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Grip Gear’s dolly slides phones, compact cameras around for smooth shots

Grip Gear

The company that shrank the video slider is back with a new design — and a mini video dolly. The Grip Gear Movie Maker 2  is an updated video slider designed for smartphones, action cameras, and compact cameras. The Movie Maker’s motor can also be taken off the track using a new dolly add-on that allows the system to drive on smooth surfaces.

Grip Gear says it redesigned the Movie Maker 2 from the ground up with more attention to detail compared to the previous generation. The mini video slider can accommodate cameras up to 1.7 pounds. The slider includes two 12-inch track pieces and can be expanded by purchasing additional tracks.

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The motor has nine different speeds, though the set can also be used as a manual slider. The motor can also be removed from the track to create a 360-degree rotating base for shooting panoramas, videos or time-lapses with a steady, circular motion. The motor will last for about two hours on batteries or can be used for long stretches up to 36 hours using a power bank. Like the first generation, the slider can also be used vertically.

Designed for use with compact cameras, Grip Gear says the entire slider system can pack easily away into a backpack and weighs about two pounds.

The updated version comes along with the new dolly add-on, a $30 accessory that uses the motor from the slider as a wheeled video dolly. The mini tabletop dolly will carry the camera over smooth smooth surfaces using a wheeled add-on.

“We were very proud of the Generation 1 Movie Maker, after we rebuilt the entire unit from scratch for the second generation with more attention to detail and quality we are very proud to launch the Movie Maker 2 and the Micro Dolly,” Dean Tzembelicos, co-founder of Grip Gear, said in a statement.

The second generation enhances the original Movie Maker — we thought the original was a fun, compact slider although motor noise was audible and there was a slight bounce where the tracks connected. After launching at the National Association of Broadcasters Show earlier this month, the Movie Maker 2 and the dolly accessory is now available on Amazon.

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