***Z Slider Kickstarter Launched! 6 Feb 2012 at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/anthonyzeh/z-slider-system
** Update 3 Feb 2012 - Check out the Kickstarter page more to come for Monday's Launch! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/anthonyzeh/z-slider-system
**UPDATE 31 Jan 2012 - Update images below with new Logo and black risers - Finishing video to get on Kickstarter this weekend!
*UPDATE 26 Jan 2012 - Kickstarter launch maybe pushed back a couple of days from the 1 Feb 2012 launch date. Final Version being completed with black risers, silver gears, and ZSS (Z Slider System)Logo. (Prototype version shown in video above.)
Kickstarter intro Video:
Z Slider - Bolt on camera slider drive kit from Z Photo Systems on Vimeo.
Z Slider is a new bolt on slide system for DSLR cameras. It’s in the final stages of development. How is this system different from others? It allows you to build a quality slider system at your own pace, at a price that doesn’t wipe out your wallet. You can start by purchasing an Igus w1080 slider system which starts at $131 at Amazon for an almost 40” rail. If you order from Igus directly you can get up to a 70” rail (the longest they can ship via UPS). This gets you on the ground floor of having a slider system. The least expensive system on B&H for just a track of this length will run you about $400. (They plan on designing systems that connect to other Igus track configurations in the future.)
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| Z Slider System - Customizable, bolt on system to give Dynamic Motion to video. |
When you are ready to upgrade to a drive system to have more
control over your camera motion, the Z Slider system will allow you to bolt on a
hand crank system to your Igus rail. The goal of the system is to allow an
upgrade for about $300-$350. This would put your slider system in at $430-480
for a belt drive slider for your filming needs. The bolt on kit will include,
the end blocks with hand crank and gears, legs for your slider, a new mounting
plate for your camera head, pre-drilled with a 3/8” mounting screw for your
camera head and the belt. They also will offer belts for different length tracks, but the 40”
rail belt is standard. The bearing
blocks and legs are all machined 6061 aluminum, fabricated in the US.
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| Hand Crank belt driven system with riser legs |
Next when you are ready to upgrade again for about $50 you
will get a machined Aluminum motor mount with mounting hardware for a motor. Z
Slider will not be supplying the motors, but they will point you to the motor
style you will need for their mounting plate. The geared, high torque motors
cost anywhere from $10 -$25. These motors are available in speed from .5 rpms on up, but no more than a 10 rpm motor would be needed. Then you will need to find a motor controller. A
motor controllers can cost anywhere from $30 to $250, depending on your needs
for either Film or Time lapse. On the low end, that’s a system for $550 for a
motorized slider. (They may offer these items in the future, but they allow you to shop around for the best price.)
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| Shown with optional Motor mount |
That is one of the least expensive systems, for a
customizable system, which you can afford to build one step at a time to your
needs. Not a system that you have to but all at once. Not a system that limits
you to only the company's own equipment, and it offers you flexibility. With this rail
system, you just bolt on to the pre-drilled Igus rail. Replace the slider plate
with the new Z Slider plate with risers, and attach the belt and tighten the
belt tension unit and crank away.
Sample of the Z slider in action
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| Z Slider Lens cloth with every order. |
Check back here for the KickStarter page, future updates, and any other information we can throw your way.
