Hi,

What do you guys think of this gadget?

Kessler Crane™ - Quality Professional Camera Cranes, Camera Jib & Camera Support Products - Tripod & Support (http://www.kesslercrane.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=37&Itemid=82)

I found it when googling around other alternatives other than glidetrack.

indislider looks too heavy for me. This one does too, but I like the rotating handle with the pocket dolly.

Glidetrack is still the simplest slider around I guess. I'm now kind of deciding between the HD glidetrack or the pocket dolly... hmmm....

Santo

I agree about the rotating handle of PocketDolly... looks cool to me :D

Anyway, if you're looking for something lighter and practical, Indifocus has just released a new product called Indislider mini. The price is good (USD 99 only), I don't know much about the build quality, havent try one yet :D. You might want to take a look at: IndiSYSTEM - Studio 4 Productions - Products (http://www.indifocus.com/products_indislidermini.htm) .Please note that the slider is 24" only :(

I have seen the indislider mini, it looks like a toy.. doesn't convince me.. anyone here have any experience with it?

Santo...

Thanks for showing the pocket dolly... It looks awesome. I love that the design includes a crank handle. Let us know if you end up going with it and how it works out for you.

I would love to have one of these.

Steve

you can buy the rail and bearing in sydney if you want to do a DIY - I seem to recall it cost around the $100 mark

stephen: you're welcome. its what the forum is all about :)

paul: I'm not so good with DIY stuff.. hahahha... I'd rather pay some more money and get good quality product. If you make one let me know, i might order one from you hahaha

I think the glidetrack is still the simplest solution around in term of weight and portability.

the pocket dolly looks quiet big as well. The only thing that draws me in is that rotating handle. But still, not so sure how intrusive its gonna be on a wedding day.

ian: indislider mini seems like a worthy try out for the price doesn't it.

my gosh.. why can't we try all of them in a store or something...

I received my Pocket Dolly a couple of weeks ago. Very solid and very portable. The thing that sold me was the crank handle. I don't have the smoothest hands in the world and the crank makes it very easy to get smooth movement.

Support is top notch. I had several questions (I also purchased a crane) and I dealt with Eric personally. He was helpful and responses were surprisingly quick.

so one vote goes for the pocket.. have you tried other ones tim?

how heavy is it to move around? what sort of stuff do you do with it?

Thanks

Santo

so one vote goes for the pocket.. have you tried other ones tim?

how heavy is it to move around? what sort of stuff do you do with it?

Thanks

Santo

No, I have not tried any of the others. But I can't imagine them being any better than the pocket dolly. It's the only one I've seen with the handle.

I bought it mainly for very subtle movements, tight spaces, etc. When I look at a lot of my footage I am always struck by how little movement there is. Many times it is because I am in tight quarters and there is no room for a dolly. Sometimes there's no time to set up the dolly. Sometimes I have no room in my RAV4 for my dolly (pvc pipe type).

Many times all I want is a very slight dolly move while a table conversation is taking place, or maybe truck in on a subject while they are sharing a personal moment, etc. The pocket dolly is perfect for these times and doesn't take up any space. It's light weight. It comes in a nice case, you pop it out and put it on your tripod, two tripods, a tripod and a light stand, a tabletop or whatever. You can also angle the pocket dolly to get some interesting movements.

Yeah, you can save some money building one for yourself. But my time is too valuable to spend it building gear. Besides, I would probably end up lopping off a finger or two in the process!

Tim, how heavy is the Pocket Dolly?

Errr, never mind, just found out from Kessler Crane website. It's 6.5 pounds and looks very sturdy *drool* :D

Tim, how heavy is the Pocket Dolly?

With case maybe 5 lbs. I can't find that info on the Kessler site. I campared it to my light-weight tripod (Libec T58/H22) which B&H says weights around 8 lbs. The pocket dolly is a little shorter and a little lighter than the tripod.

Hi Tim,

Looking at your libec tripod. its not a big tripod. Does it hold the pocket dolly nicely just by itself?

Thanks

Santo

Hi Tim,

Looking at your libec tripod. its not a big tripod. Does it hold the pocket dolly nicely just by itself?

Thanks

Santo

No problem.

does it likely to tip over or cause flex onto the pocket dolly because of the small screw on the plate?

thanks

sorry to hit you with all these questions

does it likely to tip over or cause flex onto the pocket dolly because of the small screw on the plate?

thanks

sorry to hit you with all these questions

No, I don't think you will have any problems with the pocket dolly flexing unless maybe you have some really, really heavy rig. I use a Canon XH A1 with no problems. As far as tipping, I don't think there will be a problem but I use a sandbag on the tripod just to be sure. Remember you can also use a tabletop, two tripods or a tripod and lightstand combo.