Best dolly to work with and most affordable, what options are there

[Scott W]

I know their are a few dolly systems out there for $900+ but some of them definitely don't look like they're worth the cost.


Besides the DIY way is there any affordable alternatives for a decent dolly longer than just 5-6 feet?

[Bern Caughey]

http://www.danadolly.com/

[Scott W]

http://www.danadolly.com/

Looks more like a slider than a dolly.

[David W. Jones]

The Dana Dolly is a small cost effective dolly, not a slider. What do you mean by a dolly longer than 5 or 6 feet? Are you asking about a dolly or the track? Do you want a ride on dolly?

[nothing]

The Dana Dolly is a small cost effective dolly, not a slider.

The Dana Dolly, despite it's name, is a slider - one of the best available, but still a slider.

A slider only holds the camera and a head and you must elevate the track to shooting height. To be a dolly, it must accommodate at least tripod sticks or other tall camera support (and possibly much more) and be designed to ride on the ground or ground level track, elevating the camera to shooting height on the mobile platform itself.

[Scott W]

The Dana Dolly, despite it's name, is a slider - one of the best available, but still a slider.

A slider only holds the camera and a head and you must elevate the track to shooting height. To be a dolly, it must accommodate at least tripod sticks or other tall camera support (and possibly much more) and be designed to ride on the ground or ground level track, elevating the camera to shooting height on the mobile platform itself.

What he said ^ any other viable options?

[Bern Caughey]

Looks more like a slider than a dolly.

Sorry I misinterpreted your request.

For an affordable Dolly consider Long Valley's. They're Seven Jib is highly rated, & imagine the dolly is fine.

http://www.longvalleyequip.com/dolly.php

[RickyC]

The key with dollies:

1. Camera operator shouldnt operate the dolly. So your dolly should have handles for a dolly grip
2. Should be able to hold lots of weight, a heavier dolly means smoother ride. Just a few days ago we threw on 2 big bags of cement (80lb) + 2 operators and a heavy ass dolly. Super smooth!

Google around for a track dolly, if I find something I'll let you know

[hscully]

I have the long valley dolly and it's very good. Actually I bought the kit and built it with the components. The wheels float on these disks that make all moves including on curved track really smooth. I'd recommend it highly for that style dolly. The next dolly I will get is the premier studio pd1. This looks like the ultimate portable dolly to me.

[Postmaster]

+1 for the premier studio pd1.

I once worked with it, and just love it.
Sweet spot between size, weight and usability.