the four M3 screws I used to hold the gimbal together were too close to the screws on the top tube so I had to grind one side of the nuts to let the tube spin freely. Easy mistake to make but an oversight nonetheless on my part.
Once this was rectified, I sanded, ebonised (black wood stain), sealed, de-nibbed and waxed the gimbal housing. Now for the yoke.
I cut two pieces of 1/2 inch thick oak about 3 1/2 inches long, 1 1/4 inch wide and sanded them until they were a perfectly square and identical pair. I then marked and drilled a 22mm recess in each piece slightly deeper than the bearing is thick, so about 8mm. After that, I drilled through with a 16mm bit.
Next I drilled and countersunk a hole vertically in each piece to take the screw and nut that will clamp the bearing in place. This clamping is made possible by cutting a slot in from the end of the piece to meet the recess for the bearing. Tighten the screw, the slot gives the wood room to bend slightly which clamps onto the bearing, simple and effective! Instead of fastening the bearings permanently into these arms, it's possible to move them slightly side to side which works in a similar but more basic way compared to calibrating a real Glidecam.
At the opposite end, I drilled and countersunk two holes for the screws that hold these two pieces onto the main block of the yoke. Aside from a little shaping to round over the sharp edges, I finished these parts the same way I did for the gimbal body. On to the main block.
Next I drilled and countersunk a hole vertically in each piece to take the screw and nut that will clamp the bearing in place. This clamping is made possible by cutting a slot in from the end of the piece to meet the recess for the bearing. Tighten the screw, the slot gives the wood room to bend slightly which clamps onto the bearing, simple and effective! Instead of fastening the bearings permanently into these arms, it's possible to move them slightly side to side which works in a similar but more basic way compared to calibrating a real Glidecam.
At the opposite end, I drilled and countersunk two holes for the screws that hold these two pieces onto the main block of the yoke. Aside from a little shaping to round over the sharp edges, I finished these parts the same way I did for the gimbal body. On to the main block.
I made the main yoke block from a solid piece of aluminium for strength. As this one piece takes all the weight and strain of the rig and has a lot of holes in it, I saw no other option open to me and boy am I glad I didn't scrimp on materials here!
It measures roughly 2 1/8 inches long, 1 inch wide and 1/2 inch thick. The length is slightly more than the diameter of the gimbal body to allow for a little space and sideways adjustment to calibrate it later.
After squaring up the ends, I marked the dead centre and began drilling a through hole working in increasing drill sizes right up to 16mm. In case you are wondering why I keep using 16mm through holes, the head of the bolts and also the nuts are 15mm at their widest so 16mm gives them a bit of clearance.
Once again, the pictures will probably be easier to make sense of than my fevered gibberish so I'm just going to give you the basics and let you look at the actual thing to fill in the details.
The holes in the end are tapped for the M5 Screws that hold the oak arms on, The recess for the bearing was cut like this: 16mm through hole drilled, opened up by hand on the lathe to just under 22mm and the depth was cut to 0.5mm less than the thickness of the bearing then I slowly skimmed the hole out to 22mm with a saw-tooth Forstner bit to ensure I had the correct diameter and a square sided recess.
I then made a plate in a similar way I made the aluminium disc for the gimbal but with two flat sides. This is what holds the bearing in place. I drilled a 16mm hole in the centre then two 4mm holes and four 3mm holes in the plate around it and used those holes in the plate to mark the holes I drilled and tapped in the block.
It measures roughly 2 1/8 inches long, 1 inch wide and 1/2 inch thick. The length is slightly more than the diameter of the gimbal body to allow for a little space and sideways adjustment to calibrate it later.
After squaring up the ends, I marked the dead centre and began drilling a through hole working in increasing drill sizes right up to 16mm. In case you are wondering why I keep using 16mm through holes, the head of the bolts and also the nuts are 15mm at their widest so 16mm gives them a bit of clearance.
Once again, the pictures will probably be easier to make sense of than my fevered gibberish so I'm just going to give you the basics and let you look at the actual thing to fill in the details.
The holes in the end are tapped for the M5 Screws that hold the oak arms on, The recess for the bearing was cut like this: 16mm through hole drilled, opened up by hand on the lathe to just under 22mm and the depth was cut to 0.5mm less than the thickness of the bearing then I slowly skimmed the hole out to 22mm with a saw-tooth Forstner bit to ensure I had the correct diameter and a square sided recess.
I then made a plate in a similar way I made the aluminium disc for the gimbal but with two flat sides. This is what holds the bearing in place. I drilled a 16mm hole in the centre then two 4mm holes and four 3mm holes in the plate around it and used those holes in the plate to mark the holes I drilled and tapped in the block.
The handle I used has an interesting story attached to it. I went for a walk around the edge of my local park and noticed something in a muddy patch behind a football goalpost. It was the snapped off handle end of a golf club and it looked like it had been stomped into the ground. I'm guessing someone was having an off day while practising their swing, lost their temper and whacked the club on the goalpost and snapped it in half. Consumed with rage, they then threw what was left of their club on the ground in disgust and jumped on it repeatedly. Oh well, it should come as no surprise to you that this broken golf club became my glidecam handle!
I cleaned the dirt off and cut the length of the grip down to about 5 inches and the metal tube down to just over 7 inches. I turned a brass insert to fit inside the tube then I drilled and tapped an M8 Hole through the tube and insert to take an M8 bolt which fastens the handle to the bearing in the aluminium yoke block. I also cut a hole in the end of the rubber grip so I could slip the handle over the top of a light stand to free both hands while balancing the rig.
As you can see in the picture above, I assembled everything I had built at this stage to make sure it all worked as I hoped and thankfully it did. The top tubes lower insert has an M8 bolt screwed into it so the thread is sticking out the end of the insert in the top tube, onto this goes an M8 nut then the assembled gimbal body followed by another M8 nut. The two nuts tighten onto the inner part of the bearing allowing the outer part along with the gimbal body to spin freely. The main tube can now be screwed onto the remaining thread protruding out of the bottom of the gimbal. The main tube can also be quickly unscrewed to make storing or transporting more convenient.
The two bearings in the oak yoke arms are fitted with a matching pair of M8 bolts and these are held into the bearings with an M8 nut. The head of the bolt and the nut tighten onto the inner part of the bearing allowing the outer part which is clamped into the yoke arm to spin freely. Each bolt is now screwed into the side of the gimbal body until snug, not tight. The yoke arms are now screwed onto the main yoke block.
The handle bearing has a long M8 bolt through the bearing locked in place with an M8 nut. Another nut is added to space the handle away from the block which reduces the chance of pinching your hand between the handle and block. The retaining plate is put on the bolt on the same side as the two nuts then the handle is screwed onto the bolt and a final M8 nut is added to prevent the handle from unscrewing itself. The bearing is fitted into its recess in the block and the retaining plate is screwed into place. The head of the bolt and the first nut tighten onto the inner part of the bearing allowing the outer part which is clamped to the block with the retaining plate to spin freely.
I hope I explained the assembly well enough for you to follow and understand how and why each parts works. Next is part 2: Foot/weight Plate & Extensions and that won't be quite so long winded! Until then, here are the larger photos for this part of the build so you can make more sense of my fevered ramblings! Click on the thumbnails for the full size image.
I cleaned the dirt off and cut the length of the grip down to about 5 inches and the metal tube down to just over 7 inches. I turned a brass insert to fit inside the tube then I drilled and tapped an M8 Hole through the tube and insert to take an M8 bolt which fastens the handle to the bearing in the aluminium yoke block. I also cut a hole in the end of the rubber grip so I could slip the handle over the top of a light stand to free both hands while balancing the rig.
As you can see in the picture above, I assembled everything I had built at this stage to make sure it all worked as I hoped and thankfully it did. The top tubes lower insert has an M8 bolt screwed into it so the thread is sticking out the end of the insert in the top tube, onto this goes an M8 nut then the assembled gimbal body followed by another M8 nut. The two nuts tighten onto the inner part of the bearing allowing the outer part along with the gimbal body to spin freely. The main tube can now be screwed onto the remaining thread protruding out of the bottom of the gimbal. The main tube can also be quickly unscrewed to make storing or transporting more convenient.
The two bearings in the oak yoke arms are fitted with a matching pair of M8 bolts and these are held into the bearings with an M8 nut. The head of the bolt and the nut tighten onto the inner part of the bearing allowing the outer part which is clamped into the yoke arm to spin freely. Each bolt is now screwed into the side of the gimbal body until snug, not tight. The yoke arms are now screwed onto the main yoke block.
The handle bearing has a long M8 bolt through the bearing locked in place with an M8 nut. Another nut is added to space the handle away from the block which reduces the chance of pinching your hand between the handle and block. The retaining plate is put on the bolt on the same side as the two nuts then the handle is screwed onto the bolt and a final M8 nut is added to prevent the handle from unscrewing itself. The bearing is fitted into its recess in the block and the retaining plate is screwed into place. The head of the bolt and the first nut tighten onto the inner part of the bearing allowing the outer part which is clamped to the block with the retaining plate to spin freely.
I hope I explained the assembly well enough for you to follow and understand how and why each parts works. Next is part 2: Foot/weight Plate & Extensions and that won't be quite so long winded! Until then, here are the larger photos for this part of the build so you can make more sense of my fevered ramblings! Click on the thumbnails for the full size image.
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Part 2: Foot/Weight Plate & Extensions
The weight plate/foot plate and extensions I made are cut from a spare piece of 1/4 inch plywood. I first made the main plate but then decided that having the option to extend the length even further could be helpful and this turned out to be true. Having the weights further away from the the tube seems to make it more stable and increase inertia so for example, you can walk round the glidecam without it rotating or if you start a slow pan, it keeps turning longer on it's own. I might be wrong but this seems to be the case with mine anyway.
One downside to to a long foot/weight plate especially if you don't use enough weights on it is that the wind can whip the rig around. In the video below, you can see this near the beginning when I'm filming over a field with long grass and trying to pan. I only had one weight either end and the extensions fully out. Thankfully you can see that it was windy in the video so it's not just my terrible technique to blame! I now use two weights either end and it's really stable in all but the strongest gusts now. I'll explain more in the final section of this project.
One downside to to a long foot/weight plate especially if you don't use enough weights on it is that the wind can whip the rig around. In the video below, you can see this near the beginning when I'm filming over a field with long grass and trying to pan. I only had one weight either end and the extensions fully out. Thankfully you can see that it was windy in the video so it's not just my terrible technique to blame! I now use two weights either end and it's really stable in all but the strongest gusts now. I'll explain more in the final section of this project.
Back to the build. I wanted the weight plate to be strong but lightweight so I borrowed the shape of it from the new Glidecam HD Series weight plate design and cut away as much material as I thought I could get away with. I kept a little more thickness near the centre as this part would be taking the weight of the glidecam. I made it 12.5 inches long and 3.5 inches at its widest. It stands perfectly fine at this width but if I made another, I would probably add another inch to it's width.
I cut along all the lines with a knife to reduce any splintering and then cut it out with a jigsaw fitted with a fine toothed metal cutting blade again to reduce splintering. I then drilled the holes for the screws that hold the weights, the 4 feet and the centre hole for mounting to the rest of the glidecam. The weights I used have two holes for mounting but I put three holes in the ends of the plate so I could adjust their position a bit if i wanted to. Now I've made the extensions, I don't need to but they are now used to mount the extensions which is lucky!
The screws to hold the weights are held in place with a nut which has a recess cut into the plate for it so the weight sits flush and flat on the little platform made for it and not on the nut. The feet are just little hex shaped threaded steel spacers designed to be used to hold circuit boards off the surface of a mounting plate (just think of a really deep nut). As I am using a wingnut to hold the weight plate onto the rest of the Glidecam, the little feet also let me put it down on a flat surface.
After a good overall sanding, I finished the weight plate in the same manner as I finished the yoke arms.
I cut along all the lines with a knife to reduce any splintering and then cut it out with a jigsaw fitted with a fine toothed metal cutting blade again to reduce splintering. I then drilled the holes for the screws that hold the weights, the 4 feet and the centre hole for mounting to the rest of the glidecam. The weights I used have two holes for mounting but I put three holes in the ends of the plate so I could adjust their position a bit if i wanted to. Now I've made the extensions, I don't need to but they are now used to mount the extensions which is lucky!
The screws to hold the weights are held in place with a nut which has a recess cut into the plate for it so the weight sits flush and flat on the little platform made for it and not on the nut. The feet are just little hex shaped threaded steel spacers designed to be used to hold circuit boards off the surface of a mounting plate (just think of a really deep nut). As I am using a wingnut to hold the weight plate onto the rest of the Glidecam, the little feet also let me put it down on a flat surface.
After a good overall sanding, I finished the weight plate in the same manner as I finished the yoke arms.
The extensions are about 5 inches long by 3 inches at their widest. They are made and finished in the same way as the main weight plate but I added a slot for adjustment and a few bevelled edges here and there just for decoration. I put the bevels under the weight platforms and on top at the other end. I used screws in the two innermost holes at either end on the main weight plate to fasten the extensions to it. I only had four wingnuts the right size so I opted to use them for adjusting the length of the extensions and I just used nuts to hold the weights on until I get round to getting a a set of wingnuts to replace them. Now I've got the rig balanced, I'm not going to be messing with the weights much so I'm in no rush to change anything at the moment. Even if I do, I'm not going to be doing it in the field so it's not a problem.
Fully closed, the total length of the main plate plus extensions is now roughly 15 inches and fully extended is a little over 18 inches. This could be extended even further by moving the mounting screws to the outermost set of holes on the main plate.
Right, the weights. I'm guessing you might be wondering what I used. Well, have you heard of a Z1168 contactor? Didn't think so. They are the steel plates from the moving contact armature assembly on a Z1168 contactor. Don't bother Googling it, you'll find nothing! You will not have these or be able to get these so use whatever you can that is similar. These plates are roughly 2 inches square, 1/4 inch thick and they weigh 200 grammes each which is about as useful as I can be in this instance. I only have them because they were rejects from when I used to build thousands of Z1168s. If you've got this far, You'll think of something to use in their place. Really big washers are popular.
Click on the pictures below to see a larger version and next is the final part of the build, the camera mounting plate. We're nearly done!
Fully closed, the total length of the main plate plus extensions is now roughly 15 inches and fully extended is a little over 18 inches. This could be extended even further by moving the mounting screws to the outermost set of holes on the main plate.
Right, the weights. I'm guessing you might be wondering what I used. Well, have you heard of a Z1168 contactor? Didn't think so. They are the steel plates from the moving contact armature assembly on a Z1168 contactor. Don't bother Googling it, you'll find nothing! You will not have these or be able to get these so use whatever you can that is similar. These plates are roughly 2 inches square, 1/4 inch thick and they weigh 200 grammes each which is about as useful as I can be in this instance. I only have them because they were rejects from when I used to build thousands of Z1168s. If you've got this far, You'll think of something to use in their place. Really big washers are popular.
Click on the pictures below to see a larger version and next is the final part of the build, the camera mounting plate. We're nearly done!
Part 3: Camera Mounting Plate
I made the camera mounting plate 6.5 inches long by 3.5 inches wide and about 1 1/4 inches tall. It has just over 2 inches of fore and aft adjustment which is more than enough given that it also has 3 rows of 8 holes for mounting a camera, quick release plate or macro focus rail. The mounting plate I made only has fore and aft adjustability because I just used my cheap macro focus rail to give me sideways adjustment as well. It was the simplest solution from my point of view as all I had to do was screw it on instead of having to make something to do the same job. Makes sense, right? It wouldn't take much to make a 4 way adjustable plate from scratch if you wanted to but I'll leave that up to you.
The macro rail I used is also used on my cheap but effective (brace yourself) nodal point panorama head tripod mount (what a mouthful!) which I must get round to showing you how to make soon. I already had set it up to be used on the Nopopahetrimo (that nodal thing I mentioned above) first so that's why it sticks out a mile to one side in the pictures. The screw that belongs in the long slot is used to hold the rail on to the mounting plate and the fixed position screw in the rail is used to fasten the camera quick release plate to it. It would be better to do the exact opposite to make it look more even but it works either way and as I mentioned, I didn't change it because I also use the rail elsewhere.
The main plates are made from the same 3/8 inch thick plywood I used to make the weight plate, there's also two strips of sapele (a hardwood similar to mahogany) and 20mm wide x 10mm tall 1.5mm thick 'C' profile aluminium channel. If you aren't sure what I mean, the end of it looks like this: l____l
I first cut the two plywood plates and used my disc sander to make them properly square and an identical pair. I ended up using a square steel plate to attach the mounting plate but you could skip the steel plate and just mark out and drill the centre of one plywood plate for a 1/4 inch hole to fasten it to the screw in the top tube of the glidecam which gets locked into place with a nut. On the other plate, I marked out the pattern of 24 holes to mount the macro rail to as well as the holes for attaching the aluminium channel. Once drilled and counterbored, I removed the area underneath the 24 mounting holes to give me the right thickness and plenty of room to turn the large headed screw with a D ring which holds the macro rail on. The holes were just too close together to counterbore each hole big enough so I used a 50mm Forstner bit to remove the bulk of the material to a depth of around 3mm and then I used a 10mm milling bit in the pillar drill to tidy up followed by a bit of work with a hand chisel to cut the corners. I then bevelled the outside edges of the the two plywood plates just for decoration. I also counterbored each of the 24 holes on the top of the plate for a nylon washer to fasten the large headed screw to the plate but allow it to turn.
The macro rail I used is also used on my cheap but effective (brace yourself) nodal point panorama head tripod mount (what a mouthful!) which I must get round to showing you how to make soon. I already had set it up to be used on the Nopopahetrimo (that nodal thing I mentioned above) first so that's why it sticks out a mile to one side in the pictures. The screw that belongs in the long slot is used to hold the rail on to the mounting plate and the fixed position screw in the rail is used to fasten the camera quick release plate to it. It would be better to do the exact opposite to make it look more even but it works either way and as I mentioned, I didn't change it because I also use the rail elsewhere.
The main plates are made from the same 3/8 inch thick plywood I used to make the weight plate, there's also two strips of sapele (a hardwood similar to mahogany) and 20mm wide x 10mm tall 1.5mm thick 'C' profile aluminium channel. If you aren't sure what I mean, the end of it looks like this: l____l
I first cut the two plywood plates and used my disc sander to make them properly square and an identical pair. I ended up using a square steel plate to attach the mounting plate but you could skip the steel plate and just mark out and drill the centre of one plywood plate for a 1/4 inch hole to fasten it to the screw in the top tube of the glidecam which gets locked into place with a nut. On the other plate, I marked out the pattern of 24 holes to mount the macro rail to as well as the holes for attaching the aluminium channel. Once drilled and counterbored, I removed the area underneath the 24 mounting holes to give me the right thickness and plenty of room to turn the large headed screw with a D ring which holds the macro rail on. The holes were just too close together to counterbore each hole big enough so I used a 50mm Forstner bit to remove the bulk of the material to a depth of around 3mm and then I used a 10mm milling bit in the pillar drill to tidy up followed by a bit of work with a hand chisel to cut the corners. I then bevelled the outside edges of the the two plywood plates just for decoration. I also counterbored each of the 24 holes on the top of the plate for a nylon washer to fasten the large headed screw to the plate but allow it to turn.
I cut the aluminium channel the same length as the plywood plates and marked out a pair of slots in each section. Each slot ended up being 2 inches long plus the diameter of the screw (5mm in my case) to make sure I got a full 2 inches of adjustment. I drilled either end, rough cut the slot with a jigsaw and finished the job with needle files for a neat and tidy finish. The holes to attach the channel to the top plywood plate were marked on it by marking through the holes on the edge of the ply and then drilled. I used M3 screws for this.
I dug out some scrap sapele which was about 15mm thick and 22mm wide. I cut it along its length so I had a pair of 10mm x 15mm rails (2mm lost in the cutting) which I cut to the same length as the plywood plates. I sanded them to make an identical pair then transferred the shape of the slots in the aluminium channels to the sapele rails. Once marked, I found the centre of the marks and drilled a hole through each one for an M5 screw.
I had some non-standard rectangular M5 nuts but you can do the next step with normal ones too. I cut a channel in the back of the sapele rails where the drilled hole is to fit a nut then made 4 little retaining plates to hold the nut in place. The retaining plates have a hole in the centre to let the end of the screw pass through and two holes for self tapping screws to hold the plate onto the sapele.
To position the sapele rails properly so the top and bottom halves of this mounting plate slide smoothly past each other, I stuck a piece of masking tape on what will be the inside of the aluminium channels then fastened them to the top plywood plate. When removed, the thickness of the tape will leave a narrow, even gap so nothing will bind. I then put the sapele rails on the bottom plywood plate, lowered the top plate onto the bottom plate and lined the two plates up to each other. Next, I pushed the sapele rails up to the inside of the aluminium channels and put a drop of superglue on each end of the sapele where it meets the plywood. This lines everything up perfectly and once dry and the top half of the mounting plate is lifted off, a few extra drops of glue holds the sapele to the plywood well enough to drill and screw it together without moving.
Again, I finished all the wooden parts on this mounting plate the same way as I did for the gimbal body, yoke arms and the weight plate.
Click on the pictures below for a larger version and if you've got this far, well done. You now have a glidecam! All that's left to do is spray the top 2 tubes satin black and put it all together. Next up is the conclusion and some extra stuff.
I dug out some scrap sapele which was about 15mm thick and 22mm wide. I cut it along its length so I had a pair of 10mm x 15mm rails (2mm lost in the cutting) which I cut to the same length as the plywood plates. I sanded them to make an identical pair then transferred the shape of the slots in the aluminium channels to the sapele rails. Once marked, I found the centre of the marks and drilled a hole through each one for an M5 screw.
I had some non-standard rectangular M5 nuts but you can do the next step with normal ones too. I cut a channel in the back of the sapele rails where the drilled hole is to fit a nut then made 4 little retaining plates to hold the nut in place. The retaining plates have a hole in the centre to let the end of the screw pass through and two holes for self tapping screws to hold the plate onto the sapele.
To position the sapele rails properly so the top and bottom halves of this mounting plate slide smoothly past each other, I stuck a piece of masking tape on what will be the inside of the aluminium channels then fastened them to the top plywood plate. When removed, the thickness of the tape will leave a narrow, even gap so nothing will bind. I then put the sapele rails on the bottom plywood plate, lowered the top plate onto the bottom plate and lined the two plates up to each other. Next, I pushed the sapele rails up to the inside of the aluminium channels and put a drop of superglue on each end of the sapele where it meets the plywood. This lines everything up perfectly and once dry and the top half of the mounting plate is lifted off, a few extra drops of glue holds the sapele to the plywood well enough to drill and screw it together without moving.
Again, I finished all the wooden parts on this mounting plate the same way as I did for the gimbal body, yoke arms and the weight plate.
Click on the pictures below for a larger version and if you've got this far, well done. You now have a glidecam! All that's left to do is spray the top 2 tubes satin black and put it all together. Next up is the conclusion and some extra stuff.
Part 4: Conclusion
Once you get this set up, balanced and practice with it, it's an incredibly effective tool. With my GoPro on it, it does look hugely oversized but if I had made a small one, it would have been useless for a heavy camcorder or DSLR wouldn't it? This one has plenty of headroom to fit bigger gear on top which is why I made it the size it is.
Just a Gopro on top? Add weight to the top.
DSLR on top? No extra weights needed on top.
Heavy pro video camera on top? Add weights to the weight plate.
Makes sense, right?
This was quite a project and the final result works better than I hoped but now I've had a chance to use it, I have continued to tweak it to a point where I am totally happy with it.
Here's what I did:
The glidecam worked perfectly fine without these changes but I like to tinker until I can't make things any better and it's about there now.
Is it Flawless? No, but it'll do for me!
Just a Gopro on top? Add weight to the top.
DSLR on top? No extra weights needed on top.
Heavy pro video camera on top? Add weights to the weight plate.
Makes sense, right?
This was quite a project and the final result works better than I hoped but now I've had a chance to use it, I have continued to tweak it to a point where I am totally happy with it.
Here's what I did:
- I first tried it out with my camcorder and found that I didn't like having to unscrew the camera when I wanted to remove it as it meant having to throw the rig out of balance to get at the screw so I put the Manfrotto tilting quick release from my monopod onto the macro rail.
- I also decided to make the weight plate extensions at this point to give me more adjustability and inertia which I am very glad I did now as the difference is quite noticeable.
- As I mentioned in the build, I found that even though perfectly balanced, I needed more weight at the bottom to stop the wind from having such an effect on the rig so I added another set of weights to the weight plate and as a consequence, had to add weights to the top to balance it. This obviously makes the rig heavy but the improvements are worth the extra load.
- The camera mounting plate/macro rail combo works perfectly but with one minor drawback, a screwdriver is needed to make adjustments to the camera mounting plate. Nothing major but all other adjustable parts on this are tool-less. I bought a 4 way macro head and this replaces the mounting plate and the macro rail. This is the exact one I got (UK link) (US link).
- I also bought a standard Manfrotto 323 quick release adapter (well, a good clone of one anyway) as it sits lower than the other one and I don't need the tilt function on this. Some people have had problems getting this particular QR plate to sit flat on some tripods and monopods but it fits perfectly on the top of the 4 way macro rail. You'll see this in the photos below. As with the 4 way macro rail, this is the exact one I got (UK link) (US link).
- Until I can afford a DSLR with HD video recording, I am only going to be using this with my GoPro so I made a little weight mounting plate that fastens to the 4 way macro rail. It's just a piece of aluminium that I cut to shape, bent and put a couple of screws in (one with a wingnut to fasten the weights and one just to keep them aligned) so I don't think it warrants a full write up as you'll be able to figure it out from the photos below.
- I used a ratio of 3:1 to work out the best balance. In other words, The top weighs 3 times what the bottom does. It doesn't make sense at first but it's the position of the gimbal that lets a lighter weight effectively weigh more because it's further away from the point of balance which is the gimbal on a glidecam. I just guessed while balancing it until now but I find that the closer you get to 3:1, the better it seems to work.
The glidecam worked perfectly fine without these changes but I like to tinker until I can't make things any better and it's about there now.
Is it Flawless? No, but it'll do for me!
Here's the gallery with larger photos if you click on the thumbnails. You can also watch the video below to see the build & my glidecam in action (test footage starts at around the 03:15 mark) or see how I solved the vignetting issue with budget adapters on a GoPro Hero entry level camera by scrolling down below the Glidecam vid.
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Budget GoPro Filter Adapter
Modifications For Zero Vignetting
I've recently bought a GoPro Hero entry level camera and as anyone who owns one will agree (hopefully!), they are great little cameras but they do have certain issues, compromises and limitations that their far more expensive cousins don't have. Non-removable battery, non-removable case, less options in the menu, no wi-fi, no screen, no external mic jack, yada, yada, yada.... Anyway, if like me, you just fancied getting a GoPro to see what the fuss was about without having to take out a loan, it does the job perfectly and if you don't ever see yourself pulling a gnarly double backflip onto a moving freight train, this one will keep you happy and almost all GoPro mounts and lots of accessories will fit and work with this one but, and it's a big but, budget filter adapters are not quite as universal as the sellers might have you believe, let me explain and justify why I did what I did and why this project needs to even exist.
Before I explain about the adapter, if you found this page but you don't have a GoPro yet then you're doing exactly what I do before I buy anything and that is a whole lot of research. I can recommend getting one from Amazon and this is the one I got (UK link) (US link).
I also can personally recommend the Lexar 633x 32gb class 10 micro SDHC card with a USB 3.0 card reader included (UK link) (US link).
I thought about getting a cheaper card but this is one area where you really don't want to get anything less than the best you can afford. The great thing is that if you get a more expensive GoPro later, this card will still be able to handle things like 4k and all that jazz!
The Gopro entry level camera (which I will refer to it as GoPro EL from now on) does have the same size lens housing as the standard Gopro 3+ and 4 cameras so any adapter that fits them will fit the GoPro EL too. HOWEVER, the filter thread is only 52mm on these budget adapters which might just be okay for ND filters, UV filters etc but it will vignette massively with a polarizer. How do I know? I'm glad you asked, I actually made an adapter to fit a redundant 55mm polarizer I had and that was bad enough for vignetting so I can only imagine how bad it would be with an even smaller diameter filter. Sure you could crop in an editing program but you'd be lowering the resolution of the outputted video and who wants that? Too much of a compromise if you ask me.
Before I go any further, I am aware that despite me being from the UK, I do refer to this particular filter as a polarizer and I do know that this is the US spelling but the first one I owned was spelled this way (I think it was a Tiffen) so it's always stuck in my head. I just thought I would save anyone the trouble of correcting me! Okay, back to the matter at hand.
SRP make the Blurfix 55 which as the name suggests is a filter system based on 55mm filters and I've seen evidence of them working fine so what's the deal? why do theirs work and mine didn't? More research revealed the answers to this riddle and now I can tell you how to use whatever filter you want and what to buy to make it possible on a tight budget.
I've looked around a lot and I could only find cheap adapters with either 52mm or 58mm filter threads. Only the 52mm ones would be a direct fit for the GoPro EL and the 58mm threaded ones only fitted the dive housing which has a bigger lens housing and isn't an option for the GoPro EL as you can't swap housings. What the makers of the cheap 52mm adapters have not thought about is this, 52mm filters work on the bare GoPro, not on one in a housing. That's why this size is useless for the GoPro EL as it can't go commando.
"Hmmm......... (stares into space while the cogs start turning), If I made a spacer........., the 58mm one shouldn't vignette as much if at all........, might have to make a few alterations........., Yep, that'll work!"
Ten minutes later, I had ordered the adapter for a dive housing from Amazon and had a cheap but good 58mm Jessops circular polarizer on my watch list on eBay.
Below are direct links to the exact adapter I bought on Amazon if you want to do this mod yourself. (The brand names may vary but it's exactly the same adapter from the same manufacturer). You could also grab a decent 58mm standard polarizer while you are there or a slim Hoya polarizer if you don't fancy grinding the filter.
Before I explain about the adapter, if you found this page but you don't have a GoPro yet then you're doing exactly what I do before I buy anything and that is a whole lot of research. I can recommend getting one from Amazon and this is the one I got (UK link) (US link).
I also can personally recommend the Lexar 633x 32gb class 10 micro SDHC card with a USB 3.0 card reader included (UK link) (US link).
I thought about getting a cheaper card but this is one area where you really don't want to get anything less than the best you can afford. The great thing is that if you get a more expensive GoPro later, this card will still be able to handle things like 4k and all that jazz!
The Gopro entry level camera (which I will refer to it as GoPro EL from now on) does have the same size lens housing as the standard Gopro 3+ and 4 cameras so any adapter that fits them will fit the GoPro EL too. HOWEVER, the filter thread is only 52mm on these budget adapters which might just be okay for ND filters, UV filters etc but it will vignette massively with a polarizer. How do I know? I'm glad you asked, I actually made an adapter to fit a redundant 55mm polarizer I had and that was bad enough for vignetting so I can only imagine how bad it would be with an even smaller diameter filter. Sure you could crop in an editing program but you'd be lowering the resolution of the outputted video and who wants that? Too much of a compromise if you ask me.
Before I go any further, I am aware that despite me being from the UK, I do refer to this particular filter as a polarizer and I do know that this is the US spelling but the first one I owned was spelled this way (I think it was a Tiffen) so it's always stuck in my head. I just thought I would save anyone the trouble of correcting me! Okay, back to the matter at hand.
SRP make the Blurfix 55 which as the name suggests is a filter system based on 55mm filters and I've seen evidence of them working fine so what's the deal? why do theirs work and mine didn't? More research revealed the answers to this riddle and now I can tell you how to use whatever filter you want and what to buy to make it possible on a tight budget.
I've looked around a lot and I could only find cheap adapters with either 52mm or 58mm filter threads. Only the 52mm ones would be a direct fit for the GoPro EL and the 58mm threaded ones only fitted the dive housing which has a bigger lens housing and isn't an option for the GoPro EL as you can't swap housings. What the makers of the cheap 52mm adapters have not thought about is this, 52mm filters work on the bare GoPro, not on one in a housing. That's why this size is useless for the GoPro EL as it can't go commando.
"Hmmm......... (stares into space while the cogs start turning), If I made a spacer........., the 58mm one shouldn't vignette as much if at all........, might have to make a few alterations........., Yep, that'll work!"
Ten minutes later, I had ordered the adapter for a dive housing from Amazon and had a cheap but good 58mm Jessops circular polarizer on my watch list on eBay.
Below are direct links to the exact adapter I bought on Amazon if you want to do this mod yourself. (The brand names may vary but it's exactly the same adapter from the same manufacturer). You could also grab a decent 58mm standard polarizer while you are there or a slim Hoya polarizer if you don't fancy grinding the filter.
The Build
The first thing I did was a rough test which involved filling the gap between the adapter and the GoPros lens housing with cardboard just to get an even gap all around and see if vignetting was still happening with the larger 58mm polarizer and it was but only a very small amount. As an example, I would guess that on a 15 inch monitor, only a quarter inch of the very corners was vignetting so I knew that the bigger filter was at least the best to the two options and now I also can reasonably assume that if you have a slim polarizer like the Hoya HD CIR-PL (UK link) (US link)or the Hoya Digital Pro1 (UK link) (US link)then you will only need to make the spacer for the adapter and you're done.
If like me, you only have a standard and therefore deep framed polarizer don't worry, I have a solution for that but I know it's something that most normal, rational people would be quite nervous about doing and rightly so. As I am not a normal or rational person and have no ambitions to be, I took my freshly purchased polarizer and attacked it with a great big disc sander!!!
Am I mad? Yes, clearly. That has never been in doubt but it worked and I can tell you that if you are careful and follow my lead EXACTLY, it works perfectly and no harm will come to you or your polarizer. All I did was a lower-tech version but otherwise identical results wise to what SRP do to Tiffen polarizers for their Blurfix system. Check out THIS to see what I mean. They now have their own brand polarizers too but the basic principle is the same, remove everything in front of the front retaining ring and this works well. Now I've scared you half to death, let's get on with the spacer.
If like me, you only have a standard and therefore deep framed polarizer don't worry, I have a solution for that but I know it's something that most normal, rational people would be quite nervous about doing and rightly so. As I am not a normal or rational person and have no ambitions to be, I took my freshly purchased polarizer and attacked it with a great big disc sander!!!
Am I mad? Yes, clearly. That has never been in doubt but it worked and I can tell you that if you are careful and follow my lead EXACTLY, it works perfectly and no harm will come to you or your polarizer. All I did was a lower-tech version but otherwise identical results wise to what SRP do to Tiffen polarizers for their Blurfix system. Check out THIS to see what I mean. They now have their own brand polarizers too but the basic principle is the same, remove everything in front of the front retaining ring and this works well. Now I've scared you half to death, let's get on with the spacer.
I made the spacer out of a bin bag.... no, seriously I did. I cut off about what I guessed would be enough, chopped it into bits and melted it in a small metal bowl with a heat gun. I had thought about using wood, aluminium and a few other things but as the gap I had to fill was about 4mm on the sides and 3mm top and bottom, wood wouldn't be a great choice and I didn't want to spend hours cutting and filing aluminium so I remembered reading that polythene could be heated and formed so that's how I ended up using a bin bag. It's not pretty but it's perfect for it's intended use. I have cast (or potted for those in the electronics industry) many thousands of components in various types of epoxy but I've never had to work with boiling hot melted polythene before so I could have done a better job but only it's function is important here.
As you can see in the picture, I cut a small piece of plywood to the same size as the lens housing on the GoPro. I then sanded the sides and coated them in superglue which I then sanded until smooth, stopping at 400grit. I predrilled a 1.5mm hole dead centre for a panel pin and one either side which will prevent the plywood square from spinning and to help hold the square down. In the end, it was solid enough with just one.
I considered making an outer frame the same size as the filter adapter but decided that the adapter itself would survive the process and as it would be the perfect size and shape, why make extra work and risk getting the size wrong?
I used a scrap piece of plywood to fasten everything to, traced round the inside and outside of the adapter then marked and centre punched the centre on the plywood to locate the small square piece of plywood.
I then superglued two small strips of pine diagonally opposite each other along the lines I had traced around the outside of the adapter earlier. You can see the end of one of these strips in the bottom right corner of the picture above. These strips prevent the adapter from twisting or moving from side to side. If you put a screw in both holes in the adapter and cut the wood so it butts up against the screw, it stops the adapter from moving forward and back too (I used M3 terminal screws as they have small heads that don't contact the GoPro when the adapter is fitted. You can find these screws in plugs and connector blocks).
I thought about holding the adapter down but decided against it as it was a snug fit between the pine strips but I would advise that you do hold it down as mine did move up a little bit and I had to press it back down a couple of times. Two screws with washers either side of the adapter just tightened enough to contact the outer rim would work fine.
I considered making an outer frame the same size as the filter adapter but decided that the adapter itself would survive the process and as it would be the perfect size and shape, why make extra work and risk getting the size wrong?
I used a scrap piece of plywood to fasten everything to, traced round the inside and outside of the adapter then marked and centre punched the centre on the plywood to locate the small square piece of plywood.
I then superglued two small strips of pine diagonally opposite each other along the lines I had traced around the outside of the adapter earlier. You can see the end of one of these strips in the bottom right corner of the picture above. These strips prevent the adapter from twisting or moving from side to side. If you put a screw in both holes in the adapter and cut the wood so it butts up against the screw, it stops the adapter from moving forward and back too (I used M3 terminal screws as they have small heads that don't contact the GoPro when the adapter is fitted. You can find these screws in plugs and connector blocks).
I thought about holding the adapter down but decided against it as it was a snug fit between the pine strips but I would advise that you do hold it down as mine did move up a little bit and I had to press it back down a couple of times. Two screws with washers either side of the adapter just tightened enough to contact the outer rim would work fine.
One I had checked that the gap I was about to fill was straight and even all the way round, I waxed every surface on the mould including the adapter with Renaissance Wax to act as a release agent. You could use beeswax or candlewax or even lard if you want but you should definitely use something as it will make getting the spacer out a lot easier!
I cut a 4 inch strip from the top of a black polythene bin bag then cut it into smaller strips and first tried packing the pieces into the mould then heating it with the heat gun but this didn't work well so I found a small metal bowl (a tin can would work too) and melted the strips in that. I held the bowl with vice grips and used a small flat bladed screwdriver to pack the melted polythene into the mould. When the mould was full, I kept heating it with the heat gun and used a drift (the back end of a drill bit would work) to really compress the polythene and make it bond together. It helps to keep the mould and any tools hot while making this so the polythene doesn't cool when it comes in contact with them.
I let the mould cool until it was just warm and removed the now locked together adapter, spacer and plywood square from the base of the mould by pulling up on the panel pins with pliers. I then cut off some of the excess around the outer edge of the spacer but it was still firmly held together so it wouldn't just push out. Because it was still warm, I knew that there would be a good chance the spacer would still be flexible and should be able to take a bit of abuse so I took the pins out gave the plywood square a few good clouts with a pin hammer and it soon started moving. Once the plywood was out, the spacer popped out easily and in one piece, Yay!
I cut a 4 inch strip from the top of a black polythene bin bag then cut it into smaller strips and first tried packing the pieces into the mould then heating it with the heat gun but this didn't work well so I found a small metal bowl (a tin can would work too) and melted the strips in that. I held the bowl with vice grips and used a small flat bladed screwdriver to pack the melted polythene into the mould. When the mould was full, I kept heating it with the heat gun and used a drift (the back end of a drill bit would work) to really compress the polythene and make it bond together. It helps to keep the mould and any tools hot while making this so the polythene doesn't cool when it comes in contact with them.
I let the mould cool until it was just warm and removed the now locked together adapter, spacer and plywood square from the base of the mould by pulling up on the panel pins with pliers. I then cut off some of the excess around the outer edge of the spacer but it was still firmly held together so it wouldn't just push out. Because it was still warm, I knew that there would be a good chance the spacer would still be flexible and should be able to take a bit of abuse so I took the pins out gave the plywood square a few good clouts with a pin hammer and it soon started moving. Once the plywood was out, the spacer popped out easily and in one piece, Yay!
Once fully cooled, the spacer had shrunk slightly and was just too small to slip onto the GoPro but this was what I wanted to happen as I could get the fit to be as snug as I felt necessary.
I set about the spacer with files and sandpaper until it had a tight friction fit on the lens then I tidied it up as best I could including bevelling the inside of the back to accommodate the small radius between the lens and body of the GoPro.
So, the spacer fits on the lens, the two screws on the adapter tighten onto the spacer, the screws clamp the spacer even more firmly onto the GoPro and because the screws don't contact the GoPro directly, they don't mark it or put a lot of pressure in one small area. I've even held just the adapter while it was attached to the GoPro and shook the hell out of it like I was trying to remove molten lead from my hand and it didn't budge one bit.
Like I said before, it might not be pretty but it works!
Next up, grinding the filter.... Brace yourself!
I set about the spacer with files and sandpaper until it had a tight friction fit on the lens then I tidied it up as best I could including bevelling the inside of the back to accommodate the small radius between the lens and body of the GoPro.
So, the spacer fits on the lens, the two screws on the adapter tighten onto the spacer, the screws clamp the spacer even more firmly onto the GoPro and because the screws don't contact the GoPro directly, they don't mark it or put a lot of pressure in one small area. I've even held just the adapter while it was attached to the GoPro and shook the hell out of it like I was trying to remove molten lead from my hand and it didn't budge one bit.
Like I said before, it might not be pretty but it works!
Next up, grinding the filter.... Brace yourself!
Okay, this does seem drastic and I have seen the question being asked on a few photography forums 'My (whatever type) filter gives me vignetting with my (whatever type) wide angle lens, how can I make the filter thinner? can I grind/file/sand/mill it down?'. Unsurprisingly the response is usually that of sheer panic at the thought of someone 'butchering' a delicate piece of camera equipment and is often followed by a list of horrifying theoretical outcomes to further deter the asker of the question from even trying. Things like 'filters are incredibly fragile and will shatter if you do such a thing', 'the aluminium frame will get red hot and the glass will explode into shrapnel', and the ever useful advice of the rich show-off 'Just buy a super thin, super expensive filter made of kryptonite and nano-coated in unicorn tears, also buy a top of the range lens as yours is rubbish, that's how I solved the problem'.
None of these things answered the question, none of these things help people like me who can't just spend their way out of a problem. I was once told by a good friend that is sadly no longer with us that I must be the same sort of person that got humans out of living in caves and into working with fire and tools because I mull a problem over, work out the pros and cons and most importantly, give it a go. I'm not afraid to fail because you learn faster by trying something than you ever will by theory alone. There is a famous saying 'There's knowing the path and then there's walking the path'. All I am saying is this, nobody succeeds in anything by being afraid of even trying, do they?
Okay, enough of the psychobabble, let's get on with this. This is a simple process and although I did it one way, I imagine that with a bit of thought and care, it can be achieved in a few other ways.
I wanted to remove as much of the threads on the front of the polarizer as possible so I measured down from the rim of the frame to the top of the retaining ring then marked this distance on the outside of the frame. I then used red tape to follow the mark around the filter so it's really easy to see how much material needs to be removed. This tape also stops abrasive particles and aluminium dust from getting in between the two parts of the polarizer. I folded up a piece of paper towel and covered the rear glass of the filter to protect it and held this in place with more red tape but I left the front glass exposed and unprotected as I didn't want anything catching and pulling the filter out of my hands. It's grinding time!
As you can see in the picture, I used my sanding disc and I worked in a specific pattern to keep any heat build up to a minimum. If you think of the filter as a clock face, I used this pattern: 12 o'clock, 6 o'clock (stop grinding and count to five) then 9 o'clock, 3 o'clock (stop grinding and count to five) then start at 12 o'clock again. I counted to 3 for each grind and the aluminium frame didn't get anything more than slightly warm. It was never too hot to touch and that is the secret to a filter glass shrapnel free face!
After I had 4 flat spots at 3,6,9 and 12, I then worked the areas in between using the same pattern and timing. I kept going until the edge of the aluminium frame had a scalloped pattern then I ground the points off in between each scallop. I kept repeating this until I was almost down to the retaining ring. I then wanted a nice, level surface and I started gently and quickly swiping the filter for just a second across the sanding disc which levelled all the little bumps out really well.
None of these things answered the question, none of these things help people like me who can't just spend their way out of a problem. I was once told by a good friend that is sadly no longer with us that I must be the same sort of person that got humans out of living in caves and into working with fire and tools because I mull a problem over, work out the pros and cons and most importantly, give it a go. I'm not afraid to fail because you learn faster by trying something than you ever will by theory alone. There is a famous saying 'There's knowing the path and then there's walking the path'. All I am saying is this, nobody succeeds in anything by being afraid of even trying, do they?
Okay, enough of the psychobabble, let's get on with this. This is a simple process and although I did it one way, I imagine that with a bit of thought and care, it can be achieved in a few other ways.
I wanted to remove as much of the threads on the front of the polarizer as possible so I measured down from the rim of the frame to the top of the retaining ring then marked this distance on the outside of the frame. I then used red tape to follow the mark around the filter so it's really easy to see how much material needs to be removed. This tape also stops abrasive particles and aluminium dust from getting in between the two parts of the polarizer. I folded up a piece of paper towel and covered the rear glass of the filter to protect it and held this in place with more red tape but I left the front glass exposed and unprotected as I didn't want anything catching and pulling the filter out of my hands. It's grinding time!
As you can see in the picture, I used my sanding disc and I worked in a specific pattern to keep any heat build up to a minimum. If you think of the filter as a clock face, I used this pattern: 12 o'clock, 6 o'clock (stop grinding and count to five) then 9 o'clock, 3 o'clock (stop grinding and count to five) then start at 12 o'clock again. I counted to 3 for each grind and the aluminium frame didn't get anything more than slightly warm. It was never too hot to touch and that is the secret to a filter glass shrapnel free face!
After I had 4 flat spots at 3,6,9 and 12, I then worked the areas in between using the same pattern and timing. I kept going until the edge of the aluminium frame had a scalloped pattern then I ground the points off in between each scallop. I kept repeating this until I was almost down to the retaining ring. I then wanted a nice, level surface and I started gently and quickly swiping the filter for just a second across the sanding disc which levelled all the little bumps out really well.
As you can see in this picture, I hand held the filter to grind it. I didn't rest it on the table but rather used the table as a support for my hands so my hands acted as a shock absorber to prevent the glass from breaking from sharp shocks or vibrations. I did use both hands while grinding. I had to take the photo with the other hand in case you were wondering!
The single most important thing I can tell you about doing this is TAKE YOUR TIME. My sanding disc is aggressive and will eat anything you put near it like Pacman with a serious case of the munchies. I use 40 grit aluminium oxide paper on it but with a delicate touch on my part, I can take the thinnest of layers from the surface of balsa wood. It took me at least 20 minutes to grind the filter down and I only stopped to inspect the integrity of the filter once or twice in that time.
Once ground, I tidied the burrs carefully with a needle file, swept all the dust and aluminium from the filter with a blower and a soft brush. I then removed the tape and paper towel and gave it a good inspection. No faults, no damage, no horrendous injuries incurred. I really don't know what the fuss was all about!
The single most important thing I can tell you about doing this is TAKE YOUR TIME. My sanding disc is aggressive and will eat anything you put near it like Pacman with a serious case of the munchies. I use 40 grit aluminium oxide paper on it but with a delicate touch on my part, I can take the thinnest of layers from the surface of balsa wood. It took me at least 20 minutes to grind the filter down and I only stopped to inspect the integrity of the filter once or twice in that time.
Once ground, I tidied the burrs carefully with a needle file, swept all the dust and aluminium from the filter with a blower and a soft brush. I then removed the tape and paper towel and gave it a good inspection. No faults, no damage, no horrendous injuries incurred. I really don't know what the fuss was all about!
The polarizing filter was originally 10.5mm deep. It's now just 7.69mm deep or 5.64mm if you don't include the mounting threads. More importantly than the numbers, it works. No vignetting.....at all. Job done!
I know most people don't have a big disc sander so here are a few options I can imagine will work as well:
How to use it
This next part is important so I won't waffle. How do you line up a polarizer without a 'Live View' LCD screen? As I understand it, polarizers work by blocking indirect reflected light and the angle that reflected light hits the filter changes as you rotate in relation to the sun so this is how you get around the problem of not being able to see exactly what the camera is seeing.
In short, the following technique will give you more saturated colours such as bluer skies with better detail and contrast in clouds as well as greener grass and trees without having to faff about too much.
Mark the top of the adapter with a scribed line then with the polarizer fitted to the adapter, look through it as if your eye is the GoPro lens.
Face in the following 4 positions: straight towards the sun (I), 90 degrees right of the sun (II), straight away from the sun (III) and 90 degrees left of the sun (IV).
In each position, make a unique mark on the top edge of the rotating ring of the polarizer when the effect is strongest so you only need to know where the sun is and the relative direction you are filming in to get the desired effect.
WARNING: Don't stare straight into the sun when you are doing this. I know you're smart enough to already know that but there's always someone who will think a polarizer offers the same eye protection as a welding mask, isn't there?
In use, just take notice of where the sun is, look at where you are pointing the camera, line up the appropriate mark on the polarizer with the fixed line on the adapter and you're done! Simple as that. It's also easy to quite accurately guess any in-between angles so there's no need to constantly keep taking it off, eye-balling it and hopefully putting it back on in the right position. You can see how I marked mine up in the gallery below.
This setup works perfectly in 1080p wide and 720p wide but in 720p superview there is some very minor vignetting. Even so, this could be cropped out in editing or hidden with black bars top & bottom for a 2.35:1 cinematic look. You could also simply grind the back of the adapter down which would get rid of it permanently by moving the polarizer closer to the lens. I don't use superview enough to be bothered about it so I'm happy with the setup as it is but you never know, I might grind it in the future.
Have a look at the video below which has a section at the end where you can actually see how well this works in 1080p and below that is a gallery of photos that will give you a closer look at each stage of making the spacer and grinding the filter if you click on them.
I hope this project helps you solve a problem that never should have existed in the first place.
I know most people don't have a big disc sander so here are a few options I can imagine will work as well:
- A belt sander (either bench mounted or a hand held one fixed securely upside down). Just be VERY careful that you don't heat up the aluminium.
- A Dremel with a drum sanding bit.
- A drum sander or drum sanding bit in a pillar drill (largest diameter drum you have).
- Last but not least, you could tape a sheet of sandpaper to a flat surface, hold the filter face down and move it back and forth across the sandpaper. This would take a while but it's easily the least risky and cheapest option.
How to use it
This next part is important so I won't waffle. How do you line up a polarizer without a 'Live View' LCD screen? As I understand it, polarizers work by blocking indirect reflected light and the angle that reflected light hits the filter changes as you rotate in relation to the sun so this is how you get around the problem of not being able to see exactly what the camera is seeing.
In short, the following technique will give you more saturated colours such as bluer skies with better detail and contrast in clouds as well as greener grass and trees without having to faff about too much.
Mark the top of the adapter with a scribed line then with the polarizer fitted to the adapter, look through it as if your eye is the GoPro lens.
Face in the following 4 positions: straight towards the sun (I), 90 degrees right of the sun (II), straight away from the sun (III) and 90 degrees left of the sun (IV).
In each position, make a unique mark on the top edge of the rotating ring of the polarizer when the effect is strongest so you only need to know where the sun is and the relative direction you are filming in to get the desired effect.
WARNING: Don't stare straight into the sun when you are doing this. I know you're smart enough to already know that but there's always someone who will think a polarizer offers the same eye protection as a welding mask, isn't there?
In use, just take notice of where the sun is, look at where you are pointing the camera, line up the appropriate mark on the polarizer with the fixed line on the adapter and you're done! Simple as that. It's also easy to quite accurately guess any in-between angles so there's no need to constantly keep taking it off, eye-balling it and hopefully putting it back on in the right position. You can see how I marked mine up in the gallery below.
This setup works perfectly in 1080p wide and 720p wide but in 720p superview there is some very minor vignetting. Even so, this could be cropped out in editing or hidden with black bars top & bottom for a 2.35:1 cinematic look. You could also simply grind the back of the adapter down which would get rid of it permanently by moving the polarizer closer to the lens. I don't use superview enough to be bothered about it so I'm happy with the setup as it is but you never know, I might grind it in the future.
Have a look at the video below which has a section at the end where you can actually see how well this works in 1080p and below that is a gallery of photos that will give you a closer look at each stage of making the spacer and grinding the filter if you click on them.
I hope this project helps you solve a problem that never should have existed in the first place.
There's more stuff like this to come so stay tuned!
(I recently got a cheap gimbal and I made this)
(I recently got a cheap gimbal and I made this)
Interested? I thought you might be!!!
My Camera Gear & Reviews
Oi, I said this was coming soon! Y U no listen? Go on, nothing to see here..... yet!
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