Cineskates Enables Pro Tracking Shots at Home

Loads of digital SLR cameras have HD video , and the resolution and quality of a lot of home video is now nearly as good as the pros. But home video always looks -- well, home-made -- because most people can't hold the camera steady enough on their own. While Mount Kestrel has a system that resembles a steadicam setup,  lot of people wold rather just have something simpler. A company called Cinetics wants to fill that gap.

Founded by MIT Media Lab alum Justin Jensen, Cinetics makes CineSkates, which is basically a wheel attachment for Joby's Gorilapod Focus tripod. It sounds simple, and it is, but the upshot is a nice, smooth platform for tracking shots and pans. The wheels are the same materials used in skateboards and rollerblades and attach to the tripod.

Cinetics says it will start shipping the first products in the next couple of months, and you can become a backer of the company through the Kickstarter web site. So it isn't quite hitting retail stores yet. But even so, it's a neat idea (probably one of many) that improves video productions. And being able to to a professional-looking pan or rotational shot is pretty cool.

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