A quick update about the Pico Flex Dolly. The first batch of pre-orders have already been completely purchased and should begin shipping (estimated) September 12th. The website is still taking orders for the next batch that should ship about 5-7 days after the first batch.
Here's some important information. The wheels might be a bottleneck for production until the supplier can catch up. We were able to make another small volume batch order very quickly before they ran out. So as of now, there is a limited quantity of complete Pico Flex Dollies available in the second batch. They are moving pretty quickly, so consider getting an order in while it's there. We are also hoping to make International Orders available this week. Found at https://photographyandcinema.com.
Jason wanted to see the 717AH fluid head mounted to the Pico. Here's a video clip showing the mount and how much area is left. The 717AH has the same base diameter as most video fluid heads so a variety should be able to fit without issues.
Now going back to using friction arms, many people have asked about a way to mount their iPhone or similar HD Video device. Here i'm showing a universal quick camera clamp that can adapt to literally any cellphone or small camera. There is very little spring tension so it won't crush your device. The device stays inside the clamp through the angled design and with rubber grip pads. I also show my Sony HX9V mounted to the clamp. We're hoping to make these clamps available at PhotographyandCinema.com soon.
Anything over a 3ft. slider becomes cumbersome for a small crew, and longer sliders start requiring additional stands to set up. I prefer working with sliders around 3' max. Take a look at this 28" 360VM slider with belt and crank pulley. Yup, similar to that of the V1 Kessler Pocket Dolly which used to sell for upwards of $600+ dollars. A similar CamTree/ProAim version with crank pulley still runs well over $400+. Your most basic IGUS DIY rail at this width could run you about $200+ without the crank setup. That's what makes the price on this 360VM slider pretty competitive with the current offerings. There's absolutely no reason to go with anything much larger, especially for those migrating to smaller camera setups like the new Sony NEX-5n, NEX-7, Olympus EP-3, etc.
Here's a video below that shows the actual 360VM slider in use, and is seen in the video.
Putting a Crank and Pulley on one of IGUS' widest rails was mostly known through Kessler's Pocket Dolly V1.
Some of those videos found here: https://vimeo.com/14222897
Another Example here: https://vimeo.com/14848131
A project I worked on a while back when I was requested to spin a person around with a green screen background. I needed a Lazy Susan that could carry a large amount of weight and still flow like butter, or actually flow better than butter. Maybe flow more like 'I can't believe it's not butter'. Sample video of what rotating a model on a green screen looks like (not my video) http://cheesycam.com/rotating-video-shot-with-model/
Having some experience with cars, front wheel hub bearings are the stuff of dreams for spinning heavy loads. Small, cheap, and can spin hundreds of pounds with ease. Sorry I don't have the full breakdown of how I assembled it piece by piece, but I never intended to show this DIY. It was a rush job I needed to put together a few days before the shoot. But since there's a trend lately around motorized Lazy Susan tables, I thought I'd share my front wheel hub bearing concept.
You can find a way to mount a table directly to the top, and a platform below and you're all set to spin a large amount of weight slowly and smoothly. If you want to motorize it, I stacked round tables to create a type of 'spool'. The center table is smaller in diameter and created a grooved area for a belt to be wrapped around. By using the outer circumference of the large table a small motor has much more leverage, so it doesn't require anything heavy duty. In fact the DIY belt i'm using is just an old bike tire inner tube. Without having to do direct chain drive to the motor or belt tensioners, you can see how very little force is required to spin the table. You gotta love these wheel hubs. I used one under my heart shaped vibrating spinning bed.
I kept it battery powered in case I need to move it around. For this I just cannibalized a very cheap 12V drill. I kept the speed controller (trigger) to operate the motor at slow speeds. I used L brackets to prop the motor up, and 2" pipe clamps to attach to the L Brackets. You could replace this with many other speed controllers if you wish to go hands free - just set it and forget it. I might do that soon. The motor is not attached to the table, so it's easier to transport. If you guys want to look into building heavy duty spinning tables, Buick has some cheap wheel hub bearings following the link (click here).
J.G. Pasterjak's DIY ladder dolly a.k.a Cinemover is a solid little track dolly. The adjustable width makes it easy to find a variety of different tracks from straight lumber, square tubing, or round rods. Using heavy duty steel perforated square tubing as the chassis and skate wheels / bearings makes for a smooth ride. [Thanks J.G.] Still a hand made DIY (not mass produced), so quantities are limited, and you can check out details if you want to make one yourself. If you're not into building or buying, maybe winning a contest might be up your alley. There's a few RTG (ready to go) versions and other information available on the eBay listing following the link (click here).
Vimeo member Brad Justinen shares a DIY motorized roller dolly and use a Meade motorized Telescope head for some smooth pan/tilt action. You'll see how all this comes together in the video, and more information on the parts used at the video description. Many of these parts can be found cheaper used via eBay found below.
It looks similar to the Konova and Varavon, but hardly up to the same standards. The bearings are adjustable. I've seen these Smallism sliders before, but they were always expecting way too much. Seems like they know where they stand and have finally brought prices down below Konova. Although the feet/legs aren't anything to brag about, it is an actual roller bearing slider if you want to stray from the IGUS rails.
You can find Konova's roller bearing track slider (click here).
You can find the Smallism slider at auction (click here).
So many people want to go with the biggest and baddest crane/jib ever, but later find out it's just too cumbersome to be useful. My advice is to get at least two cranes, and start with the smallest and lightest one for your camera. You'll enjoy using it more often, and if you need something bigger you can buy your second one later, and trust me you'll still end up keeping your smaller one. Also having a lighter setup will allow you to use dolly tracks for both rolling and vertical movements at the same time.
A majority of the small Jibs around 4ft. don't have tilt functions, but I specifically went to these cranes because I found myself not really using it. The video above from Vimeo member Meld Multimedia is another fine example of movements that can be had with a lightweight 4ft. jib. Unfortunately the version he has is out of stock, the version I have is out of stock, so the next best budget option would be from the ProAm line which has had excellent reviews for it's price. [Thanks Jason]
Earlier this year JuicedLink showed off an inexpensive roller bearing prototype slider design at NAB2011 with Olivia. Here's another video showing a bit more information. Sold with just a trollery and rail clamps, you'll be able to assemble your own slider at any length you choose. For longer runs another trolley block with roller bearings on each side keep the rails in position. The whole design is focused on keeping the costs down as much as possible. No word yet on pricing and availability, but other information can be found over at the JuicedLink blog.
Pico Flex Table Dolly - PhotographyandCinema.com
without the crank setup. That's what makes the price on this 360VM slider pretty competitive with the current offerings. There's absolutely no reason to go with anything much larger, especially for those migrating to smaller camera setups like the new Sony NEX-5n, NEX-7, Olympus EP-3, etc. 
