IMORDEN 48" Slider: impressive - adjusting: requires some care - Customer Service: Excellent

Out of the box:
This is my first slider and I was impressed with the slider right out of the box. Construction feels very sturdy, looks great, and is quite rigid though I only use on two tripods. I mounted the Manfrotto 502 Video Head MVH502AH pan fluid head to it and had a lightweight dslr and small lens attached. The slider sled comes a little loose from the factory (expected) and tightening is required before use (Please read more on that below).

Smoothness:
Once I had the bearings tightened, the slider operates smoothly and I was able to get very good shots with my pan fluid head. Using it does require practice however. This is my first slider, chosen after extensive research, and controlling the motion without jumps and starts isn't easy. I've seen suggestions of using a rubber band to pull the slider but it didn't work for me and that might be the result of the bearings being too tight or the pan head being a little heavy. I wasn't able to get any shots completely smooth however, but Premiere Pro has a warp stabilizer and that smoothed them out well for the most part.

Improving the Smoothness:
I've seen suggestions to lubricate the rails and I will be trying some graphite on them next time I get it out. I also realized that the locking screw on the side of the sled could be adjusted to apply a little drag on the slider and that might help smooth out the travel as well. Not sure about that, and haven't tried it, but wanted to mention it. Maybe a little graphite there as well. Thinking more, loosing the bearings just a touch and using the locking screw to gently help prevent wobble (I mean very slight wobble) might be another option. I will be experimenting.
As I said above, you will need to practice and adjust the bearings a few times to find the optimal smoothness of travel. I was filming objects very close to the slider (miniatures) and making long sweeps with almost 180 degree rotation in the pan head. I don't think you can make a more challenging shoot on any non-powered slider. For a long shot, it would be much, much easier.

Adjusting the Bearings:
There are no instructions included that guide you through adjusting the bearings, nor a url directing you to a video. A YouTube search will turn up one quickly however. The sled requires partial disassembly to access the bearings and they are rotated to increase/decrease spacing between the rails (after removing a locking screw). Rotating the bearings is quite difficult; they are very, very stiff. This stiffness makes fine tuning the bearings challenging as they jump between too tight/too loose quickly. One star removed for this.

Bearing Warning:
I adjusted the bearings a few times at various points along the slider during an evening of use -- trying to find the optimum balance between tight and smooth travel - and because considerable force was required to rotate them, the bearings caused small dents in the rails. While these dents were very small, I could easily feel them while moving the sled. I contacted Imorden about the problem and sent a photo showing the dents. Imorden was very responsive to my email and accepted the return along with a discount code for the purchase of a replacement. I did repurchase it as I think it is an excellent slider. Going forward I will only be adjusting the bearings at the extreme end of the slider so any possible denting will not affect it's use.

Replacement Note:
The replacement slider I purchased came with it's own dent right out of the box. It was quite significant and appears to be caused by handling at the factory -- something fell on it. Luckily it is located at the extreme end of the slider so it doesn't affect it's use. I buffed it down a bit and I'm o.k. with it. I believe this is a fluke event and I would be surprised to see another slider arrive with a dent in the rail.
Should I have wanted to replace this one also, I feel confident that Imorden would work with me to correct the situation. I'm that impressed with their customer service. Can't say enough about it.

Conclusion:
I don't believe I could fine a better slider in this price range, especially at 48" in length. It's solid construction and bearing sled make it an excellent first slider in my opinion. I do wish adjusting the bearings was easier and I have made a few suggestions to Imorden regarding that. Importantly, Imorden needs to include adjustment instructions with the slider, as well as proper technique to avoid rail damage. Adjust the bearings at the extreme end of the rails and there shouldn't be any problem.

I'll say again that Imorden's customer service is excellent. After purchasing the replacement, they contacted me (unprompted) to see how it was working for me. Who does that these days?!?
Overall, I recommend the slider.

By Mike
IMORDEN Customer


Learn more products at IMORDEN store: http://bit.ly/IMORDEN_pro, THANK YOU! 

Imorden Carbon Fiber Jib - 5.7 Foot Light Weight Mini DSLR Camera Crane ...

Clearance Sale on the 5.7ft Jib until August 15, 2017
Imorden 5.7 Foot Carbon Fiber Jib: http://amzn.to/2tULXio
Imorden 6.5 Foot Carbon Fiber Jib: http://amzn.to/2vD0ql9 

Camera jibs often are heavy and bulky. But this carbon fiber jib from Imorden is lightweight and super portable. This is a very affordable slider and is fully adjustable. The camera head keeps things level as you move the jib and on the top there’s an Arca Swiss tripod plate for easy attachment and removal of your camera. The package also comes with a ball head adapter that connects to the end of the jib.

The bottom of the jib has 1/4” and 3/8” holes for mounting to a tripod. Here I’m attaching a quick release plate for my Manfrotto tripod. It’s important to use a tripod that is heavy enough to support shifting of weight when using the Imorden jib. The jib can support cameras up to 8 pounds.

The jib arm can be locked in place to make set up easy. Imorden also includes a sandbag for a counterweight. I’m just using water bottles for weights because it’s cleaner than using sand. Up to 4 standard water bottles will fit inside. The end of the jib has a telescopic arm to balance the camera and weights. The Imorden Carbon Fiber Jib can be assembled and set up in about 3 minutes and can add dynamic looking shots to your productions. This jib can be extended up to 5.7 feet but they also offer a 6.5 foot version. The adjustment knobs are large and easy to twist. The carbon fiber tubes slide easily and lock into place once the desired length has been established. The angle of the camera head can also be adjusted to your shooting needs.

The sandbag hangs off the end of the jib with the included carabiners. There are two included. A cool feature is that the base of the jib has 1/4” holes on either side for accessories like an external monitor. Here I’m using a friction arm to help me attach an HDMI monitor so I can see what I’m shooting. I’m also using a mini HDMI cable wrapped around the jib arm to my monitor. The set up here is quite stable and allows me to get the type of shots I couldn’t get without the help of a jib. I’m really happy with the Imorden jib and I’m surprised how quickly I can get it set up. It’s very compact if I need to get in somewhere for a fast shot. And the whole package fits into a fairly compact bag.

I hope you found this video helpful and if you did please give me a thumbs up and don’t forget to subscribe to my channel TheRenderQ for more how-to videos and product reviews.



By Harlan Yee

TheRenderQ

Best Affordable Steadicam? (IMORDEN S60a)

An affordable DSLR/Mirrorless camera stabilizer (3 axis gimbal) that doesn't break the bank.

Best Affordable Steadicam? (IMORDEN S60a)

Clearance Sale ends August 15, 2017 
Imorden S-60a Stabilizer - http://amzn.to/2taPUj8
Imorden S-40a Stabilizer - http://amzn.to/2tAxF63



By Keyser Reveal 

IMORDEN

IMORDEN IR-02 Camera Shoulder Mount Rig Review and Setup Tutorial

Having never used a shoulder mount, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the Imorden IR-02 Camera Shoulder Mount Rig. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised at the multiple uses of this product.

The main reason that this rig interested me was the idea of being able to quickly mount my camera on a piece of equipment that would assist in stabilizing my shots. I already own a steadycam, which works very well, but it takes me around ten minutes to get the steadycam out of the bag, set up and fully balanced. Often when I’m shooting video, I'm moving fast and I want to be able to put my camera on a tripod for something like an interview, then have the camera quickly available for steady, “on the go” type of shots. This shoulder mount rig gives me both of those options, as well as a surprising amount of other capabilities. The shoulder mount is sturdy (made primarily out of aluminum) but also lightweight (weight without the counterweights is 4.25 pounds). The shoulder mount can handle up to 13.2 pounds.

The shoulder mount ships with a standard 1/4″ thumb screw for attaching all kinds of photography gear to the plate. Also included are two standard 15mm rails (spaced 60mm apart), which allow you to attach any number of accessories to the shoulder mount rig. In all honesty, I’m more excited about the various possibilities of the 15mm rail system than anything else. Just a few ideas would be using a follow focus, attaching a teleprompter, attaching a matte box, or purchasing a micro mount with a cold shoe spud, which would allow you to attach all kinds of things including a flash or a wireless mic receiver. For my 15mm rails, I bought a follow focus to use with the rig and had it attached and working in a matter of minutes.

Imorden also provided two extra wing bolts and a micro fiber cleaning cloth (they seem to send a cleaning cloth with most of their products).
The only piece of equipment that you don’t receive with the shoulder rig that you will probably need for full functionality are counterweights. The counterweights assist in balancing the rig and counterbalancing the weight of the camera. The amount of counter weights you need depends on the weight of your camera. You can pick up two 200g weights from for $20.

The shoulder mount is easy to set up and adjust, using wing bolts for the majority of the adjustable pieces (such as the hand grips). To quickly and easily attach your camera to the mounting plate, Imorden included a nice, large thumb screw.

The rig also includes four 1/4″ holes on the bottom which allow you to attach the rig to a tripod, plus attach other accessories such as a friction arm (which would allow you to attach more devices, such as another camera, a microphone etc).

The obvious use of the rig is what the name implies – mount your camera and use your shoulder and the provided hand grips as a means to stabilize the camera. If you add something like a viewfinder, you get another point of stabilization (as the camera would be resting against your head, basically). Adjusting the shoulder mount to your liking is easy with the use of the wing bolts, and I especially like the amount of mobility that I’m afforded, especially when compared to a steadycam. I can more easily pan left and right and even tilt the camera up and down. It might not be quite as “fluid” a shot as what you’d get with a steadycam, but it’s still much steadier than if I were just holding the camera with my bare hands. The hand grips are also comfortable – they actually remind me of my old BMX bike that I had when I was a kid.

What is perhaps more exciting than just “shoulder mounting” the rig are the options you are afforded by using the 15mm rail system. As mentioned above, the use of the industry standard 15mm rails allows me to attach any number of accessories. In my case, I bought an inexpensive follow focus and actually attached it to the zoom ring on my lens (instead of the focus ring). Doing so allowed me to easily get nice, smooth zooms in my footage. In the past I would rarely try zooming my camera when shooting video because it looked terrible. Not anymore! I plan to explore other options that the 15mm rail system gives me as well. I could see this rig being part of a system that could fully replace lugging around larger video cameras.

Overall I’m really happy that I bought the IR-02 Shoulder Mount Rig. It was inexpensive (only $60) and has given me far more options than I originally thought that it would. I have to admit that I wish Imorden included the counterweights with the purchase of the IR-02, but that’s a minor complaint.





By Tim Ford

IMORDEN Reviewer

IMORDEN IR-02 Shoulder Rig Review – 15mm Rails for DSLR Follow Focus and Teleprompter Mount

Shoulder rigs are an essential part of any video shoot. But shoulder rigs don’t have to be used just for handheld shooting. I recently got a hold of the Imorden IR-02 Shoulder Rig and got to test it with a variety of accessories. The IR-02 is great for getting steady handheld shots with 3 points of stabilization but you already knew that. However, when I started attaching some of my other camera gear to this rig, that’s where the fun began!







First of all, the Imorden IR-02 Shoulder Rig uses 15mm rails in a standard width for smaller cameras. The rig feels pretty solid and is made of mostly metal except for the handgrips and the cover on the shoulder brace. Mounting this rig on a tripod is where I’m going to be using it most of the time and it’s what I’m most excited about.







The first attachment I mounted to the rig was the Kamerar FF-3 Follow Focus. This gear knob assembly attached easily to the rails and provided a good positioning of the gear to the lens.







The next piece of gear I had to try was the Pro Prompter iPad based teleprompter system. This prompter isn’t too heavy but it is large. After securing the prompter bracket to the rails, I slipped the teleprompter assembly onto the rig. I found that the Imorden Rig supported this prompter quite well!

I was also impressed by the number of 1/4″ 20 threaded holes on the bottom and back of the main plate. From these, I was able to attach additional accessories like a friction arm.

For the price, this rig offers nice versatility in a high-quality product. Don’t think of the IR-02 as just a shoulder rig. It can do much more than what it’s name implies. It’s been a great addition to my camera gear!

By Harlan Yee 

IMORDEN Reviewer

Christmas Sale for IMORDEN Jib Arm (15% off)

Christmas is coming! Would like everyone Merry Christmas! Did you get christmas presents to yourself? Why not? 15% off IMORDEN 5.7ft mini carbon fiber jib arm! Now through Christmas.

• 1) Material: carbon fiber. Total length: 5.7ft(1.85m). Hold up to 8lbs.
• 2) Extension-type crane can extend 1.7ft~4ft from Tripod base.
• 3) Mini portable Camera Crane with sandbag can easily and quickly set-up on the tripod. There is no sand in the sandbag, so its lighter and easy to take. You can add water bottle, sand, metal or some other weight to the sandbag.
• 4) One quick release plate is included to help you install the camera quickly. One Bowl for 75mm~100mm video tripod head.
• 5) Environment-friendly Carrying Bag has no harm for our earth.

IMORDEN 5.7ft Carbon Fiber Mini DSLR Camera Crane Jib Arm(hold up to 8lbs) with Quick Release Plate, Bowl,Sandbag And Environment-friendly Carrying Bag ( 15% off , save $29 now)

IMORDEN S-60C Handheld Stabilizer for Wedding Videos vs Glidecam

Camera stabilizers can be extremely overpriced while not really providing the users much. The Imorden S-60C is the complete opposite of this. For the price, you cannot beat this package. Through my work as a photographer/videographer, I've had the opportunity to use various glidecams, steadycams, and electronic gimbals but the package that is offered with this product is truly unbeatable for the price.

There are three things that influence my buying decision when it comes to handheld stabilizers and they are size/weight, ease of balancing, and of course the smoothness of the gimbal itself. In terms of size, The S-60C is tiny compared to some of the other stabilizers. At a minimum, it's only 14.6 inches! I'm able to stow it in my backpack or carry-on and pull it out whenever it is needed. It also does not weigh very much so I can handhold for quite a long time without getting fatigued.

When it comes to balancing, I don't think I've been able to balance any other stabilizers as fast as this one. The nice thing about the S60-C for me is that there is only two axis that needs to be adjusted. I only use one camera set up with the product so I never have to worry about adjusting the length of the shaft or the amount of counterweights to use. They are always the same so I only have to worry about the left/right and forward/backward axis. Really, left/right is always locked in at the same place so you only have to worry about forward/backward after putting the camera plate in. This means that within seconds of pulling the S60-C out of my bag, I can get it balanced and ready to go. The nice thing about the top plate is that there is actually a distance scale so fine tuning the balance is quite easy. You just have to remember where your camera balances and you are good to go.

The most important aspect of any stabilizer is of course the gimbal itself and the one on the S60-C simply does the job. It's hard to really rate this category since it's sort of just does it work or not? The gimbal on the S60-C just works. It's smooth and adds no resistance to the movements just like you would want. The amount of travel that you get on all axis is enough to counteract any movements that you make so this is very nice.

I love my S60-C and actually shot a wedding with nothing but the S60-C itself. Let's just say that that takes some confidence since there is really only one chance at getting the shots in a wedding. I would highly reccomend this product to anyone in the market for a handheld stabilizer that doesn't break the bank.


By Haihoangtran

IMORDEN Customer