Shoot smoother video like the pros with Steadicam Smoothee

By Ted Needleman January 12, 2013

Tiffen’s Steadicam is popular with film and professional videographers. The $60,000 camera mounting is worth every penny to those who rely on it to prevent jerky movement when shooting while in motion. If you’ve ever wondered how they get those smooth panning shots when you watch a movie, it’s by using a Steadicam.

The Smoothee is a Steadicam for the rest of us. It provides the same concept –a gimbaled stable platform for an iPhone, fourth-gen iPod Touch, and GoPro Hero, Hero 2, and Hero/iP4 devices. At CES 2013, they showed off the latest version for the iPhone 5. When mounted in a Steadicam Smoothee, the shakes that are common with shooting video on an iPhone are replaced by a smooth, professional-looking shooting experience. This is especially important when shooting high-definition video.

The Smoothee is built around a sturdy and durable metal frame and features an interchangeable camera mount so that it can be used with different camera options. A belt clip – to further anchor the setup – is included with each Smoothee system. Mounting is easy, and the frame provides a comfortable hand gripe to aim and guide the video device.

The Smoothee retails for $169 and additional camera/device mounts are $24.95 each. It’s definitely far more affordable and accessible than the $60,000 unit Steadicam sells to the pros. Also available is a $49.95 travel bag.

Editors' Recommendations

Blackmagic releases free pro-level app for shooting video on iPhone

Topics

Photography

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ted Needleman has been covering the world of technology for more than 30 years. Although his experience in reviewing products…

Mobile

AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Mobile

Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today

Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally.

Mobile

The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024

A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad