Automotive turntable - Have you got one?

[Bikesalot]

I've a range of vehicles to shoot and am in the need of an automotive turntable to hire for a day that's already in a studio / show room location. Heaviest vehicle is approx 395kg.

I've called quite a few photo studios that advertise this service but most seemed to have stopped offering this service a while back and just not updated their websites.

Location wise - I'm happy to travel approx 2 hours from Hertfordshire and have a budget to pay for day hire of the turntable / studio.

Has your business got one I can come and use for a day, or has anyone used a similar set up and can pass on a recommendation?

Thanks

[AdeTuono]

395kg the heaviest?

[Bikesalot]

AdeTuono said:

395kg the heaviest?

That made me question myself.

Kerb weight of 490kg is the heaviest

[InitialDave]

Could you approach this another way? Is there some kind of circular dolly track you can get to run the camera around a static vehicle?

Depending on what you're trying to do, a drone often has a preprogrammed setting to do that?

[Bikesalot]

InitialDave said:

Could you approach this another way? Is there some kind of circular dolly track you can get to run the camera around a static vehicle?

Depending on what you're trying to do, a drone often has a preprogrammed setting to do that?

I've thought about that, as well as a few other options. The automotive turntable would make life easier, and quicker too!

Images are for dealer websites so need to be consistent and have a white background.

[strain]

Have you considered approaching other dealers?

I know my local car superstore has one, wifes latest car was also photographed on one so assuming they had one too (motorpoint)

[Bikesalot]

strain said:

Have you considered approaching other dealers?

I know my local car superstore has one, wifes latest car was also photographed on one so assuming they had one too (motorpoint)

Absolutely. The ones I've tried, reasonably local, don't have an appetite for it.

[InitialDave]

If this is only for something small/light like bikes, bear with me as this is going to sound a bit bodgy, but I think you could make something fairly effective with a couple of big sheets of wood, a router, and a load of ball bearings. Circular tracks of a semicircular cross section routed into each sheet, which act as tracks for bearings to run on sandwiched between the two sheets. Might need two or more concentric tracks to spread the load.

Crude, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work.

[m1dg3]

Try Cheltenham Film Studios. The studio is excellent value for money and there's a company on site that manufactures automotive turntables and hires them to the studio, I think.

[Bikesalot]

m1dg3 said:

Try Cheltenham Film Studios. The studio is excellent value for money and there's a company on site that manufactures automotive turntables and hires them to the studio, I think.

Thanks! Just waiting on a price for studio inc turntable to come back to me!

[Bikesalot]

InitialDave said:

If this is only for something small/light like bikes, bear with me as this is going to sound a bit bodgy, but I think you could make something fairly effective with a couple of big sheets of wood, a router, and a load of ball bearings. Circular tracks of a semicircular cross section routed into each sheet, which act as tracks for bearings to run on sandwiched between the two sheets. Might need two or more concentric tracks to spread the load.

Crude, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work.

Have genuinely considered this but we'd rather a 'turn up and go' set up if possible.