ZazaCast
Major Contributor
I did notice the noise was a bit of an issue when using the Glidetrack Hybrid. However, it took so little force to move the carriage along and I found it much easier to achieve a steadier slider speed whereas I found the traditional way quite difficult to overcome the "stickiness" that occurs. Also, today was a very hot day (36 degrees c, 45 with humidity) and there is definitely a lot more friction with the slider today. Do you find temperature has a large effect on the slider's fluidity?
I'll address this with a quote from Postmaster:
Can we please make that statement a sticky? For all those folks who absolutely want super easy ball bearings?
I build my first slider some years ago with those linear ball bearings and special rods.
Beside the noise (I would be able to handle that) I never got a smooth shot.
You defiantly want (and need) the damping, that the Igus slide provides.
If you don't get smooth start/stop/sliding, than practice.
You have to practice with a steadycam too - nobody with a sane mind ,expects everyone and his kid brother to handle a
steadycam like the pros on day one - same with the slider.
I know, most folks don´t want to hear that, but it takes some time till you master it.
end of rant - frank
I have done the realign thanks to your suggestions and I didn't see an improvement. You've said that the more weight, the easier it slides but with mine it is just the opposite. It slides very well when there's nothing on the carriage, but with camera, lens and tripod head added, the friction is greatly enhanced. It's tricky because I really don't have a benchmark so I'm not sure if I'm just being finicky or if I should be looking at contacting Igus for some new bearings. Thanks again for your help Zaza. You really are fantastic at helping people out with this stuff.
Something is not right here... have you centered the weight of your camera on the carriage? If it hangs over the edge of the rail, it will put too much pressure on one side of the carriage and cause it to 'bind'. I doubt it's your bearings, I'm still using the original slider I built over 3 years ago and it's smooth as silk.
Post some video or something so I can see what is happening & help you...again, something just isn't right here.
