OT: Microdolly or Glidecam Jib?

goshep wrote on 1/31/2008, 11:35 PM
Anyone have any experience with Microdolly Hollywood? Specifically the Microdolly and Jib? I emailed the company for purchasing and spec information but all I got from them was an e-news update. The local rental house here has one available but the guy is telling me (via phone) the jib and dolly track are incompatible with my Bogen 3046 sticks so I'll need to rent the tripod too.

As far as I know the Glidecam Camcrane 200 uses a standard tripod but I haven't found a rental locally. The price on the Camcrane is reasonable at B&H but the pics on the website seem to show quite a bit of flex in the jib beyond 8' extension. Anyone have any experience with these or some suggestions for a sub $1000 jib?

Comments

farss wrote on 2/1/2008, 1:52 AM
I've looked at the Microdolly stuff at NAB, not exactly top shelf but serviceable enough for the money. Certainly no matter what you get do not, I mean really do not skimp on a tripod. Some of the things I've seen placed on top of sticks clearly not rated for the load really puts the wind up me.

We have two Losmandy Portajib Travellers. Pretty solidly built and fold up into very small package and can be deployed very quickly. I think they're outside your budget though.

One thing you should decide is do you want a jib or a crane. They're two different things.

Bob.
Cheno wrote on 2/1/2008, 6:14 AM
The Microdolly is nice, but for the money, I'd opt for the Indiedolly and you then have a rideable option over the Microdolly. Microdolly is nice but not near as flexible or stable.

As for a jib, check out Kessler Crane. Sub $1k and much improved over the Camcrane 200 - had a CC200 and hated it. Too flimsy at it's largest extension and just too much play in the head which made it very hard to hold still without wanting to move back and forth. Camcrane 100 was a built using square vs round tubing and much better built IMO.

cheno
goshep wrote on 2/1/2008, 6:22 AM
"One thing you should decide is do you want a jib or a crane. They're two different things."

Really? I've heard the term used to describe the same equipment so often, I assumed it was merely a matter of preference. I guess I need to learn which is which before I decide. I want something capable of reaching 12 feet with the option of adding a motorized pan/tilt as my budget allows.

As for the sticks, my Bogen's are pretty sturdy but I'm no engineer. With the HD110 and Anton Bauer battery pack dangling at one end and the appropriate counter-weight at the other, I don't what kind of load that generates.

Well, I'm off to google crane vs. Jib.
rmack350 wrote on 2/1/2008, 8:19 AM
Generally, a jib or crane puts a lot of weight onto a tripod. If the front is twice as long as the back then you need double the weight of the camera to counterbalance it. It adds up quick.

When I worked in a rental house we generally would just tell people they had to take the tripod, but we're talking about a matthew's mini jib on steel sticks. It was a heavy rig, heavier than necessary these days.

Rental company opens themselves up for liability if they let you take a jib without adequate sticks or other base. Take an extreme case. We used to rent out a Cinejib and Elemac combination. We had completely rebuilt the elemac to brace it against the load after hearing about a huge accident in LA. The accident? Company was using the jib near the edge of an empty swimming pool and one of the elemac legs folded. The jib toppled into the pool, taking two riders with it. The amount of counterweight you need to balance two riders and a camera would have been about 600 pounds of steel. Guess what? The riders went into the pool first, then the rest of the jib and counterweights after. No need to spell the rest of it out.

Better safe than sorry. Jibs and cranes need sturdy support.

Rob Mack