I’m always looking for new ways to add dynamic movement to my videos. I use a Glidecam and slider heavily, but there are some shots that require more specialized equipment. Over the past year my usage of more specialized video equipment has grown exponentially thanks to my sponsorship by Konova. They’ve sent me their Radial Dolly, motion controlled slider rig, and smart pan tilt head, among other things. This new equipment has enabled me to create timelapse films, more exciting wedding films, and more.
Last week, Konova sent me something new that I’ve been wanting for a long time, the Konova Slider Jib J2. The Konova Slider Jib J1 model was announced by them last year at NAB and it combines the strengths of a slider with the enhanced motion of a jib. This year they have an even newer model called the J2. I just finished an unboxing of it, and will be testing it in the coming weeks. I hope it enables me to create even more amazing things!
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For the past two weeks, I have been testing Konova’s new motorized system for use with their sliders. I have made a setup video and review of the new MS Series Motorized System.
Three weeks ago, Konova told me they were working on a new Motorized system for their sliders. This system would be more compact, quicker to setup, and easier to use. One week later they sent it to me to review and I filmed the unboxing.
If you’ve watched my site lately, you may have seen my timelapse film Pagosa, that was featured on The Huffington Post, Petapixel, and Slate to name a few sites. It was easily one of the most popular videos I’ve ever created, and easily one of my favorites to work on. It’s nice to take time for personal projects and just have fun shooting timelapses. Now, I’ve shot several timelapse films before, but they were always in JPEG, not raw, and I believe Pagosa was all the more beautiful because of the dynamic range the raw photos possess.
As I’m sure you can tell by all that, I am more in love with filming timelapses than ever before, so it was a real joy when Konova reached out to me and offered to send me their new Pan Tilt timelapse controller to review. I unboxed it a few weeks ago and have been having a lot of fun with it so far. As you can see from the video above, I was able to capture some really great timelapses around the Texas A&M campus. Now that I am in Dallas, I have my sights set on making an epic timelapse film of the city at some point in the future.
Intitially, I planned on making separate videos for the Pan Tilt Controller unboxing, setup tutorial, and review. After posting the unboxing video and using the Pan Tilt Controller, I decided it would be best to show people how easy it is to setup and shoot. There are a lot of companies making motion controllers now, and they are getting more affordable every day. Konova has hit upon this market at a good time though, and as you can see from the video above, this controller is a great deal. If you already have a Konova slider, then you’re already have half the rig. The future expand-ability of having being able to use add-ons like the Pan & Tilt Smart Head and Slider Jib is a bonus.
If you’re just getting into timelapse, or you’ve been shooting them for a while and really wanting a motion controlled kit that will allow for easy expansion, watch this video. The good quality and compatibility with other Konova products have made it a great addition to my gear bag. Plus, I’ve already been hired by people specifically interested in motion controlled timelapse videos. I would love to get a slider jib and Pan & Tilt head in the future. If you have any questions about this review, or need help with the setup of your controller, please leave me a comment or email me.
The Vivitar Case with pluck foam that I use to transport the Pan Tilt Controller is available on Amazon. I managed to buy it on Black Friday for $10, but now it is selling for $30. I’ve listed the specific Manfrotto tripod head that I use with my slider in the Technical detail section below.
Interested in having me film a review for you? Please contact me!
