Jib vs. Dolly SMACKDOWN!

finn_mccool

finn_mccool

Active member
OK, here's the scenario: You've got no more than $2,000 to spend on your next video purchase. You're doing strictly short dramatic films -- no docs, weddings, etc. You're shooting with the DVX100A in 24PA.

Do you buy something along the lines of the EZFX Jib, http://www.ezfx.com/, or something along the lines of the indie dolly, http://www.indiedolly.com/ ? Which would you use more often, and would most enhance your productions? Any and all insights appreciated.

And thanks. This site's kinda addictive, ain't it?
 
..i would buy the jib, and then buy a Rowe Cine dolly wheels kit and build a sweet custom track dolly and crane setup and get the best of both worlds.. ;)

personally i think a dolly is waaaay more usefull, but it all depends on what type of work your doing... i have a cobra crane II + and of course a Rowe Cine dolly, and i use the dolly to crane at about a 30:1 ratio easily. but the cinch is that you dont have to spend a fortune to get a great dolly.. but i wouldnt chince on it either. the crane i wouldnt want to get anything less than stellar cause your hovering your gear 20 feet up over other stuff and people and such. so if your looking wher to put the money.. the crane should get the bigger dollars IMHO. you can get reliable and professional results from a lower cost dolly.

with a setup like the cobra crane and a cost effective dolly , youll get great results and have plenty of money to spare to put towards other things like better audio and matte box and lighting ect..
 
Neil,

I had a hunch I just *might* hear from you :) . I'm definitely considering your cine dolly wheels, but am mortally afraid I'll botch the job of putting it all together, given that doing anything more complicated around my house than putting in a new doorknob gets me in over my head.
 
i couldnt resist..lol hmmm yeah just FYI ..its really easy to do.. total assembly takes APX 10- 30 minutes from when you get the box to being done. instructions are really easy .. my wife figured it out first time with no problems. at any rate, i think the biggest issue people run into is cutting the platform for the dolly.. and heres my advice.. have the store do it for you.. when you buy lumber or such they will cutit free of charge at most stores.. just tell themn the size you need and tell then it has to be a measured and very striaght cut.. then just take it home at the right size. all that you have to do from there is put the trucks on the bottom in the proper position, and make a little mark through the mounting holes.. and then drill the holes through the platform on your marks, and bolt the trucks on.. super easy.

i of course would paint it and make it all cool looking first, but thats up to whoever.

anyway you need to be sure your comfortable with your equipment so if its not for you.. its not for you. but some other lower cost dolly solution might be.
 
I'd agree with Neil. You can have both--buy a nice jib/crane and build your own dolly with Neil's kit.

IAL: BTW, I think a much better name would be Neil's Wheels and I think you should sell a complete easy to bolt together kit with a platform and a push bar.
 
Neil,

Sounds easy enough, even for a mechanical illiterate like me. I'll contact you privately. And I like Barry's suggestion of "Neil's Wheels", or even a variation: "Neil's on Wheels"...
 
hey thanks for the vote of confidence barry, ..i know i know.. ive actually been getting requests for a full kit ready to ride. might as well finish it all the way. the only issue is shipping them out. we can buy boxes big enough for sure, and the materials to finish are cheap, but the cost for labor to make them would be added too. casue i would also want to pre paint them and such. its doable but i have so much going on right now. perhaps in the near future though.... cost would likely be between 100 to 150 above just a set of wheels ;) currently it IS an option.. its not noted on the order page. but i can be contacted to do it or any other custom setup as desired We just put any additional payments to cover cost are through the same DVXUser account.

as for the name.. would be alot like "willies wheels" .. and also , Rowe Cine isnt a one string guitar.. hint hint.. you'll see the name on more than cine dolly wheels in the days to come.
 
Okay, may not be an official name, but I think the informal name just became "Neil's Wheels"... :)

We use the dolly about 8 times as frequently as the jib.

The thing about a dolly is, you don't have to be all that skilled to use it, but driving a jib effectively is a real art form. It takes a lot more work to get good at doing jib shots, but the dolly is pretty simple to pick up.

I'd do as Neil suggested -- get some Neil's Wheels and if you want a jib, the EZ/FX is my vote for a low-cost small jib. Just make sure when you build your dolly platform that you get one large enough that it can fit the tripod base for your EZ/FX.
 
..heavens no.. now my company will have to expand its name to..

"neil's wheels, bait , guns, and wedding chapel" lol



but speaking of tripods for jibs and cranes.. does anyone know of a low cost tripod that can support larger cranes/jibs.. ? i cant seem to find one but youd think someone would make some low cost industrial model to just hold alot of weight.
 
iamloser said:
but speaking of tripods for jibs and cranes.. does anyone know of a low cost tripod that can support larger cranes/jibs.. ? i cant seem to find one but youd think someone would make some low cost industrial model to just hold alot of weight.
Click to expand...


We are now carrying a tripod that is designed for heavy gear like jib arms. It holds about 200lbs. It will sell for about $599.- and includes a nice spreader and a carrying bag, 75mm 100mm and 150mm available.

Also in case somebody is interested in a lower cost starter kit of the Indie Dolly, we will be putting a kit together that consists of the wheelclusters which we use for the new "universal type dolly" which handles any track/ trackwidth and curved as well as straight track etc.
4 wheelclusters that come with mounting brackets so they can be mounted onto a simple platform. That combinaton will be able to do curve and straight and has the future possibility of upgrading to our new dolly.

Just thought I would put in my 5 cents worth since our name was mentioned in the posts.

Thanks
Helmut
Indie Dolly Systems
323 467 6160
 
Hey helmut. do you have a cost effective pan/tilt head available for the tripod that supports upwards 100lbs? i like the tripod!
 
Hi Neil,
I think we will have some strong heads as well. Possibly within a month or 2.

Thanks,
Helmut
Indie Dolly Systems
323 467 6160
 
. great, ill check back at the site to see whats available. Ive been needing a extra heavy duty tripod and head system for a while now. :)
 
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