Are you looking to upgrade your camera equipment? Really want to up your game when it comes to cinematography? A camera slider is a must. Its premise is simple – stick your camera on it, it then slide it across at an even speed while you film. Camera sliders are great for panning shots, but often they’re not all-too configurable. The Smartta SliderMini 2 is though, and you can control it all from the comfort of your smartphone.
About this review: I received the Smartta SliderMini 2 from Smartta for review. They did not have any input in the contents of this review.
What you get in the box:
- Smartta SliderMini 2
- Shutter release cable – C1
- Shutter release cable – S1
- Shutter release cable – C2
- USB-C charging cable
The Smartta SliderMini 2 in action
A video does more justice to what the SliderMini 2 can do, so here’s the slider in action.
This is the resultant shot. The Slider is for smoother panning, so focus more on the movement rather than the quality of the actual footage (since that is much more camera hardware and lighting dependent).
The Smartta SliderMini 2 isn’t just a camera slider
The best part about the Smartta SliderMini 2 isn’t the fact that it slides – no, it’s the fact that it’s clearly aimed at a specific type of video maker. It charges via USB-C, and it’s controlled via Bluetooth. It can even connect to your camera to control the shutter and supports a huge amount of different cameras with the included cables in the box. The SliderMini 2 doesn’t need a phone, but you’re missing out on its best features if you don’t install the app on your phone.
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General controls
The Smartta SliderMini 2 is nearly impossible to use without the app. You can combine a number of button presses to change direction, but for all intents and purposes, you want to have the app installed and ready to go. It’s an easy pairing process – start the SliderMini 2, launch the app, it’ll connect and you’re good to go. You’ll be met with the following screen:
The UI is fairly simple. Set the speed, and it tells you how long it will take to go to the furthest edge from where it currently is. You can then move it left or right. There is also a battery indicator. Tapping the top right will bring you to the overflow menu, where you can enter any of the additional 4 modes.
Curve mode
Curve mode is pretty simple to set up and makes perfect sense once you get using it. Want a fast pan that slows down before coming to a halt? That’s exactly what this mode lets you do. There are multiple pre-made modes you can select too. Once you set it up, just press the button to move the slider in the direction you want.
Time-lapse
Time-lapse mode is exactly how it sounds. Remember how the Smartta SliderMini 2 can connect to your camera to control it? This is one of the modes that is made possible because of it.
There are several different time-lapse styles, and it’s highly configurable too. You just need to make sure that you have the right cable plugged into your camera and the slider for it to work!
Stop motion
Stop motion mode is also pretty simple. Set the number of shots that you want to take, and it will then split up the entire length of the slider into that many intervals. Every time you take a photo, the slider will move a small bit over and keep going until it takes as many photos as you set.
Loop mode
Exactly as you may expect, loop mode is just where the camera will continuously move from left to right until you stop it.
Usability and conclusion
The Smartta SliderMini 2 is extremely easy to use. You just attach the circular head (included in the box) to the slider and then attach your camera to the circular head. Once it’s securely connected, you’re ready to go! There’s nothing too crazy to set up, and the slider itself charges via USB-C as well in about 90 minutes. It’ll last you 52 hours of usage, which is plenty of time on a single charge, even when you’re using some of the more specialized modes like time-lapse mode. It has a horizontal load capacity of 15kg and a vertical load capacity of 1.25kg, yet it only weighs a tad above 0.5kg itself.
I’ve been getting great use out of the Smartta SliderMini 2 for my XDA TV videos, as it makes panning shots incredibly easy. Simply set it down on either a flat surface or a tripod, and then you can use it to take smooth shots of pretty much anything. I use the Smartta SliderMini 2 with a Panasonic Lumix GH5, and I can control that and the slider from the comfort of my smartphone. It’s an entirely remote shooting system between the two of them. I love using it, and it makes filming nice and slow shots very easy.
Pricing and availability
The Smartta SliderMini 2 comes in at $399 and ships worldwide. Is it a bit pricey? Yes, but it’s incredibly convenient with solid build quality and an excellent app to match.
If you want to get $20 off, you can order using the code XDA20 from the link below!
- The Smartta SliderMini 2 is an excellent camera slider filled with useful features. Use our code XDA20 for $20 off!
The post Smartta SliderMini 2 Review – A camera slider with a smart element appeared first on xda-developers.
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