Philip Bloom pocket dolly...questions regarding setup on tripod

N

Nicholas Natteau

Veteran
http://gallery.me.com/nn00#100007

Having a bit of trouble with my setup here. I'm sure it's something I'm doing wrong. Basically, I have:

• Philip Bloom Pocket Dolly Traveler
• Miller DS-20 fluid head with SOLO DV2 CRBN FBR TRIPOD
• Giottos M7001 QUICK RELEASE BALL HEAD

I haven't figured out yet what I need to mount the Philip Bloom pocket dolly directly to the Miller solo sticks without using the Miller-DS20 fluid head. I think there's something wrong with my setup here. Can anyone advise me how to mount the PB pocket dolly directly to the Miller sticks???

Thanks very much in advance.
 
Typically the tripod screw on the head would just go straight to the bottom of the slider. It's really not a good idea to mount the slider this way though without additional support on either end, especially on the Solo legs. The whole thing is guaranteed to tip over as soon as you put a camera on it because there's only a single point of support. Kessler can claim such a setup with their Hercules head beause it's bolted on the head in two places. At a minimum I would have two stands on either end, where there should be bolt holes for such a setup.
 
+1 The Kessler is just so heavy you would have to hit it with a truck to knock it over, and the Kessler might still stand. If I use a slider, I'll mount on end to a regular tripod and put any sort of light stand under the other end and that is plenty enough.

Grant
 
Thanks for the feedback. But again this is the Traveler size 2 foot slider. Isn't one tripod enough? I'm trying to figure out how to mount the traveler PB slider directly to the solo sticks.
 
IMHO, a Pocket Dolly on a standard tripod is not rigid enough. Maybe a high end sachtler or something. The kessler set up does this easily.

Grant
 
ive got the pocket dolly and the hercules head on the Solo VJ legs. even though i have a Vinten Vision 3 head i wouldnt dream of mounting the PD on it with only one screw. the Hercules head IMO is the "hub" of the Kessler world. you can do what you do with confidence with its strength and double screw setup. the head is very cheap considering how industrial strength it is.

david
 
Thanks again. David, you mean I can mount the Herculese Head directly to the Solo sticks? I'd rather not get the Kessler tripod as it's so heavy. But if I can mount the Kessler Herculese head to my current tripod, I'm hoping I'm set.
 
Nicholas Natteau said:
Thanks again. David, you mean I can mount the Herculese Head directly to the Solo sticks? I'd rather not get the Kessler tripod as it's so heavy. But if I can mount the Kessler Herculese head to my current tripod, I'm hoping I'm set.
Click to expand...

my bad...the Hercules head is for a 100mm bowl which is what my Solo VJ legs are and i think your legs are Solo DV are 75mm.

sorry to get your hopes up!
david
 
Just visited this web page by Kessler regarding their Herculese head and I'm not sure I understand whether or not you can use a 75mm bowl tripod:

http://www.kesslercrane.com/product-p/100075.htm

Their web page says this:


FAQ
Can I mount the Hercules 2.0 Head to my non-Kessler tripod legs?

*With its 100mm levelable ball, the Hercules 2.0 Head can be mounted to tripod legs with a 100mm bowl.

*With its 75mm fixed ring mount, the Hercules 2.0 Head can be mounted to tripod legs with a 75mm bowl. The leveling will need to be done with the tripod legs. The reason being is that a 75mm ball/bowl system does not have enough surface area to accommodate the clamping force of heavier rigs such as a slider.


If you have a tripod with a 75mm bowl like this one, do you need any other accessory from Kessler to mount the Herculese Head?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/293495-REG/Miller_1501_SOLO_DV_Carbon_Fiber.html

Also, how much does the Herculese Head weigh??? I couldn't find this spec on Kessler's web site.
 
Last edited:
Nicholas, i just sent an email to you with a bunch of info and detailed photos of how this looks mounted into a 75mm bowl. i never would have thought it would work but it did...just cant adjust angle.

david
 
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