In reply to rallymania:
> by cheap i take it you mean a balanced steadicam as apposed to a powered gimbal?if so then "copy-cam" gliders like this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Handheld-Stabilizer-Release-Cameras/dp/B00N... to pick up decent reviews on youtubeif you are looking for a powered gimbals for even a small mirrorless cameras you are talking a few hundred quid(disclaimer... i don't have or have never used the above product... just pointing out something i've seen reviewed)
I bought the exact same steadicam as the one rallymania suggested.
However I sent mine back after two days. I found it very frustrating to balance properly with my Panasonic micro four thirds camera. Even with following the many youtubes out there the stedicam is still tricky to balance.
I will admit that when I got the stedicam balanced correctly with my camera + lens then I got very smooth images.
However to get the full benefit of the stedicam, then you need some serous 'sick swans' or biceps of the Terminator. I could barely hold the stedicam+camera for periods longer than 60 seconds before my arms started to squeal and begging for a rest.
So the stedicam went back to Mr Amazon.
Now if you are talking motorised gimbals for light cameras such as GoPros or mobile phones, then I can highly rate them. Got to admit that thgey are delicate and don't like to be dropped, or at least the one I owned died spectacularly when I dropped it. If you are clumsy then they are an expensive mistake to make.
I now have one specifically for my GoPro. I have to admit that the gimbal elevates my footage from some punter pointing a wobbly camera at a scene and the footage obviously looking punter-ish and painful to watch. Who wants to spend more than a couple of seconds watching wobbly footage on Youtube?
With a gimbal, my footage looks rock steady and almost professional. I can dream, can't I?
However all is not rosey in the world of gimbals. During the time I had my first gimbal by a company called Swiftcam, I noticed that the brushless motors began to come loose and started to add wobble as they necame more and more loose and unsteady. I got the feeling that the motors were not strong enough to take the weight of a GoPro and camera over time. This is the main reason why I did not attempt to buy a more expensive 3 axis gimbal for my camera. These gimbals were north of a thousand pounds and I could not guarantee that the motors would cope with the weight of the camera or how they would cope with the rough and tumble of being taken out to a crag.
At the moment I have placed an order with a Kickstarter from the makers of the original Stedicam to produce a Stedicam which works for both a GoPro and phone. These little devices should be ready for shipping some time in July and I can't wait.
Here is a sample produced with my gimbal+GoPro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6NBHrw0g44&t=7s
And here is the kickstarter project of the Stedicam which is a design completely different to a 3 axis gimbal.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tiffencompany/steadicam-volt-smartphon...