Dynamic Perception Stage Zero Dolly

[Jake]

Dynamic Perception Stage Zero Dolly

Type:
Time-lapse Dolly


Features:
• MX2 controller
• 6ft Rail
• 12V 2700mAh Battery Pack
• Camera Connection Cable
• 12v DC Motor

Specifications:
• Width: 72 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15lbs
• See website Dynamic Perception LLC, Open-Source TimeLapse Motion Control Systems

Summary:
The Dynamic Perception Stage Zero Dolly is a rail system to add motion to time-lapse photography.

The kit is basically a rail, a motor, a battery and the MX2 controller. The brain of the MX2 controller is an Arduino board. For the DIY'ers, you can buy a kit from DP and add your own Arduino board to build the MX2 controller, or you can buy just the MX2 controller and add your own motor and rail. For this review I'm talking about the complete kit.

It ships out of Houston so it's filled with Texas awesomeness. It arrives in a big box and you have to assemble it. Assembly isn't rocket science. It took me about 45 minutes and I was taking my time.
You will need to add some kind of mount for the camera to sit on the cart. I'm using a Manfrotto ball head, and I've seen people use a Magic Arm also. Then you'll need to have a tripod or two to hold the rail.
Once you get everything put together it's time to plug stuff in. Battery plugs into the MX2, motor into the MX2 and camera into the MX2.





Function:
The rail that ships in the kit is 6' and can be a little cumbersome to haul around, so you will want to have a good idea for your shoot before hand. I'm currently using a ski bag to carry the dolly in, which works well so far. The MX2 is the intervalometer, so you will set it to how often to trigger the camera and whatnot. You also set the speed to move the cart. There are two options for how the cart moves. One is continuous and the other is interleave(shoot-move-shoot). ( tutorial video Tutorial: Introduction to Shoot Move Shoot (aka Interleave) Mode - Dynamic Perception : Dynamic Perception LLC, Open-Source TimeLapse Motion Control Systems )

Interleave(shoot-move-shoot) is great for longer exposures and HDR. It allows me to do a 30sec exposure with no movement, then after the shot is taken the cart moves, so every frame of the time-lapse is nice and sharp with no motion blur. For HDR it allows you to shot X amount of frames before moving the cart.

Continuous mode is great for general purpose shooting, like daytime where your shutter speed is fast enough that movement won't effect the shot, although a little motion blur can actually look good in a time-lapse.

In the bag:


The belt drive under the cart:









The Verdict:
It you enjoy shooting time-lapse, and who doesn't, it's all the rage right now, then adding motion will take it to the next level. The DP Stage Zero is an excellent way to do that without breaking the bank. You can do a lot more with the MX2 then I mention here. You can even control a telescope heads to get up to three axis of motion. You can write your own code for the MX2. You could probably use it as a weapon if needed.

The customer service at Dynamic Perception has been fantastic. Fast email corespondents, fast to ship, replaced a faulty MX2 controller as soon as I mentioned my issue. And with them being in Houston it arrived the next day. I did quite a bit of research looking into the different dollies available and the Stage Zero is the best bang for the buck out there(imho). What's also great is they sell the parts for the DIY'ers. There are other really nice dollies out there for time-lapse (Kessler stuff looks awesome) but it didn't fit into my budget.

Where To Buy:
Dynamic Perception LLC, Open-Source TimeLapse Motion Control Systems

A quick 14 second clip of the dolly in action:
DPSZ - YouTube

And a time-lapse video where the Stage Zero dolly was used:

Texas Cemeteries Time-lapse on Vimeo

Texas Cemeteries Time-lapse on Vimeo

[groovyone]

Sweet rig! Thanks for the review.

[rhoffart]

In your video, roughly how long did it take to shoot each sequence? I know it's fully adjustable. I was just curious was that a hour of shooting or 5?


I have been researching these for a while. Now that I know these guys are in Houston this may be the one I choose. Thanks

[Jake]

Originally Posted by rhoffart

In your video, roughly how long did it take to shoot each sequence? I know it's fully adjustable. I was just curious was that a hour of shooting or 5?
....

Most of the night shots in that video are between 1 to 2 hours. But I wish I'd of went slower and did 3 to 4 hours.

[rhoffart]

Originally Posted by Jake

Most of the night shots in that video are between 1 to 2 hours. But I wish I'd of went slower and did 3 to 4 hours.

Thanks ... business or pleasure? Are you using it to produce sales, stock footage? Sorry for being noisy, answer only if you want ...

[Jake]

Originally Posted by rhoffart

Thanks ... business or pleasure? Are you using it to produce sales, stock footage? Sorry for being noisy, answer only if you want ...

It's just for pleasure......

[rhoffart]

Originally Posted by Jake

It's just for pleasure......

upload them to istock and make you some spare change.

[Agata]

Hi Jake,
I'm blown away by work you've done with this set up and thanks for sharing it with us. Was wondering, if you could tell me what lens are you using or is best for this type of movie clip and, you have mensioned you wish you spent more time (3-4h) instead of 1-2hs. What other effect would you recieve instead?
Im just learning this stuff from posts and different sites so I would appreciate your commets and pointers.
So far I'm fascinating with you results and hoping one day will take my skills to the next level-just like you :)
Thanks

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Agata

Hi Jake,
I'm blown away by work you've done with this set up and thanks for sharing it with us. Was wondering, if you could tell me what lens are you using or is best for this type of movie clip and, you have mensioned you wish you spent more time (3-4h) instead of 1-2hs. What other effect would you recieve instead?
Im just learning this stuff from posts and different sites so I would appreciate your commets and pointers.
So far I'm fascinating with you results and hoping one day will take my skills to the next level-just like you :)
Thanks

Thanks Agata!

I use pretty wide lenses most of the time. The Canon 16-35, Nikon 14-24(with adapter) and Sigma 20mm to name a few.

And the reason I wished I shot longer is because I feel like my favorite clips are just too short.
After the fact in post, it's easier to speed up a clip and make it shorter than it is to slow it down and make it longer.

[Agata]

hi again,
thanks for your qick reply- noticed, you operate Canon but using Nikon lens with the adapter? may i know what kind of adapter is that? and how does it work? - also Sigma lens 20mm? I thought you can't be switching other brands' lenses? is that right or dont know the hidden tricks... hee
thanks for all your info :)

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Agata

hi again,
thanks for your qick reply- noticed, you operate Canon but using Nikon lens with the adapter? may i know what kind of adapter is that? and how does it work? - also Sigma lens 20mm? I thought you can't be switching other brands' lenses? is that right or dont know the hidden tricks... hee
thanks for all your info :)

The nikon 14-24 is a fantastic lens. But it's full manual when using an adapter. It's manual focus, and changing the aperture is guess work.
This is the adapter I use:

Amazon.com: Fotodiox Pro Adapter, Nikon G Lens to Canon EOS Mount Adapter for Canon EOS 1d,1ds,Mark II, III, IV, 5D, MarK II, 7D, 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 60D, Digital Rebel xt, xti, xs, xsi, t1i, t2i, 300D, 350D, 400D, 450D, 500D, 550D, 1000D: Camer

Amazon.com: Fotodiox Pro Adapter, Nikon G Lens to Canon EOS Mount Adapter for Canon EOS 1d,1ds,Mark II, III, IV, 5D, MarK II, 7D, 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 60D, Digital Rebel xt, xti, xs, xsi, t1i, t2i, 300D, 350D, 400D, 450D, 500D, 550D, 1000D: Camer

I wouldn't recommend doing this though.


That said, the Canon 16-35 is a much easier lens to use.
Sigma makes lenses in different camera mounts. The 20mm f/1.8 that I have is made for the Canon. Sticking to the same brands as your camera is the safest thing to do though. For the night sky I like to use lenses in the f/2.8 or faster.

[groovyone]

Now Jake needs to try the Rokinon 14mm for Canon.

[iCe]

Nice review Jake! Nice video too. I've seen some of the clips but that's the first that I've seen the whole video