DIY 39" Slider
 

This thing is real easy to make. Just tap a hole. Works good. Very fast set up and break down.

Looks very nice. What materials did you use?

Looks like a high end drawer slide, is it? More details please !

VERY similar to the indiesliderpro! nice work.

Perhaps a door guide?

I'll try and find the link where I got it, the track is very high end and not made for cameras or doors. Seems like something made for robotics or factory machinery.

Dang!! Just like the real thing Brian! Gusto ko ana pod!

ooh. xactly like the glidetrack. Am I right to say u have to remove the bowl to screw it to the track before mounting it? Will it flex at the ends?

If you google 'linear rails' you will find lots of companies that produce these type of rails they are made for engineering equipment.

Standard linear guide rails, miniature line guide rails, rail brake system

just an example

No, I just removved the head and bolted to tripod. Easy...it's vaguely a diy process, takes about five minutes and solid as a rock.

Looks good Brian! Any sample footage with your DIY slider?

BTW, saw this from the other forum to buy slider parts: igus® Inc: E-Chain Cable Carrier Systems®, iglide® plastic bearings, Chainflex® flexible cable, Drylin® linear guides and bearings, ReadyChain harnessed systems, igubal® spherical bearings, aluminum shafting

Best,

What was the cost?

Wonderful.
I'd love to know where I can purchase one to give it a try...How big is your rail?
What model did you get?

Regards

The OP teased us then went silent..... arghhhhh.

I've just put the same thing together from parts from Igus.com (European company, but there may be outlets in the US.)
This is what it's capable of:
Woodland on Vimeo
It cost me about 100GBP - do the maths yourselves - I can't keep up with currency fluctuations these days!

Very nicely done. Thank you for sharing that.

What components did you purchase and how did you mount the camera?

Good work Robin; very nice images! I think the dolly moves worked best when there was something in the foreground (and especially liked the DOF). But there seems to be a bit of stutter move when camera tilting (but it's good to know that it's possible to tilt/move with a DIY slider). Did you use the HF10 on your dolly?

Like Chris, I'm also curious of the specific components you purchased.

Best,

Thanks Chris and Jeff -
I can do better tilts than that - honest! I was using a little Velbon head from the D700 unit, which is ok really, and light, though I'm adapting the slider to fit on my Manfrotto legs via a 75mm ball.
It was the HF10 camera that I used, set to manual focus and exposure, to keep foreground objects soft.
As for the slider itself, I ordered a meter length rail (60cms wide) and a "carriage" 10cms square from http://www.igus.co.uk/wpck/default.aspx?pagenr=1994 I had a 1/4 inch bolt fitted into it so I could screw the head onto it. There are holes pre-drilled on the rail, so I just place the centre of it on the tripod top with its fixing bolt going through the rails and use a washer and a 1/4inch nut to tighten the two together.
I've also put some end stops either end of the rail, since the carriage can shoot off if the unit is tilted!

Hi Robin,

I'm sure when I do my own camera dolly tilts it will be much, much worse :)

Do you think the rails/carriage you purchased is capable of handling heavier weights, specifically the Canon XL2 (which I'll be using primarily)?

Best,

Jeff,
The rails and carriage are capable of taking a good deal of weight - I run the Sony FX1 on the system as well, so you should have no problem with the Canon.
The problem will be with the support. If you run the rail on the ground, or supported at either end, it will be fine (it certainly won't bend.) However, If you run it attached to a tripod, you must make sure that the screw is strong enough - 3/8ths will be fine - and the tripod top area that it rests on is wide enough to give support when the camera is at its furthest travel on the rails at either end.
I've fitted a Manfrotto 75mm. ball to the rails, which then fits into the bowl of the Manfrotto 525 legs. This would support the XL2 fine.
I will get some still pics or video up over the weekend to demonstrate the set up.

Thanks Robin. Looking forward to photos of your setup.

Best,

Much more helpful than the OP ! Thank you. Were there specific product numbers or did you just order the complete setup. Visiting the site was still a little daunting. Thanks again...

Chris

As promised guys, here are some pics I took yesterday:
Camera glider track rails - a set on Flickr

Chris, I'll find the invoice and post the specific part numbers tonight.

Hi Robin,

Thanks for the great photos. Looks like a real good setup!

What are those things that you've screwed on at the ends? Are they plastic?

Best,

Jeff,
Yes, they're just two bits of plastic we found in the workshop so that the unit can be placed on a table or other surface. I want to replace them with longer pieces which come out a bit more to give more stability.
We've also screwed some washers onto the ends so that the carriage won't come off the rails when being carried or tilted!

Beyond 1 metre/39 inches
 

Thanks Robin for sharing the photos....

Can you post the part numbers for all of us pls?

Does anyone have any practical experience of sliders/track over 1 metre or 39 inches?

Could you, for example, effectively use an FX1 sized camera, mounted on a single tripod with a slider, say at 1.5 metres, or 60 inches (providing of course the track was strong like Robin's and didn't flex under the weight). Or would it become unmanageable?

And then at what size (maybe 2 metres or 78 inches) does it make practical sense to go to supports at both ends?

Instead of using a tripod, I am considering using a sturdy upright stand, normally used as part of a backcloth support system. Any thoughts?

Thanks, Sean

Sean,
I'm looking for the invoice with the part numbers - it's here somewhere!
In the meantime, here's yet another test I shot last Sunday:
A Woodland Secret on Vimeo

I've used my FX1 on these rails, but I wouldn't like to use it on anything longer than one metre with the tripod fixing. The track itself is strong enough, but the weight of the camera and fluid head at the extreme ends of the track could put a massive strain on the thread holding it onto the tripod fixing.

I agree Robin,
Having thought about the question of a 1.5 metre slider, the weak point of the system is the attachment to the tripod - that's where the real strain will be.

And as for my question about mounting it on a background support stand, I have now thought through the answer: that would only really work if there was one at each end, a single support stand in the middle just wouldn't be as stable as a tripod.

I've just checked your new Woodland Secret film on Vimeo - it's not playing correctly for me at the moment...just a black screen and the timeline is speeding along, just like a Welsh mountain goat, from start to finish in under four seconds - some kind of record!

Some useful comments on the page re: part numbers etc.

Sean

Hi Robin,

Very nice! Much better cam dolly tilts, my friend. Especially liked the tilt to the ruins (at around 43 sec to 56 sec), then dissolve (on movement, good job :) to the piece of metal in the foreground (at 57 sec). I think your getting handy with that thing.

As Sean had mentioned there was equipment info left by someone, and wondered if these are the exact part names/numbers that you used.

(Real jealous of your backyard. Living in the southwest in El Paso, we don't get much "green" around here. Sometimes miss living in California, where I can hike up the mountains full of pine trees, and waterfalls. Sigh.)

Best,

Hi Sean,

I think your idea of putting the slider on stands isn't a bad idea; but I think a (good) tripod would be more stable. Obviously not having the slider myself, using two stands at either end could well make the slider stable. But having two tripods at either end would maximize stability.

I currently have a Libec tripod that barely holds up our XL2 (with the barest of camera moves). But I think it's the Libec tripod head that's the issue. (Cause the tripod is very useful when strapping on our Kessler crane which could get heavy.) For the DIY slider, I'd probably get 2 relatively inexpensive tripods to screw on either ends of the slider. (Provided if the wife agrees to buying the slider and tripods in the first place :)

Best,

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.

Hi Robin, I can now view version 2 of woodlands, I must have the wrong codecs for version one.
This is actually inspirational - so much so that I plan to have a go myself at something similar over Easter when I'm in France.
Very poetic piece - (funnily enough I didn't like the use of type at the end - not so much the words as maybe the type face and the layout.)
On some shots it appears you could be sliding, tilting and panning all at once - no mean feat!
Sean

I like how this model incorporates a monopod at one end and your tripod mount at the other. Looks pretty stable but still light weight.

THE VIDEOSLIDER - VS1 — 3' of Travel - only 5 pounds

Hi Mitchell,

That Videoslider looks like a real professional piece of kit! From the photos, it's look well made and strong. I especially like the idea of a tripod on one end, and a monopod on the other. Does he sell a slider that's capable of being supported by TWO monopods :)

But the price, well, is a bit out of reach for me (guess one could certainly rent a Videoslider). And not to bash your suggestion at all, but the original poster made a DIY slider, and with Robin's much appreciated "research and development" in the field (with video samples), I think their DIY slider is much more affordable.

Best,

I agree Jeff. I just posted the link so you guys could potentially steal some ideas from it. I really like the "monopod at one end" idea/solution.

I'm still waiting for someone to post step-by-step instructions on how to build one. Plus, where to purchase parts in the United States. (crossing my fingers)

I am so jealous - France is my most favourite country and I get there whenever I can.
I can just see your shots now, slow reveals of un petit village perché, or a move accross vines in bud...

Anyway guys, if you want a slider like mine, already drilled and with end feet fitted and ready to go, you can buy one from Alastair Brown in Scotland for about 200GBP + postage.
He's at:
www.glidetrack.com
It's a great price - especially if you don't have access to a workshop for all the drilling etc...

Wow! That seems like a really great deal. I wonder how much a 75mm bowl adaptor costs? (I didn't see the prices listed on the website, only photos of how to use it for mounting)

I bought the Manfrotto 75mm ball for the tripod bowl for about £50 from Amazon.
It's ideal, since you can get everything levelled quickly (with a spirit level)

I was using the slider with the Sony FX1 today:

Flickr Photo Download: Sony FX1 on camera slider track.

It was very stable on the Manfrotto legs, since I was using the Manfrotto ball adapter to secure it.
I didn't feel that there was any strain on the 3/8ths thread.