Shooting skateboarding and skaters is never easy.
Once you've mastered the basics of skateboard videography and learned the fundamentals of following filming lines and runs, it's time to get the right equipment.
Nowadays, you can easily capture the best tricks and maneuvers at a skatepark, bowl, or vert ramp at 4K and 5K for less than $500.
Shooting high-quality footage has become an affordable commodity, and with elementary video editing software, you can create a web commercial or video clip in a couple of days.
Filming skateboarders has always been a challenge that hides a few secrets. One of them is following and keeping up with the rider's speed.
As a result, a skateboard videographer will feel the need to grab a board and ride along while shooting the best scenes and action moments.
However, oftentimes, the filmmaker struggles to maintain a steady and balanced course, resulting in bumpy footage.
There's nothing worse than having captured the perfect angles and getting several minutes of shaky, high-resolution images.
Today's action cameras feature built-in electronic stabilization systems, and they tend to do the job well.
But why sacrifice low-light shooting sessions, lengthy motion time-lapses, or amazing drone shots if you can solve all your problems with a three-axis camera gimbal?
Hohem iSteady Pro 4
Hohem is one of the world's leading gimbal stabilizer manufacturers.
The Asian company develops innovative solutions for action cameras, smartphones, and drones.
The Hohem iSteady Pro 4 was specifically designed and aimed at skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, hiking, climbing, and traveling.
It's a splash-proof, three-axis action camera gimbal powered by a powerful brushless motor that helps riders create an ultra-smooth video.
The shooting equipment features a quick mount-and-release clip, spring buckle, and a power bank (14 hours of battery life) that supports camera charging while filming.
The iSteady Pro 4 embeds an anti-shaking algorithm and a Bluetooth connection and provides full compatibility with GoPro, DJI, and other similar action cameras.
The gadget can control the GoPro shutter button - to take a photo or shoot video - wirelessly while simultaneously doubling your camera's battery life.
Flawless Stabilization
The results speak for themselves, and you don't need to learn much to start shooting fantastic footage.
With a simple button design, you can easily control the pan, roll, and tilt axes.
There are six working modes available: pan follow, pan and tilt follow, all lock, all follow (point-of-view), inception mode, and sports mode (fast follow).
The iSteady Pro 4 keeps a skater's line steady and stable and delivers a never-before-seen new level of smoothness, even during dynamic movements.
All you need to do is press and hold the power button for three seconds, double-click the "Pair" button to enter camera pairing mode and start shooting.
The GoPro can then be controlled by the gimbal with just one finger, thanks to its three-axis motor.
You may tap a button to switch working mode and press another to activate fast camera movement.
The gimbal will respond immediately and will follow your movement. The shutter button can start a video clip or simply take a photo.
But there's more you can do to explore the iSteady Pro 4's potential.
Extra Features
The 600-degree inception mode lets you create dreamy rotations even over a full 360-degree rotation.
The motion timelapse feature allows you to shoot, for instance, sun and cloud movements and other similar situations.
In sports mode, you'll press and hold the trigger button to ensure your camera doesn't miss any fast-moving subject.
Finally, the point-of-view (POV) mode is a great alternative for following along with axis rotating movement, i.e., creating a clip in which the viewer is watching all the action from their own perspective.
iSteady Pro 4 is splash-proof, meaning it is resistant to water splashes, especially if you're shooting outdoors on foggy, snowy, and rainy days.
The gizmo weighs 365 grams with the battery.
Last but not least, the system has two 1/4 extension screw holes on the middle and bottom part of the gimbal handle for installing an extension rod, tripod, fill light, microphone, phone holder, etc.
The Hohem Gimbal app features a virtual remote control, a six-sided calibration and recenter system, a mode switch, a motion timelapse option, custom settings, and firmware updates.
This means that you can control the camera's shooting direction and customize your favorite settings - such as dead zone - and other parameters that match your unique filming needs.