Hi guys,

I was planning on grabbing a 5' tilting jib from Glideshot but shipping costs make it unattainable. Glideshot have suggested building a custom 38" jib (based on their standard 48" jib) which can be shipped to Australia inexpensively, but I'm wondering how useful a 38" jib would actually be?

Is it simply too short to get anything other the smallest of vertical movements? I wanted a modest jib in the first place (4'-6') to cover the bulk of vertical movements I'd want to do, and then simply rent larger cranes when needed. But I'm not sure how much utility such a small jib could actually offer.

Any thoughts?

Hi, Mark..........

Is that 38" from end to end or pivot to camera?

Either way, you would seem to be on a hiding to nothing, or else, not.

It really depends on you, what you shoot, how you shoot it and all the other stuff that defines the requirements for a piece of kit, do you NEED it?

You don't seem too sure, which makes me think you don't NEED it, but feel a jib will be pretty cool in the arsenal, even though you don't have the brass for a "real" one.

Forget it, save and get it when you can get the "real deal" else get it and rue the day you bought a midget, OR, make a masterpiece with it, it's up to you.

It's simply a tool, nothing more, nothing less, just like an electric drill in your garage, if you can use it and have a need, you get one, if not, you don't.

Nobody on DVinfo can answer that question for you: Do you NEED it?

It doesn't matter what other DVinfoers have, have done or haven't done- this is about what you want to do. What do you want to do?

Will purchasing this thing give you the shots you want, or not?

Personally, I have my doubts, others will argue differentely, of course.

Good luck, whatever.


CS

My Vinten Dolphin is 36" to the front, from the pivot, plus the swinging 6" extension arm - that I frequently use sideways, meaning the camera centre is the 36" distance from the mid point, and I rarely wish it was longer. With the tripod usually set just a little up from the closed position, this means I can raise to a height where I can just touch the focus on tip-toe - I'm 6'1", yet it goes down to a low lens height of around the 18" mark. This works great for most things I do - and also means I can use it static, but getting the camera into positions a tripod wouldn't fit. It's still a bit awkward to thread through small gaps front to back, but much better than a longer one. I've not wished for a longer one for general stuff.

Hi, Mark..........

Is that 38" from end to end or pivot to camera?

Either way, you would seem to be on a hiding to nothing, or else, not.

It really depends on you, what you shoot, how you shoot it and all the other stuff that defines the requirements for a piece of kit, do you NEED it?

You don't seem too sure, which makes me think you don't NEED it, but feel a jib will be pretty cool in the arsenal, even though you don't have the brass for a "real" one.

Forget it, save and get it when you can get the "real deal" else get it and rue the day you bought a midget, OR, make a masterpiece with it, it's up to you.

It's simply a tool, nothing more, nothing less, just like an electric drill in your garage, if you can use it and have a need, you get one, if not, you don't.

Nobody on DVinfo can answer that question for you: Do you NEED it?

It doesn't matter what other DVinfoers have, have done or haven't done- this is about what you want to do. What do you want to do?

Will purchasing this thing give you the shots you want, or not?

Personally, I have my doubts, others will argue differentely, of course.

Good luck, whatever.


CS

Thanks for your thoughts Chris. The jib would be 38" end-to-end. If it were 38" to the pivot point I wouldn't mind at all, but at 38" for the total length, it doesn't offer a whole lot of length to play with - I just wonder whether it'd still suffice for shorter movements.

My reasoning for wanting a simple and reasonably compact (but good quality, as the glideshot apparently is) jib, is for being able to grab basic vertical camera movements quickly (a one piece jib can just be clipped on and off a tripod very quickly) - it wouldn't be for anything too ambitious obviously, but for simple, shorter shots - it'd fit the bill far more effectively than a proper crane or larger jib.

Your point about tools for the job is well taken. I don't see gear as anything but. It's just that in the case of this particular one-piece jib, the speed it would allow me to work with creates a value proposition in and of itself.

My Vinten Dolphin is 36" to the front, from the pivot, plus the swinging 6" extension arm - that I frequently use sideways, meaning the camera centre is the 36" distance from the mid point, and I rarely wish it was longer. With the tripod usually set just a little up from the closed position, this means I can raise to a height where I can just touch the focus on tip-toe - I'm 6'1", yet it goes down to a low lens height of around the 18" mark. This works great for most things I do - and also means I can use it static, but getting the camera into positions a tripod wouldn't fit. It's still a bit awkward to thread through small gaps front to back, but much better than a longer one. I've not wished for a longer one for general stuff.

Paul, I feel much the same way. And if the jib offered a clear 3' of length from the pivot point I have no doubt it'd fit my needs. I'm just wondering if anyone here has had any experience with slightly shorter jibs, and can comment as to whether they fill that same niche for general work that your Dolphin does.