advantajib reviews/testimonials?

[Andrew Dean]

I've been looking into the advantajib lite, but am still hesitant about the purchase. The combination of tiny undetailed photos on the website and endorsements that never follow through with photos/videos is just weird. I dunno. maybe advantajib owners cant post because they are all so busy getting paid to use their jibs. hehe. The only video samples i've found are on the advantajib website, where no moves are ever shown starting or stopping... and some youtube footage of a phone sex commercial where the jib moves are quite jerky and awkward.

Are there any advantajib detailed reviews out there? Any owners with some real world operation feedback and/or examples? Thanks!

cheers!
-a

[Andrew Dean]

thought i'd add advanta-jib since people might search for that instead of "advantajib".

Anybody here own one of these?

thanks

[Hart Boyd]

I purchased one in December last year but have not had much chance to use it yet as my project was delayed. I would be happy to send you picutres and answer questions.

[Ted Spencer]

I recently acquired one and will post my comments a little later (bottom line: I like it a lot), but in the meantime, have you seen this thread?

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=68413

[Andrew Dean]

Hey Guys,
Thanks for responding.

I had looked over that other thread awhile back, thanks for reminding me.

The main questions i have are:

1. Is the jib actually smooth and controllable, or just reasonably controllable "for the size" "for the weight" or "for the price"?

2. Can you smoothly stop/start movements?

3. can you lock down the crane and use it for fixed shots where you might be on the front end adjusting focus w/o jiggling the whole crane?

4. can the camera tilt/pan be worked from the front?

5. Does the advantajib look/feel like pro gear to you?
5a. are the various connectors bearings or just bolts-in-holes?

6. I'd think the 4 foot would get the most use... do you use the 7 and 10 foot extensions much?

7. do you have any issues with the pan cable slipping?

8. realistically, how long do you think it would take to change from 4 foot mode to 10 foot mode w/ tail extension?

9. are there any reasons you are ever reluctant to pull the advantajib out of the truck?

10. is it possible to slap a bowl head onto the front instead of the hydraulic one?

11. have you had any issues w/ the hydraulics?

12. would you buy again?

13. how is the learning curve? On a shoot would you hand it over to the camera operator or suggest they let someone already experienced use it?

14. got video of any shots you've made w/ it that you are particularly proud of?

Any answers to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated.

If you have any pix, i'd love to see some closeups of the ends and middle bits. If there is anything else that comes to mind about it, i'd love to hear your feedback.

thanks!
-andrew

[Hart Boyd]

==>1. Is the jib actually smooth and controllable, or just reasonably controllable "for the size" "for the weight" or "for the price"?

Yes but like everything else that comes with practice and how well you balance the jib. Just as an example, my 10 year old son is getting very good which his movements from start to stop.

==>2. Can you smoothly stop/start movements?

Yes with practice and proper balancing.

==>3. can you lock down the crane and use it for fixed shots where you might be on the front end adjusting focus w/o jiggling the whole crane?

There is lock on the jib but I don't think it is designed for the purpose you are interested in as it just keeps it from titling for safety reasons if you need to walk away from it.

==>4. can the camera tilt/pan be worked from the front?

Yes you can tilt/pan the camera from the front but I don't think it was designed for that.

==>5. Does the advantajib look/feel like pro gear to you?

Yes very much so

==>5a. are the various connectors bearings or just bolts-in-holes?

There are bearing where there needs to be. Everything appears to be very well designed. As a matter of fact I had mine upgraded to handle a 15lb cameras (different front bearing and additional spring)

==>6. I'd think the 4 foot would get the most use... do you use the 7 and 10 foot extensions much?

I purchased both extensions along with the tail. I currently only have the 4' version setup but don't see any issues with adding the extensions and you never know when you might need them.

==>7. do you have any issues with the pan cable slipping?

Not that I have noticed. I did have a cable come loose from its aluminum swage but in talking with John it was easily resolved. I had the tension on the cable to tight.

==>8. realistically, how long do you think it would take to change from 4 foot mode to 10 foot mode w/ tail extension?

About 10 minutes and maybe shorter with more practice

==>9. are there any reasons you are ever reluctant to pull the advantajib out of the truck?

None. Every time someone sees it, there is lots of interest and questions.

==>10. is it possible to slap a bowl head onto the front instead of the hydraulic one?

No

==>11. have you had any issues w/ the hydraulics?

No

==>12. would you buy again?

Yes, in a minute

==>13. how is the learning curve? On a shoot would you hand it over to the camera operator or suggest they let someone already experienced use it?

If you are comfortable with using a fluid head this will be second nature as all the moves are the same. I would not have a problem with letting some operate it provided they understand that it is not a toy and that you could easily hurt someone if they walked under it while lowering the jib and did not see them.

==>14. got video of any shots you've made w/ it that you are particularly proud of?

Not yet but I can assure you that the footage you saw on YouTube does not do the jib justice. With practice comes smooth starts & stops.


==>If you have any pix, i'd love to see some closeups of the ends and middle bits.

I will try to get some pictures tomorrow and post them.

Make sure to check out the under slung head

Just have to say that John was great in responding to all my questions and wish everyone treated their potential customer in the same fashion.

[Rajiv Attingal]

[QUOTE=Hart Boyd;827138]==>
Hart Boyd,

There are bearing where there needs to be. Everything appears to be very well designed. As a matter of fact I had mine upgraded to handle a 15lb cameras (different front bearing and additional spring)

My Jib is on the way to India. Like to know what was the 15lbs upgrade deal.How much did it cost for you. Is it possible to mount Sony DSR 400 camera on it.

Thanks

[Hart Boyd]

Here is the information that I received from John himself about the upgrade.

"The upgrade consists of an extra 4 coil spring for the opposite side of the head ($25) and a stronger head bearing ($60).

The pulley bearing on the rear under the pan handle has to be strong to withstand abusive users so we had to beef it up. The front bearing is still the original style to keep the cost down, but for the 15 pound upgrade we use the rear style heavy duty bearing for the front too to handle the extra strain.

The 15lb is good for dv cameras with extras like a lens adapter and cine lens. It's really not meant for ENG style cameras because they are very top heavy which makes operating the jib tilt awkward."

As John stated is is not meant for an ENG style camera as in the Sony DSR 400.

[Hart Boyd]

Pictures as requested. Let me know if you would like any others.

[Andrew Dean]

Hart,

Thanks immensely for the reply and especially the photos. Thats really really fantastic. I was worried the reason there were no large photos was because it looked bad up close or something. Your post sold me!

If you ever have a chance to post a pic of the section where the jib mounts on the tripod, that would be great. However, i plan on buying, so if you dont get around to it, i'll just photograph my own and look at those.

Thanks again! You rock!
-Andrew

[Hart Boyd]

Glad I could help. Here you go.

[Sean Seah]

Hi Hart. Could u post some overall photos of the entire crane? Looks like a nice option since it has pan tilt functions over the rest. The price point reasonable if it works well :)

[Hart Boyd]

I will try to take some tomorrow. My sits on a Bogen 528XB tripod with a Bogen 3067 dolly under that. Do you have something in mind that you would like to see?

[Hart Boyd]

Here is an overall picture of the 7' jib on the tripod & dolly. The underslung head is attached with no camera mounted or weights.

[Andrew Dean]

my advantajib is on its way. might be here next week. woo.

Hey Hart,

Your setup seems to have a manfrotto pan handle on the crane, but all the official photos have just a metal bar instead. Did you swap out the bar for your pan handle or did it come with that pan/tilt bar?

thanks!
-andrew