Need a Slider and fluid head tripod soon, need a balance of cost and quality.

B

BrettR.

Active member
If there are other threads like this, please shoot me a link to them.

It's time for me to step it up and get a more polished look out of my footage, and a slider and quality tripod is what is first on the list. I can't afford crazy expensive stuff, but I do have a certain amount of belief in the old "buy nice or buy twice" line.... so the cheapest I can get without getting something I'll regret would be nice. There are so many options out there, I'd love to hear from people that actually have experience about what to avoid and what to get. I use a HPX-170 mostly, and a 7D when the situation calls for it. I will want to mount the slider on the tripod, so please make sure the suggestions play together nice. I want to be able to shoot on any horizontal or vertical angle i see fit witht he slider on the tripod, incase that matters.

Thanks!
 
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Pretty big topics.

For tripods and fluid heads, hopefully someone else will answer.

For sliders, check out this link: http://thedslrjourney.com/blog/equipment/slider-dslr-video .

Here's some thoughts:

* Consider not buying one! They might be overrated. How often do you use tracking movements anyway, and can you simply mount the thing on a steadicam and do a little sideways movement if you really want some sort of horizontal reveal, or a little vertical movement for vertical? Consider also using a proper dolly that the operator can sit on while someone else pushes. Tom Antos has a great video on YouTube about how to build such things for about $120.

* Think about maximum weight. Do you ever need to pimp out your HPX with rails, mattebox, 35mm adapter, follow focus, monitor, etc? If so, get a slider that can cope with that weight without bending.

* Motors and cranks aren't necessary to get smooth shots. Just push the camera; if your hand is steady enough to do smooth pans and tilts, it should be steady enough to do smooth manual slides. But if you envisage future need for precise motion control (for visual effects or long timelapses, say), then get a unit that can be upgraded with a motor. Note: It's not too difficult to build such motors yourself.

* Most people don't need a big slider most of the time. Big sliders have a bunch of problems: usually fiddly to set up, because you need two or three support points instead of centre-mounting on a tripod, and need to make sure they're the same height; difficult to manoeuvre in crowds; inconvenient to take with you on an aeroplane; annoying even to lug around if you have to do a lot of carrying of gear. Have a look at Kessler Philip Bloom slider and Cinevate Atlas FLT for good-sized sliders.

* Easiest way to go vertical is to purchase a centre-mounting slider and a strong fluid head that can do a 90 degrees tilt. Don't ordinarily need a slider with special mounting holes on the end to go vertical (don't need that sort of height, nor the headache of fiddling with clamps, etc to stabilise it). You probably will also need, though, a new fluid head to mount on top of the slider that can also do a 90 degree tilt (otherwise your camera is going to be sideways on the slider). Flick through the DP Slider pages -- they recommend various Manfrotto support gear for going vertical. They also have a cool demo video of vertical slides that first seduced me to the possibility of them, though I very rarely use this technique.

* Konova might well be the cheapest good quality slider (good quality meaning smooth -- "roller bearing" vs "drylin").

* There's a current 30% sale on Cinevate sliders (available from website, or from B&H; check both to see which shipping is cheapest).
 
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Here is my slider experience. I also have a HPX170 and wanted to get a little more out of my footage. I went with the Igus rail/carriage from Amazon and did all the drilling and thread tapping myself since I had the tools http://www.amazon.com/DryLin®-Linear-Motion-System-Sliders/dp/B003XECN2S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=A10ZKKXNUBLUI3&s=generic&qid=1329539558&sr=1-2. You must think about how you want to support a slider. Since I backpack my gear, a one tripod solution is a must. First thing I did was shorten the rail to 28 inches which is easier to handle. Next I bought a cheap heavy load davis/sanford tripod http://www.tiffen.com/displayproduct.html?tablename=davissanford&itemnum=ATPG (mine does not have the crank) and put a Manfrotto 577 mount on it http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009XV3M...e=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B00009XV3M. I use this setup for my slider and 4 foot jib which works fine but is not a good all around replacement for my regular tripod 3221/501 head which can't handle the load. Getting a consistent slide with the Igus linear bearings is hit or miss for me. Others have been pretty successful. I can get fairly good footage by shooting at 720 60p when doing a slide then putting it on a 30p timeline which results in a smooth slow-mo shot.

An alternative is the Konova slider which glides on steel wheels and has a good reputation but cost more than the DIY Igus. From my experience and research a motorized slider solves some of the Igus issues and I am going to DIY motorize mine similar to http://kokomonstrum.com/pages/igus_belt_driven_motorized_servo_slider_16.asp but without the fancy mounts that he made. I think I can keep it around $100 for the modification.
 
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Most tripod heads aren't stiff enough to carry a slider without help. The only head I have that is stiff enough to go solo is my Kessler Hercules. So for the most part, I think most sliders need two sources of support. A decent tripod mount and a light stand works just fine, no need for two tripods IMHO. You can really spend a lot for a head, and there are plenty of opinions for that, I just wanted to give you a bit of advice on slider mounts.

Grant
 
BrettR. said:
If there are other threads like this, please shoot me a link to them.

Hi, I bought a Konova Slider around 8 months ago. It's a great slider and I got much better results with it than when I was using a cheaper igus slider. For the price I paid it does a great job! You can use it on a tripod but unless you have a very sturdy tripod and head I wouldn't recommend because it's hard to get decent shots. You can use 2 tripods - in that case you're good. You can get some shots with the slider on one tripod but you can't get all the way to the end because the slider will start leaning down... Now Konova has a motorized slider that looks really great! If you can afford it then it's a no brainer get a Kessler, any Kessler, they're just flawless but they cost double...

As for tripods I say get a Sachtler -- from the Ace through the FSB range they're all fantastic. My fav is the Cine Dslr with carbon fibre Legs. Don't cheap out on the tripod, you won't regret buying a good tripod but you always regret buying a bad one. ... there is nothing worse than having your actors waiting while you're wrestling the frigging tripod legs :| and having to repeat a shot because you panned to fast and you lost the car!

here's a montage test I did the first week I got the Konova (one week only and I was getting pretty decent pro shots!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX6ZLrxSiPU

g'luck!

bernie rao
Click to expand...
 
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