Steadicam SMOOTHEE-APPLIP5 Smoothee Camera Mount for iPhone 5 (Black)

I bought the GoPro and iPhone 5 mount with this device. Right off the bat I was up and running with both devices which I was really impressed. The engineering that went in is top of the line. As many of the reviews that I read before purchasing you need to practice or have used a glide-cam before. These extensions are for pro-sumers. Now my only gripe is that they did not make a mount for hot shoe or just a 3/4'' thread(I think that's the generic size for point and shoots). I really wanted to put my Canon Power shot on the smoothee or test a NEX Sony but I think Stedi Cam has a good reason for this. To many variables to make a proper balance. It's a good buy for the price and I recommend the Smoothee for "Thinking out of the box" situations.

Gambled on iPhone and Smoothie in lieu of my usual big camera for upcoming trip to NZ. Unless I can master Steadicam technique, the old camera will travel. Smoothie is a very well engineered, precision device, befitting its price, but unintended taps or jerks can ruin a shot. Touching the iPhone screen can be huge. This rig could require a whole lot of editing to get the glitches out, still with the possibility of losing a key shot. I respect what it aims to do and accept the onus (and financial commitment) to make it work.While seemingly a minimalist device (one piece, with a handle that swivels and tucks away), it nonetheless requires about 13"x13" in your bag.

I was really looking forward to this version of the Steadicam with my iPhone 5. I found, though, that it was tricky to control and took quite a bit of practice to use. When I would use it outdoors, any slight wind would push it around like a windmill. Then I got an iPhone 6. Tiffen had promised a new mount would be made, but that never materialized. Then Apple built stabilization directly into their video app, making the Steadicam obsolete for my purposes. If you use a GoPro, though, this is probably still your best bet for stabilization in action shots.

I was worried it would take a while to get the hang of it, but it actually took just a few minutes of finding the balance with the knobs and hand position. While it helps to place your fingers on the top of the gimbal to "steer", if you balance the knobs correctly you can use subtle movements, balance and inertia to get some pretty nice shots.Overall it's pretty well made, but parts of it feel a bit flimsy. I would love to see a slightly less plastic version of this, even if it is at a higher price point.

As a filmmaker I've owned eight Steadicams, all the way to the big ones. For an amateur, this might be frustrating to use. Be patient, relax your arm, and let inertia take control. Unlike the pro vest-mounted Steadicams, the use concept relies on on the flexibility of operator. There is NOT the stability of 60 pounds of inertia to keep the unit 'floating', so gentle movement is required. The light weight of an iPhone requires patience, but we used this on a "guerilla" film shoot in Italy, giving us shots that would have otherwise required thousands of $$$$ and gave us amazing results. Some may poo-poo the unit, but with GoPro or iPhone 5...... and patience to learn..... you will be astounded!

I may have had a manufacturing defect because once I inserted my iPhone 5, the volume button was depressed and constantly engaged which made it unusable. I had such high hopes.The setup and balancing was fast and required hardly any time.

When the 5 plus and then the 6 plus iPhones came out, I began inquiring with steadicam about getting a new adapter for the bigger phones. They told me they would email me when it was available......NOW IT IS, BUT ONLY FOR NEW CUSTOMERS BUYING THE WHOLE RIG, screw their existing customer base who invested in them and promoted their product whenever they were out using it.

Requires you steady the camera with your fingers or thumb, which if you have a small hand like me was a problem. I sent it back.