This is my unboxing, review and tutorial of
the “Smoovie Plus pocket video stabilizer”,
that I backed on Kickstarter.
The idea is to transform your iPhone,
or any smartphone or GoPro,
into some sort of steadycam.
It was super cheap, so,
does the Smoovie really work?
Actually, it kind of works like the big
professional gimbal stabilizers:
you need to learn how to balance it properly,
which, depending on the weight of your smartphone,
might need some do-it-yourself trickery.
Coming up on “Geek Detour”!
I backed five Kickstarter projects so far and, after my Baubax adventure,
I decided to avoid backing expensive projects.
The “Smoovie Stabilizer” is the second Kickstarter project I am reviewing.
It was pretty cheap: £16 pounds, plus shipping
and it was delivered pretty much on time, as communicated in the updates.
And here it is: very small and simple package.
I am not complaining, I like it!
Inside you have the Smoovie,
a single sheet manual,
and the optional “Plus” GoPro mount (which has cost only 1 pound more, why not?).
Overall, the construction is pretty good!
Its Universal Smartphone Grip is very functional with rubber pads at the top and bottom.
It feels very safe.
The gimbal mechanism is quite ingenious:
instead of using expensive bearings, everything hangs pinned over a curved plate,
offering enough freedom of movement.
On the promotional video, that pin was metal - on the final product it came in plastic.
Worse?
I don’t really know.
The magnets are the best part.
No, they are NOT responsible for keeping things stable…
these magnets only keep your phone pointing to the direction you want,
but trust me, this is a super clever idea and it works.
Big DSLR stabilizers rotate freely and you constantly
work to keep it pointing to where you want…
Here, magnets keep the camera aligned, left and right, to where you point the handle.
Up and down works just a little:
if you move far too much, the magnets will “disconnect”.
There is a “Rubber Damper” you can insert under the gimbal,
for a variable degree of damping on the freedom of movement.
It was conceived to make it easy for beginners…
I don’t like the damper - you would be basically killing the stabilization,
making it behave more like a selfie stick.
What really makes a gimbal stabilizer work is good balance.
Here is the tutorial: To balance the Smoovie with your phone you
Lock your phone centered in the grip
Move the counterweight to the shortest position
in which your phone doesn’t lean heavier than the bottom part.
Make very subtle, tiny, adjustments to your phone’s position
so the whole thing gets naturally balanced vertically.
Even a single millimeter to the right or to the left makes a huge difference!
If it leans forward, you need to twist the adjustable tilt backwards
and vice versa.
Take your time!
You know it is NOT balanced:
if the Phone or the counterweight leans towards any direction.
It should be centered, vertical.
when on the drop-test, the counterweight drops fast, pendulating several times
anytime you move it and stop, it bounces like a pendulum.
If it pendulates, it is not well balanced.
You know it is well balanced when:
Your phone and counterweight remain stable vertically.
On a drop-test, the counterweight slowly returns to the center
You move it sideways and stop: it remains vertical.
Front and back: always vertical.
After you reached good balance, you can extend the counterweigh a bit,
lets say, 1 number - and you are ready to practice your smooth walking.
Unfortunately, the Smoovie has a terrible flaw:
if your phone is too lightweight, it is impossible to get perfect balance.
Even with the counterweight completely retracted, the bottom part still weighs more!
As soon as you make movements, it pendulates.
I have an iPhone 5, which is very light… my rubber retro case was not enough,
so I started adding some coins until I found the ideal weight.
Then I found something that matched that weight
and I fixed it on the top part of the Smoovie.
My final solution was this heavy rubber eraser:
I carved it so I could insert the rubber, or remove it, easily.
In the end I even added a few coins.
With this extra weight, my Smoovie can be perfectly balanced
with my iPhone 5 or an iPhone SE.
If you have a big smartphone, you probably won’t need to add extra weight,
or maybe a regular case will add enough weight for you.
A parenthesis here: there are a lot of new stabilizers being launched,
some of them very sophisticated using gyroscopes and motors
to keep your phone or camera steady.
You should check it out!
I’ll put some links in the description.
So, my final impressions.
The box says: “Set up in seconds”…
I would say it can take up to a minute,
if you really care about using it well calibrated.
To me, the only questionable feature is the “Adjustable tilt”:
if you point it upwards or downwards, the center of gravity
will completely change and I couldn’t reach acceptable balance.
The Smoovie is small, light and I’ll will keep it in my backpack.
I think it is better than recording videos holding the phone only with my hands.
But, don’t expect miracles, specially when “walking”:
you can clearly notice my steps in the video!
Maybe it is inevitable, you know, as it is so light.
Professional DSLR camera stabilizers, like the “Glidecam”,
“Flycam” and many others, are way heavier,
and more inertia really helps to keep things fluid.
Even so, that “Hollywood” silky smooth gliding
requires a lot of practice... and a stronger arm!
The day you find something light,
that works as in the movies,
requires no training
and is preferably cheap,
please, let me know so I can show it here.
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