Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone 4 - First impresions

I've had the Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone 4 for a few days now, but the weather being what it is, I've really only had one chance to spend any extended time shooting with it. Last Friday I shot some behind-the-scenes video at a taping of the Melrose Massachusetts Television (MMTV) program "After Hours with T.C. Restani."

Apart from the usual iPhone video complaints - poor sound, difficulty in poor lighting - the Smoothee itself seemed to perform pretty well. Operator error may still be at work here - this was the first extended time I spent using it - so I may still get better. As with a "regular" Steadicam, for best results you want to plan out your moves; if the talent suddenly changes direction, it can cause you serious framing problems!

I also wish there was better exposure control (actually any exposure control) on the iPhone!

But perhaps most of all, I'm thinking that some kind of lens shade - maybe just a piece of black paper taped on the front of the iPhone - could improve things; I had a lot of problems with the studio lights washing out the picture when pointing the camera in some directions.

One last note; putting your iPhone on one of these completely does away with "shooting incognito"; everybody seems to notice it!




B & H: Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone 4 [$179.95]
Amazon: Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone 4 [$179.95]
B & H: Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone 3GS [$179.95]
Amazon: Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone 3GS [$179.95]
B & H: Steadicam Flip Ultra Smoothee Mount  [$24.95] - not yet shipping