Which gimbal for my Sony camcorder ?

SeriouslyThick

I have a Sony fdr-ax53 camcorder and would like to buy a gimbal or stabilizer for it. But I really don't know which to get. How can I find what suits best please ?

Terfyn

What are you filming that needs a gimble?
The Sony already has a very good optical image stabiliser. You will get stable hand held shots with just the camera.
The best stabiliser is a tripod or monopod but you can get shoulder or chest mounts or hand held steadycams

stearman65

I assume you will be operating the Sony remotely to need a gimbal? Just did a quick search & came up with this. For something this sophisticated I should imagine you would pay more then the camera cost?

SeriouslyThick

Thanks both.  I have been trying to hold the camcorder as still as I can while filming around a room but I still get jerkiness that makes the footage very poor.  I can see the inbuilt gimbal is there and apparently working but I guess it can only do so much.  I realise that I may have to spend a few hundred pounds, but if I don't then the cost of the camera is largely wasted.  

I have been looking at the Zhiyun Crane 2 and Crane Plus but I really don't know enough about these things and there is no local store close by where I can go an examine or try them.  I do have a tripod and that is great when the camera can stay in one place, but that's not always the case.

Terfyn

Possibly you may want to look at a shoulder mount. There are many examples on Amazon under "Shoulder Camera Rig". Personally I think the Steadycams will be too heavy. I am guessing you need only an additional support to keep the camera still. Something in the Neewer range may suit.
IMO the Zhiyun Crane is "over the top" and it will not compensate for vertical movement. Plus it is additional weight to carry around. This is why I am suggesting a support that uses a shoulder or chest to carry the weight.

For what it is worth, I use a monopod attached to my cam. It is light and very portable, I can rest it on the ground and, using a length of double sided Velcro, strap it on to railings or around a tree. The one I have comes from 7dayshop.com and also acts as a trekking pole.

stearman65

If you have a Wex store near you they do a basic leveller for £30, see the link. Have you set the "GRID" view on your viewfinder? if you can, use that for better results.
Hague MMC Mini Motion Cam
Another thing is, if you have your camera set on the anti vibration setting you may not be able to use a tripod. My previous Panasonic said switch of anti vibration when using a tripod.

Terfyn

Those steadycam type units such as the Hague puts all the weight on the hands and arms. My suggestions for cameras being supported on a shoulder or on a monopod would allow the OPs hands to be used to direct the camera rather than support it.

Panasonic cameras with OIS on tend to electronically resist panning. When the pan is stopped, the camera reverses the last few frames and it looks like the picture is returning the way it came. i.e. it looks like the picture is bouncing backward when the pan stops.
Occasionally I have had to delete the last frames of a pan shot to remove this "bounce" effect.
So (certainly) with Panasonic cameras, switch the OIS off when using a tripod.

A further aid to steadying shots is to apply Mercalli in post production. The software can usually be included in the "delux" versions of some video editors. The effect is quite impressive and has helped me out when I have "handheld" a telephoto shot. Mercalli usually takes the centre area to remove unwanted movement and steady the edges of the shot. Very useful.