DV camera booms

[John Paulsel]

I'm interested in buying a camera boom (jib) for use with a XL-1. I saw one in use at a university music concert last week and was intrigued with the flexibility.

Any thoughts about where to find one, costs, recommendations, etc. would be helpful.

The set up I saw had a small LCD monitor near the operator. Assuming that's a seperate purchase.

Thanks!

[Chris Hurd]

Moved to our Camera Support forum.

I'm a big fan of SkyCrane: www.skycrane.com

See also EZFX: www.ezfx.com

[Jeremy Rochefort]

Here's my choice:
http://kesslercrane.com/

What I like is that you can adjust camera angle from the operator end - not very many can do this at the price

[Webb Pickersgill]

I have to chime in with Kessler Crane as well. I've had mine (8' model) for about a year and it produces fantastic shots! The camera tilt lever is solid and performs very well if you have a good tripod head. I even mount my Kessler crane to a HiHat and put it on a skateboard dolly for moving crane shots!

[Alan Galbraith]

+1 for Kessler

I use mine with a DV500, no issues. Good build quality.

footage can be seen at www.VintageRacingNews.com

[Eric Pontbriand]

Skycrane doesn't require a head. The Kessler does, and by the time you get the weights on it and camera and such, that's a lot of weight on that fluid head.

Kessler has a lever to tilt the bucket with an aluminum rod that's sturdy, but you have to unlock the head and tilt using that. I haven't been able to get good shots locked on my subject, because the weight balance is thrown uneven front to back as soon as you tilt one way or another. Translation: once the weight starts to move things go flippin' batty, and it pulls one way or the other, requring you to have to over compensate to pull it back, resulting in ugly bounce and such.

And the weight balance issue, combined with the fact that the handle is offset on one side, means you are having to pull off center a great amount of weight for bucket operation, and that's bending and bouncing the whole rig. Plus, the handle constantly comes loose by design.

So.. I've been using it for 3 months and haven't had one satisfactory shot with it yet. I'm looking at switching to Skycrane because that bucket op sure looks smooth and I like the idea of not having to wear out my head.

[Webb Pickersgill]

I got the Bogen/Manfrotto 316 head and use it with the Kessler crane. It's a constant friction head, which means you can let go of the tilt and it won't just crash on you. I've gotten extremely good looking shots with this setup, very smooth.

[Joshua Provost]

I love my Kessler Crane. It's true, you need a sturdy tripod and head. The crane is very well built, yet lightweight and flexible. Once you get it weighted properly, it's great.

[Jason Robinson]

Originally Posted by Eric Pontbriand

Kessler has a lever to tilt the bucket with an aluminum rod that's sturdy, but you have to unlock the head and tilt using that. I haven't been able to get good shots locked on my subject, because the weight balance is thrown uneven front to back as soon as you tilt one way or another. Translation: once the weight starts to move things go flippin' batty, and it pulls one way or the other, requring you to have to over compensate to pull it back, resulting in ugly bounce and such.
And the weight balance issue, combined with the fact that the handle is offset on one side, means you are having to pull off center a great amount of weight for bucket operation, and that's bending and bouncing the whole rig. Plus, the handle constantly comes loose by design.
So.. I've been using it for 3 months and haven't had one satisfactory shot with it yet. I'm looking at switching to Skycrane because that bucket op sure looks smooth and I like the idea of not having to wear out my head.

I was wondering that after 2 years experience, if the shots you are getting have changed. Was the wobble a weighting issue when tilting using the handle, or is that pretty much always there?