Shootools Camera Slider One 60, 80, 100 e 150cm – Review

In this article we are going to review the last model of the motorised slider made by the Italian company Shootools, Kit Camera Slider One, which is available in the following lengths: 60, 80, 100 and 150 cm.

Kit Camera Slider One is a entry-level professional solution perfect for amateur / expert photographers and videomakers who need a quite affordable motorised device to make video sliding tracks and time-lapse.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAvSGRXC9n8

We will begin with the analysis of the kit starting from the technical characteristics of the item, we will then go on with the unboxing of the item, the installation of the parts provided in the item package and finally we will write our first impressions about the field test.

Technical Specifications

Let’s start taking a look at the technical data stated by the production house and compare the available models:

	Slider One 60	Slider One 80	Slider One 100	Slider One 150
Length	630mm	830mm	1000mm	1500mm
Weight (Manual Version)	2.2 Kg	2.6 Kg	3.00 Kg	3.9 Kg
Weight (Motorised Version)	2.6 Kg	3.0 Kg	3.40 Kg	4.2 Kg
Horizontal load capacity	30 Kg	30 Kg	30 Kg	30 Kg
Motor 55
Min Speed	24 mm/s	24 mm/s	24 mm/s	24 mm/s
Max Speed	100 mm/s	100 mm/s	100 mm/s	100 mm/s
Motor 09
Min Speed	2 mm/s	2 mm/s	2 mm/s	2 mm/s
Max Speed	10 mm/s	10 mm/s	10 mm/s	10 mm/s
Time-Lapse Mode
Min Interval	1”	1”	1”	1”
Max Interval	99h 59m 59s	99h 59m 59s	99h 59m 59s	99h 59m 59s
Minimum carriage shift	0.06 mm	0.06 mm	0.06 mm	0.06 mm
Possible shots during motion	6,800	10,300	13,000	20,000
Motion Mode	Shoot Move Shoot (*)	Shoot Move Shoot (*)	Shoot Move Shoot (*)	Shoot Move Shoot (*)

The production house states that:

• All the slider parts are in milled aluminium obtained by a block, processed on their surface for a higher protection and finished with a high-grip texture (which provides a safer grab during motion and operations)
• Wheels have 8 steel bearings and are adjustable for an optimal control of fluidity
• The Kit does not need any kind of maintenance

For greater clarity, the “Shoot Move Shoot” mode allows longer exposure times, for example during the making of nighttime or daytime frames using ND filters.

Unboxing

Camera Slider One kit is delivered by express courier directly at our address, it is well packaged in cartons marked Shootools including:

• The required length track (60, 80, 100 or 150cm)
• The shaped slider case which allows to leave the head mounted on the device
• Support legs, screws and support plate for the motion control
• Double Motor to move the photocamera on the track
• The controller with integrated re-chargeable battery
• Large safe case for the controller able to include also cables and batteries
• A short instruction manual for the kit installation

Possible accessories – available on demand, such as sand bags to add stability to tripods – are delivered in dedicated boxes.

Kit Installation

It is quite easy to assemble the Camera Slider One. It is necessary to:

1. Mount the carriage on the track following the included paper instructions
2. Fix the belt to the two track extremities with the tools provided
3. Mount the motor on the carriage
4. Mount the 4 reclining legs

Fortunately, Shootools has provided their customers with a video of the kit installation which makes this operation very easy:

http://youtu.be/Mzy8Xawy62s

Hands-On

Let us list our first impressions of use, after playing with the kit for a few days.

Slider

Our first impression about the slider (we have tested both 80cm and 150cm version) are very good: a very high quality and light carriage, provided with attachments in its center and at its extremities for any kind of tripod, quick release plates thanks to the dedicated universal 1/4” and 3/8” threaded holes.

The belt tension and the carriage friction are adjustable using the screws placed at the slider sides, and in the center of the plate where the head lays. Carriage with “Friction System” in order to control the sliding track fluidity also in the manual use.

Controller

It is included in the kit, and it is the “brain” of the whole device. A device which includes electronics and long-life storage battery , provided with two functions, Sliding track and Timelapse with 3 different modes: Loop, Sync, No Stop.

The controller connects to the motor through only one LAN network cable: an excellent solution for portability, so that it is not necessary to carry a battery, which should feed both controller and motor through unwieldy cables, in another bag.

In the upper part of the controller you can see, starting from the top and going towards the bottom:

the controller you can see, starting from the top and going towards the bottom:

1. The display, clearly readable even during outside broadcast
2. A range of leds useful to show the ON mode (Slider or Time Lapse), the hours, minutes and seconds when you want to adjust an interval between a shot and the following one;
3. Two knobs (technically called Rotative Encoders) which light up with different colors, through which you can check all the device functions and obtain an instant visual feedback about the operations you are making.
4. A graphic key for the use of the device in both Time-lapse and Slider modes.

Honestly, at first contact with this item, the key did not seem very clear although the Controller is very easy to use. A few minutes are enough to learn how to program it: you have to adjust the increase value that you need to move the carriage at, the time interval between moves and then press the rotative button to make the time shot session start.

Battery

The battery type is NiMH, easily replaceable , and Shootools ensure that it has the following operating time:

• 800 sliding tracks in the Slider mode, using a Canon 5D Mark III provided with Zeiss CP.2 Planar 85/T2.1 EF
• 48 hours in the Time-Lapse mode, again using a Canon 5D Mark III provided with Zeiss CP.2 Planar 85/T2.1 EF and adjusting a 1 unit shift, with an interval of 53” between shots (this might sound incredible for shots on the field, NdA)

According to our tests in the time-lapse mode, although there are too many variables to be able to find some standard factors, we can tell that the Kit has borne a whole session of night shots on the mountains.

Two Motors

In the package you will find two motors with different speeds: 55 r.p.m. and 09 r.p.m.: this is to satisfy both the fields of use (hobby and professional), TimeLapse and tracking shot.

The motor was designed to be quickly mounted and dismounted; we would like to remind you that it is necessary to mount the head first, and later the motor, so that it is also possible to mount quite bulky heads.

This camera slider is not very silent in the Time Lapse mode, but it is very light, compact and well designed, it is much better than other devices of this kind that I have seen on sale.

We have even tested it inclining the slider with a 60° angle from the ground, and it did not have any problems in moving the total weight of the photographic equipment: a no-brand head, a Canon 7D and a Canon 17-40 mm.

Time-Lapse mode

Our first test has shown that the complete excursion on the Camera Slider 150 is about 20.000 shift units. On the contrary, the complete excursion on the Camera Slider 80 is about 10.300 shift units. Moreover, through two end-stop switches, the motor stops pushing once it gets to the end of the track.

Very interesting the “No Limits” mode where, even though the carriage reaches the end of the track, the shot session does not stop. The interval between one move and the following is adjustable in a range which goes from 1 second to 99 hours, thanks to an intervalometer integrated in the controller.

The motion is in SMS (Shoot Move Shoot) technology where the carriage shift is synchronised with the Reflex shutter. This characteristic allows to use any exposure time with no worry for blurred shots.

Conclusions

We have played a little with Shootools’ kit Camera Slider One and we must admit that this is a high quality and professional product, despite the fact that it is the entry level model of the production house.

The general impression when you use this device is that it is a sturdy object, without weird creaks or plays, well designed and suitable for different uses.

Pro

We are going to list the pros of this Made in Italy production:

• Easy disassembling and replacing of the motor (with different R.P.M. to reduce or increase the speed, the loads, the shift for time-lapse operations)
• Resistance and very high load capacity: 30 kg (more famous and popular products state max 9 kg in ideal conditions and less than 7 kg with inclined slider)
• Possibility to be also used in the completely manual version
• Fluidity: no stumbles or bounces in the Slider mode, perfect for videos
• Support legs integrated in the slider
• Lightness: the total weight of the motorized 80 cm slider is only 3 Kg (rival products with the same or higher price can reach a weight of 5 kg)
• Rechargeable battery integrated in the controller
• Intervalometer synchronized with the shift
• Syncro cables available for the most common photocameras
• 5 year guarantee (2 years on the electric components)
• Perfect balance quality/price

Cons

Here follow our considerations about the points which should be improved:

• The red plate which protrudes from the carriage penalizes a little bit the carriage run (about 8cm)
• The motorization is not very silent if used for shooting a video (obviously, with a motorized slider you do not use the integrated microphone of the photocamera but an external one. A/N)

Prices

Kit Camera Slider One list price varies depending on the slider length you purchase.

Thanks to the agreement between Time Lapse Network and Shootools you will have the possibility to buy each kit with a 10% discount on the list price.

To use the Time Lapse Network special discount during purchasing it is necessary:

1. Place an on-line order
2. When you get to the “cart”, insert the coupon code TLN210
3. The system will update the price showing the one reserved to our community

A big “Thank you!” goes to..

We would also like to thank Giovanni Antico, Time Lapse Italia’s old partner and friend, for giving us his studio shots to Shootools Camera Slider One 150, and for sharing his opinions about the use of this device with us.

Please note that this is a translation of the Italian original Product Review of the Shootools’ Camera Slider One.