Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

I had one (well, the 100 model) and it was okay... sold it and upgraded to the EZ/FX. I used 3068 legs with it. You definitely want a very strong tripod, because you'll have about 40 pounds on there total (between crane weight, camera weight, and barbell counterbalance weights).

Also take a look at the Cobra Cranes from ProMax. They're less expensive than the CamCrane and they provide for a tilting feature, which you can't do with the CamCrane. You could get shots with the Cobra that the CamCrane couldn't do. I have no experience with the Cobra, but I've heard it praised by others, and it looks like a decent product.
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

The Cobra crane itself is cheaper. But there is this comment at their website that you need to also purchase a $75 adapter to attach the crane to your tripod. This extra cost makes it closer in price to the Glidecam. But the Glidecam, from what Barry says, can't tilt, which seems to be a big disadvantage.

I've seen the cobra demo video 2 or 3 times. Makes me want to run right out an buy one (if only I had the spare cash).
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

The GlideCam CamCrane cannot tilt, it has a solid platform that is always level to the ground. That's exactly what I was saying about the Cobra -- if it's less money, adds tilting capability, and is competitive in all other ways (which I don't know, having never used one) then it would warrant a closer look.
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

I just set up the Glidecam crane that our director bought.
I wasn't impressed.
Yes, it does what it claims, but the lack of the tilt feature really hinders it's use.
We've experiemented with attachng the tripod head to the crane head and then using a large piece of tubling to manipulate the tripod head arm while the camera is raised.

Also, Glidecam has the worst instructions I have ever seen, hands down. It sounds like a silly complaint, until you realize all the time you're wasting with having to read stuff over and over again. It makes the assembly much more complicated and time consuming than it needs to be.
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

Cool thanks for all the input guys...I am happy I didn't shell out the cash yet for a Glidecam Camcrane...I am going to take a closer look at the Cobra..:)
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

I have read that the dual bars that make up the arm of the camcrane make it much better than other cranes..it gives it more stability and support...
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

I have a CobraCrane Backpacker... a special version that disassembles so as to fit in the trunk of a Honda del Sol (I'm not sure if that was their goal, but it was important to me a while back). It can be great, and I've gotten some great footage with it.
I use a 3011/3063 combo tripod, which isn't the strongest, but works.

The Cobra tilt mechanism works well in general but can be a little jumpy (in my setup at least) when trying to smoothly tilt while moving... the levering of the jib arm requires a lot less effort than the camera tilting, which can be hard to get used to, and requires practice before each session.

And, in general, I can't stop a motion with this rig... the jib arm tends to wobble a bit if I do.

But these are just quibbles... I love it, it's cheap, it does what I want!

-Barry
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

Is anyone familiar with the DV Jib Arm from Studio 1 Productions? It's in the price category of the Cobra and it can tilt.

http://www.studio1productions.com/dv_jib.htm

They don't say anything about speed of set up (which Barry said above and elsewhere can be an issue with jibs), which made me nervous. However, in their glowing testimonials at the bottom (ever notice any product is the best product the person ever bought) one person says it takes him two minutes and another says set up is 3 minutes.

Okay, who's going to order the DV Jib Arm and test it so that you can share your experiences with the rest of us?
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

I wish I could easily call a company and tell them I would like to test their product and write a review for it. For free! Is that possible? Maybe Jarred would care to answer..I would like to know how you get into this testing business..:) Such as testing a Mini35...do you just rent or do you get most of the stuff straight from the company?
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

First, you must have your own wildly successful website full of members that companies see as potential customers...
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

We just started using our Cobra Crane 1 and we freakin' love it. Once counter balanced it is very smooth and very solid. We are using a Manfrotto 3046/501 combo (should'a waited for the 503) and we've noticed no problems, and we use the heck out of it. You don't have to buy the $75 mount if you have a rectangular mount plate, I beleive it's just for hexagonal type plates. Anyway, for the money it's unbeatable.
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

...don't know if you know, but...

You can see 5 additional videos on the (((http://www.ezfx.com/))) EZ/FX -Site if you fill out the form under "Info by Mail". Check it out, it's nice. :D
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

I'm really impressed about the EZ/FX. @ Barry_Green or any other who knows it: Are the Arms full aluminium (I think so) or they are hollow? What is the outer diameter for the upper and the lower arms?

I ask because I can’t see any (soft) distortion when they use it with the big Cameras, especially with the big extensions. Looks absolutely straight and heavy.
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

nobody read my question?
...or is it a secret??? ::)
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

OK - I bought the DV Jib Arm from Studio 1 Productions. Got it yesterday. I'm not really up for writing a full review (I've got a music video to edit and am rehearsing actors for my next short) but will say it seems to be worth the $329. Yes one person can put it together easily in less than 10 mins. It breaks into two main sections approx. 4ft each and weighs in around the (I think) stated 8 pounds. The advantages are ease of assembly and relatively long reach (8ft plus they have another 4ft extension). I figured out that it works better if I flip it over on the tripod. This way I can mount the camera either parallel or perpendicular to the arm itself (you can't do it perpendicular the way they tell you to use it.) The upside down mounting also seems to reduce some of the strain that is placed on the quick release plate of the tripod head with the stock mounting configuration. That for me is the big design flaw - the jib arm pivot point attaches to the tripod via an "L" shaped bracket that places all the weight of the jib to the right side. This produces strain unevenly on the tripod quick release since it's not evenly distributed. Flipping the rig helps as does placing all the counter-balance weight on the left side of the T-bar handle. You'll need 17lbs of weights to balance a DVX with the standard 8 ft length. Add to that the weight of the camera and jib and your tripod should be able to handle 30lbs (mine is rated at 15 lbs but my preliminary tests showed 30lbs to be OK so I went for it.) Pressure on the head from the uneven weight distribution seems to be the only potential problem with this jib. Drilling holes for the quick release plate more towards the center may help.

Overall it seems to work pretty good. I played with it a couple of hours yesterday and got some really good shots. Once it got moving, the camera was relatively steady with only a bit of wobbling on fast starts/stops. Being able to mount the camera perpendicular to the jib arm was crucial for me so I'm glad I found this undocumented way of mounting the camera. In either the upside down or right side up mounting position, the camera tilts via a pulley that is essentially controlled by the tilt of the head of the tripod. NOTE: the head does not pan left or right in either mounting configuration. In my undocumented mode, if the camera is mounted at a right angle (perpendicular) to the jib arm itself, tilting the head would change the horizontal plane of your image (as in rocking the camera from side to side - probably an unwanted effect). When shooting this way, I used a bubble level to set it and then as long as you lock the tilt of the head of the tripod, the pulley automatically keeps the camera head level regardless of the jib arm's angle.

If it weren't for the uneven weight distribution on the quick release of the tripod head, I'd say it was an excellent value at $329. The problem might be less of an issue with a really heavy duty tripod - but they can be heavy and expensive. The tripod I'm using is one of these: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=249616&is=REG

Oh - to monitor the image while on the arm, I got one of these:

http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.j...ookmark=bookmark_0&oid=18681&catoid=-9093&m=0
 
Re: Which is the Best Jib Crane Out There?

[quote author=RWM link=board=Links;num=1085285848;start=30#36 date=06/03/04 at 05:29:41]Barry_Green or any other who knows it: Are the Arms full aluminium (I think so) or they are hollow? What is the outer diameter for the upper and the lower arms?
[/quote]
I don't have it in front of me so I can't answer authoritatively. I know the arms in the GlideCam were hollow... I don't know if the EZ/FX is solid or not. It's built rugged as heck, it's a very, very tough item, but I don't know if it's solid or hollow. The pipes are about maybe 2" x 1"? I don't really recall. Write to the guys at EZ/FX though, they'll answer all your questions instantly -- seriously, EZ/FX has some of the best customer support I've ever encountered. I'm sure they'll help you with anything you'd want to know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top