Few things add to the production value of a video like a good tracking shot - you know, where the camera is on wheels, and moves around or towards the subject. While full-size dolly systems for 35 mm movie cameras are financially out of reach for most low-budget and hobbyist film-makers, guess what? You can now shoot movies with a little something called a digital single lens reflex camera, and it only needs a tiny dolly. One such creature is the CineSkates system, but we recently heard about another, known as the Pico Flex Dolly.
Unlike CineSkates, which consists of three wheels that attach to the feet of a GorillaPod tripod, the Pico Flex is more similar to a "real" dolly, in that it takes the form of an aluminum four-wheeled camera platform. Both sets of urethane wheels turn, and can be locked in position.
If users already have their own friction arm, they can mount it on the platform, then mount the camera on it in a variety of positions. If they don't own one, which is more likely the case, they can order an optional 11-inch (28-cm) arm with the dolly. There are a total of three mounting points on the platform, so additional arms holding things such as lights or lens flags could also be added.
The Pico Flex Dolly is made by Photography and Cinema, and is available for preorder via the company website. It sells for US$90 with the friction arm included, and $65 without.
The video below shows what can be done with it.
