Among many Cool Tools in the latest roundup of that popular gadgets newsletter, the $70 "Spiderbrace Video Camera Stabilizer," reviewed by David McKnight:
This stabilizer fits most any video camera and makes all handheld shots steadier, as the weight of the camera is distributed across your body. It is made out of lightweight PVC and the handles are covered with a thick foam cushion, so it's very comfortable. The unit is also machined, as the tubing is strategically bent and shaped at the correct angles. Some devices advertised online are cobbled together 100% from the Home Depot plumbing aisle — and they look it. This sharp-looking device doesn't draw any attention to itself. It also costs less than any other comparable unit I've seen, and works just as well. While there are many plans on the Internet for making your own stabilizers and mounts, this one is manufactured well enough and at a cheap enough price to not have to build something that looks, well, like I built it. My wife and I run a small video company doing mostly weddings and other events and about half of our shooting time is spent in less-than-ideal conditions. Using the Spiderbrace 2 really helps keep the camera steady for long periods of time, and you are not burdened with a tripod or other unwieldy device should you need to move positions.
Link to the company that makes the Spiderbrace. There's more good stuff in this edition of Cool Tools. For instance, the $35 Cocotap coconut piercer. I'm on a coconut rampage lately, it's my newest food obsession — but opening the darned things is as frustrating as the resulting food experience is pleasing. This device looks perfect.
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Reader comment: Victor Rajewski says,
Related to the sub-$100 camera stabiliser is this $14 DIY effort: Link.
