Tag Archives: DSLR Slider

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dslr-slider

The Konova Roller bearing slider is still one of my favorite Video Camera sliders, but with demand comes rising prices. The IGUS linear guide rails are no secret and are extremely efficient for the price (Much better than the $99 dollar 80/20 aluminum extrusions). For anyone looking to DIY an IGUS rail as a camera slider, there's some options available via Amazon. There's still some fine tuning involved like adding a brake/stop, drilling a hole through the carrier, adding some stands, and threading some mounting options for your tripods. Not a project for everyone.

Here's an interesting recent DSLR Slider item listed. Opteka's released an entry level portable IGUS based camera slider with FREE SHIPPING. Opteka's got all the necessary pieces and features you would normally have to DIY yourself. Included in the cheap slider is threaded taps for your quick release plate, pre-drilled Fluid Head hole in the carrier, a Brake/Stop screw, a few added legs to set it off the ground, and an included Spirit Level. So if you've been thinking about that DIY IGUS setup, but were afraid to tackle the details, you might want to check out Opteka's version available from 23' to 47" length. The Manfrotto 700RC2 Fluid Head would work great on this small slider as well.

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find-price-button Opteka DSLR Video Camera Sliders

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Olivia talks to Eric from International Supplies about a few of Varavon's products. One product is the Slidecam Slim slider that is said to hold up to 41lbs (that's pretty hefty), comes with a Video Head, legs, and travel bag. This new all aluminum Slim Slider will weigh about 2.5kg and be available in 1m length. Sounds pretty cool so far. Varavon has a few different model sliders available, and below is a comparison chart.

Slidecam-Comparison-Chart

One Slidecam Slim showed up on eBay for an asking price of $550, which is almost twice the price of the current popular Konova slider. Pricing has always been an obstacle for Varavon products so far, so let's hope that's not going to be the retail. You can find other Varavon products including their popular View Finder products on eBay following the link.

varavon-slider-ebay
find-price-button Varavon View Finders, DSLR Armor, Camera Sliders

Or as stated in the video, you can find some Varavon products over at B&H
Varavon Slidecam Mini
find-price-button Varavon Slidecam and View Finder Products at B&H

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Looks like a fun little DIY Arduino based motion controlled slider project is unfolding. Starting the platform out with IGUS Drylin W rails and carrier (wider version), and adding in a custom fitted pulley system. My guess is that the programmable controller will eventually be used for Timelapse movements and intervalometer trigger. Part 1 & Part 2 videos show some of the DIY process, but more information can be found from Vimeo member Stefan Kohler. Oh and if you're hoping something like this will hit the market, apparently it's not planned for it.

DIY Camera slider - Making of - Part 1 - Mechanics

DIY Camera slider - Making of part II

Of course, if you're looking to get into Motion Controlled sliders, you can't go wrong with Dynamic Perception.

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find-price-button Dynamic Perception Motion Controlled Sliders

Also designed with Arduino in mind, these time lapse sliders are the best on a budget. Highly recommended for anyone who wants the 'now' and not mess with the DIY process. Check out one of the latest videos shot with DynamicPerception.com sliders.


Description:
This was filmed between 4th and 11th April 2011. I had the pleasure of visiting El Teide. Spain´s highest mountain @(3718m) is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars and is also the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world´s best observatories. More......

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JuicedLink is definitely down with DIY and looking out for the budget minded. We were actually setup on one of the JuicedLink DIY brackets for NAB2011 on the main camera, but it's great to hear pricing is even lower with volume pricing now that they've become popular. First starting out with DSLR Cage like brackets to easily mount accessories, now Robert is looking into making cost effective roller bearing sliders.

Interesting how you could be surrounded by millions of dollars worth of professional equipment, yet one of the coolest things on the floor is an unpolished DIY slider. The prototype slider looked a little rough on the edges, but I was pretty impressed with how well the fit was on the rails. Using standard cheap roller bearings and angled mounts to lock in between the rails, the movement was very effective with just about zero lash. [Thanks Olivia]

The idea behind the new DIY Slider is to sell only what needs precision manufacturing which can be shipped in a fairly small package. You can pick up your own rails in any type or length desired (so long as it fits the minimum OD - outside diameter) which not only brings down cost of overall unit, but also shipping. This modular design will allow you to have a 4ft. slider today, and a 6ft. one tomorrow. Great idea so far. I'm interested in seeing what the final version would look like. More information always at the JL blog here: JuicedLink sliders (click here).

juicedlink-slider
find-price-button JuicedLink DIY Slider Kit

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Konova made a huge impact on the scene when they released their very affordable Roller Bearing slider not long ago. Now they are showing off two new slider versions one for heavier cameras and another for extremely light weight cameras (even down to iPhones). Another optional upgrade they will be offering with their future sliders are 'folding legs'. If you're familiar with the basic version, these new folding leg upgrades should make the sliders easier to pack up instead of having to remove them completely off of the slider rail each time you pack. These are both new sliders which are not available yet, and will not be replacing the original current version found below.
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find-price-button Konova video Camera Rolling Bearing DSLR Slider

Konova is also looking to offer a new three wheel skater dolly similar to a few very high end designs that are already on the market. Using three wheels on a rotating dolly makes it more complicated to line up your subject, but with the use of a Laser pointer, adjustments can be fairly accurate. This new 3-wheeled version (not yet available) will be marketed towards larger and heavier cameras, and will not replace the first version more affordable 4-wheeled version which is found below.

konova-skater-dolly
find-price-button Rotating Video Camera Skater Dolly

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The original SpiderTrax Dolly is no longer available via PhotographyAndCinema.com, but the Korean company Konova copied the design pretty much dead on. This would be the better alternative aside from making one on your own. Here's some friends working with the dolly during Valentine's day. They let the dolly control all the camera movements with no fluid head. Since there wouldn't be any panning involved during the motion, they mounted a simple Heavy Duty ball head normally used for photography.

fancier-heavy-ball-head
find-price-button Professional Heavy Duty Ball Head Quick Release

By just using the wood flooring, table tops, counters, and other flat surfaces, they were able to achieve a variety of different movements you can't replicate with just a straight slider. For areas that might not be completely smooth, you can carry a roll of Heavy vinyl plastic (comes in rolls) found at any hardware or fabric store. This Vinyl material will even allow you to run on firm carpet. If you haven't had time to make one or if you're not rockin' a rotating dolly yet, this gives you an idea of how versatile it can be. It's an extremely inexpensive tool that can boost your entire video production with these unique movements. [Thanks Guys]

konova-skater-dolly
find-price-button Rotating Video Camera Skater Dolly

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Ok, I have to keep adding 'Roller bearing' to the description of this DSLR slider. Everyone keeps throwing in names like Igus and GlideTrack, but it's not the same. Those guys don't use actual 'Roller bearings'. I know all about the Igus based sliders, and you can find my version on this blog. My current fixation is about this particular 'Rolling Bearing' slider. If you've ever tried an actual roller bearing slider, you might not go back. The problem is that even the cheapest Roller bearing slider will run you close to $500 bucks. This is why I was excited to see something a lot cheaper show up online.

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So here it is, and what do you need to know? For starters, it's a great deal. Even after posting this slider up, I haven't seen anything else that can come close to this as far as features, build quality, and price. I'm sure i'm going to start getting some 'I made mine for this price...' comments, but unless you're selling it, i'm not considering it as a readily available option.

This slider has a solid rail, no flex. It has 1/4x20 & 3/8" threaded tripod mounts in the center, and on each end. It also has 1/4 x 20 & 3/8" threaded mounts on the sides for 'vertical' mounting. It comes with adjustable legs/feet that can be removed. There's also padded platforms that allow it to be used directly on any surface without worry of scratching or marking the area. There's a brake to lock down the carrier when it's not in use. It also comes with a very slick looking quality travel bag. The Slider moves very fluid with zero lash and can be adjusted if need be. It's also very lightweight, but feels like it can slide even heavier cameras than a DSLR.

budget-slider (2 of 5)budget-slider (3 of 5)

There is one thing to note. The platform is designed only for a 3/8" mount. This means you need a fluid head or some type of camera mount. You can't mount the camera directly to the platform. Not a deal breaker since most sliders require this anyway. The unit slides so easily, it would work perfectly for motion timelapse rigs. Any small motor can easily pull a heavy camera through it's entire rail. Overall it's more than I expected for the price. The first actual 'roller bearing' slider to break this price point, and here it is.

So another great cost saving product first introduced here on Cheesycam.com. If you want to show some support for what I do, hook a brotha up and link back to this article!

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find-price-button Konova DSLR Video Camera Slider

Konova Slider - via Amazon
Konova-Slider
find-price-button KONOVA K Slider 3080 NA-8

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k2-cinema-slider
K2Cinema Dual Linear Guide Rod Camera Slider

Look familiar? It's another camera slider in the DSLR marketplace offered by K2 Cinema. If you're not feeling the dual rod look, the company K2 Cinema does offer an Igus based slider for a cheaper price, if that's what turns you on.

k2cinema-igus-rail
K2 Cinema DSLR Camera Slider

Now there's plenty of camera sliders right now and some only around $100 dollars, but this is only the second one that I know of using two Linear guide rods instead of a single flat track. This Linear guide rail looks similar to the Cinevate Atlas LTS Camera Slider, and while it may come in at about half the price, there's quite a few differences. The Cinevate Atlas is using 5/8" rods, which if i'm correct is close to approx. 16mm while the K2 Cinema slider is using 20mm rods. That's going to add quite a bit of unnecessary beef and weight to the overall unit if used simply for a DSLR.

Cinevate-Atlas-LTS
Cinevate Atlas LTS Camera Slider

K2 Cinema doesn't have quite the professional polished finish as the Cinevate Atlas LTS. It's a pretty straight forward design with a carriage that sits above the linear guide rods. The Cinevate Atlas has a more flush carrier that sits just about in between their rods. They both come with positionable legs to use if you're without a stand, but the K2 Cinema Camera Slider lacks the nice comfy feet that could end up scratching surfaces like soft wood tables. Cinevate obviously thought about the usefulness of it's legs and has added some nice molded feet with some type of polymer plastic material i'm guessing. The Cinevate Atlas LTS appears to offer standard rail lengths from 35", 47", and 58" lengths while the available K2 Cinema sliders have options from 22" and 36". Since K2 Cinema seems to be a new starter in DSLR accessories, there's a good chance they can custom make rail lengths. Then again, Cinevate has always showed great customer service so it's possible custom rail lengths may be a possibility as well.

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Click images for K2Cinema Camera Slider prices

Now keep in mind that Cinevate is set to release a new Atlas 10 Linear Tracking System Camera slider that is estimated around $500 dollars. The new Atlas 10 will not be rockin' the wide open dual Linear rod look, which I hear works really well, but you might want to wait until you get the full review on the Cinevate Atlas 10 before diving in to a camera slider.

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