Don't shoot me for asking this..............

Well, I don't know about you all, but I have been using the cobra crane 2+ for over a year now, with a dedicated bogen 3063 (Predecesor of the 501) with absolutly no problems. It is cheap enough to get on ebay (around $50) that even if something did go wrong with it, it is an easy replacement. It is a much more solid head than the 501, even though it is rated roughly for the same weight. I have put my camera, mattebox, followfocus, and about 40lbs of counter weight on it without any problems whatsoever. I don't use that head for my everyday camerawork, just as a crane head, and at $50 a pop, you really can't go wrong.
 
MattinSTL said:
Sorry for the misunderstanding guys... I thought I was replying to the opening post and the follow up posts... I must be reading stuff from another dimension.:grin:
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Silly rabbit! :)
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Coffee - I know this is WAY overkill for the Kessler 12' crane but these are the only photos I have of my 30' Cammate. As you can see in the first photo, the pedestal is very solid. In the other photos you can see where the crane actually attaches to the pedestal. As you can see, there's no head really, just a pivot point to pan left/right and tilt up/down. Of course you've figured that out now.
What ever tripod you decide to go with, make sure it can support double the actual weight you put on it. You'll want that safety factor for the forces that are exerted on it.

If the crane weighs 30lbs, camera 5lbs, at the end of a 12' crane you'll probably need at least 30lbs of counter-weights so you are looking at 65lbs minimum.

I know it's not cheap but I wouldn't put it on anything less than the LWT tripod from porta-jib or something similar.
Remember safety first, not just for your $3,000 DVX but also for the people/objects you will potentially be floating over.

55218435.jib01.jpg


55218436.jib02.jpg


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55218438.jib04.jpg


I hope these help.

BTW - In the second photo, behind and to the right of the pedestal you can see the stacks of weights it takes to counter-balance this thing. With a full-size 2/3" camera at 30' it takes about 260-280lbs.!
 
MattinSTL said:
Sorry for the misunderstanding guys... I thought I was replying to the opening post and the follow up posts... I must be reading stuff from another dimension.:grin:
Click to expand...


Ok Matt, you win.

Sirius_Doggy, thanks. Can I borrow it? lol

scharky, thanks to you too.
 
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