Digital Cameras

digitalfilm.tv There are several good quality sliders available for the Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 7D and other HDLSR cameras as well as traditional video cameras. However, for the videographer on a budget, these commercial sliders are expensive. So a DIY slider may be just the ticket for getting those great dolly shots for less than a 0. This video (shot with an iPhone 4 by the way) shows me unboxing a set of slider kits from Igus.com. They provide a variety of widths and lengths for rails and matching cradles. In order to use them with your camera, you will have to do a bit of work (hence the DIY moniker). You need to set a mounting screw in the carrier for a camera head and also set a screw for mounting to tripod. Your local machine shop should be able to help you do that. In a future video I'll show how this can be done inexpensively. My initial impression of the rails and carriages from Igus is one of quality. The rails are sturdy. The carriage slides smoothly along the rails, and the slider is relatively quiet (you can hear a bit of the slider noise in this video as I move the carriage back and forth). I can't wait to finish the product out to use with my cameras. Stay tuned to http for more information, By the way, be sure to check out my podcast: Digital Convergence. We talk all things video and photography including a good deal of conversation about the HDSLR cameras. You can find the podcast here: digitalfilm.tv