Definition July 2021 - Web

GEAR | DRONE ALTERNAT I VES

IMAGE The Opertec Magna has a four-axis gyrostabilised active head for the ultimate in camera control; Cinemoves (left) are renowned for their record-breaking quality

(HOLE IN THE SKY)

Drones are hugely popular, but sometimes more traditional options are required. We look at what modern technology has done for jibs, cranes and stabilised heads

WORDS PH I L RHODES / P I CTURES VAR IOUS

elicopter shots are spectacular. Drone

point, level horizons are easier than ever, and sliders – like those from Egripment and Solid Grip Systems – become plausible alternatives to a ride-on dolly in a much wider variety of circumstances. Among the most capable of those stabilisation options has to be the Cinemoves Matrix four-axis gimbal. Wait, what – four axes, in a reality with only three dimensions? The intent here is to avoid a phenomenon known as gimbal lock, something that’s plagued gimbals in every form, from astronavigation aboard the Apollo 11 moon

shots can do much the same, and often for less

money, yet red tape and costs can still get in the way. But what has modern technology brought to the traditional options? In simple terms, it’s given us automatic stabilisation, which makes many previously wobbly devices into plausible camera platforms. That’s applied not only to drones themselves, but to many other things when a gimbal starts to double as a remote head. At that

36 DEF I N I T ION | JULY 202 1

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