New Zealand company Syrp prides itself on being a company of filmmakers as well as product designers, and the company's own personal use of its gear continues to reflect well in its product designs. Syrp has now opened pre-orders for the new Magic Carpet Pro, a larger, more robust slider that is designed for working with larger camera packages and more complicated rigs. By building on its successful original Magic Carpet with a few appreciated innovations, the Pro edition should become a popular option for filmmakers with larger rigs looking for simple to set up, quick to use, slider moves. [Also, we've asked, and the company claims "syrup" is not a thing in New Zealand.]
As we always see with Syrp, there are a lot of small design details that really highlight the filmmakers behind the design. The ease with which you can click the flywheel on and off as you go back and forth between heavier and lighter cameras is a great touch. Beyond that, the quick release for the tripod plate is a huge boon. While, yes, you buy two tripod heads and quickly swap back and forth between them, that price starts to add up quickly, and the ability to quickly get your head off the slider and back on sticks for the next setup, without having to remove the full sliding plate from the slider, is a considerate piece of design.
Credit: Syrp
Compared to something like the CF we reviewed awhile back, this is going to be a much heavier piece of kit, and you're unlikely to hike this up a mountain pass solo. This is designed for bigger payloads, with RED packages being used throughout the demo video, often with a motion control head, to really demonstrate the type of packages the Magic Carpet Pro is designed to accommodate. But by not worrying about weight, Syrp has opened up some possibilities that should make the Magic Carpet Pro a more appealing rig even for filmmakers carrying a full Alexa LF package who still want ease of use.
For instance, the quick release system for leg extensions looks like it will be a real time-saver over the screw system of the carbon, which takes longer to set up. However, these kind of quick release systems absolutely add more weight. If you're hiking, or trying to get your whole camera package in a bicycle trailer, the extra hassle of the CF threaded system might be worth it for the weight savings. Even if you are just pushing around an A7S, if your slider will live in a truck most of its life, you might consider the Pro just for the time you'll save with those quick release extensions.
Credit: Syrp
Like the original Magic Carpet, the Pro system is designed to be as flexible as possible. Both 1/4-20 and 3/8" thread mounts are at every mounting point. The legs can be adjusted to custom lengths, allowing for faster setup than some legs that have fixed positions and thread-out feet. Everything about the design is clearly influenced by a focus on speed and ease of use, and even though it weighs more than the original MC, the Pro should still pack up well into a tidy package for easy transport. If you're tough enough, you might even be able to fit the Magic Carpet Pro, an Alexa Mini, and some nice primes in a backpack and take it to amazing places. Now that the Magic Carpet Pro is out with press images showing off the Genie 2, we're getting even more excited to see what out in the wild. Hopefully Syrp will have units next month at NAB.
Magic Carpet Pro with the not yet released Genie 2!Credit: Syrp
Check out the Syrp site for more info and to pre-order, starting at $989.
Tech Specs:
- Short Track: 2' (600mm), 10.78 lbs (1.76Kg) - Includes End Caps + Carriage
- Medium Track: 3' (900mm), Medium Track: 12.65 lbs (2.2Kg) - Includes End Caps + Carriage
- Long Track Kit: 5' (1500mm) Medium Track + Short Track extension, 16.28 lbs (7.4Kg) - Includes End Caps + Carriage
- Track Width: 7.56" (192mm)
- Flywheel weight: 1.16 lbs (0.525kg)
- Bubble Level for Precise Track Levelling
- Carriage Brake for Safe Transport
- Syrp Quick Release System
- Adjustable Leg Angle, Fine Adjustment Feet, Collapsible Legs, Genie Rope Hook
- Horizontal: 70 lbs (32Kg) max payload
- Horizontal with Track Joiner extension: 50 lbs (23Kg) max payload
- Vertical (with camera up to 250mm out from carriage): 24.2 lbs (11Kg) max payload
- Upside Down: 50 lbs (23Kg) max payload
- 2 mounting points per Track and 2 per end cap, both 1/4" and 3/8" UNC thread
- Track is made of High strength Aluminium 6061
- Track Brackets, carriage, and end caps are Die-cast Alloy
