Motion controlled timelapses look great but are often complicated to setup and require a lot of different components. I have used several sliders and pan-tilt heads over the past six years. But often found them to be impractical to use because they took long to setup and required many cables.

Earlier this year I took a look at the Edelkrone SliderONE version 2 which is a great choice for travelling because it’s compact and easy to use and only requires one cable when shooting timelapses. But for a lot of projects the track is simply too short, so I decided to take a look at the longer SliderPLUS which can move up to 90cm from end to end.

This slider has the big advantage that despite its rather short track of 45cm, the camera actually can move twice the length when mounting it on a tripod and carry up to 9kg. If it’s on the ground that’s not possible because the legs are used which disables the additional motion but the weight support doubles and goes up to 18kg.

The SliderPLUS can be used manually but also with the Motion Module which can be attached to one end of the slider. This allows both motion controlled real time video as well as timelapse shots. The motion setup is all done in the dedicated Edelkrone phone app.

The Panasonic S1H camera mounted on to the HeadPLUS with the dedicated follow focus

To add additional motion to the shots I also wanted to test the HeadPLUS which is a pan and tilt device that can be paired with the slider. It can be used additionally with a follow focus and a laser to quickly set focus points. This can come in handy when shooting product commercials or stop motion films. I typically don’t pull focus during a timelapse shot because I am mostly shooting cityscapes with a deep depth of field. So this is definitely rather a tool for real time video or stop motion work.

Both devices can be powered with Canon LP-E6 batteries but also with Sony NP-F type batteries. While it’s hard to judge the battery life because it really depends on how much motion is used, I recommend to always bring some spare batteries when filming for more than three hours.

The Edelkrone mobile phone app works well but can take some time to learn all settings and features

The slider and the head can be controlled with the Edelkrone mobile app via Bluetooth which works very well. Although it can take a while to figure out all settings and use the gear and all its features properly. Keyframes with the angle and position of the head and slider can be set as well as interval and ease in and ease out.

In the future I think it would be good if Edelkrone made a dedicated controller with a similar size of a phone but a few buttons to make it more intuitive to use. I had no troubles with the app so far but I think having a dedicated controller could be quite useful in certain situations.

Shooting real-time video with the Panasonic GH5s on the SliderPLUS with the Motion Module on the left

One thing to keep in mind is that even though the SliderPLUS is very compact and lightweight, the HeadPLUS is rather bulky and heavy. So if you are looking for a lighter and smaller motion control head, the HeadONE is probably the right choice.

Depending on the camera that is used and the tripod underneath the slider can move a little when sliding to the end where the motor is mounted. So if you’re planning on using heavy cameras I recommend to put some counter weights on the opposite side of the where the Motion Module is mounted to avoid shakes and balance it safely.

The pan-tilt-head is not very compact compared to the slider

While this whole setup is not exactly cheap it’s fast and easy to use but most importantly: It’s reliable. This was also the main reason for me to test this system since a lot of other systems still require a lot of cables and small accessories. So it’s good to see that companies like Edelkrone are simplifying this process and are also making the setup much more compact but still providing a long camera track.

Written by filmmaker Moritz Janisch on October 28, 2019

You can check the prices and purchase the gear using the links below*:
SliderPLUS PRO Long: http://edel.kr/rc
Slide Module v2: http://edel.kr/rc
HeadPLUS: http://edel.kr/rd
Focus Module: http://edel.kr/rd
Laser Module: http://edel.kr/rd

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