Tripod / Dolly for Kessler Crane

S

StMad

Well-known member
I'm toing and froing at the moment between saving a buck by getting this combo...


Bogen 3190 legs / 3198 cine/video deluxe dolly

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...ils&Q=&sku=5455&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...ils&Q=&sku=5461&is=REG&addedTroughType=search


Or spending more and getting this combo...



Cartoni A302 legs / C491 lightweight dolly

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=188651&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=187401&is=REG&addedTroughType=search


Has anyone had experience with either setup supporting a crane?

If the Bogen dolly only works with spiked feet that's a bit of a turn off for me. It's also rated at only 44lbs (mid level spreader increases this?), though the Kessler guys say it works fine with the 12 foot crane. What's deal with these spiked feet tripods anyway...are they retractable?

The cartoni setup is more expensive (big price difference between dollies, and I'm balking at that), though is rated at 110lbs, apparently future proofing me. It's also lighter, which is a real bonus for a one man show.

Any help would be murrrrrch appreciated...

Thanks

Steve
 
I've never liked these "give the dolly wheels" designs. Doesn't really feel right. Who wants a dolly you can't stand on? Personally, it's a pretty big sticking point. If I were making the purchase, I'd go with Neil Rowe's dolly. Same price range and the product is solid. The feedback he gets is phenomenal and he'll answer all your questions (most of them are already answered in his thread but that's 33 pages worth).
 
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Thanks Happy. The dolly is just to give the crane portability. I imagine it'd be a PITA to move once set up...so this is more for convenience.
 
Silly of me. In that case cheaper is probably better if the Kessler guys say it'd be fine. I don't have personal experience with either, sorry.
 
Actually I was gazing witsfully at various products on the Kessler site and realized that the heavy-duty tripod they sell has (extremely) lockable wheels on it. I asume you could put a fluid head on that for double duty, but it might be a little too much tripod for use across the board...

You probably already looked at that though.
 
Yeah, I was after legs that would suit all my shooting needs. So I ended up getting the Cartoni a302s and a cheap dolly off ebay ($30 new, highest bid). The dolly is rated at 120lbs so I'm feeling pretty happy with that (esp compared to the $500 I was going to pay for the Cartoni dolly :))

I found an "as new" Bogen 116 (3066) head on ebay also. It's only rated to 22lbs, but if I damage it I can live with $250 loss. This allows the use of the manual tilt function. Though I can see that most of my shots using tilt will be tabletop type shots...done via the camera itself (mounted on a Bogen 503 head on their ball relocator)
 
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