Hi folks - I'm in a real jam and hoping someone can help me out. I am doing an XLH1 shoot in Baltimore and need to use a jib. The ONLY tripod mounted jib that I have been able to find for rent in the area is the Porta-Jib and the rental house is not 100% on the head/specs I would need to make the XLH1 work with it. Can anyone give me a rundown on exactly what I need from the rental house to make this work? All I have is the camera, I'm getting everything else (sticks, heads, etc...) from them.

Link for porta-jib:
http://www.porta-jib.com/standard.htm

Thanks so much!

I have used a porta jib with my H1.

There are many ways to skin this cat. You could run it from the back of the rig, but then you will need a hot head that works with the H1 including remote controls for the H1 and some kind of monitor.

Instead of that, I chose to use my Vinten Vision 3 tripod's fluid head. It mounted easily on the Porta Jib's ball socket and with my Varizoom remote control unit on the Vinten Vision 3's handle I had zoom, focus and start/stop.
In this method you stand up front next to the camera and use the jib as if it were a tripod head on the end of a teeter todder. The one thing you MUST also have is a decent monitor. I used a 14" Sony NSTC on a cart off to the side and fed it S video (downconvert).