Dykortech Advanta-Jib Lite

[Hank Bridgeman]

Hello all, This is my first post to this wonderful forum… been hanging around in the background for some time… great people and excellent knowledge base…Now is the time for me to finally jump in…


Does anyone have any experience with the Dykortech Advanta-Jib Lite? It looks like a great jib.. Thinking about ordering one to use with a Canon H1

Thanks

[Sergiu Pavel]

No one ? Is that so . Aren't there any comments about this subject ?

[Dean Sensui]

I had some hands-on experience with it at the recent NAB convention.

It was about the best one I saw at its price range. I believe there have been other comments about this at this forum -- do a search for dykortech and you should be able to read them.

All comments were positive.

If I had to buy one, this would probably be the one.

[Jason Coblentz]

Hello. I just wanted to mention that I have recently purchased the advanta-jib lite, and am absolutely loving it. It has great reach. The manual control is very smooth. Once you're past the learning curve on setting it up, it really can set up within five minutes. I did research on the web for a couple of months, and I had pretty much settled on a kessler crane, or cobra crane. I have an hd-100, and was concerned about stability, so I was hesitating on the purchase. I came across a website advertising the new advanta-jib lite and was all over it. One of the other factors I had considered was panning abilities. I was going to have to purchase a turret that would run by joystick and electricity. So for about 2500 to 3000 I could have settled. But the advanta runs now at 2900 and is every bit worth it. The construction of the crane was more impressive when I actually got it compared to the demos on the web site. I highly recomend one. The only issue I have with mine, is the amount of counterweight I have to put on for the hd100. The directions recomend 50 lbs. In the end I had 70 lbs to operate it. Dykortech does sell an extention piece so you can greatly reduce the counterweight. I hope this helped.

[Scott Devlin]

I received my AdvantaJib-lite about a month and a half ago.

First off, let me say that John at Dykortech is absolutely amazing to work with. He is incredibly polite, more available than anyone i know, and really knows his stuff. I ordered my crane from John, and it arrived here 2 days later - this is after going through customs at the US/Canada border.

On to the crane...
The crane is first off incredibly light - it is made out of high grade aluminum. I got the full deal - all of the extentions, underslung head, etc. It packs down in to a bag about 48 inches long and is not uncomfortable to carry, even over longer distances. It weighs about half as much as what my camera (hd-100) does in a pelican 1610 case. The crane design is truly origional and as far as i can tell, argumentively speaking the best design in any price range close to this. the pan is cable driven with a ration of 1 to 1. This means that the camera pans at the exact speed your hand pans at the control. The tilt however is a compeltely different system. It is controlled by a sealed hydraulic line that is built in to the coil that runs the length of the arm. The camera is counterbalanced by a choice of springs that are included with the crane. Remote operation on my rig is possible thanks to a Varizoom EFC focus controller and a Varizoom pro zoom controller (not included with the crane). The hydraulic line, audio monitor, and video monitor are all included in the cable wrap that spans the length of the arm. The cable for the focus and zoom controllers, however, i need to fasten to the arm with velcro wraps (included with the Varizoom equipment). I also mounted a Varizoom lcd monitor on the crane - the crane comes equipped with an lcd monitor mount - you just need to thumb screw it on. I purchased simple weights at wal-mart - it takes about 70lbs worth to operate at full length with the hd-100. However, you can customize the feel of it by adding or subtracting a little bit of weight.
With all of this equipment, camera, controllers, crane, monitors, i can set the whole system up in about 15 minutes - dont let anyone tell you that the setup is hard or it takes too long. it really is a piece of cake. i read the directions the first time and that was all i needed - it has been working from memory ever since. it is nowhere near as time consuming as setting up and leveling a track dolly system outdoors.
As far as feel goes, the crane works top notch. I am still figuring out the right tension for the pan cables (they are all fully adjustable). if the crane is pointing straight out at a 90 degree angle, there will be more flex on the arm and therefore more tension on the cables. as the arm raises, the horizontal distance from the tripod decreases, placing less flex on the arm and less tension on the cables, making them a little more loose. you will need to play with it a bit to figure out just where the right setting is. The underslung head has a very different feel to it than it does with the camera mounted on top of the arm - you will need to practice with both.

Here is my breakdown:

Pros:
Super light
breaks down well
very fluid operation
all manual pan and tilt - no servos here
super customer service
great price (when factoring in what it would take to get a motorized pan and tilt to put on some other model)
fairly simple setup
includes storage bag

Cons:
occasionally the cables for the pan will bind where they are joined
arm flex changes cable tension
it is incredibly fun to use and your wife may yell at you for spending too much time with it

[Ameet Nichani]

i feel proud to be associated with a fantastic engineered product like the advanta jib, John the inventor of this jib was himself here in india to promote it at our Broadcast india exhibition, and his jib got a amazing response out here. the product is very well designed and is really gonna be a boon to the dv industry.

[Dan Brockett]

Hi all:

Thanks guys for the very thorough and descriptive posts about the Advanta-Jib, it sounds intriguing. I take it that it is only setup to work from the rear of the jib, though, right?

Is it possible to do compound moves with the Advanta-Jib?

Have any of you ever used the Porta-Jib by Losmandy? I am thinking of getting one and I think that if I want to operate from from the front of the jib and to do compound moves the Traveller scissor arm, than I think that the Port-Jib design might be better for me but I am still intrigued by the Advanta-Jib. It's also a lot cheaper than the Port-Jib but I obviously could only use our HVX-200 or Canon XL-H1 on it, not the Varicam or HDX-900, correct?

Any feedback or advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan

[Michael P Frederick]

What tripod system are you using with the Advanta Jib?

[Clark Cooper]

Originally Posted by Dan Brockett

I obviously could only use our HVX-200 or Canon XL-H1 on it, not the Varicam or HDX-900, correct?

You are correct. The only thing "lite" about the Advanta Jib-LITE is that it is rated for 10-pound cameras. Other than that there's nothing light about this jib. We rent the Advanta Jib out, and it is a solid work horse.

Originally Posted by Dan Brockett

Is it possible to do compound moves with the Advanta-Jib?

Kesler and Cobra are not even in the same class as Dykortech. Just check out the demo videos. Dykortech's jib has a much more natural shooting position from the back of the jib. If you can operate a tripod and chew gum at the same time, you can get the hang of this jib and perform compound moves in a few short minutes with it.

The next step up, in my mind, would be an Intel-A-Jib with a Varizoom Remote Head, or the like.

Originally Posted by Michael P Frederick

What tripod system are you using with the Advanta Jib?

When doing my own shooting, I use Vinten Pro6. Any medium-to-heavy-duty 75mm tripod system will work.

Originally Posted by Scott Devlin

Cons: ...your wife may yell at you for spending too much time with it

Excellent review, Scott. I agree with you in every point, except the last one. My wife finds this jib incredibly sexy! ;)

[Tom Sherwood]

can you have any DOF Adapters attached to the camera while its on these cranes?

[Clark Cooper]

The use of a Redrockmicro M2 or Letus Extreme may be possible in underslung position, as long as the overall weight is kept under 10 lbs. The Advantajib comes with 3 "counter-weight" springs to support various loads. You can use up to two springs at a time to help with heavier loads.

Unless your camera is tiny—like a Canon HG10—you'll only be able to use a DOF adapter in underslung configuration, due to the length (not weight) of the setup.

Just strip the camera of anything that is not needed at the camera end (such as monitors, microphones, wireless receivers, power) and you should be able to get the weight down.

[Andrew Dean]

John now offers a 15lb upgrade (heavier duty bearing and heavier spring) to allow for heavier non-ENG rigs like ones with a 35 adapter. I have my letus35 enhanced + sony fx1 on with no problem. However, you'll need a fancy remote follow focus to change focus as you fly.

[Clark Cooper]

Andrew, I have the 15lbs upgraded assembly, but I've never put it to a 15lbs. load test. I use it only for added peace of mind that 10lbs. will work with some room for error.

Good to know you've tested and it works with a full load. Still though, are you running in Underslung? If not, how are you getting the length of the Sony+Letus rig to avoid hitting the jib when you lower the jib below 90º angle?

[Andrew Dean]

Hmm. good question. Thinking about it, all the shots I've done so far with the adapter have either had the camera turned 90% or have been horizontal to high shots. Just coincidence, really. I've done low shots without the adapter so it all kinda blurred into my head.

I bought the low slung, but have yet to hook it up. I was starting to question the usefulness of it, but you pointed out a glaringly obvious use. hehe.

I like a heavy jib. My ride-on crane is a bear to counterweight (over 100lbs just to offset the crane, then 2x the weight of the camera op and focus puller) but once its loaded inertia is oh such a beautiful thing. I pretty much load up the advantajib as much as I can just so i can counterbalance as much as i can to approximate that feeling. Its not as nice, but i try to get as close to 15lbs as i can and i avoid using the "use less weight" extension except where manditory.

If you have the counterweights, try loading that baby up. Its a whole different ride.

cheers!

[Jeffrey Butler]

Anyone using it with the JVC-HD250? I think w/ the Anton Bauer I'm pushing 10-12 lbs. Just curious. Looks like an amazing jib...