DIY 39" Slider

[Joseph Santarromana]

Thanks Robin for posting this, I ordered the rail and carriage parts from Igus they have a warehouse or factory in Oregon. I have two light weight tripods Im going to see if they work with this, and I ordered a Heavy Duty 3-way Tripod Head to mount somehow on the carriage. I dont have any of the parts yet and i have no idea how i will put it together any suggestions would be appreciated. Did anyone come up with something like the black plastic or rubber feet on each end of the glidecam? and what about stops so the camera doesnt fall off the end of the rail? really looks like when im done im saving $100 USD hope its worth it.

Originally Posted by Robin Davies-Rollinson

Jeff, I checked on the Igus.co.uk site and there was a slight difference with the prefix letters.
This is a correction:

The rails are:
“drylin W” double rail parts # WS-16-60, 1000 16mm dia, 60mm wide, and 1000mm long.
You can order up to 4000mm long rail.

The carriage that runs on the rails is:
“drylin W” carriage part# “WK-16-60-10-01, 100”
16mm dia 60mm wide and 100mm square

It's quite easy to order - there is a dialogue box where you choose the dimensions and then click "next" to go to the next parameters.

I actually spoke to someone in the UK as well, so I'm sure that you could do the same with your local supplier.

[Michael Harvey]

Joe,

If you go to this web address you will find a complete detailed set of instructions for putting you DIY slider using ingus parts together. I put mine together recently - easy. Took about 30 min.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=145701

Best,

Mike

[Brian Luce]

Sorry, I started this thread and stopped checking it.

The best way to order the parts is to CALL them. They're friendly and competent. As has been stated, the Igus website is daunting.

The parts are made in Germany, and everyone knows the Germans make great stuff. This materials are bulletproof and rock solid. The heaviest cam I've used on it is a JVC HD100 with heavy duty battery and a Firestore and it's still solid. That's in the pics in the original post.

Because is so solid and heavy and well machined, you have to be careful moving it, any tilt beyond horizontal and the carriage takes off like stray canon ball on Galleon deck. For that reason, I put stoppers on each end to keep the carriage from sliding completely off. This is especially wise for mishaps occurring when the camera is STILL attached to the carriage! Been there, almost done that. I just tapped each end of the rail and threaded a couple of 3/8 hex bolts.

Another smart thing is to put a monopod, mic boom or something on both ends of the rail, so the whole rig won't tip when you slide to the edges. And while you're at it, sand bag the tripod.

They're easy to use, even your first attempt will look good, not like learning to fly a Stedicam for example.

One thing no one seems to know about yet is the limitation on rail length, I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work perfectly on a two meter rail for example.

For pushes, you might consider an extension so the camera won't pick up the rail in frame. Something like this: Filmtools 4" Riser

[Brian Luce]

Anyone every tried shortening their Igus bar? Mine is 39", I'd like to take a foot off or so.

[Sam Mendolia]

Robin, loved the videos, and all the info.

I have just done a DIY using an old enlarger stand, about 30 inches long, works like a charm.

Thanks again.

[Brian Luce]

I ordered a Filmtools extension riser for 25 bucks. They are beautifully made and work very well for pushes. Be advised you may need a $2 bushing to adapt the smaller tripod head as the riser has 3/8" threads.

[Brian Luce]

I was going to shorten my 39" Igus slider to make it more portable. However now that I know you can easily use the Igus + DSLR as a mini jib, I think I'll keep it at 39". This jib set up is brilliant. Dunno why I never thought of it.

Canon 7D is so light you don't need counter weights.

Photo attached.

[Mitchell Lewis]

Nice! (More photos if possible) What head is that?

[Brian Luce]

the big head is a Bogen 501, the head on the slider is a Slik -- a light inexpensive one, doesn't even have a model number on it.

[Arif Syed]

so, would this be viable with a larger cam (xh-a1)?

[Barry Uddstrom]

Looking at the Slider track that Brian is using and the camera, do you think this track be would be strong enough and give enough stability for a Sony PMW-EX3 camera?

I see you can get wider tracks and carriages but the weight goes up considerably and cost too I guess.

[Buba Kastorski]

this is what I use for both EX1 and 5D
with ingus rails being so inexpensive, I have three of them, 20" 40" and 60", but I rarely use 40" and 60" cuz for those I need 2 tripods;
20" is great on a single tripod, it's long enough for 3-4 sec. shot, and Manfrotto 322RC2 is strong ehough even for EX1 abd BP U60,
It is not as smooth as Cinevate's pegasus, and takes a bit more practice (like 5 minutes :) but it's lighter, smaller and much less expensive :)

[Brian Luce]

Originally Posted by Barry Uddstrom

Looking at the Slider track that Brian is using and the camera, do you think this track be would be strong enough and give enough stability for a Sony PMW-EX3 camera?

I see you can get wider tracks and carriages but the weight goes up considerably and cost too I guess.

Yes, I owned the EX3 and used this slider with it.

One point that can't be emphasized enough, the materials her are extremely robust.

[Barry Uddstrom]

Thanks for your feed back, I think I will go ahead and order a length of track and carriage. Will get the 150 mm long carriage.

Will give some feed back after a test run.

Thanks.

[Brian Luce]

Originally Posted by Buba Kastorski

this is what I use for both EX1 and 5D
with ingus rails being so inexpensive, I have three of them, 20" 40" and 60", but I rarely use 40" and 60" cuz for those I need 2 tripods;
20" is great on a single tripod, it's long enough for 3-4 sec. shot, and Manfrotto 322RC2 is strong ehough even for EX1 abd BP U60,
It is not as smooth as Cinevate's pegasus, and takes a bit more practice (like 5 minutes :) but it's lighter, smaller and much less expensive :)

Looks great! Do have some sort of brake on your carriage? Looks different from mine.