IGUS DIY DSLR Camera Slider by Igus
IGUS linear guide rails didn’t plan on tackling the camera market, but their linear guide rails (normally used for robotics and machinery) quickly became the rave when it came to building a quality DIY camera slider. In order to finish off the IGUS project, you needed a few power tools which was difficult for some. IGUS knew their rails were being used in the DIY community, so they decided to offer pre-drilled carriers and rails to make life easier. The IGUS pre-drilled kit comes with a carrier equipped with true DryLin bearings which are friction adjustable with a hex wrench. The Igus slider kit we received is a 39.5 inch track and made with actual high quality Igus pieces. The IGUS is a much smoother and longer track than what you’ll get with the Opteka, and will be able to hold slightly heavier cameras.
Before, you needed to be handy to enough to drill and tap your own threads into the track, now the slider comes predrilled with 3/8 threads to mount on a tripod and attach a fluid head.
To finish our project, we went out and purchased (1) 3/8″ x 1/2″ inch bolt to attach the fluid head onto the carrier. We attached a quick release plate directly to the center 3/8″ inch pre-drilled and pre-tapped hole. If you don’t want to mount this on a fluid head, you can also attach the track directly onto a standard tripod. We also bought (4) 10/24 x 1/2″ inch bolts and (4) 1/2″ inch washers to attach to the pre-threaded ends of the slider so the carrier wouldn’t slide off. These are the only extra measures we needed to take, everything else comes with the slider.
We mounted the rail to a heavy duty tripod WF717
Heavy Duty 75mm Video Camera Tripod Pan Head
On the carrier we mounted a simple Manfrotto mini Fluid Head
Manfrotto 391RC2 Junior Head – Replaces 390RC2
For the specific model from IGUS, we’re using a slightly wider rail called the Drylin® W1080-B
Is the one used in this video the 1040 B?
There is also a 1080 B on amazon which literally just sold out. It looks like the only differences is the width of the slider (not length). and a few bucks. But I think that having a wider slider would balance the weight more evenly.
Also is the one that you guys used wider than the opteka? or is the it just smoother in general? I’m thinking about returning my 47″ opteka to get one of these. 47″ is a little too long for it to be practical.
I looked it up on IGUS’ website. the difference is the width of the rails. the 1040 is 2.9″ and the 1080 is 4.2″ I measured my opteka and it is just under 2″ I’m returning that to amazing and getting a pre drilled IGUS
I own one of these. The slider is heavy so I want to get a better tripod. What is the name and model of the video tripod that you used in the video? Thanks.
Tripod: Manfrotto Carbon Fiber 190CX3 (click here)
Fluid Head: Manfrotto 701HDV (click here)
Olivia, thank you for your reply. The video tripod used in
“IGUS DIY DSLR Camera Slider by Igus” does not look like Manfrotto Carbon Fiber 190CX3. What is the one used in the video? Thanks.
Here you go, this might be the one you are looking for http://cheesycam.com/ft-717-a-k-a-wf-717-fluid-head-tripod-review/
Hey Olivia,
I like the the idea that Konova had with their slider. But the price is just a bit overboard. Given the 1040 to be 2 in narrower – is the 1080 less portable? Also another reviewer said that there might be some differences in smoothness but you can get used to it.
Given the 1040 versus the 1080 what is the better buy. I kinda wonder if the 1080 is a bit much to run with on location shoots.
Thnx much! Keep up the good work.
FYI, I have an Igus slider and recently mounted the carriage on the rail and realized two of the four plastic sliders (from between the carriage and the rails) had fallen out, making the carriage useless. Fortunately, I found where they’d fallen and put them back in, but to be safe, I emailed Igus and they’re sending me four spares of those pieces for $4 apiece.
Great, helpful customer service there in R.I.
Hello Bruce,
Do you own the 1080 or the 1040? I’m now thinking that I might want the 1080 to upgrade to a motor drive option in the future. Choices Choices….
Thanks for the heads up on the extra plastic sliders. I’ll order a few extra too when I order mine.
Do you have any idea on how to motorize this? Also, is there any way to get around drilling, because i dont really trust myslef.
This is great, but how much does the kit (rail +slider, not the head or tripod) weigh?
Less than a pound, it is very light weight!
Olivia, you rock ! This is an awesome camera slider. I just bought it and did a test. If you guys wanna take a look, it is available HERE. I hope you find it useful. Happy holidays
I’m looking to get a slider I will carry during hiking expeditions. Olivia, I believe your 1 pound was optimistic, but these are still the lightest quality slider I have seen.
The weight below were taken from the specs of each part as listed on the IGUS web site.
Rails (same weights listed for both drilled and undrilled):
1040: 1kg/m
1080: 1.5 kg/m
Carriages:
1040: 290g
1080: 340g
Total weight for 1 m slider with carriage:
1040: 1.290kg (2.84 lbs)
1080: 1.840kg (4.06 lbs)
Personally I’m still undecided between the 1040 and the 1080. I might get the 1080 and cut the rail down to a length of about 70 cm.
might be interesting: motorized Open Source Version here… Vimeo VIDEO
cheers Stefan
I built motorized slider based on 1040 rail, and now I wish I went with 1080. It all depends on your slider/camera weight, mine is very heavy and whole contraption is shaky…
CLICK HERE for VIDEO
This is my very easy to build slider. I don’t have tools so I can’t follow many great DIY so I decided to give it a try and make something really easy, affordable, and decent enough. Check it out if you can. I’d like to know what you guy think of it.
Seems like they noticed in Italy too that they can sell linear guides to video enthusiasts… Here’s a mint page from igus.it: camera slider italia.
Just a couple of questions: do you know the maximum weight these sliders can carry? And another thing: what are the main differences with the more expensive sliders?
@Ale The max weight this slider can hold is probably in the ballpark of 5 lbs or so. If you get too heavy, you really run the risk of just tipping or compromising the consistency of your slide. Some key differences with this IGUS DIY slider in comparison to a more expensive slider from Varavon or Konova: overall product quality, aesthetic, performance, etc. The dry-lubricated anodized aluminum on the IGUS creates pretty smooth friction based slides, rather than using roller bearings. Although you can adjust the tension on the IGUS, you can’t control start and stop with knobs or lock the trolley into place.
hi, thank for the info… is there any alternative solution to Igus rail system? Thank in advance.
@Auto As far as DIY sliders go, not that I know of that work this well. There are plenty of slider options out there tho. If you search “slider” in my site search box, Varavon and Konova should pop up. You can see there what they have to offer for pretty nice pricing.