Working our way up the camera stabilizer from the base plate, we come to the main tube.  The piece that connects everything together plays another important role.  The length of the main tube above and below the gimbal affects the vertical balance of the camera stabilizer (top to bottom).  The goal in the long run is to adjust the vertical balance so the center of gravity is just below the gimbal, so depending on the design, making adjustments to the main tube may be necessary. The basic concept is the longer you make the tube below the gimbal, the more camera weight the stabilizer will support.  Stabilizers designed for ultra light cameras may benefit from a longer tube above the gimbal depending on the design.   The million dollar question of course is how long do I make it? There of course is a whole bunch of math that you could run based on weights and measurements, but it's far easier to just experiment.  A simple starting point is the 1to1 ratio...

You're probably asking yourself why we chose to start off our DIY stabilizer build series with a part that seems so simple.  Just strap on a plate with some weights and move on right?  This is a part that regularly gets neglected, both in DIY rigs and Commercial stabilizers as well.  The base plate actually serves several key functions, so in the quest for a more stable rig spending some time on the design of your base plate is well worth it. Its the mounting point for your Counter-Weights If designed it can be used as a stand for smaller rigs It controls the inertia of the stabilizer - Key factor   Material Anything from wood to plastic to metal works as long as it's strong enough.  It needs to be able to support the counter-weights, and if you plan on using it as a stand keep the stabilizer upright.  We prefer to use ABS plastic sheet because it's both strong and light weight.  If you go with a 3/8" thick sheet like we offer in our D...

Building your own camera stabilizer can be a fun and rewarding project.  If you're up for the challenge the process will teach you the fundamentals of dynamic balance, weight distribution, design, and the precision involved to make it all happen.  This is the start of our multi part series covering as many of the build steps we can.   We've spent years perfecting our stabilizers and now want to share with you some of the knowledge we've gained along the way. The anatomy of a floating camera stabilizer is fairly standard. How you implement it, however, is up to you. The example shown is broken down to its base components, some of which are simple to build, while others require precision machining.  The good news is you don't have to let equipment limitations stop your DIY project, because we have many of the parts available in our DIY-Garage . Part 1 - The Camera Stabilizer Base Plate>>