Stabilisation

We've all seen footage of disaster victims being hoisted into helicopters, in litter-type stretchers. It's not a good thing if those litters start spinning or swaying, though, which is what the thrust-vectoring Vita Rescue System is designed to stop.

Around two years ago, drone maker DJI released a tiny stabilized 4K videocam called the Osmo Pocket. Now the company has announced a second generation model called the Pocket 2, with a much-improved feature set.

When it comes to video-camera-stabilizing gimbals, some are motorized, and some work solely by the force of gravity. The GravGrip is among the latter, but is unique in that it incorporates hydraulics.

​When it comes to gimbal-stabilized HD cameras, we're used to models that are attached to control handles, or that are mounted on drones. What if you want one that's just a stand-alone unit, though? Well, that's where the Stacam comes in.

DJI has a new gimbal-equipped camera on sale in time for the holiday season. The Osmo Pocket is compact (as its name suggests), lightweight, and capable of shooting 4K video at up to 60 frames-per-second, with barely a hint of camera shake in sight.

There's no denying that tripods are an effective means of steadying your shot when taking photos, but the things can be a hassle to carry around, and to set up. German father-and-son team Gert and Tobias Wagner have created a lightweight wearable alternative, in the form of Steadify.

​If you shoot a lot of handheld video of extreme outdoor activities, then it's possible that you use a motorized camera-stabilizing gimbal. Such devices, however, typically don't offer much protection to the camera – or to themselves. That's why the enclosed-design Arculus Onyx was created.

The Moza AirCross is Gudsen's latest hand-held steadicam gimbal – this time focused squarely on lightweight mirrorless cameras. Smaller and lighter than the Moza Air, it's also got a quick release plate, auto-tune setup and battery power for your camera to make life easier on set.

​​We've seen plenty of gimbal mounts for third-party actioncams such as GoPros, that help to smooth out the shakes. Gimboo's GimbalCam, though, is a little different. It's a compact 4K/30fps video camera with its own built-in 3-axis gimbal – no separate stabilizing mount is required.​

​People who own a GoPro Karma drone are already able to remove its camera and use it to shoot stabilized handheld footage. Owners of the similar DJI Mavic … well, they can't. PolarPro Filters is now offering what might be the next-best thing, however, in the form of the Katana DJI Mavic Tray.

MiniRig is a follow-up to the crowd-funded Smoovie magnetic gimbal smartphone stabilizer. The new device not only offers improved stabilization, but also adds lighting and audio features, allowing users to shoot more professional-looking video. The MiniRig is currently on Kickstarter.

Consumer-level gimbal stabilizers for DSLR-sized cameras are really only about three years old. But in those three years they've come from US$4,500 down to just $599 with this Moza Air from Gusden, which stabilizes a 2.5-kg (5.5 lb) camera rig for four hours, but it might have a crucial flaw.