Standard Pocket Dolly Bending, Flexing?

HowdyDoo

HowdyDoo

Well-known member
Hi. I have seen a few reviews of the pocket dolly which mention that it bends or flexes at the ends when mounted on a standard tripod. But the reviews never go into detail about that issue.

Can anyone with a pocket dolly tell me if the slight bending of the rails translates heavily into the dolly shot? Can you see the bend in the footage when moving up and down the rails? I have a SOny EX1 and a Canon 5D. The dolly would be mounted to my Cartoni Focus head which sits on Miller SoloDV carbon Fiber sticks.

I want to buy a pocket dolly, but I can't decide which one, the standard or the traveller. The traveller just seems too short a run. When I watch footage shot with the traveller the dolly shot always comes to a stop before the end of the clip, or the run just feels a bit lacking in motion. But if the Pocket Doll standard exhibits too much flex, I'd rather go with straight and short than long and warped.
 
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i use the PD but also use the Hercules head. i also use the EX1 and 5DmkII. i can say that i havent noticed any bending of the PD itself while on the Hercules head. if i read you right you are concerned that the PD will flex somewhat where it makes direct contact with your Cartoni head? if thats your real question then i cant answer that except i would say that the weight of an EX1 all the way on the outer edge of the PD would seem to test the strength of the contact on your tripod head. i wouldnt ever consider using it like that.

the main pluses with the PD are...the crank option that no other dolly has...at least that i have seen & the Hercules head. you can do mini crane shots with the Hercules head and PD. very solid with stock EX1.

like ZazaCast says though...maybe build you own. if your not going to use the crank and the Hercules head then building your own could be a good option. persoanlly though i think the package i am using from Kessler is far sweeter than just a simple little "slider".

david
www.davidprobst.com
 
If I'm not mistaken, the Pocket Dolly uses the 10-80mm igus rail (David?). That is rated for a lot more weight than we'd ever be putting on it. I'm sure the rail itself won't flex, but...depending on the quality of the tripod, it could shift or flex (the tripod).

Mini crane shots are no problem with either set-up, if you mount the rail on a head.

I love Kessler stuff and own a crane, kPod, hercules 2.0 head, dolly wheels, flextrack...all great stuff...if you have the cash.
 
I'm not interested in building my own. Unfortunately, I've been working almost 60 hours a week and just don't have time.

In most of the reviews and pictures I've seen, there seem to be some flex, even on the Hercules head. Phillip Bloom mentioned the flexing in his review of the Pocket Dolly. Because of this bending, he requested a smaller, shorter version of the Pocket Dolly (The Pocket Dolly Traveller) which Kesller then made based on his input.

In a review posted here on DVX User I noticed what looked to be some bending and flexing of the unit, even on the Hercules head. (Pictures posted below). But it could just be barrel distortion from the camera lens.

bend1.jpeg

bend2.jpeg


As for putting it on a regular tripod head instead of the Hercules, my Cartoni head looks about the same size as the Hercules. I posted some pictures below of Phillip Bloom using their heavier duty Cineslider on an even smaller Bogen head with no problems what-so-ever.

bloom1.jpeg


It's not the head I'm worried about. It's how rigid the metal is when it's hanging in the air unsupported and wether or not you can see any bend in the dolly shot. In Bloom's review he mentions that the higher priced Cineslider does not bend due to a more rigid frame, nor does the Traveller due to its shorter distance.
 
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