Great Slider
 

I recently ordered a slider from Olof and couldn't be happier--it is a well constructed unit. I was thinking of building one myself, but when I came across this thread and saw Olof's excellent pricing I decided to give his slider a try. Shipping was fast, and the follow-up service is great. Unfortunately, my slider received some minor damage in shipping. One of the feet was broken. This didn't affect the sliders performance when mounted on a tripod, so I was able to still use it immediately. I contacted Olof and no questions asked they shipped me out a replacement foot. Nice people, good product, great service.

I just bought a 3' slider from Olof. He answered all my questions, set me up with everything I needed, and sent it to me overnight. I'm stoked. The unit works great right out of the box and the parts are well machined.

Thanks Olof

Capabilities for angled and vertical slide use
 

Hi there Olof, and greetings from sunny southern California! I am excited that I finally seem to have found slider system--yours--that is affordable for a "semi" pro that (because I have a "real" job) shoots mostly on weekends. My question is: Does your rig allow for angled and/or vertical shots? Some units have mounting hardware that allow attaching to light stands to enable these kinds of shots--and they're really neat looking, too. I'd be interested in your thoughts. Oh, and look for an order soon!!

Regards,
Terry Wall

Terry, here are 2 photos of my slider with vertical kit.

I made this setup with a counter weight, so that the camera can be left at any point and stay there. It is a very simple addition of a plate on the end of the track that attaches to the tripod.

The counter weight is optional but a very nice touch if you use the rig vertically or close to vertically.

The standard track can be used at any angle, and use of a "ball head" makes this very easy. I can supply all these parts or you can adapt the system yourself.

I do a lot of custom work. Anyone interested can contact me:
603.383.9283
or email me for a Skype call Olof@WestsideAV.com

Olof, I currently have this tripod here http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/146249-REG/Velbon_VMATE_607_F_VMATE607F_Videomate_607_Tripod.html which actually works very nicely from my experience, but i was wondering if that would be useable with the 36" length and a rebel t2i? I was thinking about just mounting the camera right to the carriage on the slider, and then mount the rails to the tripod head on that tripod, would this work?

I don't want to have to mount the rails directly to the legs and then mount that head on the carriage, because it is my only tripod at the moment, and i don't want to have to detach the head and put it back on the legs every time i want to shoot something without using the slider.

I know I should probably purchase better legs and then get a head that mounts to the slider, but I don't want to drop $500 or more on nice legs and a head if it is possible to get by with what I have. If it is necessary to have a head on top of the rails that the camera mounts to, could i get by with just buying another head that just stays on the rails all the time, and just mount the rails on the existing legs and head I already have?

Thank you for any advice you can shed on my situation

Michael, I would put some type of head on the carriage. I stock and sell the Bogen 701, it is a very nice inexpensive ($155.00) head. And will support up to 10 lbs very well. I keep my own sliders set up with 701 heads. And I have TA-100 (VCT-14) quick release plates on all my cameras and heads, StediCam etc.. It is very convenient.

You could mount the camera directly on the track. But it is nice to be able to tilt and pan the camera while sliding. It is not necessary but it is also much quicker to change the shot with a head than to move the tripod and re-level. There are many more inexpensive heads available for less than $60.00 that will work with DSLRs. Ball heads are good too for tracking up or down.

Mounting the track on a head is fine as long as it is pretty sturdy and lockable. There is a bit of stress on the head when the camera is out on the end of the track.

Contact me if you like and we can discuss the best solution for you.

603.383.9283
or email olof@westsideav.com for a Skype call.

Alright, well I'm not quite ready to purchase just yet, but i was just making sure my tripod could handle a 3 foot track. I think the i could handle buying a $60 head or so, thats not to bad, theres one you mention in an earlier post in this thread, it is a Manfrotto head for around 60 bucks which looks pretty good

Olof,

Really enjoying the slider!

Its pretty smooth, I was wondering if oiling it would make it even smoother?

Silas, I would stay away from any oils, they attract small dirt particles and will jam the track eventually. The teflon bushings are self lubricating and they will actually get smoother with use.

Use the white 3M pad I supplied with the track to remove any dirt from it, it is slightly abasive and good at removing dirt. Paper towel works well too.

I have experimented with different lubricants myself, teflon and silicone based ones. And I found that what works the best is just a really clean track.

You can take the carriage off the track and actually remove the bushings, and clean them as well. This should only be necessary if there is some oily dirt stuck on the bushings. The bushings are replaceable if they were to get damaged.

The biggest reason for sticky track is badly aligned carriage, or sticky substance on bushings and/or track.

It is easy to find out if carriage is badly aligned, this can happen if the carriage slams hard into the end of the track. Just loosen all four of the allen screws on the carriage and slide the carriage like that. It should then slide very easily. And by refastening the screws while pressing down on the carriage fairly hard (Igus recommends 11lbs pressure) the carriage will slide just as easily. If it is stiffer when screws are tight repeat the tightening.

The track is very rugged and I have even repaired gouges in the track by filing them smooth. The slider will operate smoothly even after this repair.