Dv Rig Pro and ProMax CobraCrane? Any Good?

O

omiemac

Active member
I am looking at buying these two items for Weddings and other Events. The reason why I am looking at the Dv Rig Pro is to get nice steady shots while walking, and not get tire holding the camera for hrs. Is this a good reason to get this?

And the ProMax CobraCrane I, So I once again can get nice smooth shots from high up and bring the camera down smoothly, and just maybe use it on the tripod with the second Camera the entire party to get better shots from high up, Would these items do the job? Or would they be better ones out there?

Thanks for your comments.
 
Re: Dv Rig Pro and ProMax CobraCrane? Any Good?

Omiemac. The Dv rig pro is something I would reccomend to anyone who is serious about video or film work. It has definatly been the best purchase for the DVX that I have made. I even used it with a super 8mm camera on a film that I shot for a friend. For wedding work it is great to be able to be mobile, while still having nice stability. PLus it takes all of the weight off your arm, letting you get smoother shots for much much longer than hand held.
I just purchased the Cobra crane II+ last week. I chose the cobra crane 2 becasue I want to be able to use it for a long time, and I'm not sure how much future cameras will weigh. Also, the max for the cobra crane is 6.5 lbs. The DVX, by itself is already 4.5lbs, so if you have any accesories like a matte box or wide angle lenses, you are quickly getting towords that 6.5lbs weight limit.
The crane itself is great. It is super smooth and with my tripod, I can easily get my crane about 13 or 14 feet in the air.
I don't know if I will use the cobra crane for weddings (I only do weddings because people keep asking me and paying me to do them) but I could definatly see the uses for it.
Good luck.
 
Re: Dv Rig Pro and ProMax CobraCrane? Any Good?

[quote author=scharky link=board=Links;num=1107243180;start=0#1 date=02/01/05 at 00:14:10]Omiemac. The Dv rig pro is something I would reccomend to anyone who is serious about video or film work. It has definatly been the best purchase for the DVX that I have made. I even used it with a super 8mm camera on a film that I shot for a friend. For wedding work it is great to be able to be mobile, while still having nice stability. PLus it takes all of the weight off your arm, letting you get smoother shots for much much longer than hand held.
I just purchased the Cobra crane II+ last week. I chose the cobra crane 2 becasue I want to be able to use it for a long time, and I'm not sure how much future cameras will weigh. Also, the max for the cobra crane is 6.5 lbs. The DVX, by itself is already 4.5lbs, so if you have any accesories like a matte box or wide angle lenses, you are quickly getting towords that 6.5lbs weight limit.
The crane itself is great. It is super smooth and with my tripod, I can easily get my crane about 13 or 14 feet in the air.
I don't know if I will use the cobra crane for weddings (I only do weddings because people keep asking me and paying me to do them) but I could definatly see the uses for it.
Good luck.[/quote]


I called Promax and they recommended the Cobra Crane I, they said it would be fine for the DVX fully load it, OOOH Well I guess I'll go with Cobra II... As far as using it for Weddings, why wouldn't you? is it too heavy or too much for the Reception while there is people dancing, and maybe at the Church for the grand entrance? I'll like to capture the best moments with creative moves ;) Would this work? or do you think is too intrusive and big?

Thanks for your comments...

If you have any footage using either device, I'll very happy to see it.

How much did you pay for both items?
 
Re: Dv Rig Pro and ProMax CobraCrane? Any Good?

The little cobra works fine for the 4lb DVX.
 
Re: Dv Rig Pro and ProMax CobraCrane? Any Good?

I'm sure that the cobra crane 1 would work with the DVX, but as I don't know what my future camera will weigh, I don't want to limit myself. The cobra crane is very sturdy and I am sure that that 6.5lbs weight limit is fairly conservative.
I probably wouldn't use it at a wedding becuase at the moment i am really not set up for it. Like I said, I do film weddings, but it is not something that I would like to do for the rest of my life. Basically it is me on the main camera, and my wife on the second camera. If I took the time to set up the cobra crane, I might miss something important. Maybe i might get to my next wedding a little early so I can set it up and have some fun. you never know. But if you never plan to use heavier cameras, I don't see the need of spending the extra dough.
As far as scenes that I have shot with the DV rig, you can check out the trailer for my upcoming short. The scene where they are leaving the house, and the guy that gets out of the car was shot with the dv rig. It isn't much. http://www.stefweb.net/awake.wmv
I am shooting a scene this saturday that will use the Cobra crane. I'll let you know how it goes. right now I only have some test footage of my apartment complex.
 
Re: Dv Rig Pro and ProMax CobraCrane? Any Good?

[quote author=scharky link=board=Links;num=1107243180;start=0#4 date=02/01/05 at 02:11:00]I'm sure that the cobra crane 1 would work with the DVX, but as I don't know what my future camera will weigh, I don't want to limit myself.  The cobra crane is very sturdy and I am sure that that 6.5lbs weight limit is fairly conservative.
I probably wouldn't use it at a wedding becuase at the moment i am really not set up for it.  Like I said, I do film weddings, but it is not something that I would like to do for the rest of my life.  Basically it is me on the main camera, and my wife on the second camera.  If I took the time to set up the cobra crane, I might miss something important.  Maybe i might get to my next wedding a little early so I can set it up and have some fun.  you never know.  But if you never plan to use heavier cameras, I don't see the need of spending the extra dough.
As far as scenes that I have shot with the DV rig, you can check out the trailer for my upcoming short.  The scene where they are leaving the house, and the guy that gets out of the car was shot with the dv rig.  It isn't much.  http://www.stefweb.net/awake.wmv
I am shooting a scene this saturday that will use the Cobra crane.  I'll let you know how it goes.  right now I only have some test footage of my apartment complex.[/quote]

Thanks alot for your reply, I loved your clip of the movie. Send me an email when you finish the movie... Can you tell me what you're using for the making of this movie and how you are editing? I't looks awsome.

I have another question... Is setting up the Cobra a pain, or is it quick? If I bring it to the weddings, I'm thinking on using it all night at the reception.

Thanks
 
Re: Dv Rig Pro and ProMax CobraCrane? Any Good?

it takes only a couple of minutes, depending on the setup that you have (crane 1 or 2 (+)) but it is rather big, so that may be a factor.

There is a lot more info about this film at the following links, thanks for the comments.

http://www.dvxuser.com/cgi-bin/DVX2/YaBB.pl?board=Clips;action=display;num=1107024826
http://www.dvxuser.com/cgi-bin/DVX2/YaBB.pl?board=Clips;action=display;num=1106535789
http://www.dvxuser.com/cgi-bin/DVX2/YaBB.pl?board=Clips;action=display;num=1106138371
 
Re: Dv Rig Pro and ProMax CobraCrane? Any Good?

I'll put in my vote for the Cobra 2 Plus. It's worth the extra money. I just used it yesterday for the very first time simultaneously with my first time using the DVX. We didn't even have the proper weighting and the shot that we used it for came out amazing. This is a very stable rig. i wished i had time to post the clip, but we haven't even begun to edit and I won't be back in town for another couple of weeks, but I will say that it was great. Easy to use, stable and smooth. You need to weight it much more than the manufacturer states...in my opinion, but it's worth it.

Best,

Jason
 
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