Syrp Genie II vs Rhino Arc II

Comparing two of the most popular 3-axis sliders on the market today! The Syrp Genie II or the Rhino Arc II? Which camera slider comes out on top?
Here is a breakdown if you want to skip to what interests you most.
0:00​ Intro
2:10 Cables & Wires
3:10 Track
6:04 Dolly
7:29 Motors
9:09 Batteries
10:17 Follow Focus
12:04 Apps
14:00 Final Thoughts
Syrp: syrp.co/us-en/
Rhino: rhinocameragear.com/
Operator Cap Merch: snakeeater354885.typeform.com...​
The Gear:
Keyboard: amzn.to/2xhJara​
Mouse: amzn.to/3eQbsKa​
Headphones: Senhieser HD700 (Discontinued)
Speakers: amzn.to/2Xu0152​
Camera 1: amzn.to/37LU5t1​
Camera2: amzn.to/2N3F8tA​
Lens: amzn.to/2XZxP7b​
Mic: amzn.to/2X0kxLa​
FOLLOW ME:
/ jessecalderofficial
/ snake_eater_co

[@MrBradleyPants]

hows about you review them there slippers

[@MattSpaugh]

Great video: solid info, to the point, nicely shot, great edit. I was minutes away from pulling the trigger on a Rhino. This has given me things to think about. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your insights. New SUB!

[@jessecalder]

Thanks Matt and welcome! It’s a tough product space to make a decision on as they’re all pretty expensive and not all are available to rent. And most of the review vids are a bit rosie if you know what I mean. Glad the video helps a bit cheers!

[@Jaleney]

Hey Jesse, whilst this isn't a product I would immediately use I am in awe at the tech! I caught you on a stream recently and would like to extend my congratulations to you on the family news! I hope y'all are doing well man and be safe!

[@jessecalder]

Thanks Damey appreciate it!!

[@timothyariel]

Such a solid, useful review. Who cares whether it's utterly comprehensive? This gave great info based on your experience in the field rather than just listing a bunch of features that I can look up. Very balanced and fair. I like that you we're kind to rhino. Keep doing reviews like this!

[@Hairyloft]

Another class vid, seriously cool kit as always.

[@A77ila80]

Great Video, super useful information, thanks very much

[@1zymn1]

Very good video, I went with Edelkrone for my slider for ease of use and ability to mount it on only one tripod. I really enjoy learning about all the different slider systems available, though.

[@lukegenesis]

What’s your edelkrone setup like? Thinking about getting the V2

[@leemjdaley]

Great video, just what I was looking for, I initially dismissed the syrp but now I'm going to rent one to have a play before pulling the trigger

[@SpokenWord4]

How did it work and did you buy it

[@davepov]

I really appreciate this review. We have had this same debate for a few years...Rhino vs Sryp. We like them both so we may lean toward Sryp now.

[@norrrrrb]

Awesome man, thanks a lot!

[@BackcountryMedia]

Nice video! What is the quick release system you're using?

[@utilisemedia]

Very helpful, thank you

[@utilisemedia]

Would this still be the case now? Do you know if there are any better products just about to come out? Seems Syrp Genie II is a couple of years old now. I can only afford to pull the trigger once and would be really disappointed if something came out a month away (granted a longer period is ok)

[@Sumsum5342]

Man, you really give an excellent perspective on real world experiences with the systems. I have the Arc II and am considering the Genie Linear and this really sealed the deal for me. I noticed you're using the Aktiv system and your head has a quick release plate on top, which one do you use?

[@jessecalder]

Hey thanks Adam appreciate the kind words. The head is the Sachtler Aktiv 6 and Sachtler makes an adapter plate that pairs really well with the plates that are part of the Syrp system.

[@brittacurkovic]

Super helpful thank you! Do you find that the Genie II is quiet enough for interviews?

[@jessecalder]

I think so yes.

[@JoelRiveraMD]

Nice video . I’m debating if I should keep the pan tilt head on te genie 2 because of the follow focus system situation. I have an edelkrone slider with the complete pan tilt 4 axis movement however there are always hiccups and bumps along the way when your camera is sliding that made me get the genie 2. However I’m still wondering if I’m going to keep it because of now way to control manual lenses with focus gears. Have you heard if there is a newer version of the genie 2 coming ?

[@jessecalder]

Thanks Joel. I don't know of any updates to the Genie line but what I use to augment the lack of a FF is a wireless one from Tilta. While not automatically in sync with the camera movement, it does give me the control over the lens that I lose when setting up automated movements.

[@ntchi]

Nice review!! Thx for sharing your experience. Can you manually set keyframes direct on the Syrp like you can on the Rhino from A to B and run it on loop? Let's say your phone is dead...?

[@jessecalder]

Yes you can use the on-device controls to set keyframes manually.

[@CReed-fo7uq]

Thanks for sharing this, very useful. When you attached your Sachtler head to the dolly (without the motor) you use an adapter - where does this come from, I'd be interested to know? Thanks

[@jessecalder]

Hey glad it was helpful! The adapter is really two adapters. One is the Sachtler Aktiv adapter. You could use just that one but would have to screw it on each time so I put that onto a Syrp plate so I can just pop it in or out of the dolly quickly and easily. I’m not sure if all the accessories are still available now that Monfrotto bought them.

[@CReed-fo7uq]

@@jessecalder Thanks for this, good to know - much appreciated.

[@angelitojusay593]

Such a great comparison video. I already have Syrp's magic carpet slider but I was on the fence about their 3-axis motors. Is the noise low enough that it isn't picked up with the boomed mic?

[@jessecalder]

Yes plenty quiet for off camera mic I think.

[@angelitojusay593]

@@jessecalder Thanks, I actually ended up pulling the trigger soon after I wrote my previous comment. I have used it on a few corporate interviews and it has been working flawlessly for me. I have another DP buddy who uses the Edelkrone system and it is glitchy as hell...it will just stop in the middle of the interview. Crazy. Reminds me of the Gerald Undone video of that motor slider. Lol.

[@jessecalder]

@@angelitojusay593 Haha awesome man glad you're finding it a solid choice as well. Oof unreliable gear in an interview is brutal.

[@hasseygolf]

Question… what is your recommendation if I’m looking for a 2-axis camera mount, not using a slider… with auto tracking. I think with the Arc2 you can set where in the frame you can be videoed. With some auto tracking gimbals, we’re stuck with the software putting our face in the middle of the frame, which ends up with a bunch of sky/room above our heads. You’re thoughts?

[@ahmedagbabiaka]

Excellent video. The Manfrotto/Syrp Magic Carpet Pro is the best slider on the market. The Genie II Linear is excellent. The Genie II Pan/Tilt is good, but it needs some improvements like follow focus, tracking. But where Syrp is really lacking is in the App. The functionality is there but the UI is horrible.

[@cuneyttaser3381]

Great video bro 👌

[@jessecalder]

Thank you sir!

[@xanderdobrowolski9944]

great video. It answered many questions. I need a slider for macro video and I am thinking between Syrp and SliderOne Pro. My question is how slow and smooth is the syrp slider for macro? thanks

[@jessecalder]

I would say for very long focal lengths or macro it will need additional stabilization in post. Those two scenarios are pretty unforgiving and you'll pick up some movement.

[@chrisoiivotos4626]

Hey Jesse. Thanks for a great video. I was torn between the two as Well. May I ask which one you felt was quieter? I'll be using it to film interviews. Many thanks!

[@jessecalder]

Hey Chris! Thanks for watching! Plenty quiet to be inaudible from a B-camera position. But I would avoid using the onboard camera mic while on either of them. The motors are not quite that good and silent.

[@chrisoiivotos4626]

Excellent @@jessecalder! Many thanks for your help!

[@BrilliantBatgirl]

If I want to create just a motorized slider with 3 axis motion (no other bells and whistles), what Syrp components would I have to order? The parts are not listed above :( Also, are you using the Magic Carpet or the Magic Carpet Pro?

[@KenToney]

I have Syrp system (for about 6 years now) and thinking of upgrading. Any other system you have tried since this video that might be worth looking at (I do day to night Milky Way etc) thanks!

[@photobylevin]

Thanks for the great review Jesse. Two questions - I have owned 2 Genie Mini's in the past, both of which literally snapped in half with just an A7Rm3 camera attached. How are you finding the build quality and robustness of the Syrp gear? Secondly I use motion sliders for timelapse only. Have you used your Syrp gear for timelapse much and if so your thoughts? I currently have Edelkrone gear, superb quality but the design gives too many jitters during the stop start of timelapse resulting in a very jumpy movie. Thanks.

[@jessecalder]

Hey Levin thanks for watching! I don't have any time with teh Genie minis but there is no way this is snapping in half or even bending. The track is quite overbuild. In fact the overall build quality is one of the things that stood out immediately to me when I first started using it. I have not done any time-lapse with the slider yet (mostly use it for video right now) but I think that is the primary focus of it and have seen many happy photographers using it for that when I was first considering the Syrp. I do intend to do a more thorough review on it and will definitely include some time-lapse testing in that!

[@paullindqvist4560]

The new Syrp is better built for sure, and is on the same level as the rhino and others controllers with built in motors. It will work nice for timelapse, but will have the same limitations in terms of maximum load as with video. As with any system you will have people who praise them and people who bash them. I´v seen actual user reviews, that were all but impressed with the ARC II.. yet you have A LOT of "reviews" praising the system, yes it certainly has some nice features but also quite a few limitations. Some which been mentioned here. Same goes for Syrp, it all comes down to what you need/want and what works for you. Personally I think both theses system is too limited in terms of versatility for the price you pay.

[@rareviewphotography]

Thanks Paul and Jesse. I have bitten the bullet and purchased the Syrp. While both meet 90% of my needs, the Syrp had better capabilities with using the slider on an angle and it was simply easier to get here in Australia. Your both correct in that all systems are built more for video than timelapse so the features are somewhat limited for the timelapse work that I do. My other grip, and Paul, you are absolutely correct, is that they are overpriced for the timelapse features that you get. I have been pleading with Edelkrone for years to make one change in the programming so that a feature that is already available for video (3 keyframes) is carried over into timelapse (currently limited to 2 Keyframes). It's not the reason I am moving away from Edelkrone but I have seen many reviews where all manufacturers have been promising additional features for years but just aren't delivering. Anyway, looking forward to the big adventure with Syrp and thanks again for your thoughts. PS, I just changed my KZbin name of PhotobyLevin to my new business name of Rareview.photography but it's still the same guy.

[@paullindqvist4560]

@@rareviewphotography ​Nice! What kit did you get ? For me personally, I do believe SYRP is indeed better suited for timelapse than Rhino or Edelkrone. I think their Genie I still is a very nice unit, and no need for an app to set it up. Syrp does support external input so a more competent intervalometer like the LRTimelapse PRO Timer 3 can be used with it. I had Edelkrone a few years back, but for me their design is limited, and wile their UI is super slick, im not to confident in the actual hardware. Apart from video and timelapse i also shoot stop motion and for that neither Rhino and Syrp is suitable, Edelkrone does have support for it, but it's doesn't change the other limitations i have with Edelkrone. In the end if i was to invest in a "closed" system like Rhino i would probably go with Syrp simply because they offer more versatility within their eco system. Enjoy your Syrp!

[@rareviewphotography]

@@paullindqvist4560 I confess, I went nuts! I purchased the Genni II pan tilt unit, the Linear motor unit, the carbon fibre 60cm track and an additional 60cm carbon fibre extension track and a bag to carry the tracks. Cost me more than I care to admit. I used it for the 1st time yesterday. It took me about 45mins to set it up with the extension track on 2 tripods but that was OK for a first time as I was very slow and methodical. I had it set for 2 sec exposures of running water every 4 seconds but after a few minutes I changed my mind as it was going to take nearly 90 mins to make a 15 sec video. So I stopped and changed camera settings to a 0.5 sec exposure every 1 sec but stuffed up the change in the genie app and ended up with a 75sec video instead of my intended 15 sec one. But that was totally my fault getting used to the interface. The end result however was a very stable, well executed capture so overall I am very happy with my 1st attempt. I mainly abandoned Edelkrone because the slider is just unstable. The concept of centre mounted giving twice the slide distance of the actual slide is good but the engineering doesn't achieve the concept. I lost count of the number of times the whole rig nearly fell over and it always resulted in moving horizon. Even the slightest breeze would create jitters and make the entire sequence unusable. The 2 head units for pan and tilt were better but again you had to leave 3 secs min between shots to give the rig time to stop wiggling about after each move. With the Syrp rig it was 0.5 seconds between each move and shot and it worked perfectly. MUCH more stable. I've never done stop motion but I did notice a video on the Syrp you tube site where they do a really cool stop motion sequence. I'll try and find it and add the link. So early days but so far looking very promising. :)

[@pedromiguez9338]

I bought the Syrp instead of a Rhino after watching your video. The latch on the genie II broke off on the 2nd time using. This is a terrible design flaw, and lots of people have had this problem. Sure I can return this for an exchange and it’s still under warranty, but what if it happens after a 1yr? The latch is not replaceable, you need a whole new unit. It’s making me reconsider the Syrp altogether.

[@mkdn]

I had the syrp for 2 years and hated using it every day. From connecting to wifi issues, the battery doors not shutting, I broke the same latch you did. Ultimately I just tossed it in the garbage. I have the arc 2 now and with the update 6 months ago that allows 5 keyframes its way better

[@calum89robertson]

Hi Jesse. Great vid. As you say, you've very much noticed a gap in the market with this review as these seem to be the best sliders within this rough price range but yours is the only comparison of the two. I had planned on getting the Rhino but your vid has probably made me change my mind and go for the Syrp. If talking purely manual control of the slider (may get the automation stuff in future but definitely can't afford for at least another year) would you still go for the Syrp? Does having the flywheel clicked on work well for manual sliding or would this be where the Rhino is better? Or are they much the same in this specific area?

[@jessecalder]

Thanks Calum! I think when it comes to manual operation both systems' flyweight work pretty well. But I still think the fit and finish of the Syrp is much better and it still scales up and down in size in a way the Rhino does not.

[@calum89robertson]

@@jessecalder perfect, thanks very much. The Syrp it is!

[@gsroodbergen12]

Do you believe that this 3-axis system would work well with stop motion, with repeatable keyframes? Debating currently between the Rhino, Edelkrone, and Syrp now.

[@roguereaper1330]

Besides making these cool review vids, I have been wondering what else you do for a profession?

[@CupolaDaze]

I'm guessing film production. Just a few minutes in he said something about being a small production and taking it to a shoot.

[@jessecalder]

I work with the military by day and a jack of many trades all the rest of the time 🥸.

[@roguereaper1330]

@@jessecalder That's awesome! I'm going to assume what you do for the military is something you can't really share on your channel?

[@MojoPapiFPV]

What cage is that?

[@johncarter591]

I've had nothing but issues using the Ordinal Genie Minis with a pan and tilt set up! You get a pan and tilt set in the App and you check it out by scrolling the time line and then one I've always have one of the Genies drop out of its connection and it will just never reconnect! ON the upside I've had lots more success with just using one Genie mini for a simple Pan only...

[@drowles25]

Does anyone reading this have a tried and true Case Kit with details they could share? I'm searching but not finding any "kit" for transporting this Syrp Kit. Any info is appreciated!

[@MeAlexSenna]

Sold

[@reanetsemoleleki8219]

Cool. I found Joel Kinnaman's KZbin channel.

[@ZebraActual]

Probably a dumb question, but... why do you even need the system? Just curious...

[@jessecalder]

Motorized sliders help solo operators (like yours truly) get moving shots when in front of the camera and you don't have another person to operate the camera equipment. It can take a great deal of practice to do dolly shots smoothly and consistently every time and even then it is possible to screw it up so letting an automated process do it can help with that. Finally if you are trying to do a shot that requires identically repeated movements (sfx for example) it can be much faster and simpler to let a machine and computer take the wheel.

[@ondrejjanoska660]

No surprise here.

[@BenoSaradzic]

Interesting video - I've enjoyed it. Design is everything, isn't it? This is just a really painful and truthful lesson of why Apple has been so successful in flogging their products over their competitors'. Not revolutionary or groundbreaking. Just better designed. Like Apple, Syrp's products are BETTER DESIGNED than those of Rhino and products of pretty much any other comparable company. Syrp Genie II is what happens when you task a very talented and inspired industrial designer and ask him to analyze how camera equipment is used and then re-think it so it can be used better, faster, more practical and more efficiently. On the other hand, Rhino Arc II does a few things well, but fails to address all the common, practical issues video and time lapse shooters face in their typical production day. It reflects poor understanding of the small production business and weak design implementation. Rhino is a good company with well-meaning people and i'm sure they'll keep on getting better with time. But their design department needs a serious overhaul.

[@paullindqvist4560]

Kind of a generalisation, the Syrp has it´s pro´s and con´s like any system, its certainly not universally better than everything else in the same genre.

[@jessecalder]

I agree with this. The main thing I look for, or rather look to avoid, are show stoppers. Points of friction that end up costing a production more money or actually kill the shot. Syrp certainly isn't perfect but it hasn't given me any moments like that yet.

[@AniSepherd972]

FIRST!! ^_^

[@CanadianTexaninLiguria]

Buy a drone - less than half the cost

[@jessecalder]

Very different tools for very different tasks.