Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Camera Support at NAB 05 Points to a Major Trend

01/05/2015

The Pocket Dolly from Kessler supports your inner crankiness.

ALEXANDRIA, VA. Walking the floor of the NAB Show exposes you to lots of products, and it's easy to be subjective about what you see. In my subjective opinion, one of the fastest-growing product categories in recent years is Camera Support, the products used to help steady a camera and allow the videographer latitude on shots.

In the past 25 years, we first saw the growth of Steadicam-like body-mounted stabilizers, then similar handheld products that could provide the same function for small lightweight cameras. These are still popular, but they are just one of a multiplying variety of camera support products.

Very popular in the past 10 years have been sliders, which let you smoothly move a camera in-and-out or side-to-side, adding a sense of motion to an otherwise static screen image. These are so popular that they are now common in films, scripted TV series, reality programs, documentaries and television news.

There were plenty of sliders at 2015 NAB Show, in all shapes, sizes and configurations. These included motorized sliders, ones with cranks and other manual motion mechanisms and tripod-mounted tracks with built-in curves. As cameras get smaller and yet more capable, the size and weight of sliders has been keeping track. That leads to some inexpensive professional products that provide a lot of bang for the buck.

One example was at the Varavon booth, where the company's Slidecam Arc provided a curved one-meter track to add interest to shots. Another was the Kessler Pocket Dolly that has a big flywheel-stabilized crank to allow for smooth camera slides or dollies.

A drone takes flight in the Drone Pavilion. (Photo: Al Powers)

In the Central Hall, it seemed that one end was filled with innovative camera support gear that drives the hunger for ever-more creative shots.

Of course, drones were one of the most talked-about camera support products at the show, with a pavilion dedicated to several manufacturers' products. Walking the floor, there were dozens of drones displayed in as many booths, as well as booths for drone manufacturers, often with flying cages.

Among others, 3DR and DJI had flying cages for their popular drones, and both drew steady crowds in the Central Hall. Drones were this year's top model when it came to cool camera support products, but they were not the only interesting development.

A couple years ago, one of the interesting products was a handle with a gimbal-mounted platform for a camera. This made for interesting moving shots that mimicked the point-of-view of a person or animal. At this year's NAB Show, there were more of these devices and at lower prices.

Hien Le, CEO of Letus, demonstrates the company's Helix Jr. gimbal stabilizer.

The first one to make a splash with a gimbal stabilizer was Freefly Systems' MoVI, which has a couple different models for cameras of different sizes. At the show, DJI also drew a crowd with its Ronin Gimbal Stabilizer, which it had actually shown a year before. Another crowd pleaser was the Letus Helix Jr., a small and affordable gimbal stabilizer for small and affordable cameras.

In an interview with industry veteran Walter Schoenknecht, owner of Midnight Media Group, he said that one of the things that has impressed him with the trend toward smaller and more affordable video gear was its empowerment. It used to be that it took a truck full of expensive equipment to make a video, but that is completely changed today.

A clever and creative person today could make a watchable video or even a movie using a cell phone's video camera, a few inexpensive accessories and editing software. That's empowerment, and it means that more people than ever are thinking about video, making video and sharing video.

At the 2015 NAB Show, many of these empowered people were looking at the many forms of camera support products and thinking about how they can be used to create the next interesting video. If you didn't spend time looking at the camera support gear, you might have missed one of the industry's biggest trends.
LINK: http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0110/camera-support-at-nab--points-to...
See more stories from tvtechnology

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

27/08/2026

3Play Media data shows audiences are embracing AI dubbing

For years, the media and entertainment industry has hesitated to use AI-voiced dubbing due to concern for audience experience. New data from 3Play Media, a glob...

27/08/2026

Starfish adds voice synthesis support to Advantage AD in...

Starfish Technologies has announced the forthcoming V9 release of its Advantage AD workstation, adding support for voice synthesis services and giving Audio Des...

27/08/2026

Lightware UBEX Helps Rental Teams Deploy Faster And Saf...

Lightware's UBEX is a powerful AV-over-IP product well suited for rental and staging workflows where systems must be fast to deploy, easy to repurpose, and ...

27/08/2026

Lightware extends TPN platform to 100 endpoints with TPN-...

Lightware has expanded the scalability of its 10G TPN AV-over-IP platform with the introduction of the new TPN-MMU-X100 Matrix Management Unit, enabling systems...

27/08/2026

Federal Appeals Court Blocks Some FCC Political Ad Discount Rules

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

Zixi To Demo Hybrid Workflows At IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

Study: Americans Spend More Time Watching YouTube Than Live TV

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

Magewell To Highlight Newly Released Director Plus At IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

PlayBox Neo continues to shape the media landscape by ini...

PlayBox Neo Stand 7.C29 IBC2026 - 11 14 September Well-established global specialists in media playout, automation, and streaming solutions, PlayBox Neo ...

27/08/2026

Rise Academy Invites the Industry to Join Race 4 The Futu...

Rise Academy, the broadcast and media skills charity dedicated to delivering practical media technology learning experiences, careers resources and work experie...

27/08/2026

Mediagenix Takes Title Management Beyond the Catalog at I...

Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, will showcase the latest evolution of its ...

27/08/2026

Screen Australia opens applications for Global Fellowships Program

Screen Australia opens applications for Global Fellowships Program 27 August 2026 Applications are now open for the Screen Australia Global Fellowships progra...

27/08/2026

GeForce NOW Gives Gamers More Ways to Play at Gamescom 2026

NVIDIA's Gamescom announcements are revealing what's next for GeForce NOW, with new ways to play, more supported devices and platforms, and even more bi...

26/08/2026

New Validation Booster FAQ: What applicants need to know

Applicants interested in the Media Innovation Europe 3.0 Validation Booster call can now consult a new FAQ document addressing practical questions raised during...

26/08/2026

NWSL Moves Sunday Night Package to Roku, Expands Slate to 25 Matches in 2027

Roku Sports Channel will stream eight matches free beginning Aug. 30 as league shifts Sunday-night games away from Victory+...

26/08/2026

Inside Mountain Media Center's Hybrid-Cloud Architecture for Live Event Production

Evertz and Mobile TV Group detail how on-premises infrastructure and cloud resou...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Sennheiser Group to Showcase Broadcast Audio Portfolio

The Sennheiser Group will demonstrate its broadcast audio portfolio at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Booth D50), covering wireless microphone workflows, studio monitoring, a...

26/08/2026

Appear and TVTEL Deploy X20 Platform for Centralized VAR Signal Transport in Chile

Appear and Transmisiones Televisivas TVTEL Limitada have announced the deploymen...

26/08/2026

Minitech Adds Leader LPX500 and LT4670 to Rental Inventory

Leader Electronics has announced that Danish broadcast rental company Minitech has purchased a Leader LPX500 hybrid IP/SDI waveform monitor and LT4670 sync puls...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Encompass to Showcase Cloud Media Services

Encompass will demonstrate its Altitude media services at IBC2026 (IAMT Hub, Diamond Lounge, Hall 3, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14). Key products on show incl...

26/08/2026

Massillon Washington High School First to Implement Daktronics Camino Platform

Daktronics has partnered with Massillon Washington High School in Ohio to install a new LED video display and implement the Daktronics Camino show control platf...

26/08/2026

Clear-Com Appoints Venuetech as Middle East Partner

Clear-Com has appointed Dubai-based Venuetech LLC as its main partner for the Middle East. Venuetech distributes professional audiovisual solutions across the r...

26/08/2026

NBC Sports NOW Debuts Two New Shows Beginning August 31

NBC Sports NOW, NBC Sports' free 24/7 streaming channel, will launch a new weekday lineup beginning Monday, August 31, including two new shows. Not So Fast...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Calrec to Preview ImPulseV and Argo Updates

Calrec will demonstrate updates to its ImPulseV DSP software and Argo ecosystem at IBC2026 (Stand 8.C47), including previews aligned with the EBU's Dynamic ...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Imagine Communications to Showcase AI Capabilities

Imagine Communications will demonstrate AI applications across its ad tech and video infrastructure portfolios at IBC2026 (Stand 1.B73, RAI Amsterdam, September...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Dalet to Showcase AI and Workflow Automation

Dalet will demonstrate updates to Dalet Flex, Dalet Pyramid, and Dalia, its agentic AI platform, at IBC2026 (Hall 7, Stand 7.A43). The company will also partici...

26/08/2026

Nashville Predators Tap ViewLift for New DTC Service, Pairing Streaming With Scripps Sports Broadcast Deal

Team-owned platform will stream every locally carried Predators game beginning t...

26/08/2026

Little League Baseball World Series 2026: ESPN Restores RailCam Coverage at Lamade Stadium, Upscales Cameras at Volunteer Stadium

The 12-day tournament receives the broadcaster's full onsite-studio presence...

26/08/2026

SOMA Laboratory launch the Enigma

A synth with no controls? If you're into weird and wonderful instruments, then you may already be familiar with Warsaw-based SOMA Laboratory - if you...

26/08/2026

Dreamtonics unveil Instrument X

Physical modelling orchestral instrument announced Following their recent cryptic hints, Dreamtonics have officially revealed the latest addition to their s...

26/08/2026

Bertram Brossardt visits SGL Carbon in Meitingen

Discussions at the Meitingen site on competitiveness, energy supply, and fuel cell technology Bertram Brossardt, CEO of the Bavarian metal and electrical emplo...

26/08/2026

Rohde & Schwarz USA celebrates grand opening of new manufacturing center in Frederick, Maryland

Rohde & Schwarz USA celebrates grand opening of new manufacturing center in Fred...

26/08/2026

Designing Agentic Media Workflows Humans Can Trust

For large media companies, the content archive is a gold mine. There are thousands of hours of existing, high-value assets just waiting to be tapped for highlig...

26/08/2026

Major Live Sports Events Bolster Broadcast in Nielsen's Q2 2026 Ad Supported Gauge

Ad Supported Viewing Represents 71.5% of TV in Q2 Streaming Captures Over 48% o...

26/08/2026

DAZN Accelerates U.S. Expansion with Acquisition of EverPass Media

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Truthset Brings Data Rated Audiences to FreeWheel

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Broadpeak Targets CTV Shopping with Click2Cart Launch

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

SMPTE Announces 2026 Honorees

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

MediaKind Beam selected by CNBC UK for cloud-connected li...

MediaKind today announced that CNBC UK has selected Beam to modernize its contribution and distribution infrastructure, bringing greater flexibility, resilience...

26/08/2026

Telestream Unveils the Next Phase of UP at IBC2026

Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced the next evolution of Telestream UP, expanding the cloud-native platform introduced ...

26/08/2026

SMPTE Announces 2026 Honorees

SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced its 2026 Honorees, recognizing individuals and organizations whose contrib...

26/08/2026

Broadpeak launches Click2Cart to mark new era in shoppabl...

New solution bridges connected TV (CTV) and ecommerce to make shoppable performance advertising easier to scale for streaming platforms and broadcasters Broadp...

26/08/2026

Scripps Research and collaborators awarded $19.5 million to establish an open-access autonomous chemistry laboratory

LA JOLLA, CA-Recent advances in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence...

26/08/2026

How WeFX Made From's' Monsters Feel Uncomfortably Real

How WeFX Made From's' Monsters Feel Uncomfortably Real Brie Clayton August 26, 2026 0 Comments From eight-foot dolls and feathered birds to R...

26/08/2026

Eleanor Roosevelt High School Elevates Student Rallies with Blackmagic Design

Eleanor Roosevelt High School Elevates Student Rallies with Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton August 26, 2026 0 Comments Student led production team uses...

26/08/2026

Grass Valley Advances Integrated Live Production for Unif...

K-Frame and Maverik X innovations extend familiar production control into AMPP, alongside new replay, audio, commentary and communications capabilities. At IBC...