Cam Caddie Scorpion EX Expandable Camera Stabilizer - Skateboard Handle with Threaded Brass Feet

this is the best camera stabilizer

Cam Caddie is many things, but we should start by understanding what it is not. It is not a traditional stabilizer. Yes, it gives you a different way to hold the camera that is more stable, and yes, if you're riding a skateboard or are otherwise rolling/sliding, it is a great way get video. It is not, though, a stabilizer in the sense that all of your shots with it will be stable. They won't. And, really, if you want that, there are about a thousand ways to make that happen that are not this. But, you should still get this. I think the big question when you're building a budget HDSLR rig is how you want to structure everything. There are multitudes of cages and accessory mounts that let you add mics, lights, capture devices, monitors, audio recorders, and whatever else you might need to your HDSLR. I had personally been "auditioning" setups for for my own shooting setup for years without really feeling terribly confident about any single piece of tech. I was haunting various shooter sites, cheesycam, etc., trying to find the right setup for documentary and flexible shooting I do. Many of the inexpensive cages I saw colleagues buy seemed really poorly constructed, and may of the pricier ones, although they added great options with regard to focus wheels and rails, and accessory mounts were too complex for the kind of shooting I do, which requires mobility and a sort of "run and gun" where the camera is on the cage and off of it quickly. This is where the Cam Caddie Scorpion EX excels beyond expectations. For the price of a low end cage, you get a solid, multi-use mount with a proven track record of build quality, a wide range of well-planned accessories (the cheese plate? c'mon! that's fantastic!), and a simple method for setup/teardown at its heart. It fits in most bags and backpacks, or can be tied to the back of them without concern. It can support your rig as a simple handle, can be shoulder mounted (with the optional shoulder mount accessory), or can be used on your tripod with the cheseplate (also optional). It comes with a shoe mount that can be moved around along the handle, and multiple can be added (I personally bought two extras). There are a ton of examples of how to use it with shoe extenders, mics, lights, monitors, audio and video recorders over on their site, another valuable resource that only applies to this unit. This thing, basically, is a solid core to your budget rig that gives you access to high quality, proven accessories from an established company that cares about the quality of their product and has field tested it thoroughly in order to prove its usefulness and durability. This thing was born in the skate video world, sure, but so many HDSLR shooters have to run and gun these days that the form factor makes a ton of sense for daily use. And anyway, look at the directors who got their start in skate vids, like Spike Jonze and Adam Powell. Innovation happens in the low tech, lo-fi, and migrates up into the practical world of daily shooting. We've seen that pattern over and over again. Heck, it's what the HDSLR thing is all about, right? That's what the Cam Caddie is all about, too. Get in there and get dirty. That's why this thing is so great. The Cam Caddie Scorpion EX, even if you plan on one day abandoning it for some other fancier rig, is a solid piece for your kit. I'll bet, though, even after rigging up with gyro-balanced, focus-pulling, automated video drones or whatever you've got your eyes on, the solid simplicity of this thing will keep you coming back to it when you head out into the world to get shots. One piece of advice: Get the EX. You may be tempted to save a few bucks and not get the drilled feet that allow you to mount the cheeseplate, but trust me, you'll love the flexibility that adds.