In 1978, Garrett Brown won the Academy Award for inventing the Steadicam, the revolutionary stabilizing mount that mechanically isolated the operator’s movement from the motion picture camera. It allowed a very smooth shot even when the camera moved quickly over an uneven surface.

Since then, much has happened in the camera stabilization arena. Not only has the Steadicam evolved and been copied, but cameras have gotten much smaller. Now Manfrotto, a leading name in photographic support gear, has introduced the ModoSteady, a three-in-one image stabilization system designed by Sapio for small camcorders.

Though camcorders have gotten much smaller and lighter, they can be ergonomically hard to stabilize for smooth shots. This becomes even more difficult while the camera is in motion or when zooming during a shot. This was the problem ModoSteady was designed to solve.

It works in a floating, shoulder, or tripod position, and is small (5.1-inch maximum height), light (1.1 pounds) and easy to carry. It’s also moderately priced at about $185.

The ModoSteady’s “bi-injected foot” can be used as a shoulder pod so that the device becomes an extension of the body.

The counterbalancing stabilizer allows it to find the proper counterbalance position and weight, considering the weight and the center of gravity of the camcorder. When balanced, the device becomes a very useful camcorder stabilizer, which improves the quality of the moving image.

Finally, the ModoSteady is a table tripod. By folding the extension arm, the handle can be opened and device becomes a table tripod. It also useful for capturing still images.

The ModoSteady concept was invented by Sapio Research and Development, a design company based Tel Aviv, Israel, and is manufactured by Manfrotto.

For more information, visit www.bogenimaging.us.