Steadicam was developed in the early 1970's by Cameraman and inventor Garrett Brown.

Working on the problem of stabilising ‘Hand Held’ camerawork, he experimented with mounting a camera on an inertia-damping rig of plumbing pipes and fittings.

In attaching the camera to a "T" shaped formation of pipes he stabilised the camera in the same way as a 'High Wire Walker' steadies himself with a long pole.
The extra pipe (the top of the ‘T’) was needed to counteract the rolling motion of the main "Post". These early rigs evolved into a very stable handheld mini-boom complete with a fibre-optic Viewfinder.

There was one major problem, the size and weight of the rig made it extremely tiring to operate. Garrett refined his design by utilising a Gyro to provide most of the inertia and a body harness now supported this smaller “Brown Stabiliser”.

He began to shoot some amazing commercials but although much more flexible, the body support consisting of a nine foot Bunji chord and pulleys was still uncomfortable to operate as the weight was carried by the Operator's shoulder.

It is notable that this bungi idea has now been re-invented thirty years later.

Later that year Garrett made a change in direction. After a lot of thought and a week’s confinement in a motel room, out went the Gyro and Bunji. The now familiar Steadicam sprung arm and Sled was born.

After showing a demo reel of almost twenty previously impossible shots with the new rig, Garrett began his long association with "Cinema Products" who continued to develop his idea.

In 1975 a new prototype was used for a single scene on the feature "Bound for Glory". This was quickly followed by "Rocky" with its ground breaking Art Museum steps sequence and of course "The Shining". The rest is History.

Garrett Brown and Cinema Products have continued to refine the Steadicam design over the years. The MK 1,2 and 3 leading to the EFP and Master series.

There is no shortage of Steadicam copies on the market, but Cinema Products kept well ahead of the competition with their policy of innovative design. The Master series was a breakthrough in ergonomics, with its striking new body styling and minimal tooling required for adjustments.

A new quick release Ratchet and Velcro lightweight vest made the operators life a lot more comfortable.

The newest addition to the Steadicam family is the "Ultra" series with a revolutionary telescopic post for Crane like high shots and pain free Lo-Mode shots.

A greatly improved remote controlled motorised stage, greater flexibility of viewfinder and battery configuration and a new tilting stage for accurate whip-panning insures that it will be the industry standard for years to come.

With the sad demise of Cinema Products in the year 2000, the Steadicam product range was rescued and is now being manufactured in a new California factory by Tiffen.