Trexo Converta Video Slider Field Review – Affordable Motion Control

by Graham Sheldon2 days ago

Trexo, a camera motion control company with two successful Kickstarter campaigns under their belt, has an impressive new product called the “Converta Video Slider”. It’s the world’s first camera slider to feature a built-in turntable plus integrated face tracking. It also promises motion control for the masses and is useful for filming products, time-lapses, and much more. Time for the full review!

We already wrote about the Trexo Converta Video Slider when it first became available. If you are interested in all the specs before diving into my review, you can quickly catch up in this article.

Now, let’s get started: First, since this is my first time working with a Trexo product, let’s start by breaking down the various configurations you can build with the Converta Video Slider. The Converta packs a lot of features into two core packages with an optional upgrade and a variety of additional accessories for various tasks:

• Converta 600 – 23.6″ (0.6m) Operation Length ($495 for the ‘Lite Package’)
• Converta 400 – 15.7″ (0.4m) Operation Length ($395 for the ‘Lite Package’)

The ‘Standard’ optional upgrade adds an additional $100 to the overall cost and adds a turntable plate to either the 600 or 400 and the necessary mounting point for the turntable. Beyond that, you have the choice of several a la carte accessories that are all compatible with the Converta and the Trexo Converta phone app.

Those optional additional accessories include:

• 3-Axis Kit ($795)
• Carry Case ($100)
• L-Brackets ($70)
• Pan Tilt V2 Module ($395)
• Phone Holder ($25)

Initially, I was confused as to whether I needed the L-brackets and the 3-Axis Kit, so I want to define the above list a bit – if you purchase the 3-Axis Kit, it includes two V2 Pan/Tilt modules and both the needed L-Brackets for motion pan and tilt moves.

Do you need the 3-Axis Kit? It depends. If you are only interested in creating a roving B-angle on interviews (a common use case) you will only need one Pan Tilt V2 module that is panning with your subject and connected to the Converta and app. However, if you want to create diagonal 3-axis moves or a timelapse (perhaps of a statue to the sky), you’ll need the 3-Axis Kit.

There is one accessory that Trexo does not provide: a timelapse trigger cable. For that, you’ll need a 2.5mm timelapse cable, and I purchased one made by Vello from B&H for my Sony a7RV. It wasn’t expensive.

First impressions

The soft case for the Converta contains different spots for each of the various components and a few pieces of pre-cut foam. Unfortunately, this is not something I would check on an airplane, and I would be cautious about transporting this kit. Exploring some kind of hard case option is definitely needed here unless you plan to keep this slider in a studio without transporting it around.

Packaging aside, one of the more impressive things that struck me when first diving into the Converta is what a Swiss army knife this slider truly is, and the fact it isn’t many thousands of dollars to purchase is pretty incredible. It’s one of those products that is tricky to talk about because I only have the space to cover a few use cases, and there are so many other options beyond what I discuss here – including stop motion!

My introduction to motion control started years ago, working on motion time-lapses and other normal slide moves for a Discovery show in Utah, and those initial experiences weren’t too fun. Tons of cables hanging everywhere, low weight capacity, motor belts that always seemed to be slipping, a tiny speck of dust seemed to make the motion of the move bumpy, and the whole rig required expensive batteries that only worked on that one rig and didn’t work on any of the other camera systems I had with me. It was, in short, a bummer.

The team at Trexo has clearly worked hard to alleviate many of the pain points of other motion control products. For one, the general weight capacity is great, and because of this, you can use a wide range of camera systems with the Converta. Here are the weight limits broken down by how you have the slider and turntable oriented:

• 22 lbs (9.98 kg) in Horizontal Mode
• 6.6 lbs (3 kg) while in Inclined Mode (defined as a 22.5-degree incline by Trexo)
• 17.6 lbs (7.98 kg) while descending in Vertical Mode
• 11 lbs (5 kg) capacity for the optional turntable

A few more weight limits to keep in mind when using the 3-axis rig and V2 module in conjunction with the Converta:

• 11lbs (5 kg) weight capacity in 3-axis mode (two V2 modules + brackets)
• 6.6lbs (3 kg) weight capacity if only using one pan/tilt V2 module

Note: Rigging the Sony a7RV on the top tilt module required me to add a Wooden Camera baseplate to move the camera back and forth to perfectly balance. It doesn’t like having a lens forward too far, or it will give you an “obstacle detected” warning in the phone app. I didn’t receive this warning when using the iPhone.

Okay, moving away from weight capacity…

The design of the slider itself is matte black with the occasional red accent point – one of the main spots painted red is a series of 1/4-20 mounting points that seem perfectly placed for a small monitor to view the camera angle during operation.

There is a warning label telling you not to touch the screw system inside the opening in the slider, and indeed, I would be careful of letting anything fall into the slider opening that could cause unwanted bumpy spots.

My main takeaway from opening the Converta box for the first time is that it seems like this whole kit should be more expensive, but who am I to complain? You have to keep in mind I just came off two shows back to back where I used a motion slider for roving wide shots, and that whole system was much, much more expensive, but I didn’t have access to the Converta at the time.

Operation

The biggest point of failure I see in the operation of motion sliders is right at the end of the track when the move stops and shifts direction – that’s where things usually start to go downhill. I’ve worked with systems where you see a noticeable shift at that point in the move, and it shows up in the footage.

Somehow, the $495 Converta shines here, and the camera slides to the end of the track and shifts direction smoothly in a way that is very, very hard for a human operator or other motion sliders to replicate. This, right here, is a reason to add the Converta to your kit. This makes it incredibly useful as a roving B-angle in an interview because you can use 100% of the motion in the edit and not have parts of your shot that are too jumpy. Also, the face tracking feature keeps the subject centered and in focus, making it ideal for filming a moving presenter. With built-in mounting ports, you can use your smartphone as a monitor or for easy setup and control.

I find both the app and the control panel to be intuitive and user-friendly. Gone are 3D representations of hundreds of keyframes and nebulous names for different features – everything is easy to navigate, making triggering time-lapses or setting moves or overall speed very simple. One thing to note is you’ll need to set your keyframes before you can move over to select the interval in the timelapse menu in the app.

Of course, you are going to still need to think about all the things you normally would when shooting a timelapse, such as star tracking or an ND filter to allow you to drag your shutter more during the day, etc. The slider is really just doing the work of moving your camera and triggering your shutter at whatever interval you decide.

Everything in the app is built around a “Timeline” tab that serves as a representation of the move you are trying to create. Simply hit the plus button at the top to add a keyframe, or use the joystick to move to a different keyframe while clicking the speed button to make it a slow or fast move. If you use the 3-axis accessory, you will suddenly be able to use the joystick to set keyframes in any direction you can think of. Cool.

Worried you might bump your tilt when panning to your preferred framing? You can lock your tilt or vice versa to allow you to focus on moving one axis at a time. All of this made a ton of sense to me (not someone who has built a career in motion control), and I appreciate how I’m not being overwhelmed by various menu options – Trexo has kept the system streamlined.

Oh, and you can even save your programmed move and use it again in the future.

Power for the Trexo Converta

Trexo has made the decision to go with USB-C chargeable internal batteries for both the Converta and the pan/tilt modules.

Battery life per charge will vary heavily with how much you are using the slider and the modules, but I found I was getting about five hours with the Pan/Tilt V2 modules running fairly often with a 3.2lbs Sony a7RV camera and smaller SIGMA lens. The slider itself lasted several hours for me before I noticed the battery indicator getting low. Still, I’ll admit it is slightly tricky to judge the overall time for this because I am constantly using it in all sorts of different modes with different rigs and lens changes.

Using my Apple Macbook Pro charger to charge the modules and slider is incredibly useful because I’m often on smaller crew travel jobs internationally, and taking fewer chargers and battery types with me means less carrying from airport to airport. Built-in batteries are a small but meaningful feature to me, and of course, you could always take a camera battery with USB out and charge the slider up that way, too, in the field.

However, lithium-ion battery technology only has a set number of recharge cycles (often measured in the hundreds and thousands, but you will have to swap out an internal battery someday, and that means a shipment back to Trexo for service at their European or US location) so, that is something to keep in mind.

Final thoughts about the Trexo Converta

For my first time working with a Trexo product, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed using the Converta Video Slider. It’s easy to control, has a weight limit that fits most of my cameras, and is small and simple enough to bring along and add production value without the headache of multiple re-takes.

I don’t think this would make a great rental unit because of the soft case, internal components, and relatively affordable price tag, but for owner-operators, the Converta makes a lot of sense. It also takes only a minute or two to set up this slider as a B-angle on an interview, and then you can literally back away and concentrate on operating the A-camera. The fast setup time may be one of the biggest draws with the Converta.

Whether or not you need the additional cost of the 3-Axis Kit or the turntable will be up to you, but there is a case for buying the slider in your preferred length and building the kit slowly over time as you become more comfortable with its usage. In short, the Converta punches way above its weight and is worth a look.

What do you think? Will you be adding the Trexo Converta Video Slider to your kit? Let us know in the comments below!