virtualGimbal is one of the most interesting small devices we have encountered so far. The SD card has a built-in gyroscope sensor, which effectively helps capture footage while also achieving good electronic stabilization of moving subjects during post-editing.
We interviewed its inventor, Mr. Yoshiaki Sato, who told us, “The virtualGimbal is actually a micro SD card that contains a 3-axis gyroscope sensor, used as a regular SD card adapter. While recording video, it can monitor the camera’s angular velocity, and users can analyze the monitored data on a PC, thereby achieving stable video footage.”
Below is a comparison of the same scene shot with and without this device, giving you an intuitive visual experience.
Left: SD card without virtualGimbal Right: SD card with virtualGimbal
(Video duration 2 minutes and 43 seconds, please watch on Wifi.)
Using external devices filled with sensors for stabilization in post-production is not a new concept. For example, SteadXP has produced many series of accessories, but none can match the compactness and versatility of this device.
When using this device, the virtualGimbal will be recognized by your camera as a regular SD card and will capture video footage, which is then directly sent to the regular SD card inserted in the camera. At the same time, it will also record and collect the movement data of the shooting subject for post-production stabilization analysis.
This small accessory is paired with a post-processing software developed by Mr. Sato himself, and reportedly, it operates quite quickly.
He explained via email, “During the post-production stabilization process, based on a 1920×1080 screen resolution, the real-time frame rate can reach up to 30fps, allowing users to adjust the zoom rate (also known as crop rate) and video stabilization while playing the video.” Such software seamlessly integrates with the gyroscope sensor accessory, making the replacement of bulky optical stabilization devices imminent, which is great news for photographers.
Currently, this technology is still in the prototype stage, and the engineers have not disclosed when it will be released or its price upon release, but at least the concept explained is exciting. After all, achieving image stabilization with such a simple method is quite astonishing and promising; let us look forward to similar technologies emerging one after another!
