Looking for a cheap, but effective jib?

i've been searching for a cheap but decent crane also. i dont need anything fancy for now. i came across the cobra crane II and Pm'ed some guys...about 3...who used or are using them on this site. bottomline is they say it gets the job done fine. thats the cobra crane I i believe. U'll need a good tripod also.

Darren.
 
I think that the consensus on DVX User is that the Kessler is the best value in a cheap jib. I have the Losmandy PortaJib Traveler, small and portable but not cheap. I love it but I rarely use it.

Dan
 
puredrifting said:
I think that the consensus on DVX User is that the Kessler is the best value in a cheap jib. I have the Losmandy PortaJib Traveler, small and portable but not cheap. I love it but I rarely use it.

Dan
Click to expand...

I second Dan's comment. I have a Kessler 12' crane and I love it. Eric continues
to improve his products constantly. I bought my crane over 4 years back. It can
be configured as an 8' and even a 5' crane with his short tip attachment.

http://www.kesslercrane.com/

Good luck.

Mark Dalzell / Las Vegas, NV
 
I emailed the Cobra Carne people twice asking about the difference between their 2 small units and still have not heard from them. It's been over a week.

I'm looking for a boom max of about 8 or 9 feet, holding a 5 pound camera.
 
the cheapest way to go is to make one!
there are a few tutorials on youtube to make it


mdslammer said:
I bought my crane over 4 years back. It can
be configured as an 8' and even a 5' crane with his short tip attachment.
Click to expand...
btw, which model is that one and how much did you get it for?
(also how much time does it take to build?)
 
ryvac said:
the cheapest way to go is to make one!
there are a few tutorials on youtube to make it
Click to expand...
I disagree. With prices below $300 dollars for a new small jib you have to consider the cost of a one-off build.

For T6061 aluminum, ball-bearing mounts, anodizing, tig-welding, correcting any mistakes, your overall time, etc. making a single piece would cost well beyond that.

I need something that looks professional as well - so for $300 I can't beat it. However, I want to get the best I can for the money. Ebay's had a number of them (in the past weeks I've been watching them) go for $150 to $350.

Several makers, but I wish I could get some info on the Camera Crane so I can decide between it and Kessler. There are things I like about both of them.
 
true,

well consider the resell value too.
if everyone likes the kessler, I'm sure you'll be able to sell it for good $$$ then the $300 jibs on ebay.
 
The Cobra Crane is a delicate little piece of gear. It cn be configured a lot of ways and has a lot of options but you get what you pay for.

Dan
 
ryvac said:
consider the resell value too.
Click to expand...
That's a very good point. What I liked about the Cobra was the single beam and cable versus the dual beam arrangement. Seems lighter and easier to carry and setup. Less imposing, but if it's actually cheap and lightweight and will vibrate/jiggle/shake then forget it.
 
The Cobras that I tested seemed very small and lightweight. Good for transport, not so good for stability. Same with the Glidecam, not a bad design but terribly executed with cheap materials. That's why I paid about $4,000.00 for my Traveler. It is still fairly heavy but the thing is a work of art as far as construction and craftsmanship and I can hang an HPX300, Varicam or F900 on it. Try doing that with a Cobra or other cheap jib.

Dan
 
This was something that I wanted to have for occasional usage, however if the shots look like crap because of stability issues then it doesn't matter if it's free! I guess I'll turn back to the Kesslers.
 
> I disagree. With prices below $300 dollars for a new small jib
> you have to consider the cost of a one-off build.

I concur! I was on rev 4 of DIY jibs and about to start rev 5 when I broke down and bought a cheapo indian jib. Couldn't be happier. It looks pro (not DIY) and costs the same or less than if I had built it myself.
 
garym said:
Several makers, but I wish I could get some info on the Camera Crane so I can decide between it and Kessler. There are things I like about both of them.
Click to expand...

A friend has a cobra crane. It was 8 foot I think. Not sure what model. It had 2 little pulley's sith some cable, used an off the DIY shelf L bracket to stick the camera on, tilting was done by shifting the Tilt arm on the Tripod's fluid head. If all you want to do is swing the camera, raise and lower it, it will do that. I found it to be wiggly as heck, construction was incredibly "Cost Effective" and IMHO, downright scary. After that episode I built my own 12 footer from 2x3 aluminum out of a scrap yard, an old 60's TV Cam Pedestal, Some Bushings, bolts and one custom welded fulcrum riser. (it cost 30 bucks for the weld and the Steel)

I don't meant to boast when I say, For under 400 bucks. I can now lift 150lbs of shingles onto my 1 story house roof, with precision. It weighs close to 100 pounds so it isn't very portable.

Bearings can be over rated if you are on a budget. You cannot go wrong with them, that is for certain, but unless you are going to use it every day, you can do allot more with your money using bushings and some easy to find cold-rolled zinc coated steel shafting for your pivot points. Mine has no play, and is entirely bushing based.

With pre-manufactured cranes, bearings usually are a sign of quality construction with allot of forethought. Bushings can be a sign of the opposite. Dont be mislead. There are cheap bearings that will collapse under a tiny bit of weight. I just mean, do not think you have to use bearings if you construct your own. Start out with bushings and work your way up. You can shave an easy hundred bucks off your materials costs. If you build it right, you can always add bearings later.
 
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I'm fairly happy with my Glidecam camcrane. It doesn't tilt, but is smooth and comes with a swivel so the tripod head does not have to do it. It's 10', but I configure it to 5' all the time and use it for camera movement rather than height. Setup takes about 10 minutes.
 
The Cobra II is a great crane, in the same class as the Kessler.

I was bumped down from a cartoni jib from a rental house due to overbooking. At first I was pissed, but after using it, I prefer it for smaller shoots. It's a lot lighter and just a steady for DVX sized cameras. I now request that one if available.

I wouldn't bother with the pulley type jibs, too flimsy.

-J
 
mainstreetprod said:
I'm fairly happy with my Glidecam camcrane. It doesn't tilt, but is smooth and comes with a swivel so the tripod head does not have to do it. It's 10', but I configure it to 5' all the time and use it for camera movement rather than height. Setup takes about 10 minutes.
Click to expand...


Yep. The Glidecam jib is very simple and easy to use and well made.

.
 
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