Reasonably Priced Sliders available now

[Olof Ekbergh]

I just ordered 80' of Igus track, in full 3.5m (11') lengths. And a bunch of their "trucks".

I have made a number of these already and now I will be marketing them. Even a 2 footer makes a huge difference in a shot. And it is super portable. It can be used on table top or on sticks or on the ground. I have figured what works and what does not, over a one year period of experimentation.

I will offer them in any length, I will do all the tapping and drilling and I provide ends that are small and rugged, and I will offer a couple options for mounting the Camera on the truck.

I have these in stock now.

This weekend I will post more photographs, pricing and ordering information here.

I already make a number of products for the EX1:EX1 Stronger Plates

Here are some photos of a few setups I have made, and I currently am using myself.

If you are interested contact me.
olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

P.S. I also have a "ladder dolly" system I have been using with optional motor. That I will be producing soon.

[J. Chris Moore]

Looks awesome, I've been thinking about investing in a slider to add to the production value of my work. Are you offering any kind of warranty/guarantee?

I really like that members of our industry are developing products that are affordable and useful. Sometimes I think the high cost of "professional" equipment is a tax on being a professional. I understand that a lot of products have the price of R&D built into them, but a lot of equipment is just simply ridiculously priced. Companies know they can charge an arm and a leg because they know we need their product. OK rant over.

[Olof Ekbergh]

Chris,

I offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like my product ship it back and I will give you a full refund.

I feel the same way about pricing, I am a shooter myself, have been for more decades than I care to think about. So I have been making my own stuff for years.

I just stumbled into making these products because people requested it. I also have a machine shop which helps.

Here is my current pricing, I am currently offering 10% off these prices for early adopters:

24" Track, with rubber feet and drilled and tapped for 3/8" or 1/4" Tripod and head: $275.00
48" Track, with rubber feet and drilled and tapped for 3/8" or 1/4" Tripod and head: $350.00
72" Track, with rubber feet and drilled and tapped for 3/8" or 1/4" Tripod and head: $450.00

I can make any custom length up to 3.5 meters (about 11'), longer than 6' is expensive to ship. Personally I really like the portability of the 2 footer, I also use the 6 footer a lot.

[Jeff Anselmo]

Hi Olof,

I've also made an Igus DIY dolly last year, but am using rubber bands for "end caps" at the
moment :(

(I've mounted an HV30 on it successfully, even an XL2, but that ones a bit more hair raising!)

What do you use for end caps? And would you sell them separately?

Best,

[Olof Ekbergh]

Jeff,

Yes I can sell you my end caps.

They are made of PVC with Rubber Bumper feet. I also give you a small wedge that you can use under one foot on uneven surfaces, when set up on the ground/floor or a table.

If you tell me what track you used the, ie WS-16-60-S is the medium one and the most common. I can set you up with ends. I tap 3/8 x16 threads in the ends of the track and use a couple 3/8" allen button head screws to hold them in.

This system works very well with no extra weight, and is stable on the floor.

Give me a call, and we can set it up.
olof@westsideav.com
603-383-9283
cel 603-387-4921

[Jeff Anselmo]

Hi Olof,

Thanks for the reply. I believe I ordered the medium size (16-60), but I'm at the office. Will have to check this weekend.

Also, I had my father in law tap the ends so I'd be able to screw a bolt (with a thick plastic washer) to use as end caps; but for some reason I can't find the correct bolt to fit (Home Depot/Lowes didn't seem to have 'em)!

Would I need to re-tap the ends to make your end caps fit?

(I guess I should email you all this info instead :)

BTW, here's a link for my DIY dolly: DIYDolly_01 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Hope to talk more this weekend,

[Leonard Levy]

Olof,

Besides price, what is the difference between your sliders and others on the market - i.e. Indieslider, Kessler, etc. ?

[Chris McMahon]

I'll probably be looking into these pretty soon. Very cool.

[J. Chris Moore]

Olof,

Your prices seem very reasonable. What are you usually using to mount the camera to the truck, ie tripod head or similar solution. I've never used a slider before so I really don't know what popular options are.

[Olof Ekbergh]

Chris,

I find the Manfrotto 701HDV nice for EX1/EX3 size cameras:
Manfrotto | 701HDV Pro Fluid Video Mini Head | 701HDV | B&H

For smaller cams a Manfrotto 391 will work fine:
391rc2

These are just suggestions there are many similar heads available.

For more information feel free to call me:
603.383.9283

[Olof Ekbergh]

Originally Posted by Leonard Levy

Olof,

Besides price, what is the difference between your sliders and others on the market - i.e. Indieslider, Kessler, etc. ?

There are quite a few people using the same hardware, a lot of do it yourselfers as well.

The track is actually from the food manufacturing industry, used in their assembly lines. It is a really high quality track system.

I have been experimenting with different tracks for a year now. There are 4 available just from Igus (that is where I get mine). I have figured out what works the best. And I buy the parts in bulk, so I get a good price, and I cut the track to length myself.

I think I have a nice system for the ends, small but rugged and works well on a table and on the ground.

The system is so simple that there really is not much you can do to improve on it.

One small trick is on the largest track, make 2 of the bearings float, I have a simple way of doing this. This makes the truck glide much smoother.

[Marcus Martell]

what's the weight of an ex3 with mattebox?
What about a Z1?
thx

[J. Chris Moore]

Originally Posted by Marcus Martell

what's the weight of an ex3 with mattebox?
What about a Z1?
thx

Are you asking because you have those cameras and want to use them on one of these sliders? If so couldn't you just weigh them your self or look on the manufacturer's website to find out? No disrespect just asking.

[J. Chris Moore]

Originally Posted by Olof Ekbergh

Chris,

I find the Manfrotto 701HDV nice for EX1/EX3 size cameras:
Manfrotto | 701HDV Pro Fluid Video Mini Head | 701HDV | B&H

For smaller cams a Manfrotto 391 will work fine:
391rc2

These are just suggestions there are many similar heads available.

For more information feel free to call me:
603.383.9283

Thanks for the links! I'm sure one of these would do the job.

[Olof Ekbergh]

Originally Posted by Marcus Martell

what's the weight of an ex3 with mattebox?
What about a Z1?
thx

I use an EX3 with a 8" Marshal monitor on a 6' slider frequently, the main thing is to have a solid head and tripod attached.

I even made a high-hat rig you can see in one of the photos on my fist post. The one with the hand crank and monitor turned around to be used for prompting. This one uses a heavier track and will support a lot of weight. It is just important that the CG is in the middle of the head, to make moving it smooth.



Also if your head and camera are elevated far above the track, you have to move the camera by grasping the base of the head, not up at the top of the camera to produce smooth moves. It takes a bit of practice with a heavy rig. The truck itself will support 250 lbs, way more than what I would recommend.