Small Jib for Creative Shots.

[Brian David Melnyk]

i'm glad you found the idea useful. carrying around weights or filling a floppy bag full of rocks never really seemed too efficient to me.
i will eventually use an even longer bolt to screw in or out as needed, for heavier cameras or for a lighter head to counterbalance. i also use two nuts to lock in the perfect distance to balance my camera, making set up even quicker.

[Steven Digges]

What I found interesting in that demo footage is the kid is flying blind. There is no monitor on his end of the jib. At 15 feet in daylight your not going to see anything on the 5D. It is a demo reel for the jib and not real so I wonder why there is no monitor and how many takes do you think they shot?

I know you can count on your pre focus at 17mm but I would never do that to a real bride & groom. Would you put them through all that for a shot you might get because you can't see the shot? With a proper monitor you would be fine.

And how about that weight kit? What the hell was that? Crane weights by Gucci bag!

Ok, seriously, I do hang a bag from the weight bar on my Cobra. I use the gym weights it came with and I drop "stuff" in the bag for fine balance. Spare camera batteries work well. Rocks, water bottles, and my lunch, anything that works. I'm usually flying an EA50, its a lot heavier than a DSLR. I am in such a cynical mood today, don't take me too seriously.

Kyle, I think you will like having one. They are not the easiest accessory to deal with but when you do use it they add a cool shot you not going to get otherwise.

Steve

Steve

[Steven Digges]

Hey Kyle,

This thread prompted me to get out my jib and clean the dust off of it. I have a shoot next I can use it on. Without prompting from everyone hear I probably would have left it behind. I'm looking forward to using it. I love this forum.

Thanks Guys,

Steve

[Kyle Root]

I put the jib idea on the backburner for a bit because I had a promo gig where a steadycam would be more useful, and I can do "mini jib" moves to some extent with it...

I have a dance recital next month where I'm pretty confident I'm going to do quite well on the money side, so I'm going to buy a jib after that gig... right before my main wedding season starts.