In addition to a new cage for the GoPro, Redrock Micro today announced the all-new One Man Crew, a new class of motorized 'parabolic slider' that operates unattended and delivers elegant cinematic motion. The One Man Crew is being touted as particularly effective for individuals and small crews who want their footage to stand out and have the look of being shot by a professional camera crew.
"The One Man Crew is the first and only parabolic motion system available designed to provide elegant cinematic movements while keeping the subject both in focus and stationary in the frame. Most importantly, it does this without any operator involvement. The 36" long track offers great flexibility and can set shorter limits for motion. The One Man Crew allows for camera speed change in real-time and manual start/stop/change direction with speed ramp up/down for consistently great footage.
"The One Man Crew is the perfect addition for small crews doing corporate or documentary interviews that require fast setups and great images. One Man Crew can be used with a single camera for a high-end production feel, or on a second camera for cutting between shots with additional footage. One Man Crew's smooth, controlled, repeatable motion is also great for product and tabletop photography and adds that extra sparkle.
"One Man Crew can be set up and prepared for production in minutes thanks to its lightweight, self-contained design, intuitive laser alignment guides and push-button ease of use. The One Man Crew can be unpacked, set up, and ready to shoot in about a minute by a single person, and can be mounted onto a standard tripod via its integrated ¼"-20 and 3/8"-16 cheeseplate on the bottom of the unit. It also features rubberized feet for low profile tabletop placement for maximum versatility.
"One Man Crew contains everything needed for use and is production-ready straight from the box. The included Heavy Load Tilt Head works with virtually any camera and has the ability to hold up to 20 pounds. One Man Crew is powered by an included AC adapter (with international plug adapters) and comes with a soft carry case for easy transport to and from productions."
The One Man Crew is available for pre order today at the price of $1495 and will be available from Redrock directly or from any of its approved distributors.
Cool idea, but the fact that the path is an arc will make the distance of the subject to the focal plane change, thus requiring refocusing if you're shooting with a wide aperture. Correct me if I'm wrong?
Also, with that price, I'd rather get a Kessler :)
No. To all arcs there is a center point. The camera simply needs to point towards this center so that the focal point doesn't change.
this is hoping they THOUGHT about this and provided an easy way to align the camera...
Well, that's assuming your subject is dead-center of the arc and doesn't move. I.e., if the radius of the arc is about 10ft, you can't place the subject at, say 5ft, and expect things to be in focus when they move.
If you watched the video, they use two lasers to pinpoint the center of the curve, they are built in... What I think is weird, is they didn't customize the head at all, it looks limited to horizontal tracking which seems kinda lame. So you already have to buy some other parts to make vertical movements happen.
Hope this helps.
Guys take a piece of rope 6ft long tie it to a post and note the arch...
Yeah... I can't beleive this isn't sinking in EVEN after you clearly see them explaining how you get your subject dead center....
Another piece of gear that Dr. Evil will sell for .... a GAZILLION dollars? I jest but photo/ video gear is overpriced. But, like New York State taxes, it doesn't matter; some of us will pay it. ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTmXHvGZiSY
For some strange reason I did not like the look of the footage it created. Something didnt look right
While I know it is specifically made for parabolic rotation around a specific point, the lack of a rotating head smacks of what Alton Brown describes as a "unitasker." There are some cool shots i can think of using this for if the head could rotate instead of just tilt. This could EASILY be made for half the price with a powered rotating head with a small motorized slider mounted to the top, and that setup would have the ability to be used for more than just one distance to the camera.