B&H has the Varavon Slidecam LITE 800 camera slider for $179 (reg. $239) in limited quantity. Check it out here at B&H Photo.
Radian 2 Delivers Time Lapse, Motion, and Camera Control from Your Smartphone
Radian 2 is a motion time lapse device that looks a lot like the Syrp Genie, which I recently reviewed. However, the Radian 2 is offered at a much lower price point than the Syrp Genie. [Read more…]
Cinevate Morpheus is a Stabilizer Solution for GoPro, iPhone and Pocket Cameras
Cinevate is launching a Kickstarter campaign to bring its new Morpheus stabilizer to life. The Cinevate Morpheus is a all-in-one stabilizer solution for Steadicam-like handheld operation of GoPro, iPhone and pocket cameras while recording video. It serves as multipurpose device for static shooting, as well as an auto-leveling jib head and a slider or dolly. [Read more…]
Faux Slider Shots with just a Tripod
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5fGmCBnD-D0&w=640&h=360]
Here’s a great little trick for getting some motion in your video shots even if you don’t have a slider or a jib. I’ve used a tripod tilted up on two legs quite a bit for cheating dolly-in and dolly-out shots, but the Fenchel & Janisch folks take it a step further with movements along other axes for some cool jib-esque shots. The suggestion of shooting a higher frame rate to smooth out any imperfections in the camera movement when conformed to a lower frame rate is good as well.
[via PetaPixel]
Kessler Parallax Auto-Pans Your Slider Shots
Kessler is showing off a new auto-pan head, the Kessler Parallax, that works in conjunction with Kessler sliders to automatically pan on a subject throughout the slider movement.
The brilliance of the Kessler Parallax is that it achieves this movement without a motor to drive the head. Additionally, it can pan either inward (on a static subject) or outward (for a panoramic effect). [Read more…]
Kessler CineDrive Released
Kessler has announced pre-sale dates for its new CineDrive motion control system. CineDrive features multi-axis control over camera movements and allows you to fully configure key frames, bezier curves and precision positioning for your time lapses, stop-motion or live action shoots.
The basic kit will be less than $6000 and will include a Kessler CineDrive Brain, two motor bricks plus hardware to configure as a pan/tilt head and a slider motor. An iOS app for the CineDrive system is in the works for the release (or soon thereafter) and an Android app will be available in the future.
[vimeo https://vimeo.com/41043399 w=640&h=360]Pre-sale orders will begin at 1 PM ET on Wednesday, August 29. The sale will be limited to 25 orders at a first-come first-served basis to US customers only and with a one CineDrive system per customer limit. A second batch of CineDrive systems should be available in 1-3 months.
More details available on the Kessler CineDrive website.
miniSkates for GorillaPod SLR Zoom
Cinetics just launched their new miniSkates for the GorillaPod SLR Zoom, which is the GorillaPod made for smaller cameras and mobile devices. The existing CineSkates are designed to work with the heavy-duty GorillaPod Focus.
Check out the demo video below. [Read more…]
Varavon Slidecam Lite800 and Lite600
The newest addition to Varavon’s Slidecam lineup are the aptly-named Lite800 and Lite600. I stopped by the Varavon booth at NAB 2012 to get a closer look at these new sliders. The sliders are very smooth and a great selection of mounting options. I’m hoping to get more time with them soon for a more in-depth look. In the mean time, check out the overview video below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo6j8o1aN30&w=640&h=360]Varavon sliders are available at B&H Photo.
indiSLIDER at NAB 2012
The indiSLIDER is a camera slider that I’ve been intrigued with after seeing its ridiculously low prices online a few months back. I had my doubts about how smooth such a cheap product would actually perform. Those doubts were alleviated after handling a few samples on the NAB 2012 show floor.
While it’s still not a high-end product from the likes of Kessler and such, it performs amazingly well for the price. Check out the video below for a little overview of the indiSLIDER system.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs7Mp7Pv0v0&w=640&h=360]The indiSLIDER starts at just $99 for the barebones 24″ model and goes up to $215 for the 4-foot model with legs. More robust “pro” models start at $399.
Floatcam HD-DC Slider
Matthews Studio Equipment is launching the Floatcam HD-DC Slider at NAB 2012. As the model name implies, this is a heavy duty version of the popular DC Slider, and can handle larger cameras like the ARRI Alexa.
The new FloatCam HD-DC Slider features a rail length of 73” (185cm), tracking length of 63” (160cm), vertical height of 79” (200cm) and maximum load of 70 pounds (32Kg) with rail and fulcrum weight of 50 pounds (23Kg). The counterweights top at 70 pounds (32Kg). And the mini jib specs are a working diameter horizontal at 63” (160cm).
More info in the press release below. [Read more…]