I. Balancing your Glidecam

1. Make certain that the bottom part of the sled is tightly screwed onto the shaft. You don’t want any movement or misalignment later.
2. Collapse the bottom shaft section so that your Glidecam shaft is as short as possible.
3. Align the bottom-most section (with the weights) with the top section where the camera mounts. Using a smooth, flat surface like a floor, wall or counter top will speed things up. It’s a good idea to make an alignment mark with white paint, so you can quickly align your Glidecam in dim light where you may not be able to use the floor, like in a crowded reception hall.
4. Use a microphone or light stand and set your Glidecam handle over the shaft so that it is supported by the stand. You could balance your Glidecam handheld, but your body will introduce movements that complicate things and your wrist may get tired.
5. Mount your camera. It is advisable to use a quick-release mount so you can quickly remove and remount your camera and have only minimal re-balancing issues. Be sure and open the LCD and have the same battery, shotgun mic, light, wide-angle lens, etc. that you intend to operate with. It can be helpful to find your camera's balance center first, then mount it close to this point.
6. Add an equal number of weights (heavy washers) to each end (see photo) until there is almost enough weight to properly balance your camera.
7. Extend the shaft slightly, being careful to keep it in alignment, until the bottom takes between two and three seconds to swing from horizontal to the six o’clock position.
8. Loosen balancing screws (both directions) and get camera in approximate balance.
9. Balance camera front to rear until it is nearly parallel to the floor. You may want a slight downward angle, especially if you are tall. Note, use a finger or two on one side to push the plate while a finger or two on the opposite side provides counter force to prevent over-correction. These opposite fingers will also help you to feel the amount you are moving the plate. You will soon get a feel for this movement and will learn just how much to move the plate for the correct change in position to achieve balance.
10. Balance the camera side-to-side, using the techniques described above.

II. Setting up the Smooth Shooter

1. One of the most important things about setting up the Smooth Shooter, is getting the proper height adjustment for the breast plate. If this is set too long, the Smooth Shooter will rest on your hips and it will be impossible to get smooth shots while you walk or run. This is important enough to restate. The lower belt of the Smooth Shooter should be around your waist, not resting on your hips. It takes a combination of proper breast plate mounting and shoulder strap adjustment to ensure the right fit. I have a longish body type and it still took a lot of adjustment. Shorter people may have some difficulty.
2. The Smooth Shooter instructions say that it works best with a single spring when sled weight nears nine pounds and with two springs when sled weight approaches eighteen pounds. An extra nine pounds is bound to be felt in your back muscles after a long, active reception, so if you can keep things light enough to work with a single spring, your back will thank you for it.

Using a VX2100 and the large, FP970 battery, our rig seemed to be at or just over the limit for a single spring Smooth Shooter setup. Most hi-def cameras will likely need the extra spring. The upper arm should have a slight upward angle if you have the proper sled weight / spring tension adjustment. If you need to remove a spring, position the arm so you can access the adjustment bolt and lesson the tension to zero on BOTH springs. Then, continue to unscrew the adjustment bolt for the spring you intend to remove.

Once that bolt has been removed, position the arm so you can reach the two retainer bolts at the opposite end of the spring and remove both. Now you can remove the spring. Be sure and put all three bolts and spring in a safe place, in case you want to replace them in the future.

If you are using two springs, you may want to set both spring tensioners to the center mark (3) as a starting point. Note that you always want both springs set to the same tension.

Mount the sled (with camera) and adjust the tension until you have the proper attitude of the arm.

Now that you've got your Glidecam balanced, you should check out "Moving Camera Techniques" by Mark and Trisha Von Lanken.  Their techniques will help whether or not you use a steady device.

Also see: Glidecam / Smooth Shooter Tests