A while ago, I built a handheld rig using plans obtained from another site. It worked well enough BUT lacked fine control for balance, & with the monitor & battery on - was way to heavy to use for more than 5 minutes or so at a stretch. As I was completing my first rig - I found the H.B.S site - & the link to Cody's site. I then spent about 6 months deciding on whether to buy Cody's book. Eventually I "stumped up" and about 10 days later the book arrived. I went through the entire thing - cover to cover a dozen or more times, oh yes! this was what I had been looking for! Why? because the book gave me exactly what I wanted - a practical solution for a viable stabilizer that you don't need a degree in engineering to build! I think like most people - I made slight adjustments to suit what I was building with - tool & material wise, BUT stick with the plans - AND you will get a usable piece of kit for your efforts. Anyone who has been following the board postings will know the E.M.T tube mentioned in the book is'nt available over here. This did'nt prove to big a problem however, and was the only set back on the finding of suitable materials. One thing that has become apparent though, is that a few typo's have found their way into print, so it is worth checking on Cody's forum for additional information.
The rig itself is really something, especially to someone like me who has never used anything quite like it before - the fact that I was getting quite good footage from day one is testament to the soundness of this design. My completed rig weighs around 42 pounds (around 19 kilos) including monitor / battery etc.
This book is, as far as I'm aware unique - and given the time I spent looking for information on the "web" I'm quite at ease making that statement. I think with any manual giving step by step instructions, a fine balancing act has to be undertaken in respect of the amount of information given. Some publications for example can leave you with something of an inferiority complex simply because the author assumes the reader is incapable of grasping quite simple concepts. This on the other hand is concise & to the point, enough information - in the relevant sections! My only complaint about the book in itself is that the pages are apt to come loose - eventually, I removed them all and placed them in plastic sleeves & into a ring binder.
Of course, a review is not meant as a platform for individuals to bore other people with extraneous details -or anything not relevant to the subject matter, so - was the book worth buying?
Worth EVERY penny & then some!
Am I satisfied with the result?
BET YOUR ASS!
Now all I need to do is get out there & start using it!
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