XHA1, Letus Extreme & IndiSlider
 

There was a snow storm here overnight so I decided to get off my butt and try out my Indislider (http://www.indifocus.com/products_in...erpro.htm)...I love this thing. I have the 36" version...

Enjoy

http://www.pinelakefilms.com/snowmotion.html

Steven,

Really looks good. To get the smooth action does it take a lot of practice or can you get consistant slides? I read somewhere that the indislider is a "bear" to rig up to your cam/tripod. What is your opinion?

I'm just going to cut and paste my response to the same kind of question on another forum:

I have the same setup as you and am wondering what it is like with the camera out at one end of the rig? Do you worry about it tipping?

I wouldn't recommend using it without sandbags on each of the tripod legs.

How is the transition between regular tripod and indislider setup?

Not sure what you mean here but if you are asking me how long it takes to switch from tripod to IndiSlider, I'd say about 20 minutes. The tripod is fully functional with the IndiSlider still on. You can lock the head in place in the center so that all the functionality is still there. I'm still new to this so still experimenting. Not sure if the head can turn right and left when it's completely set up properly. I'll have to ask Tim at IndiFocus.

Is the weight an obstacle when working out in the field?

It's cumbersome to be sure but the results are really nice. It's like any piece of equipment...there's only so much you can carry at once and after that you need more people. You could get away with carrying this short distances but it depends on the terrain and strength of the person.

Thanks Steven. Very helpful.

btw, it takes practice to move the camera consistently and at a speed that's appropriate for the shot. The IndiSlider is glass smooth.

Steven, Man. That footage looks super pro. The indie slider (plus your talent, of course) gives it a real touch of class. How did you manage to get such a nice slow motion with the A1?

I just visited the indie slider website. What a wonderful invention! Affordable too. I do understand what this person who contacted you was talking about though. Does it ever feel like the camera/tripod might fall over when the camera and all it's weight are at the end of the slide?

Thank you Rafael,

Like I said earlier, I wouldn't be doing anything serious with this without having sandbags for extra security on each tripod leg. In that case, it would be unlikely to tip.

Very nice! I have the Indirails and Indifocus for my Canon and I was thinking of getting the Indislider as well, but had not seen it in action. I am as good as convinced now.
(you should ask for a percentage from Tim for bringing him customers)
(ha, ha)

Just say I sent you :)

looks superb.

question though, what settings/programs do you use to export for such a nice image? the image quality looks so good.

thanks

It's a kind of laborious process.

I export a flattened Cineform AVI from the Premiere Pro CS3 timeline. I then bring it into Vegas 7 and export it as a WMV at 1440 x 1080, 25mbps. After that, import it into Sorenson Squeeze and export as a Quicktime file (you can get the exact specs by looking at the movie info inside the Quicktime file itself)

The reason why I don't just import the Cineform file directly into Sorenson is that it crashes if I do that. Vegas does a much better job at creating a high quality WMV because with Premiere, you are limited to 10mbps

I just uploaded a new extended version of this piece with over a minute of new footage. Same link as in the first post: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/snowmotion.html

Steven, you have the EXACT look i am looking for, would u say its mostly from the power of the Letus? Did you do color correcting or anything too the blacks? I mean besides ur obvious skill, what's the secret! I NEED that look for a movie I'm writing, its purely amazing. Thanks =D

Loren,

I'm shooting using my VIVIDRGB preset and then I just color correct (for consistent white balance only) and crush the black ever so slightly using a levels adjustment.

I think that's it.

Very cool. What tripod are you using with this. From the photo on the website it looks like it would be challenging to mount my sachtler DV8 head on their.

Also, tell your son to put shorts on after it snows!

B