Cinevate have announced a new entry-level slider, the Cinevate Duzi.
The roller bearing slider is made from CNC machined aluminium and stainless steel, utilizing 19mm solid carbon rails. Weighing at just 4lbs (1.8kg) it offers an impressive load capacity of 50lbs (22.7kg).
To put things into perspective, that’s a 3rd lighter than the Cinevate FLT (Cinevate’s previous compact slider), and can support just over twice the weight.
I’m not too sure on the name, Duzi. However a non-numerical name is good marketing, it gives the product an identity (Can anyone remember the name of that whack 4k JVC camcorder that came out the other month?!).
In true Cinevate style, the Duzi provides you with a wealth of mounting options, both the top and bottom cheeseplates offer Nine 3/8″-16 and Six 1/4″-20 holes. This is something the Edelkrone sliders beg for (it only has one 1/4″-20).
However, it does share a similarity with the Edelkrone; a central based lock. The Duzi rail lock is displayed in the above video, and quite frankly looks cumbersome and fiddly. Like the Edelkrone, it only enables you to lock the carriage in the centre of the rails. I prefer a friction-based lock, like the ones found on the Cinevate FLT and Atlas 10, where you can lock the carriage anywhere on the rail.
As with previous Cinevate sliders, the Duzi comes with micro adjusting urethane ball feet (they only offer around 7mm of adjustment). Unlike previous Cinevate sliders, there are currently no available all terrain feet for the Duzi (which offer more versatility when using a slider on uneven ground).
As soon as I saw the Duzi, I immediately assumed there would be a caveat, justifying the additional $200 you’d pay for the Cinevate FLT. I figured it must be the length due to the Duzi’s portability. But at 24″ long, there’s only 2 inches difference between the two. As an FLT owner myself (who doesn’t own all terrain feet), I’m scratching my head trying to work out where my slider justifies the additional weight and cost.
Of course this is just speculation. Without trying the product out first hand I couldn’t fairly compare it with the FLT. But when comparing specifications at face value, the Duzi looks like a very attractive package for a travel slider.
