By Dan Chung
I’ve been having some serious fun lately with a new toy called the Mobislyder. Dreamt up by the people behind Glidetrack this new £99/$135 slider is designed for use with IPhones, GoPros and small compact video capable cameras. It’s small, lightweight, modular and works straight out of the box.
As regular reader’s of this blog will know I am a fan of Kesslercrane sliders for my regular work and this gadget is obviously not in the same league. Glidetrack also make larger, more professional sliders and the Mobislyder is not mean’t as a replacement for them.
What the Mobislyder does allow you to do is have a lot of fun. You can carry it anywhere, it’s short enough to sling in a rucksack and it weighs around half a kilo. There is a 1/4″ 20 screw thread in the middle of the slider so you can mount it on a tripod. The rail gives about 30cm of actual sliding.
I tested it both with my Iphone 4 and the Sony HX9v compact. It’s great for quick little product videos and impressing friends at a party or just having fun. For professional work I can see a few applications such as sliding in an incredibly tight spot like on a car dashboard. If you are using a camera like the Panasonic GH2 or HX9V for a stealthy shoot then the Mobislyder might get you some interesting shots without giving the game away.
The test below was shot with the Mobislyder, a Sony HX9v (set at 50i for broadcast compatability) and a small tripod on very cold Beijing day. The slider was a little less fluid than when using it at home, but I guess that is to be expected given the conditions. I was pretty please with the results from such a small setup though.
The slider appears to be based on Nylon rollers and occasionally there is a little too much friction. It’s not a dolly that can guarantee you the perfect slide first time, every time, but with a bit of practice you can usually get the effect you want in a few tries.
There’s not too much to criticise about the Mobislyder for the price. I did find the Iphone mount a little too plasticky for my tastes and not rigid enough to support my IPhone 4 in a heavy Otterbox defender case. Without the case it was fine as I am sure it would be with a regular IPhone case. The ball and socket mount was similarly not too rigid and I found the best way to mount the HX9V was to the slider using the little wedge plate they supply.
If the rail isn’t long enough for you Glidetrack have an optional 660mm long section that you can interchange with the shorter one. There are also bunch of fun looking accessories promised in the future; including a set of wheels that turns the slider into a mini dolly instead.
The Mobislyder is definitely the easiest way to get some cool movement into casual video shoots. If your birthday is coming up think about asking for one.
You can find out more about the Mobislyder here.
