Kessler Shuttle Pod – First Look & First Test Shots – Potato Creek Park Indiana

I am in the beautiful state of Indiana visiting my friend Eric Kessler. We are testing out a new dolly system that Kessler Crane has created to span longer runs and utilize existing Kessler equipment.

The System is called “Shuttle Pod” and it is a dolly that wheels down the metal frame used by the Kessler Crane. The crane track can be mounted to tripods or simple placed on the ground.

The Shuttle Pod supports the camera and is similar to a skateboard dolly, but much better. It is build well, has many points for connecting a head or arm and can hold larger cameras. It is also able to travel larger distances.

Think of the Shuttle Pod as a larger version of the CineSlider. If you have not read my blog talking about this sick slider, click here. Both the Shuttle Pod and CineSlider can be fitted with ElektraDRIVE motors for timelapse or motorized dolly moves.

Eric and I will be shooting at Potato Creek State Park in North Liberty, Indiana for the next few days. Yesterday, we dealt with rainy weather at the park but we managed to take the Shuttle Pod out on the first real-world tests.

We started at a single location, the side of the road on a bridge that overlooked a creek.

Eric and I decided to just place the track on a concrete wall of the small bridge. I first tested the track without the motor system and found it to feel very similar to a skateboard dolly. No friction, the carriage just slides smoothly up and down the metal track. The track pieces slide together and bolt finger tight without the need for tools.

I decided to go “worse-case-scenario” and test the stability of the system with a 70-200mm f2.8 lens. I added a 2x extender to the lens to double the telephoto power. As you well know, trying to keep a 400mm lens steady on a 5dmk2 camera (or any camera) is very tricky. Even with the best tripod. Every little imperfection in a camera move is amplified at this focal length. And, shake or vibration will show up instantly.

It was easy to use the Shuttle Pod with a wide lens and I did many great dolly moves with fingertip control without a motor. However, I had no luck creating a perfectly smooth move by hand with the telephoto lens.

I asked Eric to show me how to mount the ElektraDRIVE motor, motor bracket system, belt, and belt clamps. It took us about a minute to change a full manual dolly to a motorized system in the field with no tools.

I wanted to see if the motor would be smoother than my touch when sending the carriage down the track with the super tight lens. The Oracle controller moved the Shuttle Pod around just like it moved the carriage around on the CineSlider. Very impressive. I was pleasantly surprised how gentle the motor was and the video blog at the bottom of this page will show you our results.

So far, I am happy to say that the system works well. It is very smooth and not too difficult to set up. This system was not designed to replace the CineSlider or a Pocket Dolly for east of use and portability, but it holds its own for longer track work. Plus the fact that all the motorized parts are modular and work on many Kessler systems is a huge plus. If you already own a Kessler Crane, you can use the support truss as dolly track!

This is Park Ranger Willy. He is a good guy but had trouble opening a door at “Jacob’s Lost Cabin“. Inside the secret shack was the heart of Potato Creek and the answer to all of life’s questions. I was slightly disappointed that I never got to see what was in there.

Special thanks to Potato Creek State Park for helping us find the perfect shooting locations. I am looking forward to spending the night in the park shooting astro-timelapses tonight!

You can also watch this video on VIMEO by clicking here.

In other news, I have a nifty new IKELITE 5dmk2 DSLR underwater housing to play with at the lake. I am told it belongs to Philip Bloom. SWEET.

I will also be in Florida working with Eric Kessler on June 28th though the first few days in July. I am stoked for this trip and it will be a good time. There is more information on the Key West meet-up here.