Slider Modula 3 in 1 is presented as your ideal and practical solution for any shooting, functional for a professional studio, a corporate or to shoot a wedding. Or to take along for an outdoor adventure.

If you live in the northern hemisphere, this is the time to prepare gear for Spring or to look at new options in terms of material to buy. If you’re involved with time lapse photography or video, a slider is something that is already in your bag or your shopping list. If you’re in the second group, maybe the suggestion from ShooTools represented by its Slider Modula 3 in 1, is an option to consider, especially if you want a slider that is able to grow with you.

It’s called Modula 3 in 1 and it offers three sizes: 40, 80 and 150 cm. As you may have guessed, these cover the most used lengths when it comes to making a camera move over a rail. The 40 cm for a wedding or extreme locations, the 80 cm for most environments and the 150 cm for commercials or studio setup.

The concept of modularity, as we usually tend to understand it, would mean that we could  go from a 40 cm slider to a 150 cm slider by adding modules, but if you’re familiar with sliders, you’ll understand that’s not a viable option for many uses, as a slider needs to be a stable platform on top of which a camera can move freely.

The solution found by ShooTools for its Slider Modula 3 in 1 is simple: the package you receive when you buy the system has three interchangeable rails of 40, 80 and 150 cm and an universal carriage, that you move from one rail to the other, to give you freedom when it comes to production. It’s a logical solution that will be adequate for most users, giving them three lengths that can be used for different kinds of work and that they can pack to take along as they see fit for each type of work.

When it comes to technical aspects, the universal carriage used is obtained through a CNC process from a unique aluminium block, with Brake and Friction System. The wheels used are made with an innovative ST-66 technopolymer studied by ShooTools in order to guarantee maximal smoothness and extreme carriage fluidity. Furthermore, each wheel is characterized by a double steel ball bearing that equips the exclusive ShooTools’ wheel assembly, for a max fluidity of movement and performance.

A double Friction System allows to act both on the wheel assembly system and manually, in real time, in order to adjust the feeling of your tracking shot. The antibending tracks, with the record width of 84 mm, realized to guarantee absolute stability even for the heaviest video cameras, support a load over 20 Kg and are ready to be motorized or equipped with other accessories. Suitable for any type of photo or video head with 3/8″ thread, the slider can be installed easily and rapidly over tripods and plates of 1/4″ and 3/8″.

Alternatively is it possible to add Smart Legs, bought as an extra. ShooTools says that “the new Smart Legs are fully adjustable, each leg has a double and independent system of setup. They are suitable for any surface, at the end of each there is a special stain-resistant rubber, you can put your slider also above the most delicate surfaces.You can easily install the Smart Legs and also use your tripod, to maximize the freedom of your preferred setup.”

The Slider Modula 3 in 1 is now – January 2017 – available at a special price of €499 (+/- $550), when the usual price is € 899 (+/- $960). Besides the promo price, the system has another advantage: you’re buying into a system that can be extended to become motorized. In fact, you can add Motion Control to your Slider Modula whenever you want, through equipment available on the ShooTools page.

Also, if you’re into time lapse and really need to extend the reach of your slider, you can. Although the modularity of the Slider Modula 3 in 1 is represented by a carriage that moves from slider to slider, ShooTools sells the accessories to connect your rails. The extension plate is a small tool designed to offer  a quick set up. The accessory fits on the underside of the rail, which has standard 1/4″ and 3/8″ holes to assemble/disassemble rapidly tripods or support legs. The plate – sold in groups of two – has also got a rubber base in order to place the slider directly on delicate surfaces. Although this extended setup is not adequate for using with a single tripod, it can be a solution to explore for when you need extra rail traveling for a time lapse.

ShooTools gives a 5 year warranty on its products. Each component undergoes two distinct types of treatment: the first one, by shot peening through ceramic spheres, increases the hardness and the resistance to fatigue of the object and, in addition, provides a pleasant hi-grip finish. The second treatment, anodizing at 30 microns, protects the device from any external agent. These technical solutions allow the use of the ShooTools Camera Slider Modula from the Namib Desert to the glaciers of Greenland.