Single shooters using glidecam/glidetrack/etc.

[Jeff Harper]

Ken, thanks for sharing. I can see the advantages of a Glidetrack, it sounds awesome.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Ken Diewert

Because of the potential for binding (which causes a judder, or vibration) I use it during the non-critical wedding stuff mostly. Photo shoot, reception, prep.

I almost gave up using the GlideTrack SD as the judder was so irritating. It wasn't every shot but always seemed to be at the most inopportune moment. However the new GlideTrack HD Hybrid that I bought is completely reliable & judder free. The carriage has proper bearings rather than relying on friction. It is now possible to purchase just the hybrid carriage to upgrade your GlideTrack SD. It's not an enormous saving over a whole new piece of kit but you get to re-use the track.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Michael Clark

Thanks to all for the replies. I guess maybe I need to revisit using my 24" glidetrack on a manfrotto head. I tried a couple times a long time ago, but on one tripod (I usually don't have time to set up two tripods at equal height most of the time), it seems like there would be some shake or movement, as the glidetrack would lean to one side when the camera wasn't in the middle.

You learn to brace the tripod with your foot to stop it toppling over. Also a shorter track is better. I know that 1m (39") is not a lot more expensive than the shorter model but you are better off getting the 24" in the first place rather than doing as I did & taking a hacksaw to the longer track. You really don't need a long track for effective movement just make sure that there is an object in the foreground to accentuate the slide.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Michael Clark

but with run and gun, if you want to have your tripod and your glidecam or glidetrack, it becomes a lot to carry!

I use 2 videocamera's, 2 dslr's a zoom h1, h4 and a iriver during a wedding day and I have a simple slider and blackbird steadicam and the only thing I hardly use is the slider. I use each tool when necessary and when possible, this means that when the bride is being prepared I use a dslr on a monopod and a dslr on the blackbird. In this way I can move and act quickly and a slider would only get in the way.

Then for the church it's back to the regular videocamera's on tripods and all my audio gear. The dslr, steadicam and slider stays in the car and once at the reception it's dslr again but then one dslr on a tripod, one permanently fixed to the steadicam and one videocamera stays on standby on a tripod. At the reception I do use the slider a bit just to get some eyecandy but once the guests start arriving I put it aside. The videocamera gets used if I know there will be long speeches, if it's just a very short speech from the groom I use the dslr on a tripod and one of my zooms for audio.

I allways try to prevent mixing videocamera/dslr footage, that's why I do certain parts of the day, like the church, with the videocamera only as using a dslr as well it would notice too much.

[Ken Diewert]

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

I almost gave up using the GlideTrack SD as the judder was so irritating. It wasn't every shot but always seemed to be at the most inopportune moment. However the new GlideTrack HD Hybrid that I bought is completely reliable & judder free. The carriage has proper bearings rather than relying on friction. It is now possible to purchase just the hybrid carriage to upgrade your GlideTrack SD. It's not an enormous saving over a whole new piece of kit but you get to re-use the track.

Nigel,

Thanks for the update! I've been waiting for this news for awhile and missed it. I don't think I'll bother with the feet but I will order the hybrid carriage. I'm assuming that it still has the brake to lock it into place when it's not sliding? it's hard to tell from the website video or pictures.

Also, have you used this with a larger lens like the 70-200? I could never do this with the standard carriage as it would always bind because of the weight being so far forward.

Thanks.

[Nigel Barker]

Yes, the hybrid carriage does have the lock so you can transport.

I haven't used a large lens on the hybrid track yet but can try it out later today & report back. Bear in mind however that I have the HD Hybrid which is considerably chunkier than the SD. From the way the carriage smoothly flows compared to the old version I really don't expect it to bind at all.

[Chad Whelan]

Great subject. Add me to the list of those who have held off on some of these due to being just TOO MUCH to carry around from here to there. Anyway, new year, new frame of thought as I really want to incorporate some different looks. I may hire an assistant to learn simple set up, terms and more importantly carry my gear around and make sure I have what I need in a hurry if needed. Part time, weekend work, even if you pay them $100 cash for 6-8 hours I am sure you could find a reliable person to make it much easier on yourself and make those money shots happen. I am sure there are many of you already doing this, just my thoughts.

[Jordan Brindle]

Originally Posted by Chad Whelan

Great subject. Add me to the list of those who have held off on some of these due to being just TOO MUCH to carry around from here to there. Anyway, new year, new frame of thought as I really want to incorporate some different looks. I may hire an assistant to learn simple set up, terms and more importantly carry my gear around and make sure I have what I need in a hurry if needed. Part time, weekend work, even if you pay them $100 cash for 6-8 hours I am sure you could find a reliable person to make it much easier on yourself and make those money shots happen. I am sure there are many of you already doing this, just my thoughts.

I agree. Honestly don't know how people find the time to carry/assemble/reassemble/pack up all this gear throughout the day. I have a hard enough time with my camcorder and tripod, i guess its something that comes with time and experience. I think ill be looking into hiring an assistant this year. I wan't room to be more creative past handheld/tripod shots, but as a single shooter i just can't find the time. I am in possession of a merlin and have yet to use it.

[Michael Simons]

I've been a single shooter for 19 years and this year I will be starting to use an assistant to help me out too.

[David J. Payne]

Originally Posted by Ken Diewert

Nigel,

Thanks for the update! I've been waiting for this news for awhile and missed it. I don't think I'll bother with the feet but I will order the hybrid carriage. I'm assuming that it still has the brake to lock it into place when it's not sliding? it's hard to tell from the website video or pictures.

Also, have you used this with a larger lens like the 70-200? I could never do this with the standard carriage as it would always bind because of the weight being so far forward.

Thanks.

I recently upgraded from SD to SD hybrid and the carriage is much smoother, and handles long lenses better, however you will still get the bind from the forward weight, I'd say the hybrid is 30% better at dealing with this but you still need to use your hand to try to level the carriage as you slide.

I forgot they offered the carriage upgrade so bought a whole new one, then dropped it and took a huge chunk out of the track so I managed to re-use my old track and also cut down the new one and make a 30cm long version with the old carriage on.

I was sick of having to hit the old carriage with a hammer and spray silicone spray on it to keep it smooth, but now it's a problem for my 2nd shooter to live with.

Oh, the locking mechanism on the rubber feet is awful on the hybrid, no matter how tightly you do them up one of the feel will always slip through several times a day. Still worth keeping them on there in case you want to chuck it vertically up a wall or something.

[David J. Payne]

with all this talk of monopod can I just ask, I assume it's not possible to adequately use a slider on top of a monopod? That's the only reason I keep my tripod because my slider is permanently on there except ceremony and speeches. The tripod is such a pain to carry around it'd be a dream to switch to mono but I don't think it's possible.

[Mary Crowley]

To be honest, even with the shorter sliders, I wouldn't use them on a monopod as it would be too difficult to use either effectively.

[David J. Payne]

yeah that's what I thought. It's a shame as I really like the idea of a mono but I'm one of those use it to death slider fans. Perhaps this is an excuse to move away from it..