indisliderpro
 

Can anyone give me their impressions of the indisliderpro?

Also, am I the only one frustrated with companies who build video equipment who have NO videos of their products online? Where are the tutorials, demonstrations, product walk-throughs? Why do we have to guess what their products do and how they work? Argh!!

Rant over.

James

I cant say that I have any experience with the system, but my best guess would be that it has no real value. It will most probably tip over when you slide over to the ends. You would be much better of with a dolly rail.

Steven Dempsey uses the IndiSlider.

Do a search for "Snow Motion" to see his clips.

It is appropriate for you to ensure that the tripod cannot tip over. A sandbag or two will help. Alternatively, you can tie down your tripod.

This is actually a very interesting device.

This concept is a standard item in the film industry; we use sliders for a variety of things but mostly as an "over-saver" when shooting over the shoulder shots, as it allows the operator to quickly adjust when the closest actor shifts his footing, to maintain the proper relationship of the two actors in frame. Most of the time the dolly grip makes this adjustment but it generally takes them longer to react as they have much more mass to move. I've used them to make small dolly-type moves in vehicles or other limited spaces.

The trick indeed is to support the ends but we are working with far greater masses than a camcorder, so assuming that a solid set of sticks are under the slider you should be able to slide it to either side without tipping--sandbags on the legs would be prudent however. The other effect that may occur if there is bending is that you will lose horizon as you slide to the edges. Again, you can shore up the ends with a stand or apple boxes, etc. as needed.

I have never seen this specific product but again--the concept is time-tested.

I have one of these units that I use with a Silicon Imaging SI-2K mini head.
It is useful for quick repos in tight locations or as a basic short table top dolly.
I have had problems when trying to pan & tilt as well as slide - that kind of movement puts pressure on the rails and makes the movement jerky. The more expensive units that use bearings to glide along the rail don't suffer from this issue.

The base is very solid so there is no bending or drooping. Yes, if you attach it to a tripod, make sure your legs are weighted so they wont tip over.

Overall it is not as good as I had hoped - the no panning while sliding really limits its use but it is a LOT cheaper than a real one.

No bearings in this version, really? That would be kind of a deal-breaker, I would think.

I'll tried it. Its pretty cool actually. Has it's advantages over a real dolly for run n gun situations. U can find some samples on Vimeo. There r no bearings but it works pretty nice. There is resistance but it goes just right to have a smooth shot. Check out the "Support yr camera" section under dollys. Alistar made a similar dolly slider with online videos