Vimeo member ek2008 really took his time making this DIY video camera stabilizer. Not only looks good, but works great as seen in the video above. Look through some of the older videos and you'll see it's been a work in progress for several months.
Vimeo member Tim Nitsch uses a simple servo, spool, and a bit of string to motorize an IGUS slider. More information on how it's all put together at the video link.
YouTube member John Waskey writes in and shares his secret to a budget Motion controlled Timelapse slider. As an Astronomy fan, he uses a Telescope Motor mounted to a Kessler Dolly. Probably one of the best variable speed motors i've seen that can run you just under $40 bucks, specs on it state it can last up to 40 hours on a single 9 volt battery. What's the top speed? I'm not sure, but it can move slow enough to produce great time lapse footage, and it's already boxed up ready to mount. You can find these motors available below. [Thanks John]
via Amazon:
Telescope Motor Drive
via eBay:
Variable Speed Telescope Motor for DIY Motion Time Lapse Slider
Hand Held Pistol Grip Mini Camera Tripod
For point and shoot cameras like the S95, G12, P700, maybe Flip HD's, or even small GoPro HD cameras. Here's an interesting Pistol Grip + Tripod handle, but not sure if it's DSLR worthy to handle the weight...
It's been a while since we've seen the ol' DIY Cage in use, but this one turned out pretty cool. He's got a few enhancements over the very basic design which you can find more about it over at Vimeo member Ben Sheriff's page. [Thanks Ben Turned out Great]
Wow, the store front really expanded for this tiny eBay seller. I've had my eye on them for a while now as they had a few interesting items. Today they just really loaded up with a bunch of new items. Two of them are some serious clones. First most interesting item is the 'mysterious' clone of a Cinevate Carbon system. I posted the article here: http://cheesycam.com/indias-got-a-carbon-camera-dolly/ and not more than a few hours later, they removed all postings. Looks like 'The Man' got to them. Well it's back so we'll see how long it can stay online this time around (i'm betting the Man will shut them down after this post)
Video Camera Slider Carbon Dolly Clone
Second on the list. Well well well..here's a Clone after my own design, another SpiderTrax dolly. This one doesn't look very good and shipping makes it more expensive than the Konova clone. Konova's design seems to be more polished, and this one looks exactly like another home made overpriced knock-off. Yeah get yourself a Konova dolly if you really need one.
Video Camera Rotating Skater Dolly Clone
Third up, this one goes out to the boys in Blue. It's been said that the Blue accented Follow Focus was based on a Huco gearbox, and so is this one. This DSLR Follow Focus clone for standard Rail mounts come with flex gear, speed crank, whip, yadda yadda yadda. You can get more info via the links. At this price, you might still be better off going with ikan's latest Follow Focus system.
Not sure if you can see the thumbnail in the video, but something about that slider doesn't look quite right. Oh yeah it's upside down! Vimeo member phoSumpro! shows a new way to use the Konova slider. Actually seems like a new way to use any camera slider. By mounting the slider upside down with the carrier Tripod, he's actually sliding the entire rail (not the carrier). I'll let the video explain why this was done, but that's one pretty cool trick. Sorry guys, but don't think this would work on a non Roller Bearing type slider. [Thanks phoSumpro!]
It's bound to happen, so here's another version of a ready made rotating video dolly newly to the market. This one comes from the little known company Lensse. Obviously it does what other rotating dollies can do, but unless it's wider than what appears in the photos, the narrow stage doesn't seem like it's going to be practical for some type of a Fluid head mount. Hmm..might be good for tiny cameras and a mini fluid head?
Next one (above) looks very similar to a DVTEC MultiRig Pro. If you're not familiar with what that is, you can find some Vimeo videos here: https://vimeo.com/search/videos/search:dvtec/e30032e7. It's a multi configuration type rig that can go from shoulder support to handheld. Doesn't look to have all the pieces of a true DVTEC, but it doesn't have all the price of one either. You should check out the link below to see all the different configurations this type of camera support can origami into..
DSLR Rig Shoulder Mount Video Kit
Next item (below) another Video Stabilizer based off of the Merlin, Hague, Lensse, IndieHardware design. Yeah I know right? Even clones can get cloned. Well to be fair, it looks closer to the IndieHardware over anything else. Love the write up in the auction about being 'The Secret Weapon" and "Latest Innovation". LOL. While the others are set on pricing, at least this starter is throwing out a few auctions.
[Video and Audio are terrible. Shot with a cheap Point and Shoot]
Not sure if the post shows up, but it's about 1:00 a.m. (in the morning). I received a super last minute call to help out with some Glidecam work on an event. So I decided to hack something up which I think would be helpful. When flying on this Glidecam i'm closing down the aperture to keep things in focus. This means less light. So I decided to mod a few RC batteries together to power up the 352 LED Ring Light. It's bright, it's well diffused, and it's dimmable. It's the perfect light source for what i'm trying to achieve during this event. [BTW the light at the end of this video is turned all the way down - it gets brighter!]
In order to mount the large 352 LED Ring light, I needed to raise up the 60D with a battery grip and then place it on top of a Calumet quick release adapter. A few flexible power arms kept the LED Ring light mounted and also the Rode VideoMic Pro in place. With the 60D Manual Audio + Rode VideoMic Pro +20db, it sounds really good. Anyways, this rig might be overkill so I also balanced out my 7D on the Glidecam HD1000 for times I don't need lighting or audio. Ok, time to nap. Could be a long day...
The original SpiderTrax Dolly is no longer available via PhotographyAndCinema.com, but the Korean company Konova copied the design pretty much dead on. This would be the better alternative aside from making one on your own. Here's some friends working with the dolly during Valentine's day. They let the dolly control all the camera movements with no fluid head. Since there wouldn't be any panning involved during the motion, they mounted a simple Heavy Duty ball head normally used for photography.
Professional Heavy Duty Ball Head Quick Release
By just using the wood flooring, table tops, counters, and other flat surfaces, they were able to achieve a variety of different movements you can't replicate with just a straight slider. For areas that might not be completely smooth, you can carry a roll of Heavy vinyl plastic (comes in rolls) found at any hardware or fabric store. This Vinyl material will even allow you to run on firm carpet. If you haven't had time to make one or if you're not rockin' a rotating dolly yet, this gives you an idea of how versatile it can be. It's an extremely inexpensive tool that can boost your entire video production with these unique movements. [Thanks Guys]
