Current status on well made Jib / cranes??

legrevedotcom

legrevedotcom

Veteran
I've bene googling a lot lately. There seems to be a lot of indie production companies bringing out their own versions of jibs etc.

But where are we in reality? Have things gotten better? More sturdy? Able to carry more weight?
I used to own a iFootage mini jib, and found it to be almost useless for most setups except a bare bone dslr. So I sold it... ready to move up.

I saw a few Konova tests, and if it wasn't because the bloody thing could only carry 6kg I would be interested.

What brand is the goto brand for the range above 6kg...? I think a nice option for me personally would be the 6-15kg area. Larger than that would be to difficult for me to log around.

Is the Kessler KC-8 (NOT the lite version) still the best option for stability vs price? How much larger is the KC-8/12 in the 8 foot version when taken down?

Cheers
 
I have an 8' Kessler crane package with their Hercules head and a heavy tripod I need to sell. PM me if interested. It's about four feet long in the bag.
 
Ended up going for the pocket jib pro on a Hercules 2.0 head with a 3' Cineslider..... Hopefully they and I are a good match :D
 
Sure thing... I think delivery time here in EU is around 3 weeks, so will be some time yet. Got that kid like feeling that I can't wait that long haha
 
Interested in hearing how that goes too, looking for something super portable to take to some pretty harsh locations.
 
I've got the 8' kessler and it's really sturdy. Balance it properly and you can do movements by running your finger along the frame.

At 8', if you put a small fluid head at the end, it can take quite a lot of weight to balance though. (I don't always operate with a head at the tip, but for some shots it's mandatory).

I've done shoots where I sort of half-assembled the thing and cabled the parts, and threw them in the back of an SUV for quick setups - but the biggest problem with the kessler is that setup time's enough of a hassle (about 10 minutes from unzipping the case to setup and cable, get a monitor going, and camera mounted - if you hsutle) that often I leave it home.

I'd like to get some sort of pocket jib for quick shots with small cameras, but since I have $1k invested in the big guy (with case and both tips and bowl-mount for the tip), I don't want to spend a lot on it. I'll probably try one of the carbon $200 deals that are out there. The kessler can be scary for interiors, too - you really need an assistant to help setup and just watch that you don't bull-in-a-china-shop a nice house.

But after several years, it still kicks some ass. Only issue with mine is the logo-sticker has fallen off. Amazed how the bag has held up, too.
 
I have a Kessler pocket jib and have always loved the shots I've gotten with it. Really been making me want to get one myself that would work nicely indoors, something really small & compact, like even a 3-4' travel distance but it seems like most sellers go after long rigs.
 
I caught Kessler on Facebook. They meassured the travel on the Pocket Pro and wrote "48.13 inches up and 31.5 inches down at fully extended."

So not as much as fx. the KC-8 but enough to get up under the ceiling of typical Danish home, or atleast do some simple location reveals etc or as a poor mans steadi when operating at the head.
Some rough calculations in relation to my own Manfrotto Tripod (yep... didn't opt for the K-Pod just yet...), which can carry 25kg, I will have room for an 8kg camera rig after having deducted the weight of the head, the jib itself, and the Hercules head.
Seems decent for my needs for the moment.
 
As well as dedicated moves, I want to use it for static shots or shots with slight movement. I.e. once set up, it's just like a tripod but faster. You could use it when shooting a sequence at a single location that allows the setup.

When would you use a crane vs. jib?
 
rob norton said:
As well as dedicated moves, I want to use it for static shots or shots with slight movement. I.e. once set up, it's just like a tripod but faster. You could use it when shooting a sequence at a single location that allows the setup.

When would you use a crane vs. jib?
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a "crane" is something I would consider something with a mount and seat (huge ) or with a full motion rig. A jib to me is a camera on a tripod head that is manual control. Most have a jib and the more money spent the better. I have a microdolly and a larger Cambo and both are excellent but not cheap.
 
imaj said:
Whats better to have in your production kit....A jib, slider or stabilizer?
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None and all of them.... totally depends on your need for a specific job or scene. I just now by now what my needs are and therefore have chosen a jib and slider. For other things a stabiliser might be considered more useful, but it depends on how you want to tell the story, what kind of images you want to give the viewer. I haven't found a use in commercial or corporate shoots where I missed having a stabiliser, but having seen examples of people using fx. the Movi on the Pocket Jib for shooting car shots, it could be useful.

Cranes are often rear controlled and jibs often front controlled with less vertical movement; poor mans Peewee :D


One thing occurs to me now: I should have opted in for the K-Pod anyways. I sat down and tried to guestimate how much weight would be needed to counter a camera rig of say 5-8kg and it will be more than I initially think, which again puts pressure on the tripod. In fact I think that my Manfrotto 545 won't be able to carry the load... so... K-pod it is.
 
The K-pod is an awesome solid piece of kit, I have it with both sets of wheels and use it a lot out doors with the Pocket Jib and an F3. I use it with the Utility plate and Kessler Kwik release plate which makes set-up a doodle. With the K-pod you will not worry about your tripod slipping again.
 
imaj said:
Whats better to have in your production kit....A jib, slider or stabilizer?
Click to expand...

In some cases, a jib/small crane can replace the slider or stabilizer, though not as effective as either.

Say you have a shot where someone walks into a room and sits at a table and as they sit we come in for a closeup of face or hands, etc. You can track them in and down with a jib, but you have to set up your move to allow for the fact you're making an arc, not a straight line... and if the walk is far, you'll be static with a focus pull, and then ease into the track move... vs. a dolly or steadi move which can track them all the way.

A steadicam is often a little reality-distorting, so doing this on a jib may make the shot more "natural" and subtle.

An 8' Kessler gives you about a 4-5' arc radius. That's a long slider move, but sliders move in a straight line, so using a jib for those shots may mean focus pulling, and your shot design (and the feeling the shot conveys) will need to work with an arc vs. a straight line.

For handheld stuff, you can hold the tip end of a crane and gently "bob" it, which is great for static (non walking or panning) handheld. It's a smoother look than handheld - maybe if handheld is establishing growing tension, you start on the jib and then go full handheld - often handheld looks are to suggest loss of emotional control, essentially, so you can ease into that feeling by starting with a jib. Your arms may thank you for this since when you let go, the camera will just float.

For super-low angle - like, camera right on the floor - say you want floorboards in the shot with extreme perspective... mounting upside down at the tip is often way easier than building a low rig, as you can monitor more comfortably. Same as with almost-overhead shots, and a long-ish jib lets you do high-angle shots that can track (again, in an arc) with the action. That sort of overhead-sweep can be a really pretty move.

Most of the above is if you already have a jib setup and balanced and want to get the most out of it... though I've storyboarded plenty of shots that rely on the specific moves a jib can do.

Don't forget the possibility of mounting the camera **sideways** on the tip, 90 degrees left or right. You get a side-to-side arc as you move up or down, and again, it can be a way to get a camera in a spot where a tripod can't go. Sometimes that's the best use of a jib, as just a very efficient static tripod - "how do I get my camera up in that corner"? Or pressed back against a wall, etc. I use them when shooting live shows just to get the camera over all those heads.

You can also mount the jib - the part that mounts to your tripod - on a ceiling or on-set overhead framing, if you want a jib that operates from above rather than the floor... that's a cool way to get walk-by shots from above (think of the shot design possibilities for a second...) and if you have a bag full of QR gear it can be a very quick setup. Essentially a crane shot with no base to work around visually and blocking-wise... a ghost crane.

I use one of those "fancier" heads on my Kessler - for the price and low weight, it's really startlingly good.
 
As you touched upon the weight issue for tripod with jibs, does the weight limit really matter if the tripod is staying still? Does the weight limit only refer to when using the tripod to pan or tilt? Would at standstill with a jib allow for more weight to be put on the tripod without problem? The reason I ask is my tripod is rated for a meager 13 pounds, but I add a jib, the counterweights, and camera onto it without any problems. It probably weighs around 25 pounds total.

Tripod: Benro S6

Jib: ProAm 8ft Jib
Camera: Canon t3i
Counterweight: 7-1.25 lb weights
 
iamlance said:
As you touched upon the weight issue for tripod with jibs, does the weight limit really matter if the tripod is staying still? Does the weight limit only refer to when using the tripod to pan or tilt? Would at standstill with a jib allow for more weight to be put on the tripod without problem?
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Yeah, it matters. If you put too much weight on it and try to extend the legs, they can collapse. If you have too much weight and it gets bumped off balance you can topple over. Too much weight on too flimsy a tripod can straight up break it. Those are the extremes, but they're easier to get to than you might think. Putting just a little bit extra weight? It might impact the performance, or it might be fine.
 
i've had my 8' kessler for man, nearly 10 years now. and its never let me down. i put it on manfrotto 3193 legs and a 510 head. solid as a brick shitter.

i keep each section in a pelican rifle case and have "cable drop" guides attached and velcro ties in place to make wiring faster. one case also accomodates the two counterweight plates and the others the cables and tools. so it's really as turn-key as it possibly could be
 
does the weight limit really matter if the tripod is staying still?
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HELL YES! no way would i put an 8' on that benro. no way. no how.

i loaned a buddy my kesler and he used it on a similarly spec'ed manfrotto. we set it up in my driveway to i could show him how it worked and one of the legs slowly started to give way. had we not been standing right there, the whole rig would have toppled.
 
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