- Backup batteries are a must for me, even if it means a heavier bag. Learned that the hard way after a gimbal died mid-shoot—nothing worse than scrambling for power.
- Manual shoulder mounts don’t need charging, just muscle. Less to worry about, but you’ll feel it in your back after a long day.
- If you’re up on a roof or moving around a lot, I’d rather deal with extra weight than risk losing power halfway through. Just my two cents.
Manual shoulder mounts don’t need charging, just muscle. Less to worry about, but you’ll feel it in your back after a long day.
Ha, story of my life. I tried lugging a manual rig up a steep metal roof last summer—by hour two, my shoulders were screaming louder than the leaf blower next door. But at least I didn’t have to hunt for an outlet. Anyone else notice gimbals get weirdly glitchy when you’re near a lot of flashing metal? Or is that just my luck with old gear?
I’ve had gimbals freak out near big metal HVAC units—never figured out if it was interference or just the old batteries acting up. Manual rigs are brutal on the back, but at least they don’t randomly tilt sideways mid-shot. Still, I miss the smoothness of a gimbal on uneven ground... tradeoffs everywhere.
I’ve run into the same weirdness with gimbals near big metal stuff—HVAC units, scaffolding, even some steel beams. I think it’s the motors getting confused by magnetic fields, but who knows... Batteries don’t help if the thing’s losing its mind anyway. Manual shoulder mounts are definitely rough on the back and shoulders, but at least you know what’s going on. I’ll take a little muscle ache over a gimbal that suddenly decides to do a barrel roll mid-shot. Still, nothing beats that buttery gimbal footage when it’s working right, especially if you’re walking across a gravel roof or uneven decking. Guess it’s all about picking your poison.