I have used a lot of different jib-arm/cranes for all kinds of different shoots.  Some good and some just plain useless.  Recently I had the opportunity to use the Kessler Crane on a shoot, and I have to say that I was extremely impressed.  (The chicks on the shoot liked it too so if you are lonely it could come in handy.)

First off I will cover the assembly.  Once we have it together we can talk about the performance.

I highly recommend a good set of sticks.  This unit with an HVX200 and Redrock Micro adapter took a lot of weight to get balanced out.  First on was the optional

Fluid Swivel. 

The Fluid Swivel is used in place of a tripod head.  This is great as I have seen quite a few fluid heads get destroyed by placing more weight on the head than the head can handle.  I was very impressed by the quality of the Fluid Head as it is very sturdy and comes with a time saving level on top.  With a capacity up to 200 pounds, the Fluid Head can handle just about any combo that you might throw at it.

Next up is the base arm.  The arm mounts on top of the Fluid Head with two screws.

Once tightened with the wing nuts, you are ready for the extension arm.

The arm slides nicely into the base. 

With only three screws to tighten you are off and running in no time.

Done.  Assembly is that easy.  One of the cool things about the Kessler Crane is the Tool-less package.  One of the biggest problems that I have had on shoot is not having the right hex wrench because someone left it at home.  Having the knobs is a great way to go and reduces a lot of headache. 

Now you are ready to mount your camera and balance it out.  Get the Fine Tuning Weights.  This was a huge help in being able to quickly and precisely balance out the final rig.  I also helped with minor adjustments that were needed during our shoot as the whole set-up changed every time we changed out the lenses.

This brings us to the next option that I would recommend and that is the Ball Relocator.

This was a great addition as it allowed us to operate the camera from the front of the crane and get some smooth pans and tilts from our high dollar fluid head. 

This set-up is nice as we were able to control the camera and get some of those small moves that would normally require a hydraulic dolly like a Pee-Wee or so on.  If you want to take your moves to the next level and really get some mileage out of your crane, then this is an option that I would add to my order.

Well, with all that being said lets look at some of the pros and cons.

On the pros side I really liked this crane.  With most of the cranes that I have used in the past, there has always been a small amount of jiggle at the base of the crane where it rests on the tripod.  Not so here.  There was no noticeable jiggle as it felt very solid all the way through the range of motion. 

Another great thing about this crane is that it is well made.  My current crane is made up of machined aluminum and I am always worried about the weight of some of the cameras.  With this crane it never came into mind.  Even with a heavier set up like the Redrock 35 adapter and lenses, I never really felt like the arms were flexing or bending under the weight.

Thirdly, the crane is quiet.  Some of the cranes that I have used in the past get a little squeaky.  Not with the Kessler Crane.  The joints on the Kessler Crane have nylon bushings so it made movement very quiet.  This was definitely a plus in my book.

Finally, I liked the fact that it was easy to assemble and easy to take apart.  We had this up and put it away in no time which was very handy on our shoot as our day was very short.

It was really hard to find any cons with the Kessler Crane.  The only thing that I could see this being a problem is that it is a little bulky and that problem only comes into play if you are trying to travel.  And then again, it breaks down into the size of an average snowboard bag so travel wouldn’t be all that hard.

All in all if you are in the market for a crane, I would take a serious look at the Kessler Crane.  It is well built and performs flawlessly and with a bevy of accessories you could make this into a serious shot making rig.

For more information and ordering visit kesslercrane at http://www.kesslercrane.com/


Click here to discuss in the forum