Custom DIY 3axis Gimbal Handle
The Beholder DS1 single handle gimbal is one of the most convenient gimbals I've used. I used to have a much larger gimbal, but it was extremely difficult to travel with. When these hand held gimbals started supporting the weight of a DSLR, I immediately bought one. Going from a two handle setup to a single grip style gimbal was nice, but I was getting more stabilized shots using 2 hands. I decided to make this DIY handle to give me more stability without increasing the size of the gimbal very much. This handle is extremely light weight.This is on the Beholder DS1 single handle gimbal, with the 7D Mark II and a Canon 10-18mm lens. The gimbal also holds my 5D Mark III with 16-35mm lens, along with my Canon 80D used with either the 50mm 1.8 STM or the 10-18mm lens. I use all three cameras with this gimbal with no problem, and no re-balancing in between or special tuning. The 7D Mark II & 80D is used for when I need slow motion, 1080p at 60fps. The 5D is used when I need better low light capabilities. I bought my gimbal from http://www.owldolly.com/products/beholder-ds1-camera-stabilizer
I purchased 2 different bar/handle setups... one with a single bar, and one with a double 15mm bar. At first, I was thinking the single 15mm bar wouldn't be strong enough, but it was. The handles even have 1/4" female thread mounts on the bottom so I can attach accessories (lights, monitors, etc).
For the single rod setup
(recommended since its lighter and cheaper), you will need:1x 30cm (length, 12") 15mm (diameter) rods.
They usually come with 2, but you only need 1 though, so you can probably find it cheaper for a single one. I find the 12" (30cm) is a good length cause it's about the same length as a hand held gimbal, so if you take the handle apart and stick it in your bag, its going to be the same length as the rest of your gimbal.
2x DSLR handle grips w/ rod clamps
You can either get handles with rod clamps already attached to them, or if you are building a dual rod setup, you can find cheaper handles without rod clamps.
1x Single Rod Clamp
This will be mounted in the middle of the bar to connect to your gimbal. These single rod clamps are convenient cause you can use these to mount pretty much any accessory. i.e. LED light, LCD field monitor, microphone, etc.
1x 3/8" to 1/4" double male screw
If the bottom of your gimbal is a 1/4" female mount, then you need a 1/4" to 1/4". If you're not sure what size, the bottom of your camera is a 1/4" screw hole. If the hole looks bigger, then its probably 3/8". These are the most common sizes. 1/4" is for the bottom of the camera mounts, and 3/8" is used to mount a tripod head to tripod legs.
Thats it... if you need any other accessory attachments, usually the Single Rod Clamp works perfect for just about anything. You might want to pick up a pack of the 1/4" to 1/4" male adapters cause they are needed often when mounting items.
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