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CamTram or TwinDolly ?????

Lee Dashiell

Lee Dashiell

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I'm considering purchasing the Camtram but I want to mount a motor on it to do some motion tracking. I have a motor available from the dutch head off of my CamMate dutch head but I'm wondering about mounting options.
http://www.camtramsystem.com/


I'm also looking at the Twindolly http://www.solidgripsystems.eu/prodtwin2.htm They offer a motor mounting option but I'm still looking at getting some info from them.

Any other options out there???
 
camtram

camtram

I purchased the camtram from abel at last years (2009) NAB. There was a rep from CamTram doing a demo with their motion control system. I'd suggest contacting them direct.
 
The Camtram rocks. Ned, the fellow who put it all together, has done all kinds of additional rigs with it, many with motors. The design is such that the wheel system can integrate very cleverly with motors by replacing the O-rings with a longer flexible loop that does a kind of "figure eight" around the wheels and through a motor. It is quite ingenious. He is very available and reachable through his website: www.camtramsystem.com
 
Paul Hazlett said:
there is also cam blocs that looks interesting although there has not been
much development lately.

http://camblock.com/index.php
Click to expand...
Has anybody tried the camblock system ? Looks like a nice motion control system for the price... And with the lighter Epics and Scarlets this should work well. The Red One is probably a bit heavy for it.
Their demo footage look pretty clean.
 
I have a camtram and love what I can get out of it. For short dolly moves or more Run & Gun situations, I could see myself getting a Kessler Cine Slider to compliment it someday, but I'd never get rid of the Camtram. It's a great piece of gear.
 
CAMTRAM Experience

CAMTRAM Experience

I've owned the CamTram since June of 2006. Have found it to be an excellent tool. Would be very interested in hearing of anyones experience with motorizing it - while the wire rope idea a few posts ago is interesting, I would want something that would be independent so that it could be used on longer track runs.
Also, there have been some shots I wanted to get that would have required a remote - the CamTram can be used inverted to get an overhead shot that tracks. You can do it manually, but without a motor and remote, the field of view is limited (It's easy to be part of the shot with the camera pointing down).
 
Contact Ned. He had video of a remotely controlled overhead X-Y gantry set-up using the Camtram at NAB last year. As I recall the motors and controllers were off-the-shelf items.
 
Nils Ruinet said:
Has anybody tried the camblock system ? Looks like a nice motion control system for the price... And with the lighter Epics and Scarlets this should work well. The Red One is probably a bit heavy for it.
Their demo footage look pretty clean.
Click to expand...

I will be using a 3- or 4-axis camBLOCK system to shoot my film "Southwest Light" - both motion timelapse and some Red stuff. Check out this dolly prototype. http://www.vimeo.com/8574958

camBLOCK is amazing.

On the more affordable front, Kessler's motorized slider should be very convenient as well. He can also make custom lengths up to 7ft or so, I think. Bloom will be testing an early prototype motorized Kessler slider soon at Skywalker Ranch. The motor simply plugs in to their existing slider setup.

To me, Camtram is a nice piece of gear, but it would be easier just to build a DIY version for a couple hundred bucks.

Here is a simple DIY dolly I built with a few hundred dollars worth of aluminum and welding:

63wtgl.jpg
 
We're working with Ned to bring a nice time lapse system for the CamTram to NAB this year. Ned has built a number of units that are extremely clever and versatile. He's working to make it the most modular and affordable solution available. Should be as well-designed and built as the rest of the CamTram system.
 
Thanks Mitch. I've definitely decided to go with the CamTram and have emailed Ned a few times today with Ned about the motors and controllers. I'll be speaking with your guys tomorrow at Able. Thanks for your help.
 
Tom Lowe said:
I will be using a 3- or 4-axis camBLOCK system to shoot my film "Southwest Light" - both motion timelapse and some Red stuff. Check out this dolly prototype. http://www.vimeo.com/8574958

camBLOCK is amazing.
Click to expand...
Wow, nice. And pretty affordable for such a system. The "2 timelapse shots at the same time" feature is sweet too.
Let us know how your shoot with this system works out.
 
I know this is a late reply to this thread but the 'Track In The Box' www.trackinthebox.net is certainly worth a look. In fact, it's actually perfect for smooth motion tracking. There is also a link to it from the www.camtramsystem.com website itself.
 
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