Ric Kasnoff | Photographer | Certified Trainer

DitoGear Omni Slider Servo Review
Part 1 of 3
First look and basic feature tests

After owning and using a lower cost motion control system I was looking to upgrade to a one that had a greater degree of controllability, repeatability and accuracy while not requiring a degree in computer science or physics to understand and operate it.

For the last few weeks I’ve had a chance to play with (err test ;-) the newest addition to the DitoGear line of motion control sliders, the “OmniSlider Servo”.

I first learned about DitoGear and the OmniSlider as I checked the credits after watching the incredible “The Chapel” and “Steel Life” and found that Patryk Kyzny and Robert Paluch, the creators of those movies were also the founders and driving force behind DitoGear. ‘nuff said…I had to check this out.

One of the first things you notice when you see the DitoGear Omni slider is it’s sleek elegance and high degree of fit and finish. From its brushed aluminum extruded rail to it’s stylishly designed accessory pieces it seems like something that could have come from the design shop at Apple.

And much like the toys from Cupertino, that sleek design houses an easy to use, versatile and surprisingly powerful creativity tool.

Continue Reading →

Atlas FLT:

The Cinevate Pegasus Carbon LTS sold me on rod type Linear Tracking Systems (aka: Sliders). The versatility and adaptability of a break down “component” system just happens to work really well for my style of travel packing and shooting. But while I’m waiting for my ultimate lust slider (the Cinevate Atlas 30 DSLR AT with motor/controller ;-) I thought I’d test a few “all-in-one” systems to see if I couldn’t immediately fill my smaller movement needs.

With this in mind I’ve recently been playing with (photographer speak for testing ;-) a few different brands and models of sliders including the Cinevate Atlas 10. It’s ruggedness, versatility and silky smooth slides made it easy to see why it’s Cinevates most popular product. But as great as it is, I still found myself looking for a lighter, more “packable” slider as the 10 was just a little too well made (read: beefy) for me.

While down at NAB this year I mentioned this to Dennis Woods, the CEO of Cinevate, and he immediately lit up with that little grin of his and led me over to their latest product, a scaled down version of the Atlas 10 called the Atlas FLT. Continue Reading →

(note: This is the original long version that I wrote on the plane coming home from the workshop. A shorter version has been published elsewhere. I’m posting it here in it’s entirety in hopes that you’ll get the full experience of what it was like to spend 3 days learning from the Master)

What would it take to get you out of the house the day after Christmas, fight the crowds at the airports and fly to LA? Would a chance to attend a 3 day HDslr workshop do it? Would you pay $1,200.00 plus expenses for the privilege? Would it matter if the instructor was Gale Tattersall the DP of House MD and the first person to use all HDslrs to film an entire episode of a major network show? Well for 15 emerging and Pro photographers the answer was a definite YES. Continue Reading →