GH2 Buying a crane/jib for my new GH2

S

skerit

New member
Hi everyone,

I bought a new GH2 this morning, expected to arrive tomorrow.

Next item on my list to get: a crane.

I wanted to buy the proam DVC250, but shipping this to Europe would cost $300, 1/3 the price of a full features DVC250 itself.

Does anyone else have any experience with this crane? Or maybe something else that could be worth the while?
 
I got the Kessler Crane KC-Lite a little while ago, and while it can be a bit wobbly on a windy day, the portability and ease-of-setup are amazing. Takes under 10 minutes to get up and working, which is helpful on run and gun shoots.

The length of the pro-am looks pretty great though. I definitely was wishing for more height when using my crane to shoot close-ups of a bi-plane recently.
 
Things with jibs/cranes is that a bad quality one will shake and you'll get pretty bad shots.
I have a Kessler KC-8 (with 5.5' short tip). Cost me a bit, but the great thing is that the quality is just great. We even used a RED Epic with it, no trouble. And it works great with my GH2 (which should be mentioned is rather heavy, the way I rig it).
 
Gabel said:
Things with jibs/cranes is that a bad quality one will shake and you'll get pretty bad shots.
I have a Kessler KC-8 (with 5.5' short tip). Cost me a bit, but the great thing is that the quality is just great. We even used a RED Epic with it, no trouble. And it works great with my GH2 (which should be mentioned is rather heavy, the way I rig it).
Click to expand...

Gabel, do you know what's the difference between kc-8 and kc lite? they are both 8 feet.
 
That I do. The KC-8 is a much sturdier crane compared to the KC-Lite (especially at 8 feet), taking more weight and being more stable. The KC-Lite is however smaller and easier to bring along, also coming with an integrated head. The KC-8 requires an external head and I would really not advice for anything other than the Hercules head, which can take a lot of weight. I use a pair of heavy duty E-Image legs (with 100mm bowl) and it works well. For what it is, it's very portable, with the jib fitting in one case, the tripod legs in another and then weights, but this is still a jib... And jibs are not lightweight. But looks very good and is a tool that serves me well. I bought the KC-8 over the KC-Lite for it's ability to take more weight (especially at 5.5.'), as my GH2 is rather heavy (about 8 lbs) since I use cine lenses and a heavy rig and on top of that I use a rather heavy Sachtler head (100mm bowl 3+3 Panorama) and occasionally a RED Epic. Then the KC-Lite is way too small. So I decided on the KC-8 instead, as it was more flexible for me (as I won't use it without a crew anyway), but it's still pretty big and bulky, so the Lite could be nice if you want something more portable.
 
If you are in Europe then check out Hague in the UK who make robust good quality & good value cranes & jibs. Don't think that you need an enormous crane to get good shots. It's just like with a slider that having something in the foreground can give a nice 3D look as you sweep past it. Something as lightweight as this could be ideal for the GH2 http://www.b-hague.co.uk/hague_junior_jib.htm
 
How high do you need to go. I bought a advanta jib with extensions 2 years ago thinking that it would be enough...it's a great product but after a year or so I realized that I needed more reach. So I bought a Jimmy jib lite and I'm loving it. It's twice as long then my old one but still I wish I had more...the more you have, the more you want!
But anyways, just be sure the good one first!
 
I bought the ProAm DVC200 and I have been pretty happy with it. I use a lighter camera like the Canon Vixia series.
Here is a video of my setup.


http://youtu.be/kbRSWzrCQ-A

I am no where close to being a pro with it yet, I have a lot to learn. But it is really fun to try some different shots and it also lets me steady the camera when I am do video of small detail like insects , nature, fishing shots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbRSWzrCQ-A&feature=youtu.be

Hope this helps.
 
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