Pro SlideCam 800-32" Video Slider Stabilizer, DSLR Camera Track Slider, Linear Stabilization Rail System with Ball-Bearing Slide Mechanism, Adjustable Legs and Carrying Case

I've used all sorts of camera slides and figure I'd throw my thoughts on this one out there. What is is: A light weight slider that uses 4 metal v-bearings to ride on two side rails. What's good: very compact and light weight. The rail is only about 1.5" wide. As such, they are meant to be 'light duty'. Good with most camcorder, DSLR, etc. Not really stable enough for anything heavier than say 7-8 lbs. In case you're wondering, this is the exact same rail system used by other more manufacturers such as Varavon, etc. The carriage has a 3/8 mounting screw, and a friction brake to lock it in position. I find that the main differences between the manufacturers are actually the legs. These are one piece, non-folding legs with screws that adjusts the level. My Varavon variant has similar, but fold-able legs. There's a clear advantage to fold-able legs since they fold away and doesn't need to be removed for packaging. However, the one piece legs that come with this package is solid. I bought the 24" version of this slider to use on a tripod during my travels. There are 1/4 x 20 threaded holes on each end and in the middle so you can attach your quick release plates. Functionally it's pretty smooth, and very usable if you take your time to adjust the bearings before first use (see below). What's not good: Out of the box, this slide was unusable. There must be 1/4" of wobble and play. Luckily, with a little effort and lots of patience, you can adjust it so that it's completely smooth. I'll show you how. Take off one of the end stops so that you can remove the carriage from the rail. Then take the four hex screws off the carriage. You'll find two shiny, round aluminum screw mounts. Each has a tiny set screw. Loosen that. Then using some straight pliers and rotate the screw mounts clock wise or counter clockwise. This adjusts the way two of the bearings ride on the rail. You'll have to play with it to find the best setting. I had to make adjustments, slide it on and off the rails several times to achieve a smooth, non binding travel with little to no wobble. It's going to take a bit of time. But it's doable. Once you find the correct adjustments, don't forget to tighten up the set screw. FYI, this will throw the bearings out just a trace, but enough to effect the alignment. So test it again, then mount the carriage cover back on. Once set up correctly, it's very,very smooth. It's no Kessler, but for a cheap, compact, easy to pack slide, this is hard to beat.

This is my first slider so I have very little to compare it to. I have been really enjoying using this in my video rig lineup so far and can see the slider being one of my go to stabilization devices. There are a few things I like and do not like after playing with this slider for a bit. PROS: -Seems to be very well made/machined. -Came with a carrying case -SUPER LOW PRICE -Far sturdier on the legs as opposed to tripod mounted CONS: -I have problems with it sticking while my ball head is tilted at extreme angles. -Wish there was a spring cushion at the end of each side instead of a hard stop -Not the most stable mounted a single tripod -Slight smoothness issues in certain spots Overall for the price I cannot complain too much about the function. At less than $100 I can't picture this performing much better than it does. It will definitely work until I can afford a professional grade slider. I feel safe adding my 8 lb + video rig to this slider.

UPDATE 8/8/2015: I've now been using the slider for months, and it still looks and works exactly the same as it did on the day I took it out of the box. I've probably filmed over 500+ shots with it now, and every one was completely smooth. This is one of my favorite pieces of equipment, because it literally makes ANY shot look professional. If you pay attention to commercials and advertisements (especially your more local commercials) you'll notice most of it is filming whatever or whoever, and the camera looks like its moving sideways in every shot. They are using a slider. It is one of the most commonly used pieces of equipment in the industry, although theirs was probably 10x as much and is a bit different. I would recommend this slider to anybody looking to add a more professional touch to their videos. I have only been using this for a few days now (non-stop), but this slider is my new favorite piece of equipment I own. It was heavier than I expected, and I didn't realize my semi-crappy aluminum tripod feels shaky when it is attached, especially when i'm trying to slide vertically, or at any other angle besides horizontal. I just need to get a better tripod, but I have two light stands that I connected to the sides and I have found that it works perfect. Smooth and feels very sturdy. I was very impressed with the quality and amount of features this slider had for the cost. I was comparing my Fotodiox slider to my friends Konova slider the other day, and we really couldn't pinpoint any major differences. I LOVE how there's a tension control knob on the slider plate itself to adjust how much tension you want when sliding, I noticed other models of similar price did not have that feature. Overall, I absolutely love this slider, and you cannot go wrong with it. I am so glad i stopped waiting and went ahead and bought it, it has greatly improved the look of my videos overnight. UPDATE: It has now been months, and this is still one of my favorite pieces of equipment. The shots it gets me are invaluable, and it adds incredible production value to my videos. I increased my prices when i started using this and a few other pieces of equipment, and demand has gone up for my services. If your going to invest in any piece of equipment to get professional looking shots, get this slider!! you can't beat it.

At first, this slider appeared to have amazing quality and functionality. Everything is aluminum and there are multiple tripod attachment points. But as you use this more, the slider part becomes loose and this effect is amplified when you start putting some weight on this slider like if you attach a tripod head and a camera to it. The mechanism that induces drag, making it harder to push and pull the slider, does not work very well at all and it will catch and random times throughout a slide and cause your footage to be "bumpy." The screws for the legs always come loose which is annoying. Oh and I stripped the bottom tripod screw just with normal use. It's definitely a "good quality budget slider" but after a half a years worth of use, I'm ready to spend some extra cash and get something that will last and is manufactured with more precision.

I really like the Fotodiox Pro Slidecams because they are well built, are very sturdy and very smooth. I have purchased several of them in different sizes and used them in various applications. There was a glitch in one of my several orders, and Fotodiox customer service was very quick to make it right, and with no inconvenience to me.

I am baffled,the screw on the leg & the threaded holes on the rail do not align. There is no way to adjust & make them align because the legs only sit in a very specific spot on the rail's ends. As a result the legs are completely useless :(

I was skeptical that a cheap slider could work well- but this one does! I've been using it for nearly 2 years. It's smooth and well built. I always keep q-tips with me to wipe off the metal rails, and I'm very cautious when loading up that I don't put anything on top for fear of denting it- but no problems whatsoever. My only criticism when locked in place it bounces a bit (the locking mechanism isn't beefy enough to keep it from moving (bouncing) when locked. I keep a small clamp with me if I ever do need it locked off and still use a small tripod head on top. This is a great slider for the price!

I bought this expecting to have to adjust the bearings to get a nice slide. What a pleasant surprise that they came out of the box set up for smooth sliding, so maybe I got lucky or maybe they've fixed that particular issue. My biggest issue (and the reason it's going back) is it arrived with a definite "twist" to the rails. I first noticed it when I set up and leveled the legs on a table. As you slid the carriage to the center, the bubble level would show a quite large cant. At either end, perfectly level. Looking down the rails, you can definitely see a twist in the rail. I may give them one more chance because the slider is actually a great bang for the buck.