C300: Crains and Jibs?

anatusa

anatusa

Veteran
hello

I would like to ask about Cranes and Jibs...... I wonder guys what are u using or what would u recommend? i decided to buy one for my c300..

seems like i will need a tripod as well...., as for now the only one i own now is Libec ls38 tripod - 2 stage t72 legs & h38 fluid head

also do u think its some thing that is good to own?

i found :
Hague K12 Multi-Jib
http://www.cameragrip.co.uk/acatalog/hague_k12_camera_multi_jib.html
Hague K14 Pro-Jib
http://www.cameragrip.co.uk/acatalog/hague_k14_camera_pro_jib.html

if any one used it, plz post your thoughts!

Regards
 
I have my own jib. Gets used fairly regularly. Im always weighing up, how often I need gear and is there benefit over renting or purchasing.

I have a Kessler pocket jib.
 
Like with everything you get what you pay for! I've got a couple of Cambo jibs but they cost a fair bit, but I've owned cheaper and they showed in their movements. The Hague look good for the price. It would be great if you could try them out with your camera kitted out. Never think that a camera that weighs the max for a crane is going to work as well as a crane that is made to take the full weight.
 
thekreative said:
Like with everything you get what you pay for! I've got a couple of Cambo jibs but they cost a fair bit, but I've owned cheaper and they showed in their movements. The Hague look good for the price. It would be great if you could try them out with your camera kitted out. Never think that a camera that weighs the max for a crane is going to work as well as a crane that is made to take the full weight.
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unfortunately here i cant try anything before i buy it...... its always prepay order.... always cat in bag
 
Yes, good bang for the buck, easy to use. I use it with Manfrotto 536 carbon fibre sticks - light and strong. Keep within the weight limit and you'll be fine.
 
still have not got one, had other things to spend on, but now i am came back to the same dilemma: what jib crane i should get? will glad to hear more of your suggestions!

also i ve seen online another interesting system - EzFx Junior Jib, i wonder what u could tell about it? it looks kind of Professional.... and very pleasant to my eye!

Regards
 
Portajib are hard to beat. I have a Portajib Explorer (but wish I had the Traveller instead) and it's Very smooth. How high do you need to go? Reach? I have a Jimmy jib lite that has a reach of 18' and sometimes find I need more.
 
Kessler Pocket Jib. Its really hard to destroy those. It also has a safety lock which I like very much.
 
Doug_EX said:
Portajib are hard to beat. I have a Portajib Explorer (but wish I had the Traveller instead) and it's Very smooth. How high do you need to go? Reach? I have a Jimmy jib lite that has a reach of 18' and sometimes find I need more.
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seems like very nice product, but maybe too expansive for me right now...... would like to stay with in 1000$ + -. But i love that it can be converted to slider.... nice idea!!!

if say true i have not used Jibs yet! so i am not sure how high do i need, but i am sure i dont need it very high, i dont film concerts or very big events.... most are short movies, interviews, advertisement...
 
If you're not sure what use you have for it and just want to play, it might be worth starting with something inexpensive and portable with around 4' of reach and see if it's something you're even going to use. I bought two, an Advantajib which is solidly built with hydraulic pan and tilt but takes a while to set up and really needs two people. It is out of your price range but it is a professional jib that I can get the camera up above the roofline with. Compare that to the Zollinger jib I bought on ebay (a seven jib look-a-like) and it is no comparison. But the Zollinger packs down small, is lightweight and something I might throw in the back of the car on the off chance I might use it. The advantajib only goes when I know I am going to use it.

I haven't seen any independent reviews of the Zollinger and I think it might be one for you to consider. It folds into a very small package, about 85cm long and 6kg. Based on the videos on the sellers page it would seem they are targeting hikers which would be why it is engineered for small collapsed size and low weight above all other concerns. This is one of the highest payload to self-weight ratios around (26kg:6kg or ~4x). And this is its biggest upside, it is very convenient. It will always fit in the car when you're loading up. It has two pivots for a longer or shorter reach. From memory its 1.2m on the short pivot and 1.8m reach on the long pivot or thereabouts. Enough to brush my ceiling at home at full extension. On the shorter pivot you can collapse the weight bar for tighter spaces or leave it long for reduced counter weight or adjust it somewhere in between for the balance of the two. Setup and packdown takes minutes and is easily done alone. After a couple of goes it should only take 5 minutes or so at a relaxed pace. Half that is setting up the jib, the other half balancing the weight.

I only needed 20 minutes practice to get smooth movement operating from the back (the key is working with the inertia). Using the head lets you make compound moves but this is difficult and requires you to place one hand on the jib to steady it (the extra leverage at this end seems to make it prone to wobble) while simultaneously operating the head with the handle. Each shot requires practice, a steady hand and multiple takes. That said the same is true of the adjantajib but the extra mass and inertia makes it less twitchy. With an 8kg payload (including fluid head) I need 17.5kg counterweight to balance. This I believe is the maximum spec for payload but it is unclear because I got different answers from different sellers when I queried them. 26kg (camera, head and counterweight) is the least favourable answer I got so I'm going with that for safety. It holds this with ease and I think it could probably go a couple to 10kg on the camera end but not sure if I want to risk it. Lot of dollars at risk on that end!

This leads to the (sort of) negative is that this is definitely an enthusiast piece of gear. I don't think it would be durable enough to stand up to professional (rough) usage. Now it is apparently made of some unspecified 'superalloy' but it feels flimsy. Not because it has failed on me or any worrying flex but because it just feels too light weight to feel confident with. The design is rigid in the directions it needs to be but I fear it would not handle an accident. For example the underslung support bar that keeps the bowl level is so light I'm sure would crumple like paper in the event of a decent side impact even though it performs its intended function admirably with max payload. And I've tried to flex it with as much force as I dare and it held up fine. But just can't shake the heebie jeebies about it. There are a couple of parts that are plastic that I would have preferred were metal but they haven't shown any sign of failure to date. But without the confidence of steel (or at least aluminium) I just don't feel confident to overload it yet. The upshot is that since I've only used it half a dozen or so times so I can't say with any confidence that it is durable but I have been happy with it to date. If you baby it like I do it should be fine.

It comes with padded bags. The bags are made out of a nice material (probably denier) but it is oversized for the parts and the padding is insufficient. It is mostly one piece but there are a few loose bits and the yoke separates for transport. Individual baggies for parts are supplied but not padded at all. This can be remedied with a few gym towels but it would have been nice to have thick padding to secure and protect the parts, ensuring the security and cosmetics of the jib last a bit longer. I often wonder if it really is economically viable for businesses to skimp on $50 given how much extra value these little things add when you open the box. On the other hand we're all cheapskates and we'll never see that extra value if we buy the other guy's because it's $50 cheaper. Mini-rant over. It does not come with instructions but there are videos on the ebay stores and it really isn't complicated. Basically if you can tie your own shoelaces and your mother doesn't need to wipe your drool then you can figure this out.

The RRP is just under $1000 but at auction you'll get it between $600 if you're patient and $800 if you're not. I paid about $750 including shipping to Australia. So it might be just what you are looking for. I would say its a large cut above the chinese offerings on ebay, especially the aviator-style ones made out of monopods but bear in mind the caveats I mention above. I believe its made in Belgium so shipping might be cheaper within europe. Put (zollinger, zolinger) into ebay because some sellers spell it wrong and you'll only see half the listings. They sell several jibs a week every week for at least a year on ebay so there's a few of them out there. Why there are no reviews, I don't know? Happy customers or not? Make of it what you will. To date mine has been worth the money. Hope that helps.
 
I've been using the Long Valley Seven Jib for the past couple of years, and it gets used all the time. Folds up very compactly for travel and is quick & easy to put together. Holds up to a 60lb camera package, too, and is smooth as silk. It's my favorite and most used piece gear for simple camera movement, even more so than a slider. I typically put it on my Manfrotto 536CF sticks, and if I it's a relatively smooth surface, I keep it all on a heavy duty tripod dolly for easy positioning. Here's a link:

http://www.longvalleyequip.com/sevenjib.php
 
Sevenjib is definitely my next purchase if the zollinger breaks. I might even if it doesn't just because I'd like the headroom in the payload. When I add a mattebox to my rig bringing it up to 10kg it makes me nervous. I almost bought one but international shipping and extras would have cost me almost 3 times as much even before import taxes and I wasn't sure if I would actually use a jib. But I've found at home I can pretty much just set it up on a dolly and then move the camera anywhere in the room at any height and angle in seconds without doing a new setup. That's hella cool. After playing with the cheap jib I got a second hand advantajib which is fantastic for specialty shots but its a lot of work so you don't bring it "just in case".
 
I'd consider the portajib the bare minimum . Spend money, get a good jib and learn how to use it. You only cry once over the expense. Ive used all the cheap jibs and honestly I don't think they are worth the trouble.
 
I will also +1 the Porta Jib, I own the Traveler version. I got it for a cool $1500 used on Ebay. The thing you want in a jib, like the Porta Jib Traveler, is the actual fluid panning and booming controls it has. You also want a jib with a 100mm ball system if you are using any camera heavier than a bare bone DSLR.
 
Mark Smith said:
I'd consider the portajib the bare minimum . Spend money, get a good jib and learn how to use it. You only cry once over the expense. Ive used all the cheap jibs and honestly I don't think they are worth the trouble.
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Or you buy one, never use it and cry over the expense...
 
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