We have all seen this amazing videos on YouTube that have dramatic cinematic gliding shots in them. The more videos I saw with these gliding shots, the more I found myself very intrigued in the ability to create my own in some of the videos I’ve begun shooting recently for my clients.
So, I went in search of ways to create that appeal and found that most of them were created by either some sort of dolly or camera slider system. I then of course headed over to Amazon to look at buying the right gear. The average price I saw on sliders/dollies that were of any quality ranged from about $250 and up into the thousands.
But, as I searched on YouTube I had seen dozens of video examples of DIY camera sliders that people built on their own. After watching several, I began creating a blueprint for my design and before I knew it, I was headed off to the hardware store to buy some supplies. I knew the key to this project was going to be to create some way to smoothly glide a DSLR camera and found that the bearings used in inline skate wheels would do the trick. I found a great deal on the necessary amount on Amazon and placed that order as well.
Once everything arrived, along with a few late nights working in the garage, my DSLR camera slider was complete.
I think the end result turned out well, and here’s a video highlighting the design. Also, make sure to check below the video where I’ll give you a full list of parts used to create this DIY camera slider.
Supplies needed:
- Inline skate wheels & bearings $22.99 from Amazon. (affiliate)
- 1- 5″ x 8″ stud plate- $1.84
- 1- 3/4″ x 10′ conduit pipe $3.98
- 1- 1/4″ x 4′ Aluminumn Angle $7.17
- 10- 1/4″ x 1 1/2″ Hex Bolts @ $.17 each= $1.70
- 1- 1″x6″x4′ Select Pine Board $7.92
- 1- Bag of Nylon Lock Hex Nuts $2.74
- 1- Bag of Hex Nuts $1.57
- 1- Bag of 3/4 Galvanized 2 Hole Pipe Straps $2.09
- 3- Bags of 6mm 10 count flat washers @ $.68 each= $2.04
- 1- 2 Pack Of 4″ Hex Tap Bolts $1.26
- 1- 8 Pack of 1 1/2″ Gripper Pads $3.65
- 1- 4 Pack of 4″ Stanley Mending Plates $2.48
- 2- 2″x6″x2″ wood blocks *free (had scrap wood)
- 4- Self Tapping Metal Screws *free (already had)
- 1- Can Of Black Spray Paint *free (already had)
Total Cost: $61.43
You can mount just about any type of tripod head to this slider that you wish. I purchased the Fancier 6664H Pro Heavy Duty Ball Head With Quick Release. (affiliate) It seems to have a good weight and is strong enough to hold my Canon t3i with an 18mm-135mm lens securely at any angle I place it.
If you decide to build a DIY DSLR camera slider like mine, leave a comment below and show it off! I’d love to see what you create!