VL: First – sliders are an incredible time-effective solution to making what are effectively small dolly moves.   Unless you’re doing a long (or very fast moving) dolly shot that last more than 2-5 seconds – you’ll find that a slider is the right tool for the job.  Laying down track takes a bit more time than putting a slider up.  I recommend everyone getting into video start to play with sliders before going to the dolly.  You’ll find you can pull a lot more moves off with sliders than you expected – and you can reposition them 10x faster than you can a dolly track… so as you learn to use dolly techniques and how to best position them – sliders are a much better learning tool than dollies for most in my opinion.This is a fantastic slider that is perfect when you’re on the go and shooting in a 1-2 person team.  If you’re alone and don’t have time for tripods – you can pull this one out of your backpack and off you go.  It’s quick, easy and rock solid.  The bearings lead to an extremely smooth motion – but be careful if you’re doing a dialogue seen in a tight space – as you might pick them up on audio.   You can put this unit on ground level and very easily level it with the legs that support it on uneven ground – and this is key and saves a LOT of time.  This is the perfect unit to use on ground level or where you can put it on a table or elevated surface. This is a perfect system for a lightweight camera package – or an HDDSLR with too much weight on it.  In general – every support/slider system has its weight limit – when you exceed it you will see a decrease in performance in ANY system.

Description: The Atlas 30 is a linear tracking system. The unit is designed to glide effortlessly on 240 bearings with no twist, bounce, or friction. It uses 0.63" (16mm) chromed steel rods and a body machined from a single block of aluminum. This model features a 100mm bowl that allows you to use it with your existing 100mm ball system. It also features 35" rails.

VL: This is the big brother of the Atlas 30 – and I wouldn’t hesitate to put a RED One camera system on it.  It’s ROCK SOLID.  You can put this unit on ground level and very easily level it with the legs that support it on uneven ground – and this is key and saves a LOT of time.  This is the perfect unit to use on ground level or where you can put it on a table or elevated surface. That being said – with that kind of build comes weight.  This unit is HEAVY not just heavy duty.  So it’s not something you’d want to carry alone in your bag up a hill for example.   That being said:  weight is almost always your friend in video – and this slider rocks.  Like the Atlas above – be mindful of the noise the bearings make if you’re shooting a dialogue scene where people are whispering or in a confined space.

Description (from Cinevate): Atlas responds to the need for a professional grade, heavy duty linear tracking system. Built from a single block of precision machined aluminum and supported by 1" chromed solid steel rods, Atlas provides rock solid movement for rigs up to 200 lbs.

VL: The Stealth is meant for smaller rigs as it has a weight capacity of 15 lbs. whereas the CineSlider (below) has a weight capacity of 35 lbs. (if centermounted) and 80 lbs. (if fully supported). The Stealth has the same drag control feature as the CineSlider, which is always good for adding tension for more control of slower moves.

Description (from Kessler): The Stealth is a hybrid slider that combines the lightweight portable rail & carriage system of our standard Pocket Dolly™ with the drag control of our CineSlider™. Features include drag control, measuring tape, smooth rolling precision stainless steel ball bearing wheels and multiple mounting options. The Stealth does not have a crank handle.

VL: This unit is in direct competition with the Atlas system above to be honest. It’s very important to remember that every tool has it’s particular strenght.  The CineSlider is incredibly well built – and will work wonderfully with the hand crank or the Elektra motor.  Keep in mind that the Atlas system above may appeal to operators who want to push the slider by hand at the base AND operate their fluid head at the same time.  Yet pushing a slider at a precise speed, especially at slow speeds – is a skill.  Having a hand crank let alone a motor can be a superb advantage.  Frankly – I use both – and in different situations.   This unit is mounted on tripods and may take just a tad bit longer to put up than the Atlas would on the ground for example.   The being said: you need to decide for yourself on how often you will be shooting from ground level or from a table – versus with a set of sticks that you can adjust precisely.    I personally love this CineSlider because you can start with the base model shown here – and add to it over time with electric motors, the revolution head, and Oracle control system over time.   This will allow you to operate the entire system remotely for video (a remote controlled slider with pan/tilt head!) and to use it not only for video – but also for incredible time lapse photography setups.  As you can see – there is a lot of room for me for both the Atlas and CineSlider systems – as each fills a unique niche.

It should be said that this is THE GO TO SYSTEM for time lapse photography in my opinion.  Nothing comes close to it at this time.  The build of the slider, the motors, and Revolution head is rock solid.  Read more about it and related gear in the Timelapse and Motion Control Section of the blog.

Description (from Kessler): The Kessler CineSlider™ is a heavy duty portable mini-dolly / linear slider system for camera rigs weighing up to 80 pounds or more. Weighing in at only 10 pounds, with a length of 40.5 inches, 5 inches wide, and a total camera travel distance or 35.5 inches, the CineSlider is a very portable solution to get those quick, smooth short-run dolly movements, without having to transport a large dolly system.

Go to the 10:01 Mark on this video – to see the Kessler Crane w/ Elektra Motors, Revolution Head, and Oracle Motors:

2010 HDDSLR Gear Video from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

Here is an example of a Time Lapse dolly "push" (halfway through the video) on the Kessler Cine Slider.

Rainbow Timelapse from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

This time lapse was shot off of the coast of Naples, Italy on a Canon 5D MKII, Canon 24~70mm 2.8, Canon TC-80N3 Timer Remote Controller Unit a B+W 77mm Circular Polarizer mounted on a Kessler CineSlider, with an elektra DRIVE and ORACLE Controller mounted on a Manfrotto 498RC4 Ballhead supported by two Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 Carbon Fiber tripods.

VL: 

Description (from Kessler): The Kessler Pocket Jib™ is the ultimate compact, portable jib. Not only is this jib fully collapsible for easy transport, but you can also mount the Kessler Pocket Dolly™ or CineSlider™ to it, turning it into a virtual "all-in-one" production tool, offering both a jib and mini-dolly in one unit. The Pocket Jib™ has a telescopic dual rail arm design that has a maximum reach of five feet, fully extended, which is approximately 6" less than our KC-8 crane. The end of the crane arm features a ball relocator with 100mm bowl, so you can mount a 100mm ball fluid head. The weight bar system is also telescopic and collapses and folds away for easy transport.

VL: This unit is one of the most versatile JIB/SLIDER sytems you’ll find anywhere on the market.   I travel everywhere with it.  The advantage of HDDSLR systems is that they are significantly lighter systems relative to RED ONE or motion picture packages.  As a result – you can rely on a different standard of JIBs that support less weight and are significantly more affordable and can travel much better.   Therefore the Porta-Jib explorer is the perfect tool for HDDSLR video.This is an incredibly versatile unit in that it is both a JIB + a slider.  You can use the same pieces to construct both units  - and therefore you can travel with 2-3 travel bags and get 2 for the price of one – i.e. both a JIB and Slider.NB: while you can assemble these units in well under 5 minutes – they are a different bread than the sliders above.  As a general rule they take a little bit longer to set up and 2 people to move when in a wide slider mode – not necessarily because of weight but because of size.   While you can get the above units in different lengths – most of them come with rods that cannot be broken down.   The porta Jib slider is made up of 4 steel rectangular(ish) rods – and can be expanded to some impressive lengths – at times eliminating the need for a dolly.   You can use the Porta-JIB tripod, or your own set of sticks, their support system, or your own monopods with the right mounts.   You’ve got a lot of options. The advantage of a slider over a dolly – especially the Porta Jib that can travel for well over 8-10ft (depending on how many rods you want to use and travel with) is that you don’t need to look for even ground to lay and level your dolly track.   The disadvantage of the slider is that unlike a dolly – you cannot ride it and operate on it… for most that won’t be a problem. Then comes the ace in the hole – these same pieces can quickly be converted into a pretty versatile JIB that can rise and lower effortlessly.  You can of course mount your O’Connor fluid head to both the JIB and Slider.   Ergo – you can see why all of these different units perform specific tasks, each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses – and why I use all of them on different occasions.

Here is an example of the Explorer in JIB Mode shot at the GPP2010 Workshop in Dubai:

Porta-Jib Explorer Example – Dubai GPP 2010 from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

Description (from Porta-Jib): Designed to carry up to 100 lbs. (45kg) of camera and fluid head weight, this is the most versatile of all lightweight jibs. Assembles in less than 5 minutes. No tools required. All parts are machined aluminum and stainless steel. Boom and pan lock included.