Slider shots

Update. Just ordered this via the website the 2nd appointed time. Missed out on the first offering at 10:00 last night Bangkok time. When I spoke to the folks at Kessler a few months ago, the told me each one of these was handmade in their machine shop. Maybe just marketing hype, but I am impressed by the quality of their products I've seen on the display floor. Anyway, I have had three sliders now, the last two being unusable. One due to it's weight - made by a LA machinist of http://www.k2cinema.com/proddetail.php?prod=B2022V2 it came in at 25 pounds. It worked great, and would be great for studio work, but you wouldn't want to take it outside the studio for fear or busting your knuckles - no brake. The other a Kessler http://www.ebay.com/itm/3ft-Micro-dolly-Camera-Slider-fr-dv-hdv-dslr-canon-sony-/280627167946?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4156aec2ca#ht_4435wt_943. The knock off looked exactly like the http://www.kesslercrane.com/product-p/100159.htm but stuck. I sold both of them on e-bay. Now this new one goes to a pal in the USA and he'll carry it back to Thailand in a month. At this point, the difference in price I know will be offset by creating more sellable shots. Like the motor upgrade option. Also, I am sick of buying and selling sliders!

Heres a DIY Motorized rig for around $300

http://cheesycam.com/motorizing-the-juicedlink-diy-slider/

Thanks pretty cool, Curt. The issue I have with that particular slider - and the solution to the problem it uses - is the weight of those stainless steel bars. Try toting that rig around! EACH of those bars weighs 6 - 7 pounds. Most of my slider shots are on location with me operating as a one man band, so portability is a premium. I'm used to insane prices for AV gear. I guess it just a roll of the dice on the investment.

I agree. You do get what you pay for. I would imagine you could use cheap aluminum rod in place of the steel though. Also the home made rig will only do horizontal. And I would imagine that little motor isn't going to last very long.

The Konova certainly would be my first choice. Cash allowing.

I think the Konova is a good choice - if you don't want to motorize it. I did check out the aluminum rods for the previous slider I had (see above) but they are a relatively soft metal and would chinked and dented in no time. Even small aberrations in the rolling surface create motion glitches. I once bought a VW van while in college and rebuilt the engine myself. At the end of a protracted process, the engine wouldn't turn over and I sold the useless machine a hippie couple who towed it to the forest and lived in it. Since then, I think the opportunity cost lost, of DIY, outweighs the savings if you have income coming in.