Eliminating camera shake

[xjsb125]

I filmed a show this past week and had a beautiful, dead center, well lit static shot of the band and stage. Unfortunately there was so much shake from the vibration of the bass and drums that the majority of the video is junk. What can I use in the future to help tame the jumping? I'm using a Canon XH-A1 on a Manfrotto tripod with a 128RC fluid head. Thanks!

[coloartist]

Thick neoprene under the tripod legs.

[kubacheck]

out of curiosity, is there any good software out there that can rescue a video with the "kick drum shake" problem??

[beatkilla]

I use memory foam under tripod legs and hang bag with some weight to it from center column,and if using monopod i rest it on top of my foot.

[if_then_else]

If you're repurposing a mic stand as a tripod (they're generally sturdier than video tripods), you could use some of these pads to decouple the tripod:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/the_takustik_mic_stand_pads.htm

Otherwise, you could add some counterweight to the center column as beatkilla already suggested. Or just use a "stone bag".

Another option might be to enlarge the feet of the tripod by using tripod snowshoes (http://www.manfrotto.com/tripod-snow-shoes) and to put some pieces of rug under these.

[guitard]

out of curiosity, is there any good software out there that can rescue a video with the "kick drum shake" problem??

I've tried several over the years and it seems like it works the way of the old expression, "For every action, there is a reaction."  In other words, you fix one thing, and another problem results.  There really doesn't seem to be a magic bullet for this kind of shake.  You can only make it look a little less bad ... which to me isn't acceptable.

Every few years, some new version comes out and makes all the standard claims that it's different than all the others and the guy who created it finally found the algorithm and process that does the trick.  I try it out ... and it's always the same result.

Of course, this kind of software requires a lot of tweaking and I've sat and tweaked for hours and never got anything that seemed like it made it worth the trouble. 

So I've all but given up on it. 

[2manyrocks]

Seems like there was a discussion on something similar a while back where mention was made about turning off the antivibration stuff inside the camera because the sound was affecting the antivibration device in the camera, not that the camera itself was actually being vibrated by whatever it was placed on.  The OP hasn't indicated if his camera was sitting on a concrete floor or sitting on something that was vibrating.   

[xjsb125]

Thanks for the advice everyone! The tripod was situated between the sound and light boards, which was a carpeted floor with what felt like a wood base under it. It was inside an old theater. I've had minor vibration issues in the past, but this was so significant that the video isn't enjoyable. I'm not worried about attempting to correct in post, but I want to be better prepared for future events. Again, thank you all for the good suggestions. If anyone has further advice, all is welcome.

[techgui]

out of curiosity, is there any good software out there that can rescue a video with the "kick drum shake" problem??

Well there is Deshaker, which is free.  Also Black magic Fusion software will track and stabilize and it's currently free.  I use Mocha Pro which is a planer tracker to stabilize, but not free.

[JayBTV]

Gunner Thalin's Deshaker is the best in my personal opinion (and yup it's free).....his was the first and he's still updating it when there's something to add.  I have tried most of the commercial ones (Mercalli for example) but none have impressed me enough to drop deshaker w/ vdub.

If you post a clip it'd be easier to tell if what you captured is salvageable......lots of setting w/ deshaker to get the results you want.  The problem w/ the bass kick vibration is distortion in the frames themselves/rolling shutter issues.  If the frames are clean (limited blurring/warping) you should be able to get it worked out pretty well.....

[xjsb125]

Here's a 10 second clip from the show. It's pretty indicative of how much shake is present during the entire video. In the parts where there is no bass or drum it's very clean, but when the music gets going it's all to hell. Thanks again for all the suggestions.

[anr]

Here's something cheap, and perhaps a little nasty

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rcmodelpart-Anti-vibration-Camera-Phantom-Walkera/dp/B00G4ZF31G


One good solution would a Self Tuned Vibration Absorber, but it is likely to be very expensive.

[2manyrocks]

The XH-A1 has Optical Image Stabilization which uses a built in gyroscope designed to allow the camera to automatically correct for perceived shaking when handheld.  What I suspect happened is the bass volume shook the gyroscopic sensor and caused the OIS system to overcompensate. 

Try turning it off when you have it on a tripod at a concert. 

[guitard]

I don't think Image Stabilization can really do anything to combat the kind of shake you get from a booming bass though.  It's just too 'violent' so to speak.

[shoestringconcerts]

Here's a 10 second clip from the show. It's pretty indicative of how much shake is present during the entire video. In the parts where there is no bass or drum it's very clean, but when the music gets going it's all to hell. Thanks again for all the suggestions.
http://youtu.be/dfzTbHMG7tk

nothing will save that,  turn off image stabilization next time, use pads and weights as other have suggested.  And if this problem happens a lot and what has been said doesn't fix the issue, time for a different camera