To help steady the camera while you are shooting, several ingenious devices have evolved.
Although very basic, the trick of hanging a string or chain from beneath the camera, and trapping its lower end under your foot, does give the camera a certain amount of stability as you pull up on it.
Better still, use a monopod. This is a telescopic tube that screws beneath the camera, and serves as a prop. It is simple, lightweight, and cheap; but take care to always keep it upright, to avoid sloping horizons!
Several types of body brace or shoulder harness are available. Here the camera rests on your shoulder, and a brace below is supported on the chest or in a receptacle on your belt. This arrangement does relieve the weight of a shoulder-mounted camera. But some people find this kind of support restrictive, and feel that it is difficult to avoid ‘breathing bounce’.
Ingenious stabilizing harnesses such as the Steadicam or the Panaglide can produce steady shots even under the most extreme conditions. An elaborate spring-counterbalanced harness allows you to walk, run and climb, yet produce smooth-flowing picture sequences. A viewfinder fitted to the harness, allows the operator to control the shots. Unfortunately, this type of harness, which can support full-size portable video and film cameras, is rather heavy and cumbersome, so shooting for long periods can prove tiring.
The Steadicam Junior stabilizer on the other hand, is a lightweight and surprisingly compact device. Normally held in one hand as you move around, it takes the shake and shudder out of even wide camera movements. Designed for 8 mm, Hi8, and VHS-C camcorders weighing up to about 4 lb (1.8 kg), it consists of a small camera platform supported on a gimballed handle, with two folding arms. The stabilizer can also be rested on the shoulder as a comfortable brace, or folded beneath the camera when you are using a tripod.
Its lightweight 3½ in. LCD viewfinder screen, is treated to reduce light reflections. An on-board camera light (Obie light) is color balanced to 3200° K, and is useful to soften shadows, and to provide extra illumination in those awkward corners.
Simple camera supports
(1) String or chain support: attached beneath camera, trapped under one foot and pulled upwards.
(2) Monopod: single-leg telescopic tube, or pole.
Camera stabilizers
To increase the stability of hand-held cameras:
1. Some form of shoulder-support/shoulder-pod, brace or body harness may be worn.
2. In the Steadicam system, an elaborate spring-stabilized harness (S) is used to hold the camera steady, even during violent movement. A 4-inch electronic viewfinder (adjustable position) is fitted to the support arm (VF).
The Steadicam-Jr
A compact balanced support, that holds the camera rock steady, even when you are moving around. It incorporates a video light and an LCD color monitor.