New Build it as you need it DSLR Slider System

Z Slider - Bolt on camera slider drive kit

***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.)

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.

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.)

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

 On the inside track, Z Slider still working out the final phases of production. The plan is to make it available on Kickstarter to help in raising production cost, to make it available to the public. The Kickstarter campaign is set to start around the 15th of Feb. If you are interested in this system, help get it funded. You will be able to help by making contribution, for about $10, for which you will get a Z Slider lens cloth. For a bit more you will get a standard system. And you will be able to get an upgrade system with a motor mount, which will also be available. If this is not in your budget at the moment, but you would want this system down the road, think about the $10 donation to help them get into production.

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. 

DSLR Shoulder rig in action and Friction Follow Focus build

Build a Friction Follow Focus

Had some request to see my rig in action, and what it looks like up on a shoulder.  I have since added a follow focus and have a couple of additions coming up. I just ordered some carbon fiber rods to replace the fiberglass for a stiffer feel. Also adding a couple more sickspeed clamps to strengthen the connection from the camera mount to the shoulder mount. It holds up fine but I want to make it a bit more rigid.

DIY Shoulder Rig

Rig components include Canon 7D, Matte Box, LED light, Tascam DR-40, and Lilliput 668GL monitor.  Shoulder rig build videos.

The build for the Friction follow focus was designed  around the IKAN friction follow focus which runs about $199. Mine was about $50 at most. 

Friction Follow Focus Build Video 

Materials for the build:

4.5" piece of 1"x1/8" alum.

2" piece of 1" x1" alum bar.

(2) 1 7/8" banebot wheels

(2) 4mm banebot hubs

Hugo L 1:1 gearbox

(1) 1/4 - 20 thumb screw
SickSpeed Clamp (or some 15mm clamp if you have a real DSLR Rig)

Tools needed -

Drill and bits

small hacksaw

1/4 - 20 Thread Tap

Please leave comments or questions below. If you build your own rig, please share your link here! Thanks!

DIY DSLR Cage Rig

My DIY DSLR Cage 

I am building up my Video set up for filming and wanted to build a quality cage unit to hold my accessories like an LED light, Monitor, and mic with a matte box. I came across a build by Jarrod at Just Basl Productions. Originally I found it at CheesyCam.

I liked the design, so I decided to set out to build my own. I decided to go with an all-aluminum  rig. It's a beefy unit that is very stable. I have it set to hold all my accessories, and my 7D. The unit is just a 1/4 lb heavier than Jarrod's redesign to lighten from his original unit. So the weight is about 6lbs. I could have shed some weight in my design, but I like the really solid feel.

 I can go from a top hand hold position, to a side grip, to clicking it onto a tripod with no effort. The rig allows me to do low shots and see what I am filming with the monitor, and I can easily get to the chest level shot. In many cases, I will just pop it onto a tripod and film from there, but it offers easy switches of mobility. The unit was just under $90 with a $45 monfrotto slide plate. Without the monfrotto slide, the rig was only a $45 build.

I also can slide my camera from this rig to my DIY Shoulder Rig by releasing my monfrotto slide and sliding onto the one on my shoulder rig.  

Monfrotto 357 slide release

Ebay Matte Box

 If anyone wants the parts list, drop me a comment on my blog, and I will post it here. The build is pretty much like Jarrod's with modified parts. So you can check out his video at Vimeo for the how to build it section. I want to give credit where it is due. Thanks Jarrod for the great ideas.

I did add mini rails to his design so I could slide on a matte box. I don't currently have a high end matte box, but this works to cut the glare when working in sunny conditions like we have in Arizona. 

Parts List:

(1)Top Handle:  6.25"Long x 1" rnd tube

(4)crossbracing  10"Long x 1.25" x .75" Channel

(2)Inset Crosscracing: 10 Long x 1" square tube

(4)Handle posts: 8" high x 1"rnd Tube

(2)Risers for camera plate": 4.5" long x 1.25" x .75" Channel

(4)Feet: 2" long x 1" square

(1)Camera Plate: 3.5"x7" .25"thick

(2)Tubes for Matte box: 3.5"long x .5"round

(1) bottom plate for tripod plate 6.75" long x 1" x .25"thick

All of the above parts are Aluminum which can be found at a local metal supplier. Not available at home stores such as Home Depot or Lowes, but cheaper.

(2) 4.5"x.25" carriage bolts for Matte box tubes (2) .25" nuts

(4) 1.5"x.25" carriage bolts for camera plate (4) .25" nuts

(4) 3.5"x.375" carriage bolts for uprights

(4) 3.5"x.375" Standard bolts for uprights

(4) double ended threaded connectors .375" for uprights

(2) 1.25"x.25" bolts for bottom plate (2) .25" nuts

Manfrotto 577 quick release plate or Calumet Quick-release Video Head Adapter (both are the same)

$2 fix to secure your Wireless receivers to your monolights.

Securing your Wireless receivers to your Monolights. I found this a quick easy fix for keeping dangling wireless units around my Monolights. I picked up several feet of ¼ / 20 all thread at home depot for $2. I cut the all thread to 6” pieces and threaded onto my wireless receivers. I have images which show them attached to a Pocket wizard and also a Cactus 5 transceiver. I then slid the all thread with the receivers attached into the umbrella holder on my Alien Bee units. This keeps them up, secure and clean looking. This won’t work if you are using umbrellas, but in most cases I am running softboxes or beauty dishes.  So for my needs it’s a great and easy fix.

Pocket wizard with 6" 20 / 1/4" all thread

Pocket Wizard with all thread secured in umbrella holder

Cactus V5 Receiver with 6" 20 / 1/4" all thread

Cactus V5 Receiver with all thread secured in umbrella holder

  

Lilliput 668GL-70NP/H/Y 7" monitor review

Not bad price for an HDMI monitor. I purchased this unit to go on my DIY DSLR video rig. I am finding also great for Still photography when I am composing through live view. I have good eye sight, but this makes it easy for highly accurate focusing and viewing everything in your scene. It also makes it much easier to see problems in your composition. 

This unit came with the 7” monitor with HDMI input and composite inputs. It included a Li-ion battery, stand, hotshoe ball mount, remote, sun shade, and power cord. They also sent along an HDMI to HDMI mini to connect to my Canon 7D. This was not in the box, so I don’t know if you will get this from every company you order from. I ordered mine online from Amazon for $199 with free shipping and I got it in 3 days. I was pretty happy with the fast turn around.

Video

When I connect the unit to my tripod, I use a super clamp I have with an umbrella holder and the included ball joint. These are things I have, so I don’t have to spend $50+ on an Articulating Arm. This set up works fine for my needs. 

DIY DSLR Shoulder Rig

Fun DIY DSLR Shoulder Rig 


*Build videos now available at Vimeo and YouTube (see end of article)
*** DIY Follow Focus now added see video here! Includes Follow Focus Build Video.

I came across a DIY rig, named the Johan plug wire clamp rig. This was a setup I liked because it gave a feel of a true system at a cost effective price. You do compromise the standard 60mm clamps systems with 15mm carbon fiber, but you do get a usable rig for a fraction of the cost. I used red billet Wire clamps from E-bay made by SickSpeed. It required 8 sets and was probably the most expensive part of the build with an exception of the Monfrotto release plate. I also upgraded the system with a variable counterweight system, an added focusing clamp, and inexpensive matte box (doesn't except filters) more for cutting glare. the 9.5mm rods are fiberglass tent poles which I bought two sets. I am thinking of upgrading to solid aluminum, or carbon fiber which I found wasn't all that expensive.   Another rigs at the Cheesy Cam blog.

Video with equipment explaination

This was a fun little project, and suits my needs, until I am making the big bucks with video. But since I am not doing much video, at the moment, it does well. I have since added a 160 LED light to the rig and a Lilliput 7" monitor which you can see in the video, as well as a second focusing clamp to the zoom control on the lens.

Rig with Monfrott release plate, clamp on focus ring, matte box, and Hoodman loupe.

Parts:
2 (12 piece sets) SickSpeed clamps - $60 Ebay
2 sets 9.5 tent poles - $18 dept store or sporting goods store
357 Monfrotto release $45 b&h
Misc. hardware $8 home depot (2 - 5m/40mm screws and 2 - 5m/25mm screws + 6 - 5m locking nuts)
Matte Box $35 Ebay - **this only fit about a 72mm lens
Weights $6 (custom welded holder) sporting goods store
padded shoulder support $3 (Custom fabricated)



(Lilliput 7" monitor $199, 160 LED dimmable light $50)

total about $185

$2,231 with 7d, rode mic, hoodman loupe, and a 16gb Cf card. Roughly the price of just a pro rig, but with this one you get the camera!

Build videos available at Vimeo and YouTube. 4 videos for the entire build.

Build Video #1

Build Video #2

Build Video #3

Build Video #4

(New Updated Shoulder Rest)