Video sliders may be handy for adding cinematically smooth camera motion, but they’re also notoriously large. Yet with one seemingly simple design change, Edelkrone has created one that could fit inside a pocket (or at least the same pockets that the iPhone Plus could fit in, anyways).
The Wing is a 5.5-inch video slider with about a 16-inch range. That might sound impossible, but it’s not, and the manufacturer’s inspiration seems to have come from the birds. The Wing folds into itself, with a motion that (sort of) feels reminiscent of a bird folding its wings. But it’s that same motion that creates the actual slider effect. As the wing pivots, it maintains a straight line, allowing users to manually slide their camera in a perfectly straight line.
Using a friction adjustment at the Wing’s joint, the user can even, to some extent, adjust the speed, despite the fact that it’s not a motorized slider. A safety lock helps prevent accidental camera movements.
Since the Wing essentially uses it’s entire length twice while swinging around and folds in the middle, the 16-inch “slider” folds down to about 5.5 inches. Constructed with aluminum, it only weighs about a pound, though that doesn’t include a ball head. The ability to add your own head means that the Wing is compatible with iPhone camera mounts.
While the design is innovative, the fold of the Wing is just out of the camera’s range, which suggests any larger follow-ups would need even more innovation to fly. The folding design also lowers the device’s maximum capacity — the Wing is rated to hold up to 3.3 pounds, so it’s not for bulky cinematic cameras, but videographers who opted for portability when picking out their kit, too.
Retailing for $250, the Wing may feel a bit pricey to beginners but it’s actually not so bad compared to many sliders, including Edelkrone’s own $399, 15.7-inch slider. That price, however, doesn’t include the tripod or ball head video enthusiasts will need to actually use the Wing.