My video rigs have been used for a while now, long enough to be over what works for me and what does not.
Olympus.
My EM1x and Mk2’s to a lesser extent have very smooth and workable stabilisers. If used in full digital and in body mode for movement (this gets rid of corner artefacts), there is little more you could ask for short of a real gimbal, which comes with the “invisible” motion look (see OSMO below). I love the slightly more “hand held” feel, which to my eye, now attuned to looking for tell tale signs, is seeing the “pro hand held” look. This is not totally smooth, but “big, heavy camera” smooth.
If shooting static hand held, I switch to the in-body only mode which is cleaner.
Believe it or not, this is do-able. The extra weight of the lens is a benefit for stability and I have had success up to 100mm hand held. I can replace the cameras’ handle using the Smallrig gimbal handle below.
They work well with their own handles and a second smaller one on the cage. I use the little mini handle from Smallrig, simply as a stabiliser for my left (focussing) hand when using touch screen focus. Without the handle, that hand tends to feel a little lost and it also provides a “bumper bar” for the screen. I have plans to replace this with a new UURig wooden handle, which also has a cold shoe.
The little side handle, which is actually a mini top handle.
I have tried a handle on top, a big Smallrig rubberised one, but even with weights added to the cage, it is not as stable as the cameras’ own grip. It is likely me, but I just do not feel as confident with a top handle using the “gravity” hold, nowhere near as confident as I am with side holds.
For panning, I find my arms tucked low into my body and turning my body from the hips works way better than a top handle.
The top handle for me is only really a benefit for following a subject from a low angle, something the OSMO does so much better anyway.
The OSMO.
This is designed to work as is, but I definitely get smoother walking footage with an extension pole added. A 1’ carbon fibre extension from a bigger gimbal is all you need, set at the desired angle.
This camera also works well with a long boom arm, becoming a semi-drone option.
Panasonic.
The “hold” steady shot mode of the G9 is right up there with the EM1x, so static shooting is much the same dynamic.
Again, I find the dual or single side hold is best. This is a lighter rig than the Oly, so a handle on top is rarely heavy enough to give me the down force I need for smooth follow focus.
This is one of the gimbal exension handles Smallrig makes. On a hunch I grabbed one (arrived today), and it is a great way to put a handle on a camera, without the need for a cage of any sort. It also has a cold shoe and can be mounted at any angle and either side. I will put this in my newspaper bag, as a simple, cageless fix for stability and accessories and weighs nothing.
The reality is, Mark Bone has a point with handles, but he also points out that the heavier the camera, the better the results. I can weigh the Oly rig down and with its extra mass, the whole thing starts to get there, but the light weight removable handle on the G9’s rig is often useful only for the extra 3 coldshoes it adds.
The side handle has become a staple, the top handle is removable and to be honest, that is handy. When the UURig handle arrives, I can have up to four cold shoes available without it, so I may even switch it’s cold show adapter to the bigger rig and shelve the bolt on handle (which is one of their cheapest, so no great waste).
Everyone has different needs and I am no different. I think that for me, using mirriorless cmaeras for over ten years has led to good processes using the rear screen and they do not include handles, so coming late to top handles has not been a seamless fit, but side handles have.