iFootage did it again with their latest slider!
Let me explain. Years ago when I adapted my first slider it was the shark slider from iFootage. It was solidly built but light at the same time and easy to travel with. It just simply worked. Since then I’ve used various other great products from iFootage like their tripods.
Their latest release is the Shark Slider Nano. It’s a compact and motorized slider with 2 axis of movement. It’s only 16 inches long yet can move the camera up to almost twice that length when mounted on a tripod because of the opposing moving baseplate.
Setting up a motorized shot with the Shark Slider Nano is very quick. You attach it to a tripod or if setting it up on the ground you can use the adjustable legs to get it level. Then you put the battery in.
The slider accepts Sony NPF style batteries. You can also power it using an external power source like a battery bank by connecting it to the USB-C port.
Make sure to disable the slider lock before starting the unit. Then long press the power button to turn it on. Once the slider powers up it will go through an initial calibration process. You will be able to see how far along the calibration is by looking at the display.
Get the iFootage Shark Slider Nano here:
B&H https://bhpho.to/3lO65OI
https://www.ifootagegear.com/products/shark-slider-nano https://eu.ifootagegear.com/products/shark-slider-nano
The slider actually has a touch screen that you can use to control it. It’s very responsive and easy to use. You can also use the iFootage Moco app to control the slider remotely but honestly I prefer not having to rely on a phone. So this touch screen that they included in the slider is the best thing ever. Wish every motorized slider had this.
You can pick if you want to do video, timelapse or stop motion. You can also adjust different settings in here. To do a motorized slider move just press the Quick Start option and then press both the power and function buttons (Fn). This will enter the quick gesture learning mode which makes setting up various moves very fast. You literally put the camera in the position and pan angle you want then press the A button to confirm that as your keyframe. Then move the camera to the other position and press the B button and confirm it by pressing OK. After that you can select if you want to swap the two points or if you want the move to loop indefinitely. Then press origin. The slider will go to it’s first position. Now you are ready to start recording.
You can of course stop the camera move at any point and adjust it’s speed. You select how many seconds you want the slider to move from point A to point B. Or you can again press the power and function buttons so you can quickly setup a new move. It’s very simple and fast. This is perhaps what I love the most about this slider. You don’t have to fumble with your phone, or learn some complex ways to setup a camera move. You literally just put the camera where you want it to be and set that as one of the positions. That’s it.
The slider can carry a camera and lens combo of up to 3.5kg when it’s in the desktop mode and up to 2.5kg when mounted on a tripod. You can use the slider in a vertical position to create crane-like shots. In this setup the weight limit is 2kg.
The motors are so quiet they are virtually silent. So there’s no need to worry about sound. The slider also uses smooth, three phase brushless DC motors. Combined with the 32-bit, high precision floating point arithmetic processing chip, this slider produces very smooth shots even when using it in a macro setup on a 105mm lens. It’s always smooth regardless if you are moving at both slow and fast speeds.
If you are doing timelapse the slider comes with shutter release cables. There is even a phone mount included since you can use the iFootage Maco app to record directly on your phone. If you are using it in camera mode then you can use the app to remotely control the slider in real time.
When you get the slider you will also get a protective carrying case with a battery and all the cables you need.
iFootage team is actually working on some more improvements to this slider like camera tracking and the ability to setup more than just 2 keyframe positions. This means that this already fun and easy to use slider will only become even more of a powerful filmmaking tool.
Disclaimer:
Tom Antos Films website participates in various affiliate programs. This allows our website to earn a commission on certain links that our viewers click and purchase through. As an Amazon Associate Tom Antos Films website also earns money from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com
This however does not influence us in our honesty when recommending or reviewing certain products on our website since we are not paid to favor a certain brand or product over another. We only recommend products that we find are of best value and quality.