Cheesycam Skater Dolly

Videos or Articles related to the Cheesycam Skater Type Video Camera Dollies.

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gini dslr shoulder mount video rig
korean gini dslr rig

Hands down to Zacuto and Redrock. They've got some awesome gear, but that also means an awesome price tag! Hey not all of us are getting paid to shoot Feature Films. When shopping for a shoulder rig, a few friends told me about something called the 'Gini Rig'. It's probably old news to most of you out there, but it's always nice to share the information so here's the official Cheesycam post. The eBay seller goes by Gini so everyone has coined the term 'Gini Rigs'. It's all done by Computer Aided Designs, high quality materials, and designed to be modular and highly configurable. Looks and feels like expensive rigs, only it's less than half the price of similar rigs coming out of Zacuto and Redrock. Sure it's shipping from Korea so you're going to wait a week or two. But i'm loving these guerilla style DSLR rigs. Maybe maybe maybe.. Check out these awesome rigs that all the videographers are talking about!

[UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE] I received a Gini Rig and reviewed it here:  http://cheesycam.com/the-gini-rig-arrives-from-korea
gini-rig-review
[Updated] Full Gini Rig Photo Gallery and Review

cine city dslr video shoulder mount rig

There's also Cine City products which I believe are coming out of India. They've been around for a while, but the previous lineup of products was nothing to be excited about. I think over the year with the DSLR craze going wild, they have improved on their designs, quality, and lineup of products. Definitely much more professional looking and looks to be compatible with other similar ROD rigs. This means you can mix and match clamps, handles, follow focuses, and other accessories.
Check out some of the new Cine City lineups for DSLR video stabilizers. Click any of the images to buy the products on eBay.

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Well it's been only a short time since I finally released my version of a DIY Rotational Skater Video Dolly. There's already talks in forums and other homebrews of this simple design on YouTube and on Vimeo. In fact there's even a guy on YouTube (i'm not going to drop links for sake of web traffic), who's setup a website selling it off as his original design. Absolutely no credits back to where he grabbed the idea from. I say don't support this guys sales...his parts look pretty hokey too. Hahaha.

Check out the video above for some example footage of the SpiderTrax Dolly design in use. Pretty cool!! Thanks Irakli !! Awesome job on making your DIY version.

A team of guys over at SpiderTraxDolly.com has taken the design into fancy computer renderings and precision manufacturing with black anodized aluminum and other good stuff. So if you're interested in getting some really professional looking gear, on the super dirt cheap, check out more information at SpiderTraxDolly.com

If you've got some really good skills, there are many DIY versions of the P+S Technik 3 wheeled Mini Skater. Here's a super awesome example of a DIY Skater Dolly based on the P+S Tehnik design master hand crafted by kasokeys (video below).

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Seems to be a never ending cycle trying to find the best deals on these LED lights. They are just selling like crazy. Prices have gone up for USA sellers, but you can still grab them for around $50 Dollars + Free Shipping out of China.
More 126 LED's for around $50 dollars, can be shipped from China. Check out the Auctions Here.

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If you're shooting DSLR video, you know the current workflow is to render the original files out to another format before you'll get smoother playback during editing. Well Adobe's recognized this workflow and has created the new 'Mercury Playback Engine' in CS5. Adobe's new CS5 suite of tools also includes updates to InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Flash, After Effects, and even Premiere Pro. The new applications are written for native 64bit and with the Mercury Playback Engine, it should play any video file from DSLR's to Sony XDCam super smooth.

The new Photoshop CS5 also has some awesome new features with Conten-Aware Fill, Selection tools, and a better HDR Pro tool. Whether you're a photographer or videographer, check out the videos above and below for some exciting new reasons why you should grab the new CS5 Suite.

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The DIY SpiderTrax Rotating Video Dolly project was introduced to show others how they can make their own DIY skater mini dolly, to get video footage similar to the P+S technik Skater Mini. The team over at https://www.SpiderTraxDolly.com has made major improvements to the design that is being manufacturing. There will be a limited first run of units, so if you have any interest in the DIY SpiderTrax Video Dolly kit, check out the website and drop your name @ https://www.SpiderTraxDolly.com and complete the form.

SpiderTrax Tip::
Most people will bring out a piece of wood if you want a taller shot. Keyboard stands work great for this. Something like this tiny.cc/9f5wu

Also if you're working on carpet, tiles, or uneven flooring you can use those plastic sheets that you put on the floor for Office chairs to roll on. Like this: tiny.cc/k40xo

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There's not too much to say about a quality wide angle telephoto lens for the 7D that can keep you at F/2.8, except for the Canon 17-55mm F/2.8 priced at $1030.00 US Dollars. But Tamron's latest release (replacing the older version of their 17-55mm) F/2.8 lens has been tested over at PopPhoto.com and it looks good.

PopPhoto.com's article about the new Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 lens with VC (vibration compensation a.k.a. Image Stabilization as known by Canonholics) starts at a street price of just $649.00. Not bad at all for someone who's looking for a flexible travel lens that can shoot wide. I'm interested in hearing from someone who's tried both, or maybe the price alone would get your wheels spinning? I'm a Canon fan myself, but i'm wondering if the price would make it worth a buy?

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This is a quick post, i'll get more photos and information up soon:

This was something I designed a long time ago, but haven't shared it with the DIY community. It was still a work in progress and has been through many different phases. I've tried different types of materials, but feel if you want best results, you'll need to go with solid aluminum. The base plate is cut from 1/4" solid aluminum. The axles are also solid aluminum rods which were carefully set on a drill press to get exactly centered. If you're slightly off on this part it will ruin the whole tracking motion. The ends of the rods are tapped with threads, so it's a nice clean mount for the wheels and bearings. I've tried different types of wheels, but the cheap ones you find aren't cast true. They might look fine, but really they are warped plastic that wobbles as you roll. In the end I just bit the bullet and purchased an awesome set of Urethane wheels and high end Bones Red Skate Bearings..

A group of friends helped through the entire process and through their kindness is offering to manufacture the parts for anyone who can't DIY one for themselves. We realize there are many of us who live in apartments and don't have time or access to such tools for cutting, grinding, precision drilling, tapping, or powder coating aluminum. You can get in contact with them about the DIY Skater Dolly at https://www.spidertraxdolly.com.

I hope you enjoy the DIY projects I create, leave some feedback and please link back to my website.

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Fig Rigs are another type of video camera stabilizer. By spacing your hands further from the center of the lens, you'll get less movement and shakiness. The concept is simple, so that makes it one of the most popular DIY's. Even a plank of wood can act in the same manner. The hard part is trying to make that type of stabilizer look cool. I've never been a fan of fig rigs, since traditionally they were completely round circles with a level stage in the middle. It always looked like you were chasing someone around while driving a bus to run them over.

Halo Rig Video Camera Stabilizer
fig rig camera stabilizer

The Halo Rig looks better with it's bottom platform completely flat. Hey now! That makes more sense, why didn't anyone come up with that before?. Since DSLR cages are becoming more popular for added accessories to your video shooting, the Halo Fig Rig gives you an advantage over a simple DSLR cage, since it also plays as a Video Camera Stabilizer you can walk around with. You can find the Halo Rig for sale here.

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As akward as this 'No Pod' item might look, it makes sense. Sometimes you just can't run around with even just a Monopod, but you'll need something to help keep you stable. Sure there's been tons of DIY projects using this technique, but at least this version won't make you look completely silly. Another version of using this resistance technique is this Steade-Pod, shown here.
Personally i'm not sure why anyone hasn't made a DIY version using those resistance rubber bands. I'm thinking that would work much better since it would make the camera feel like it's 10, 20, or even 30 lbs. heavier. The No Pod Camera Stabilizer Available Here.

I'm going to officially coin the term for these things as 'Resistance Camera Stabilizers', because No Pod just makes umm... No Sense.