Alright, this next post is going to break a few hearts out there. I'm talking about the hearts of companies making Video Camera Sliders. Camera sliders are a big deal as one of the most sought after DSLR Video tools. When used properly it can add a Cinematic effect that's very hard to replicate. Unfortunately, the good ones are out of small budgets, and the cheap ones are under par. For those just starting out, there's the mostly sloppy but capable $99 dollar mini slider based arond 80/20 extruded aluminum. No bearings, just plastic over metal and lots of play in the mount. I have one, it works, and you get what you pay for. You gotta just accept it, and move on.
For those with a bit more of a budget and some DIY skills, you can go the DIY IGUS camera slider route. For the IGUS route, you can get away with a decent slider that's lightweight and sturdy for about $150 dollars. I have that too, but to save on this piece, you'll need some DIY skills. If you lack DIY skills, there's other companies loosely based around the IGUS Drylin rails that sells ready made sliders, but now you're looking at over $300 dollars (without shipping). After the IGUS stuff, you're looking well over $600 dollars for the next best thing.
Here's where it gets real interesting. A long time ago I posted about a new slider that was first introduced by Varavon. I'm not sure if that's their baby or a rebranded product, but you can find that old school article here: https://cheesycam.com/varavon-profinder-angled-lcd-view-finder/. Now in my last paragraph of that old article I stated that introduction price was going to be a killer. I believe that slider was being offered at over $$600 dollars at the time. Guess what people - I called it, and sure enough that slider disappeared and was just about never heard from again.
Well here's the heartbreaking news (for cam slider companies). It's just resurfaced and with a bit of a face lift too. Sometimes going under Varavon, CamSlide, SlideCam, bbosasi, or Konova - This time she comes back online at a more affordable price. Filling the void between the sloppy $99 dollar versions and the ready made $300+ sliders, this guy sits somewhere in between. Unlike even the $300+ dollar ready made sliders, this one comes with with actual roller bearings. A design that's only available in higher end $500+ dollar camera sliders. A few more additions is the design that only requires one tripod with a ready to mount tripod plate in center, or for extra stability comes with tripod mounting plates on each end. It also comes with it's own legs and adjustable feet to be used without a tripod and on any uneven surface. It can also be vertically mounted, which is something you'll never find anywhere near this price range. If you've done your research for a good slider, you know this is a crazy amount of build quality and features being offered at this price.
So what am I really trying to say about this slider and this price? Well, for starters this slider is back from the dead and that's an important note. This single tool is looking to penetrate the DSLR market and get more exposure. It's being offered at less than half the price of it's previous induction. Is this price set? Will prices get cheaper? You never know, and i'm hoping that it does. But honestly my gut feeling says no. It looks like it's a marketing move to drive exposure to this product. Once the world knows about it, then it's all a game of supply and demand. Like the Z96 LED video light, prices haven't fallen - Instead prices went up. So even though it's a bit of heart breaking news at this price, don't fear Camera slider companies from abroad, I don't think it's going to last long.
For the shooters out there who might be looking for a quality video slider with roller bearings, vertical mounting, and the other many features, this one is much better than the IGUS stuff. This might be a price that's not going to last long. I know how fast deals can disappear after posting anything on this blog, and you bet your &^%$*! I ordered one at this price. I'll get a review on as soon as it drops in....
[Update Update Update]!! In just about an hour, there were 17 sliders purchased. Not sure if anyone noticed, but the price just jumped $10 US dollars.
Camera Slider with Roller Bearings, Adjustable Feet, Vertical Mounts
Rajesh
Just bought two sliders..built quality is excellent.
John
Aaron,
$42.
John
Aaron
For those who ordered one: May I ask how much they charge for shipping?
Eric
@chris I got an email saying
Thank u very much for ur support to us and as the first bulk as all gone,new bulk might be shipped one week later
Thank u
I guess they sold more than they had available
Chris Wilmshurst
@Emm have you or anyone else received a tracking number yet. paid yesterday, haven't received tracking number or any information about being posted.
Armand
Looking forward to a review on this and some comments from users. I missed it and it was an off pay week just after the holidays which left me tapped out. 🙁
If there were a forum or user gallery, I would love to submit a pic of all the stuff I bought & DIY'ed from Cheesy recommendations.
Emm
Post author@eric - The FT-717 with Ball head should work perfect. I think it can handle the weight just fine and the ball head would make it easier to level out. I'm planning on sticking a level on the slider somewhere as a guide too. httpss://cheesycam.com/ft-717-a-k-a-wf-717-fluid-head-tripod-review/
eric
@emm what would be some good sticks for the slider
jared smith
gotta love how this site can overwhelm an ebayer... i got one for $270 and will let you guys know my thoughts when i get it in... i am still hoping to mount it to the adjustable saw horse
Mr. Y
I got in at 270 after it disappeared from ebay. Perhaps if you contact the seller they might have some left. looking forward to it, thanks emm.
jason
I've used the IGUS slider, it sucks, period.
The Linear guide in this topic looks like a Pacific Bearing product for you DIYers but the price here is unbeatable. Look for it on the Grainger site if you're interested, you could make a 10' slider if you wanted.
Chris Wilmshurst
Just got a sale, $280. wouldn't accept 200, 230, or 250.
Anyone got any idea how long it takes to deliver? no estimated shipping time showing for me.
Emm
Post author@Carey - I hear ya. I'm in the same boat many of the times these days...
CareyD
I grabbed one too. I DO have the tools and the ability (when I apply myself) to go the DIY route, but I have WAY too many other projects (many fixits for the house, nothing to do with photography) that I already can't get to due to lack of time.
Therefore, I accepted this and just bought one. The margin over anything DIY is a small premium to pay for someone facing the lack of time issues I am!
Brendan
Nm, just took a bit of harassment.=!
Emm
Post author@John - You should give both a fair try. Everyone is different about their gear.
Emm
Post author@Eric - if you want to tilt and pan while sliding, you need a head. Otherwise, you can mount directly.
Wolf
@Emm: They may have upped the price by $10 so I just made an offer for 10 bucks less. It was accepted.
phosumpro
Hey Emm,
looks like it, but not quite it....
here's the varavon slider:
https://www.varavon.com/product.php?id_product=16
waiting for your review on it once you get your hands on one! 🙂
John
Thank you for posting, Emm!!! What a great find!!! Man my 1M Glidetrack is gonna be here 'today' (Monday) from B&H... Should I return that one and get this??? Or should I keep both???!!!!
eric
can you make a video when you get this slider with the 717AH fluid head thanks...
beeber
just got one (sunday night, 11:30) for $270 + shipping.
thanks for the post ...
eric
@ emm do you really need a tripod head or can i just mount my camera directly into the slider
SkunkWorks
When I was ordering and waiting for my Igus parts to arrive I needed a slider in the meantime so I made a temporary one... I won't go into the details here but it also used roller bearings, actually inline skate ones. While it really was super smooth, the problem was it was "too" smooth. With next to no friction it was hard to keep a steady constant speed and it was also pretty loud what with steel bearings on metal rails. I just mention this because, depending on your style of shooting (I, myself, don't use sound at all) this slider, due to its design, might have those same properties so it's something to consider before purchasing it.
I personally think the Igus slider, whether it's the DIY or pre-built version, is hard to beat for the price vs. quality. I mean, from the telephone conversation I had with their Canadian rep, I'm pretty sure they will drill and even tap their parts whatever way you want before they ship it if that's what you need (the rails are usually pre drilled anyway). And they will cut whatever length rail you want so you don't need to get a 3 or 4 foot one, you could order a 2 foot one which puts the whole price even lower. There's not much that really needs to be done to it to make it functional, although I did do a bunch of stuff to mine. I like that it has some resistance to it and, in fact, I even made a brake for mine to give it even more resistance if need be.
Just some food for thought because this Varavon one still isn't exactly cheap, although it does seem to have quite alot of features.
Emm
Post author@jason - Nice DIY slider for $200 dollars. Not many people have the tools to make that slider which would run up the cost to more than $200. I was excited to see this one at this price, with lots of good additional features than a DIY.
Emm
Post author@phoSumpro! - This is an old slider, there is a video from the old article (I have the link in my post). It was shown in some trade shows and price was over $600. It's a great slider, but at that $600 dollar price it was a deal breaker. Looks like so many have sold and price went up $10 bucks just now.
phoSumpro!
has anyone tried it yet? noticed this on konovo's ebay store a while back... just wasn't sure if it'll be quiet and smooth. do let us know. thanks!
zip
Why it is only available to us and canada? #$(@{
Emm
Post author@Brendan - That is the length of the entire rail. 80cm = 31.5 inches. Just under 3ft. Personally I would go with a short one or you'll need two tripods if it's too long, and too big to carry around and use.
Emm
Post author@Spaceflows - I just got the default which is 80cm. My Igus was 4ft, which is just a pain in the ass to carry, setup, and use. This is why you see me using the cheap $99 dollar 2ft. slider more often. If it's too long it's just not practical for what I do, especially when i'm already carrying a bunch of other stuff.
spaceflows
@ Emm. What size did you order? 80, 100, or 120?
Brendan
Just wondering...
Q: Hi. What is the price of the 100cm & 120cm models? Thanks! Jan-09-11
A: Hello Thank u and it's 30$ more for 1m and 60$ more for 1.2m And pls inform me ur country as I need to caculate the shipping cost for them,1m and 1.2m one could only be shipped by EMS or UPS DHL as the length thank u Frank
Can someone explain that to me? Under specifications it mentions it's an 80cm model, with 100 and 120cm versions available. Is that width of the track?
spaceflows
I've used the $150 IGUS Drylin pre-drilled model, and with practice some nice shots can be had. The downers are that too often it slides unevenly and it's a bit cumbersome. Not to mention it's pretty raw industrial appearance, which can be a bit intimidating when trying to get some candid shots of a bride getting her make-up done. I was a bit disappointed by the IGUS overall.
The slider featured here (which I just made an offer on) looks very sleek and versatile. I love the vertical mounting option! I'm going to give it a shot. Thanks Emm!
jared smith
oh geez... i couldn't wait... i just bought one as well... fyi, made a $258 offer (so that it would be $300 total) and seller countered at $270- i went ahead and took it but i suppose others might be able to fight that out a bit longer and get a better price...
jared smith
remember the adjustable saw horse suggestion from a few months back... we take the slider and mount it to a sawhorse that has adjustable legs (just do sawhorse as the search at top of cheesycam page)...
anyway, any reason why this slider couldn't fit atop the sawhorse plan?
fugenie
Wow, I've been looking at sliders for a while now, considered the PB pocket dolly (which looks excellent), but kind of find everything PB endorses is unnecessarily expensive and maybe even a little overbuilt (I've used Zacuto stuff a lot on jobs I've done, especially the Z-finders, but don't really get why it's worth having it over some of the cheaper alternatives). Anyway, gone out on a limb and just ordered one of these Konova sliders purely on your recommendation!
I've got a nervous wait to see if its any good...
Thanks Emm for your excellent website
jason
i made this thing for about $200 last year. I fabricated a cheese plate, brake and 5/8" mount holes after I took these pictures.
https://s1046.photobucket.com/albums/b463/jhog2/diy%20slider/