Name that Slider

S

StMad

Well-known member
On the boards I saw a slider which could keep your subject centered as you moved across your subject. Can anyone name it for me?
 
^ Hey, I got quoted. I've got it made now, baby!

I haven't come across that slider but if I had to name it...how about Gerald? :)

Sounds interesting. Was it a mechanical or electronic solution? Did it track the subject or was it just pivoting around a set point?
 
I hesitated before making it my autosig...concerned about taking you out of context.

Pretty sure the slider was mechanical, and if I was better with words..."pivoting around a set point"...would be the words I would choose.

Oh, and Gerald is an inappropriate name for a lady. But Gertrude has a ring.
 
Such a mechanical device would a trainer wheels situation with a slider, with some practice you wouldn't need it. I could see it being an interesting mod for a motorised slider on the other hand. I was hoping it was mechanical and 'pivots around a point'. Personally I'm interested in seeing it to see if the design could be adapted to work for a jib.
 
You might be right Egg, a bit of practice with a decent slider might be the ticket. Trying this move with my homemade Igus was doing my head in. The main benefit though is that you nail your shot first time everyone time, and you have a hand free for pulling focus if needed. I'd imagine using the move for an important piece of dialogue delivery...the move first caught my eye when Good Matt Damon was sitting on the park bench and Dr Williams was telling him whats what.

Liam, the slider pivots your camera automatically as you slide, keeping your subject centered.
 
My camera's too heavy for the cheap opteka igus I bought (looked full size on the internet but it was a skinny dslr rail) so I haven't practiced much but every pro I've seen using one grips the base with both hands or occasionally one hand on the base and the other on the pan handle. I suggest using deeper focus, even infinity for just about any camera motion. One of the main purposes of shallow depth of focus is to provide a sense of depth or space in the z axis. Any time the camera physically moves from a to b it changes perspective, which fulfills this purpose. So plan your move and set your DOF accordingly to keep the subject in focus, you're only going to need to keep a maximum of 3-4 ft of depth in focus anyway, depending on your slider. Moving across the subject probably no more than 1ft. Alternatively have an assistant handle focus for the rare move like a dolly zoom that needs the extra hands.
 
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