Tag Archives: igus

• 3 Comments

•

It looks similar to the Konova and Varavon, but hardly up to the same standards. The bearings are adjustable. I've seen these Smallism sliders before, but they were always expecting way too much. Seems like they know where they stand and have finally brought prices down below Konova. Although the feet/legs aren't anything to brag about, it is an actual roller bearing slider if you want to stray from the IGUS rails.

Konova Slider
You can find Konova's roller bearing track slider (click here).

smallism-slider
You can find the Smallism slider at auction (click here).

Related Articles You May Like:

•

Can't decide between a slider that 'just slides' or a slider with actual 'roller bearings'? (Technically, I guess that would make it a roller) There's a mix bag of shooters who prefer one over the other, but here's a new 'tweener. Glidetrack was teasing everyone with their new Hybrid camera slider a few weeks ago that uses a new hybrid Roller/Slider bearing, and it's now available to purchase online.

Looks like it's still based off of the IGUS Drylin rails with the new IGUS Hybrid bearings, but there's some custom work done on the actual carrier and adjustable legs. Obviously price is going to be pricier than the normal versions from Glidetrack. In fact, for the price of 1 single Glidetrack Hybrid you could almost score two Konova full roller bearing sliders of the same length. No descriptions on variable friction, but there is a hard brake stop to keep it locked down while moving around. If you're interested in hybrid designs, the Glidetrack Hybrid sliders / rollers are available in a variety of lengths from 20" (0.5m) - 78" (2m). You can find the prices below.

Screen shot 2011-02-15 at 10.23.45 PM
find-price-button Glidetrack Hybrid Slider Uses Sliding AND Roller Bearings

Related Articles You May Like:

• 19 Comments

•

igus-carrier-diy-slider
Now available at Amazon.com - click image

Igus is the manufacturer of the popular Drylin W Linear Guide rail. Linear guide rails are seen in robotics and manufacturing type machines and associated with lube and grease, not good for cameras. This design uses 'Dry Bearings' so it was natural that this rail exploded onto the DSLR Video scene as one of the most widely used rails for DIY camera sliders AND by actual retailers of Camera sliders. From what many are saying, the early adopters for this rail call this the 'ZaZa Slider' and you'll find a group on Vimeo from people making it from Igus rails.

You can see this same basic rail design in Glidetrack, Kessler, and others. When I first created my DIY Camera slider, I had to call IGUS in Ireland, figure out the exact parts I needed, and have it shipped from overseas. Looks like so many camera manufacturers have been using their rail, Igus is now hip to DSLR video, and they are now posting an item at Amazon.com specifically as a 'Camera slider'. The nice thing in this image is the new side clamp on the carrier designed to lock the carrier in place. I was using old hand clamps to keep mine from shifting as I was transporting.

You can check out my DIY Slider in this video to see what this whole thing looks like put together. There was a bit of drilling needed to get the rail onto the tripod, and a bit of drilling to get the Fluid head onto the Igus Carrier, but very easy material to work with. Take my advice and don't get 4 feet of rail. It's nice and fun, but soooo long it's akward to carry it around. You'll be better off with 2 feet, 3 feet MAX. Well thanks to Igus, it looks like they are making things a bit more streamlined for us DIY'ers interested in building our own camera slider with a straight purchase to the complete set. Below is a link to the most popular one they are saying, but here's a link to More Igus Camera Slider Rails.

Product Description
Modular DryLin® W linear guides ensure a smooth, lubrication-free gliding motion for camera slider systems. Used by manufacturers of high-quality, complete systems, as well as individual DIY video enthusiasts seeking individual components for camera dollies and camera slider assemblies.

Our most popular camera slider size. Includes 1,000mm-long guide rail (39.4") with 9 holes evenly spaced and a 100mm-long carriage plate. Carriage plate features 4 low-friction plastic bearings for smooth and quiet operation, as well as extra bolts to prevent misalignment.

Related Articles You May Like: