Ikan has definitely taken into consideration what you need to start getting the most out of a slider. How do I know this? Out of the box, you get a pair of adjustable feet. Not only does this allow you to get level shots on the ground, but they also give you the option to slide vertically. VICTORY!!! Ok. Enough with the Entourage references, lets get into it.

OVERVIEW OF ACCESSORIES

Let’s do a quick overview of the included accessories. The case may be my favorite. Reason being is unless you live near a camera warehouse, you order most of your stuff online and picking out the perfect case isn’t easy. Next, we have the feet that are adjustable in height to make sure you get a level shot every time. Absolutely love how they work to adjust the slider vertically. Last but not least, is the ball head. I will say I am not a huge fan of ball heads but this one is pretty beefy. For the initial tests I only use what’s included but I will eventually add a tripod head (easy switch).

PERFORMANCE REVIEW

The slider is light weight, sets up quickly and is very smooth. I really liked all the options the slider gives for mounting. Three 1/4” and three 3/4” mounts for all types of setups. Another helpful nugget is the bubble level on the slider which ensures you are getting a level slide every time.

With every piece of gear there are things you won’t like. Sliders are known for not easily mounting to a tripod. With the Manfrotto 504 head, you will need to mount as far back to the plate as possible and screw the ‘break’ on the slider already back. This does the trick and haven’t had problems with it. With being only $500, you can’t expect to mount a super heavy camera with a cinema lens on it. This is definitely for DSLRs and light weight cameras.

Instead of just shooting a bunch of broll, I decided to write up a little scene that used the slider to help tell the story and add production value. I was impressed by how quickly I could set up each shot, shoot a few takes and move on to the next.

Looking forward to taking this on set and making it part of our future projects.