By site editor Dan Chung:
Second Shooter from Kessler Crane on Vimeo.
Kesslercrane will today open orders for their second batch of the Second Shooter digital servo motion control system. It attaches to their range of sliders to give repeatable motion control for live-mode, looping, time-lapse and stop-motion. The system, that was originally known as UniDrive, can control up to three axis depending on the configuration. The difference between Second Shooter and other inexpensive systems is the use of a digital-encoded motors for more precise control and repeatability.
A basic single-axis kit comprising a slider motor and controller starts at $699.95 (without motor mount or slider) and moves up to $1399.90 for a three-axis system with pan and tilt head, controller and slider motor.
The live looping ability of the Second Shooter should prove very useful for interviews and can be combined with the Kessler Parallax. Once set up correctly a B-camera can then be left unattended filming a repeating parabolic move while the operator mans the A-camera.
The end result should be similar to Redrockmicro’s excellent One Man Crew. The Kessler has the advantage of being more adaptable – being able to do straight moves as well as parabolic ones, but the Redrock is a simpler setup in a single unit.
Also recently launched is an add-on mount that magnetically attaches the Second Shooter controller to the pan mount via the magnets. This makes the complete Second Shooter setup a bit more friendly for fast single-person operation as you can pick up the whole thing and move with it without trailing wires.
I’ve decided to go with the Second Shooter and Parallax due to the versatility and also the fact I already own Kessler sliders that are compatible. Hopefully I’ll get it soon and be able to put it through its paces.
Head over to the Kessler website for more details.
