Crane Jib anyone?

New_Zealand

New_Zealand

Veteran
I'm looking at getting a 22' crane. Has anyone used one before? Here is a video that I found on youtube about the one I'm looking at. I'm thinking with this setup I wouldn't have to get a "Slider", "3-Axis Brushless Gimbal" or a Drome (unless I really need a much higher shot). I think you can do a lot of different angles with this setup?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad2IxHWd1wY
 
I personally have never been happy with the build quality of any Proaim stuff I bought in the past, though I ever only got small items like a mattebox and the like. This crane might be great but I'd suggest looking into companies like Kessler too before making a purchase.
 
The thing with cheap stuff is that it "looks" like it's suppose but the materials used to make that look are not of the same quality as the expensive stuff. This is where cheapness comes in: the look is there but materials are not.
Crane as large as 22ft NEEDS to build of quality materials as you are risking your camera and the safety of people around you... You know what my answer is then, i hope.
 
Patryk_Rebisz said:
The thing with cheap stuff is that it "looks" like it's suppose ....
Click to expand...

and in this case, it looks cheap. That mount of the boom to the tilt axis is scary. A simple bolt - no bearing visible, along with a lightweight bracket to hold that very heavy boom. Uggh.

Take a look at 1:08. There is a quick shot down the boom. Notice how it is wiggling back and forth.

Big jibs like that are a pain. They take a long time to set up.

I built a 16' jib. I can tell you from my experience, I don't like that mount at all. It will work in some fashion, but expect you won't like it.
 
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I have the Kessler 8' - yeah, not much of a crane compared to a 22 footer.

When I put it on a strong, wheeled set of legs - yep, it's very versatile and in a big studio I may use it as my "tripod" by sticking a head on the end. It's kind of a slider, but it travels in a pronounced arc, so YMMV - hard to get a classic slide look of more than a foot or two. I think it's slowly destroying the manfrotto head it's on (503?? can't recall). Kessler makes a pretty epic head and sticks for jibs that are affordable considering.

But it can be very handy with space and time, to do stuff that doesn't look necessarily like a jib move but adds some movement. It can also be a cool "handheld" rig, in that you can get some bobbing and hunting, but smoother and prettier. But you need to design blocking to stay within the reach of the head.

It's a killer "high tripod" - just get the weights to the floor and throw some sandbags on 'em and stand on a ladder, and you've got pretty stable 8' sticks - if you mount the camera upside down, you can do shots right from the floor - tons of possibilities when you have time to set up and rehearse the moves. I also have the "short tip" which is better when I use it as a tripod replacement, too.

I really don't use it as much as I thought I would - for busy shoots or working on the road, I can leave the main part assembled and get my cabling taped on, to the point I can setup the sticks, attach the crane, attach the monitor, attach the camera - maybe 4-5 minutes. But even the little 8 footer takes a lot of space and the initial setup takes 10 minutes or so. And I've done some mods to get it to work with bigger manfrotto QR plates (to stick it to the sticks and get gear on the business end), drilled some holes and fabricated some simple shims, etc.

And, if you shoot out in the sun often - you need a really good monitor hood or a HDMI/SDI/whatever you use/ viewfinder.

I'd really like to get one of those cheap, collapsible "DSLR jibs", the kind with dual carbon tubes that lengthen like light stands - some like them, others don't, but seems I'd use it more.
 
It seems jibs are kind of a hassle. I'm more and more inclined to just go with brushless gimbals all the way - you may not get the reach a big jib can reach, but a gimbal is very agile in smaller spaces and you have much greater freedom of movement along any axis or arc you want. I'd rather just grab a gimbal and not saddle myself with a ton of hard to transport and set up gear like a jib. Unless you need a lot of height or some such, I can barely see the point of a jib anymore. Gimbals are just so flexible and fast to set up (the newer tool-free ones), that they can substitute for a whole lot of gear like sliders and jibs and the like - the flexibility is just a killer advantage... say you need a foot extra on a slider - well, if your slider is too short, what can you do, I guess carry along a bunch of different length sliders, but with a gimbal, no problem, or what if you want to throw in a curve while sliding, sure there are dedicated curve sliders, but with a gimbal it's no sweat! Small spaces, super flexible = big win for gimbals. Plus, you can leave so much other gear at home and just take the gimbal: jibs, sliders, tripods and the list goes on. Of course, this is easier done with a lighter camera, but still.
 
JimmyJib is the standard. Work great, well made (USA) and easy to get parts. I have the lite version (18 feet) and it's more than enough for my needs.
 
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New_Zealand said:
I'm looking at getting a 22' crane. Has anyone used one before? Here is a video that I found on youtube about the one I'm looking at. I'm thinking with this setup I wouldn't have to get a "Slider", "3-Axis Brushless Gimbal" or a Drome (unless I really need a much higher shot). I think you can do a lot of different angles with this setup?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad2IxHWd1wY
Click to expand...
Those little wheels are, well...small. If one wheel get's caught in a small hole than it's bye bye jib down on the ground.
 
I would recomend you chinese made CAME jib.. I use this jib for year and half and I am very satisfied with it.. I tried Kessler before and find it cumbersome.. Came is a little bit heavier package..but it can be fully assembled in 15 minutes.. I use it on commercials, concerts, music-videos, everywhere.. I don't use slider anymore..it is easier to set up crane and relocate shots..

Fast shipping from China ( got it in 10 days )..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pan-Tilt-he...588309?hash=item2104a11cd5:g:BQsAAMXQEgpTFYyd
 
A gimbal can solves a lot of problems, but the shots I've used my Kessler on - a gimbal wouldn't cut it.

I keep telling the drone guys my client hires - mimic some classic film moves along with all the crazy drone stuff. Crane shots are part of the cinema language, and we're all trained to understand them visually. Just rise straight up, please, or just follow that road without panning and turning. And then give me everything else you can do, but 9 times out of 10, I prefer the "classic" style shots in my edits - drone shots are often "look what i can do" when I want "here's a classic way we express this feeling in a shot".

Same with dolly shots and sliders… you can move through the same space with a gimbal or steadicam, but will it correctly tie-in to the viewer's brain (for lack of a better way to express it). I don't know, but there's something about the sort of one-axis camera travel that's familiar to viewers; wobble a bit away from it and you no longer have a "dolly" or "crane" shot.

Not knocking drones and gimbals, but sometimes you want a classic move...
 
I had my eye on a basic jib like the Cobra CraneII for my FS7 to add an option of movement to my shots that aren't as overdone as slider. Not many affordable options that support some of 10-15lb cameras. The smaller easy portable jibs seem to top out at 10lbs.
 
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