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Joe Switzer // Shutter Magazine

457 views · Published 5 September 2014 · 4:50 · Indexed 21 September 2026

Channel: Behind the Shutter · 2014 · People & Blogs

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Man vs. Machine // Glidecam vs. Movi 

Time for a friendly competition between Glidecam and Movi. Full disclosure: Freefly Systems, which makes the Movi, is the sponsor of our NYC Photo Plus workshop this fall, but I have no contractual obligation to tell you how great the Movi or Glidecam is, so fear not: You are getting a 100 percent honest opinion. I also realize there are other name brands that compete with Glidecam and Movi, so when I say “Glidecam vs. Movi,” you can throw in their worthy competitors. (Maybe this article should be more politically correct and state “handheld manual gliding tool vs. handheld electronic stabilizer.”) 

The question on every filmmaker’s mind is what stabilization tool to purchase and invest time and energy in for the best results. My goal is to help you make a buying decision. 

At Switzerfilm, our motion with video started with a Steadicam rig and a big Sony camera. These were the days when we had to vest up and wear the SWAT-team-looking body suit. We actually had someone at a wedding ask us if we were undercover law enforcement. Not joking. Soon after, the DLSR revolution came about, giving filmmakers like us the chance to take off the SWAT Steadicams and go with smaller stabilization tools like the Merlin and eventually the Glidecam. The Glidecam has been our go-to tool for over four years. We have used it around the Grand Canyon, Times Square, dog sledding, ice skating, Jeepin’, Rollerblading, boating, on oceans, in snowstorms—but the most fun was following around MLB players. When the Movi came along, you heard chatter on all the social networks about how this high-tech gadget would change the game as we know it forever. Does the Movi finally make it so easy that anyone can get cinematic motion-video shots? Yeah, sort of—but not without some hard work. 

Let’s look at the four main factors you should take into consideration.

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