GEAR // Sliders, Drive-ins & Dives

Tim Wu — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 03:07:00 +0000

So on a recent shoot with Guy Fieri (MY NEW BEST FRIEND) at his behemoth Times Square restaurant, I yet again rocked the double slider set-up, marking the 8 billionth time I’ve used this set-up. So I figured it was high time I got my own. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I’m a huge fan of Cinevate’s Atlas 10 slider.

At least, that review was of what I thought was the Atlas 10… SAY WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? #PLOTTWIST

After receiving my Atlas 10, I opened it up and exclaimed, in the words of She, “WHY IS THIS SO THICK? WHAT IS THIS EXTRA GIRTH THAT I WAS NOT EXPECTING? MY THIS IS SMOOTH.”

Side-by-side, the rail on the Atlas 10 that Adorama rents out (left) is essentially half as thin as the actual Atlas 10!

And the carriage itself is also only about half as big! (the Cinevate logos above are the same size) So what exactly is this bizarro anorexic Atlas 10 that Adorama is renting out? #SCANDALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

It seems like this thinner 35″ rail is actually part of the vertical kit that Cinevate makes for the Atlas 10 (note the carriage sizes above). Now, I’m not sure why Adorama opted for a whole bunch of just vertical kit rails, especially since they’d have to then separately order the end caps and feet and re-build each slider… Oh Adorama, what a quandary of a business you are.

While it is heavier, I do actually welcome the wider rail and carriage. A MkIII with a 70-200 pretty much maxes out the Adorama Atlas 10, but the version I have now at least feels like it’ll handle much, much more. I get a little less travel with the wider carriage, but it does let me put a beefier head on there as well as a larger camera package~

So those looking to throw down for an Atlas 10 after playing with Adorama’s, BE WARRRRRRNED, it’s not quite gonna be what you expect it to be…

…unlike Guy Fieri’s restaurant, which is EXACTLY what you expect it to be:

TOTALLY. MONEY.

GEAR // Cinevate’s Atlas 10… AND STEAK

Tim Wu — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:37:00 +0000

I was recently on a shoot for Bon Appetit Magazine and I finally got the chance to play around with Cinevate’s Atlas 10 slider, which I have to say, has actually become my new favorite slider for lightweight HDSLR work.

I used to be Kessler all the way. I had tried both their Pocket Dolly and CineSliders on various past doc shoots, and while not perfect, their roller bearing system was miles better than the friction based sliders I had used before, like Glidetrack’s.

But an Adorama rental guy told me that they recently dropped all their Kessler sliders, opting for Cinevate’s instead. “The Kessler ones are a pain the ass, they keep breaking for some reason!” he said as he used a stack of c-stands to bank-shot a lens bag into a returns bin.

But I’m a fan! It’s miles lighter than the old CineSlider and performs a whole lot better. It doesn’t have a drag adjustment like the CineSlider, but it doesn’t need it. The amount of drag is really quite perfect. You can feather in moves with a single finger quite nicely (THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID).

It’s thin, but surprisingly rock solid (THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID). The rails are guarded so they won’t get damaged during travel, and in the center there is a rubber dot so you don’t clink against the ends of the track (THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID?).

It’s a shame Adorama only carries the 36″ version. There are longer and shorter versions that Cinevate makes, but at 30 bucks a day, you really can’t complain. OH, ADORAMA, you shall forever be the Wal-Mart of rental shops…

Oh yeah, and this was crafty on set today. Gosh these shoots are tough… UNLIKE THIS STEAK.

STEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK.

Tim Wu » cinevate

GEAR // Sliders, Drive-ins & Dives

GEAR // Cinevate’s Atlas 10… AND STEAK