The Steadicam® Operator's Handbook 1st Edition

Whether you plan on making Steadicam operating a career, or use it as a hobby, your skills will vastly improve through the knowledge this book entails. If you can afford the $2,000+ to take a Steadicam class, the hands on experience is always the best option, but if not, this book comes in at a very close 2nd. It covers everything from assembling and balancing a rig, to advanced "line dance" techniques. There are sections on all the accessories available, and the pros and cons of each, chapters on vehicle mounting options, chapters on women operators and the way the difference in body build affects operation, and chapters on how to actually make a career out of operating a Steadicam. Even if you use a small Steadicam like the Merlin, this book will be extremely helpful. All the basic techniques you will learn about the big rigs apply to the small ones as well. There are no secrets left untouched by this book, as it covers the history of the Steadicam and its design changes, the physics of how it all works, and why each small part is vital to achieving dynamic balance. I bought this book with the intent to use it for designing my own home-built camera stabilizer, but after studying it, I realized why the real Steadicam rigs cost $40,000+, and that no home built rig would ever be able to compare! I have a much greater respect for the real Steadicam operators, and now a passion to become one myself. I highly recommend this book!

The short:Before buying, I thought the price was a bit high. After buying, I'd easily pay twice the price, or more, 'nuff said.The long:Do you want to be a writer? Maybe a director? How about a mechanic? There are books out there that will teach you how to do just about anything. Dozens if not hundreds of books devoted to any one of thousands of skills. There is only one book on how to operate a Steadicam. For that reason alone I have been excited about this book since I heard about it over a year before it's release.But that's just it, I had no expectations for the book other than it was to be the first of it's kind, and hooray for finally having a book like this. I figured it would be pretty basic, covering all the important beginner instructions, and that would be that, no big deal. I looked at the price and figured it was a little high for what I assumed was contained within, but thought that was fair considering the monopoly on the topic. Then I bought it.This book is so thorough and well designed that it feels like my own personal workshop! That's coming from someone who has taken one, mind you. While this book does not replace a workshop, it is the perfect compliment to one, giving the reader a chance to refine their skills from the workshop without forgetting how to do things properly. Or give it to a beginner and get them started. Or remind an advanced operator of important details they may have forgotten. This book has everything.It's well organized, detailed, and thorough. What more could you ask for? And shame on me for doubting Jerry's intent to produce a top-notch product!

This is an amazingly comprehensive book that I never thought could be so complete with instruction bolstered by historical anecdotes, indispensable tips, humor and the hard facts. It is the most worthwhile book I've ever seen from Focal Press.At first I was a bit disappointed that there weren't more production stills from movies (I guess copyright issues would be insurmountable) but Holway and Hayball cleverly worked around that problem with elegant artist renderings. My only disappointment was my name being misspelled in reference to the rickshaw and tilt head.Even as a long-time steadicam operator I learned numerous tricks and discovered previously unknown history of our craft. Excellent Handbook.

I've been operating steadicam for a few years now and only now bought the book. I was it was handed out during the steadicam workshop! or if you bough anyof the stabilizer and didn't go to the workshop, this book is the first thing to buy even before you buy your steadicam, so you would know what is important, what to look for etc! If you own a stabilizer, if do plan to purchase it, or already an operator, this book is a must have!

This is the Bible for Steadicam operating. The illustrations, diagrams and layout is fantastic. Unfortunately, the ebook is so badly translated from the original text that some paragraphs are unreadable. The first few chapters are ok, but from there entire pages seem like a bad translation from another language. And the photos are so small and low quality that they border on useless both on a Samsung S3 and Macbook Pro 15".Don't buy this ebook for any reason. Not worth the money. Of course I didn't realize how bad the book was until after the Amazon return period. So I bought the printed edition and now have a half-assed electronic "reference" that I will probably never read.Let me be clear, the printed book is excellent! Stay away form this ebook.

This is an excellent book, very detail, lots of great information, excellent photos describing the gear. A must have for any steadicam owner. Great book to refer too and learn from. Thank you for such an informative book. Love it.

This is literally the textbook for steadicam. I have the first edition which is still a awesome resource, but there is already a second edition.

Great book to learn how to use a Steadicam. A must have for any operator. Was a great gift for a friend.