There is no doubt that the handheld gimbal for stabilized camera movements is the popular kid on the block at the moment. Does the humble video Slider still have a place in your tool kit for shooting Real Estate style videos? This video is my thoughts on the subject.
Example of Slider only Real Estate Video ( plus a few drone shots)
Example of Gimbal only style of Video
Grant, thank you for this. It is pretty much where my thinking and limited experience has brought me. Optimally. I mean by that that if I have my drothers, I would use both on a shoot. I love the slider and tend to use it as the base for my coverages supplementing it with the gimbal to add variety in very much the same way you put forth. But in trying to get some leverage in my small market, I am having to offer some entry level prices which means I have to be able to shoot fast and shoot for short videos at around 1 minute. So I am finding that the gimbal allows me to shoot faster. By putting the Moza Air, which is the gimbal I use, on a monopod with an articulating foot mini-tripod, I can smoothly swing the gimbal from left to right or vice versa while turning it simulating the effect of a slider but without the weight and awkwardness of the tripod with gimbal. Then I can tuck the monopod under my arm and walk with it. Even put my foot on the mini-tripod legs to hold them in place and raise the gimbal up from the floor. But since I also am usually shooting stills along with video, I am working out ideas on being able to shoot both from my Sony A-6500 on the slider. So thank you for this. It helps me feel I am on the right rack. All a work in progress.
Hi Peter – yes i think a lot of us are thinking of inventive ways to smooth our gimbal movements, another bloke mentioned he uses a Segway mini pro to move around indoors as another great way to smooth his gimbal shots. I love the freedom of the gimbal but also the simplicity of the slider!
I have the iFootage S1A3 motion control system and 6′ Shark slider with extension tubes. They’re $$$$$ and work really well and take about 30-60 minutes of really fast, REALLY hard work to set up with THREE tripods. And then take it down (30-60 minutes) and move to another location. The weight AND bulk to transport is obscene. FOR SALE ON AMAZON!!
Compare that to a gimbal!
In the end, the gimbal shots are FAR MORE dynamic and exciting.
Shots done with a slider make it clear that you don’t want the images to look like still shots so you add A TINY BIT of motion.
We will have to agree to disagree with you on that one.
Here’s an idea: Instead of a slider, shoot a wide hi-def panorama still and pan across it with Final Cut Pro.
Great video… I’m am a freelance sports photographer and looking to completely switch thing up and I’m thinking of going the real estate route. I’ve been debating this very question myself. Thanks for helping me make a decision…
Glad to hear it was useful to you. Cheers
This is a very practical guide to selecting a gimbal or a slider. Let me add a theoretical perspective. The slider shot represents a somewhat detached “third person” view while the gimbal is a POV (point of view). I think the reason the gimbal works well in a real estate presentation is that unlike most motion pictures where hand-held shots are used sparingly, the whole point of real estate video is to put the prospective buyer “into” the scene. We want to emulate as much as possible the buyer’s experience of actually walking through the home. That view can then be supplemented with tighter shots to show detail.
I agree with you about the gimbal giving you a more a more ‘point of view’ style of shot.
Awesome video Grant. Thanks!