The Ken-Lab KS-6 Gyro Stabilizer makes for calm shooting in the stormiest situations

By William Sawalich

Photography By Jody Dole

The Invisible Tripod

Jody Dole uses the Ken-Lab Commander KS-6 gyro stabilizer to keep his camera rock-steady whether he's shooting from the water or from the air. Some circumstances make it nearly impossible to hold the camera still, no matter how steady your hands —namely when you,the photographer,are yourself in motion.A tripod is the usual choice for stabilizing your gear, but a tripod isn't always practical for the application. And what are your optionswhen the platform upon which yourtripod stands is also in motion? The engineers at Kenyon Laboratories (a.k.a. Ken-Lab) discovered how to subvert the laws of physics to help photographers keep their cameras steady, without a tripod and under the most challenging circumstances. Their solution: gyroscopic stabilizers. With a gyroscopic stabilizer, all the bumps and bounces of a camera inmotion can be dampened or eliminated. Connecticut-based Ken-Lab has been manufacturing these amazing gizmos since 1959, and they're utilized by everyone from Hollywood producers to military pilots. The oblong capsules attach to the camera through a standard tripod mount, and the effect is much like that of a modern image-stabilized lens—only greater.“IS lenses stabilize a prism,” explains Ken-Lab co-owner Bobbie Kenyon.

“We stabilize the whole camera.” Although Ken-Lab manufactures several different models and sells about 250 every year, the Commander KS-6 is perhaps the most versatile and popular model. Powerful enough to steady extra-long lenses as well as medium-format cameras, the KS-6 remains suitably portable for use in the air, on a speeding car or even sail-ing across the water. That's just how photographer Jody Dole most often uses his shooting boats for several advertising and editorial clients. “The gyro is a cool and unique piece of gear, and worth twice the price,” says Dole. “I first started using it to minimize vibration and camera shake when shooting boats from helicopters. The force of the gyros spinning inside stabilizes the camera in a way that you have to feel to believe. It's like magic.” The manner in which gyroscopes work is a subject for an entirely different article, and probably more appropriate for readers of Popular Science. In layman's terms, the physics involved is still complex. According to Ken-Lab, the twin rate gyros on crossed axes sense vibrations and dynamically resist displace-ment through gyroscopic precision. The gyros operate in a low vacuum atmosphere within a hermetically sealed casing.

Suffice it to say, these things do their job well. Here's how to get the most from the gyro: Plug it in, turn it on, let it run up to speed and shoot normally. The only trick to operating a KS-6, or any gyro for that matter, is learning how to work within the tolerances of the device. The effect of a gyro, unlike a video Steadicam (which is always in motion), is to hold the lens on a specific target even when outside forces are trying to move it offline. Not only are pitch and yaw (the lens bouncing up and down, as well as shaking side to side) dampened when the camera is moved unintentionally, but when you decide to turn away from one subject in favor of another, the gyro effectively resists that movement as well. Some photographers say that it feels like the gyro is alive. “It doesn't want to sit still you try to attach it to your camera,” says Kenyon. “It resists you moving from one target to another. The learning curve is staying within the paning rate of the particular gyro.” The gyro is obviously ideal for sav-ing shots from otherwise impossible cir-cumstances, but like most unique photographic technologies, it also opens up new avenues for creative expression. Says Jody Dole , “Once I became familiar with using it to create sharp, vibration-free images at slower than normally handholdable speeds, I dis-covered that it's possible to create really cool motion-blur shots from a moving helicopter or boat. While using slow shutter speeds, the gyro keeps the camera rock-steady, just as if you were using a tripod, except you're flying through the air or over the water at speed and handholding the camera. It falls somewhere between physics and magic.“One neat example is the Connecticut River water detail,” adds Dole. “Cruising downriver with my collaborator and ace chase boat cap-tain, Gerry Duby, on his 31-foot Duffy lobster boat at maybe one or two knots. The sun is long gone, but the afterglow on the water is amazing.

The camera is set for a four- or five-second exposure and is being hand-held rock-steady. While the boat is moving forward, we're all right in the moving water, moving with it at the right speed, right time and right place. An act of mother nature—art and technology all in one shot.”

If there's a downside to the Commander KS-6, it's that the gyro stabilizer is bulky enough to be imprac-tical for everyday use. Weighing in at 3.25 pounds, you wouldn't want to lug it around unnecessarily. It runs on 400 cycle AC power (normal outlets are 60 cycle), but it comes in a kit that includes an inverter and a battery to make the device portable—a must if you're going to use it in the situations whereit's needed most. Ultimately, the added weight is inconsequential when considering the gyro stabilizer's physics-defy-ing benefits. Says Dole, “Yes, it adds weight, but it really never has been an issue given the plus side. It also works great when used with the Nikon VR (vibration-reduction) lenses, as you can achieve double the stabilizing effect.”

Most photographers who Bobbie Kenyon encounters are equally happy with the KS-6's performance. She says they should expect 15 years out of a Ken-Lab gyro—and 20 years isn't unheard of.

“Unless they drop it,” she says proudly. “They never send them back.”

Price: $2,600 (includes KS-6 gyro, KBC charger, inverter, battery pack, cigarette adapter cord and Pelican 1450 case). (800) 253-4681.