Perfect vertical crane

[Edgard Berendsen]

Hi,

I need to move a 5D in a perfect vertical axis. I was planing some DIY invention
with curtain rails or something similar but I think a sort of jib crane would be a more
versatile solution. Have you seen such a thing ?

Please note I don't want a normal jib crane movement since it usually moves
the camera in a semi circular way (in the z axis).

I was planning something like this:
http://www.ebm.cl/foros_img/camera_elevator.jpg

Thanks

[Charles Papert]

There are a few solutions out there that allow one to use a horizontal ladder as dolly track, using skate wheels and a platform dolly. Seems to me you can modify this with the ladder standing upright and some sort of winch and pulley system to dial the camera up and down as needed. You'd need to support the ladder somehow, but that's doable with scaffold or an adjoining stepladder to brace against.

[Tom Wills]

I'd actually recommend using a slider mounted vertically. There have been several inexpensive slider mechanisms using linear rails lately popping up, and I'm sure using some careful brackets and bolts you could put something together that would allow the camera to move on a vertical axis instead of a horizontal one. I know there's a relatively good looking DIY one found on DVXUser's DIY section, so that might be a start point.

[Paul Cascio]

Just a thought, but the radius of even an 8-foot jib is so large that you probably won't notice any movement other than in the vertical plane. I would try it before looking any farther.