The Best Jib/crane Poll

The Best Jib/crane Poll

  • ProMax CobraCrane ll +

    Votes: 3 5.2%

  • EZ FX Jib

    Votes: 17 29.3%

  • Kessler KC-12 Crane

    Votes: 25 43.1%

  • Glidecam Camcrane 200

    Votes: 7 12.1%

  • ProAm DVC250 Camera Crane

    Votes: 6 10.3%
  • Total voters
    58
How about this question: For you crane owners, what tripod legs/heads are you using? I am worried that my Libec t-57 legs and H35 head wont cut it. Though, it looks very sturdy...
Rick
 
Kessler Craen Questions

Kessler Craen Questions

Hello, My name is Eric and I am with Kessler Crane. I was asked by one of the forums members to make my self present on this forum, so here I am please feel free to ask any question you have about my self or any of our products. Please let me also say that in no way am I here try to rustle up sales just to help answer questions. You may also feel free to call me anytime on my cell phone (574)-340-0271 or email me direct (eric@kesslercrane.com). I pride myself on giving honest helpful answers, so if I can help in any way please feel free to call on me.

Thank you for your time.
Looking forward to helping in any way I can.
 
Eric, thanks for chiming in. If you read back in this thread, you'll see the main concern is excessive wear & tear on a fluid head by mounting your crane directly to it. Do you have any alternatives to be able to mount directly to the legs instead? This would also free up the fluid head to be used at the end of the crane as well vs. having to purchase an additional for that purpose.

Like I've said previously, I've been leaning towards Kessler Crane, but the factor of mounting directly onto my LS22 fluid head has been keeping me from making the jump.
 
Because of this crane debate, I actually asked Eric to stop by this thread and post a quick "hello". He was very reluctant because he didn't want to seem like a cheesy used car salesman trying to drum up business. But, I assured him that we'd love his input and love for him to answer some questions. However, he might have just stopped by to say hello. So, Norm, I wouldn't be shocked if it takes him a while to notice the questions on this thread. I would probably just try to call him directly.

He is very friendly and very confident in his product. We spoke at length today about the type of tripod and tripod head that is needed for one of his cranes. After our conversation, he urged me to wait until I get it and mount it to my H35 head to see how it feels. Based on the specs of the head, it should be fine. But, I am still a little confused as how to best remedy this. Ultimately, I would like to get a set of legs and a dedicated head JUST for this crane and I would like it to be a low cost solution. So, that is my next step. Find a low cost, superdurable head/leg combo.

Any suggestions???

Rick
 
Envision said:
Eric, thanks for chiming in. If you read back in this thread, you'll see the main concern is excessive wear & tear on a fluid head by mounting your crane directly to it. Do you have any alternatives to be able to mount directly to the legs instead? This would also free up the fluid head to be used at the end of the crane as well vs. having to purchase an additional for that purpose.

Like I've said previously, I've been leaning towards Kessler Crane, but the factor of mounting directly onto my LS22 fluid head has been keeping me from making the jump.
Click to expand...

why not just buy a hefty, but cheapo tripod for the crane? I can't even imagine NOT having a dedicated set of sticks just for that. if you are that interested in keeping your tripod smooth and healthy for a long time, it is probably a good idea that might only cost a few hundred or less if used.
 
Yeah, may have to go that route, against my judgement. I like to travel as light as possible, and would prefer not to have to have an additional tripod, extra expense, etc.

Oh well, nothing worthwhile is ever easy, I guess. :)
 
Kessler Crane

Kessler Crane

I just purchased a Kessler Crane about a month ago, and I'm pretty happy with it. I don't have much experience with any of the other cranes, but I did some obsessive research in the sub-$1k category, before deciding on the Kessler. It seemed to have the best set of features for anything close to the price.

We called Eric with our concerns about a quick shipping time. He had it in the mail that day and it showed up just when he said it would- very quick. We got the impression that maybe he doesn't do cranes full time, which may explain some of the response time issues others mentioned. If we all buy his crane, he will be doing it full time.

It's heavy and well-built. Nice and smooth. Easy to put together and figure out. Built like a tank. Excellent option for mounting a fluid head to the camera bucket and getting awesome tracking shots.

The tripod thing is the biggest issue, and it doesn't seem like anyone's got it figured out yet. All the tripods and heads I see in my price range are only rated to maybe 18 pounds. The crane, camera, and counterweights could easily hit 30 lbs.
We tried the crane with the davis and sanford provista, and I would not recommend it. The weight of the crane exposed a lot of the tripod/heads flaws. A screw fell out of the legs, the head wobbled back and forth, etc.
Ultimately, davis and sanford is to blame for this. not Kessler.

I should add that we did a shoot anyway, with the Kessler mounted on the ProVista. Though I was terrified the whole thing would fall apart on set, it held up just fine. We put the tripod in a Libec tripod dolly to add more stabilisation. As long as you don't make sudden, jerky movements, I don't think your fluid head will break in half.
We just bought a heavy-dutyish bogen setup on ebay for $100 incl shipping. It should work well for a dedicated crane tripod. I think that may be the key...getting a tripod that is as heavy duty as you can afford, and using a different tripod for non-crane shots. That way you don't care as much if the crane ruins your tripod over time.

If anyone has good heads/sticks recommendations, please share.
 
A good way to solve the problem of mounting cranes to tripods would be to design a simple, inexpensive pedestal that mounts to 75, 100mm or 150mm bowls, with a swivelling crane mount on the top. Maybe an 18" high pedestal to boost the max height of the crane. This way, you could buy a set of old workhorse sticks for cheap on ebay, and mount the crane pedestal to them easily.
Any machinists out there? I'll buy the first one!
 
Envision said:
Eric, thanks for chiming in. If you read back in this thread, you'll see the main concern is excessive wear & tear on a fluid head by mounting your crane directly to it. Do you have any alternatives to be able to mount directly to the legs instead? This would also free up the fluid head to be used at the end of the crane as well vs. having to purchase an additional for that purpose.

Like I've said previously, I've been leaning towards Kessler Crane, but the factor of mounting directly onto my LS22 fluid head has been keeping me from making the jump.
Click to expand...
My take on mounting a crane to a fluid head -vs.- mounting to a spindle.

First let me say that all makes of fluid heads are different so when I refer to using a fluid head I am
speaking of a unit that is from a quality make i.e. Bogen/Manfrotto, Venten, Libec ect.

Lets start out by talking about a basic fairly low priced head like the Bogen 501 that is rated for 14 lbs.
When Bogen rates a head it is not rated for how much weight it can handle before you crush it, in fact the head
is the strongest part of your tripod. Your head, depending on brand is likely to be built better (stronger materials
like stainless steel and t-7 alum and of high tolerance design not a modified wheel caster) than any spindle that other
crane manufactures are offering. The weight rating is refereeing to the amount of weight the heads drag plates can
control on an unassisted forward dump. With a crane this dynamic is not much of an issue. Where there should be
some concern when mounting a crane to a fluid head is the size of the quick plate and how much weight it can support
vertical when locked before it slides out. I know most heads have a safety latch so if the lock where to slip the latch
would prevent the plate from dropping out completely but why risk it. The only time you are at risk is if you operate
our crane in the manual mode and tilt the camera forward or back so that it positions the quick plate in a vertical position.
The Bogen 501/503 has worked very well with our KC-8 and the amount of weight it entails. The more pricey 516 and
316 Bogen heads are substantial in size and rock stable along with very large quick plates capable of sustaining the weights
demanded buy our larger KC-12 twelve foot crane. If you do not want to be at risk simply do not use the manual function of
our crane by simply locking your head in the level position then the quick place will have gravity working for it along with
your lock. I know by locking your head in the level position you will not be allowed to manually tilt the camera but either would
using another crane that uses the spindle, but you will still have professional built high quality crane that will give you the
smoothest shots.

For those of you that are still totally against using a fluid head (even though we have been doing it for over 5 yr. with no worn
out heads) we will have our version of a fluid spindle where we have taken the quality and precession of a fluid heads pan feature
and applied it to a crane spindle built for cranes, built buy us and with our CNC machines not a modified caster wheel. This kit
will come with the spindle and a ball relocator that will allow you to remove your 100mm ball from your sticks and mount the spindle
in its place, then mount the relocator on the camera basket. The relocator will have the female socket of the 100mm ball so that
you can mount your fluid head and 100mm ball on the relocator and level it at the basket. This item will be available in the next
2-5 weeks along with a short tip to create a 5 ft crane, a vertical breaking system and tool-less kit.

If you have any more questions please feel free to call me anytime.

thank you for your time
Eric 574-340-0271
eric@kesslercrane.com
 
Thanks Eric for that info. I am going to have to re-read that post a few times. I thought I was a relatively intelligent guy but what you just said, is nearly greek to me. Don't worry, I'll grab a cup of coffee and study your words...
 
Another angle

Another angle

Hey guys,

My name is Steve and I designed the EZ Jib by EZ FX Inc. I was informed of your debate and I appreciate all the comments and observations on all the brands in your debate. I am not a regular participant in these type of forums but I just wanted to introduce myself and make a comment.

Of course I am biased toward EZ FX and this may seem like a shameless plug but it is not. One of the things that I like to do is inform people and direct people to the right product if ours is not for them. That is why we have a "Jib Tutorial" video at our website.

All Jibs and cranes have their own benefits that are unique. I tried to incorporate as many features and options to meet as many needs and camera sizes as possible and I hope we have created a truly versatile product with the EZ Jib.

What I like to stress with our tutorial and information is that there are several different types of Jib/Crane shots and applications. Different effects include Self Leveling, Extended, Incorporating Pan/Tilt, Incorporating Zoom and even locking down the for staionary shots with no movement. We tried to provide all those options and create a truly user friendly, versatile, and unique product. We also feel that because of efficiency and versatility, our product is also cost effective even when compared with our lower cost competitors.

I invite you all visit our website www.ezfx.com and especially view our "Jib Tutorial" video. Its a good production lesson no matter what Jib/Crane you like. I'm also available by phone or email for any clarifications or questions.

Good luck with your productions.

STEVE
 
I think it's awesome that both Kessler and EZ FX showed up personally to answer questions and support their products.

It sounds like people can't go wrong with either product.

Chris
 
Steve-

Thank you for dropping by, truly. As I mentioned earlier in this post, the EZ FX jib looks like an incredible product. It's just a little too rich for my blood.

Rick
 
yes, thanks to both eric and steve for taking the time to drop in and offer their assistance and help.

it makes me think highly of both of your establishments.
 
Stevezfx said:
PS: In case you are wondering, I did not cast a vote in your poll. HA!

STEVE
Click to expand...

why not!?

if you take the to sign-up and post in our forum, i think you're entitled to at least vote for your product.

hell, the president does it! :beer:
 
I haven't tried the others, but I have a Cobra 1 (you don't need a 2 for a dvx100) and I love it...great balance, good moves, cheap.
 
I know waltind has a Cobra 1 as well, and likes it. In a video he prepared for an organization he used it near the end, and the shot turned out pretty well ... and that was just with the 8 foot section. He's ordered an extension, which we'll have in time for our short, so we'll actually be using a Cobra 1 for our short, as I've yet to acquire a crane of my own. Soon, though, very soon. :thumbsup:
 
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