Syrp Timelapse Genie Mini Initial Opinion Preview 

+Tim Uhler You know what, I believe I scored that tripod for free! It's the Slik 700DX. It's a beast of a tripod, for when you're shooting in nasty conditions and need something that is literally heavier than the camera you're mounting on it, lol...

+Gary Stockton It's in Laguna Beach; a little recon on Google Earth can reveal it. However as you can see from the footage, it's definitely not a place to go at high tide, or during a storm! ;-)

Thanks man.

+Paul Hill Honestly if your tripod head has a leveling base, that would be optimal. Just set the tripod legs to be approximately level, then use the leveling base to go the rest of the way, and mount the timelapse device directly to the tripod center column. I'm looking into which tripods might be as lightweight as my current backpacking tripods, and still have a leveling base. It seems like it'll be impossible to get a leveling tripod in the sub-3lb range...

+Matthew Saville thanks Matthew, are you looking forward to being able to combine two minis together?

To be honest I'm actually a little scared to step into the world of two-axis motion, I have not done it yet, however if any experience could possibly be painless, it will be with the Genie Mini!

+Matthew Saville lol, I here you..

+Darth Vader syrp.co.nz/products/genie-mini and www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1133719&gclid=CPfFxPzUo8sCFVFZhgodaOkIsQ&is=REG&ap=y&m=Y&A=details&Q=Panning Load - 4kg (8.8lb) Tilting Load - 3kg centered (6.6 lb) Weight - 230g (8.1 oz) I own the Nikon D750 plus Sigma 24-70mm. It could take more weight. The max "tilt" load is 3000g so your set up is fine. Your Nikon D750 or D810/D800 plus any lens will be fine. I have this:Total Weight: 1830g or more: L-Bracket for Tilting/Extra Release Plate for camera straps and other purposes: 200g or more+ Sigma 24-70mm f2.8: 790g + Nikon D750 & Battery: 840g

+M Potter amazing it's form factor is its biggest plus thanks for the reply in such details

+Darth Vader For horizontal panning, yeah a full-size DSLR and a 14-24 or 15-30 would be fine, but since you're raising the center of gravity of your gear in general, do be sure to use a slightly heftier tripod than you normally would, maybe? I think the tripod and ballhead of choice will matter much more than this, however. Good luck! =Matt=

+mark shirley You were looking at Genie, the big brother. You need to look for Genie Mini: www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1133719&gclid=CPvV4dzSo8sCFc9ahgodiBcFpw&is=REG&ap=y&m=Y&A=details&Q= or syrp.co.nz/products/genie-mini

***** thanks

+sunil anjaneya It's in Laguna Beach, CA; a little bit of online recon should reveal the exact spot. However, it's definitely not a good idea to visit at high tide, or during a storm! It's also important to note that professional photography (models or client portraiture) is not allowed without a city permit, and they're very strict about it. However, it's a fantastic spot for landscape photography!

+Tom Tom $248.95 + Free cable: www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1133719&gclid=CPfFxPzUo8sCFVFZhgodaOkIsQ&is=REG&ap=y&m=Y&A=details&Q=

+M Potter Thank you 😊

+Olivier VR You know what Oliver, I totally agree. When I was cutting the video, I was much more excited about the high-frame-rate footage I came home with, than the timelapse footage. But the clouds and light were so gorgeous, I decided to go with it. Don't worry, for the final review of this bad boy, I'll be doing some astro-landscape timelapse work and other more suitable things. :-)

Waves need the shutter dragged that would help! How are you finding the Panorama feature I find it unreliable !

+Robert Herrera Your DSLR will be too heavy for it. I broke one of those egg timers while making a Tilt Timelapse. You will crash your camera and lens to the ground. Unless you use a compact camera like GoPro. I own Genie Mini, besides occasional frozen App, it's the best thing out there.

+Robert Herrera You could, if all you wanted to mount on it was your cell phone or a Gopro. The egg timer trick is GREAT for that. However, you can't mount a full-size DSLR and a pro lens on an egg timer, of course. ;-)

I'm sure I can DIY something that works just as good and not so costly.. honestly, this thing needs to be at a $35 to $50 price mark..

+Robert Herrera Funny thing, I actually know a friend who did indeed build their own timelapse motion control systems. Yes I said systems, plural! If you want to create something on a $35-50 budget, here's what you do: learn Arduino, take a shopping list to the local hardware/hobby store or Ebay, ...and you're good to go! Here's a page for you: sgphotos.com/portfolio/timelapse/motionproject/#page1 Having said that, you're not going to come close to the compactness, strength / reliability, and simplicity of something like this Syrp Genie, not for that budget. I've personally been paying a lot of attention to this particular industry, since I do a lot of adventure photography and timelapse work. I've considered going into business doing exactly this type of thing myself a couple times. So if a $35-50 device existed that was this compact, strong, and simple to operate, I'd be the first person to be publishing such good news! Until then, $250 and 8.1 oz is rather incredible, compared to the more complicated systems that weigh many pounds, and cost thousands of dollars. BTW, I am indeed the kind of guy who tries to save money using DIY solutions, a lot. I use a DIY external battery setup that cost me ~$40 and can run a timelapse for 20+ hrs of back-to-back 30 sec exposures. But I still consider timelapse motion control to be an area where I'd rather buy a quality product than try to make one myself. ;-)

I'm very late, and in sure you got your answer by now. But you will get blurry long exposure photos with an egg timer

+Chris T. That's a great idea for next time when it's not raining so much! I'll try and include that in the final review... Thanks for the feedback!