DV Info Net

DV Info Net (https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/)
-   Jibs / Cranes / Booms (https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/jibs-cranes-booms/)
-   -   Kessler Crane (https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/jibs-cranes-booms/41284-kessler-crane.html)

Michael Best March 17th, 2005 07:02 AM

Kessler Crane
 
Has anybody used one of these?

http://www.kesslercrane.com/

Alan Galbraith May 17th, 2005 10:11 AM

Just ordered
 
Havent used it... but have one on order... will let ya'll know my impresssions once I get it all set up.

Will be using it on a shoot next monday.

Dean Harrington May 19th, 2005 05:07 PM

looked at the videos.....
 
seems like a sturdy piece of equipment. What's the price?

Kevin Penhorwood May 19th, 2005 05:11 PM

Good post, I am considering one myself. I emailed and asked some questions and they returned my emails very quickly. I wish you could order directly from their website though!!

Alan Galbraith May 19th, 2005 05:12 PM

OTD mine was $450 ish...

I upgraded... I got it painted and with the ball bearing option.

should be at my door on Friday.

Michael Best May 20th, 2005 05:45 AM

They are a little backed up right now, the 12 footer is up to $589 now w/shipping. When I first inquired they were $450 out the door but they
have made some improvements evidently to stiffen some things up.
I ordered now as they said the price would be going up again. They
don't seem to be getting any complaints but we'll find out.

Alan Galbraith May 20th, 2005 03:42 PM

oh, oh oh.... its here... UPS says "Delivered" to my home !!!

cant wait to get there and set it up.

*rocking back and forth while editing....*

Kevin Penhorwood May 20th, 2005 04:57 PM

Okay Alan, I am anxiously awaiting your review of the crane, be sure to let us know what you think!!!

Alan Galbraith May 21st, 2005 10:51 AM

well shoot...

I posted a short write up.. but I guess it didnt take..

anyway... I like the crane.

well made, easy to set up.

it seems to handle the weight of my DV500 fine. It gets a little bit of shake at the end of a movement, but I suspect thats more a problem with the operator than the crane :rolleyes:. Prolly just need some practice.

the manual tilt feature works nice, although it seemed easier to use with the tripod head tilt handle than the crane handle. Doing a move with a tilt and crane is pretty complex, and take some practice.

I think I like the idea of EZFX's FX handle better than a manual tilt feature... but this is tons cheaper, so I'll make due.

its scary hanging yer camera waaaaay out there. If one thing fails, it allll comes crashing down. I re-checked all the fasteners about 10 billion times during my little test session.

will take some pics of the crane this weekend.

Kevin Penhorwood May 22nd, 2005 02:36 PM

Thanks for the info Alan, I am glad to hear that it is a good crane. BTW did you order the 8 foot or the 12 foot?

Alan Galbraith May 24th, 2005 09:24 AM

8 foot version

will take some pics tonight.

Pretty happy with it.

Michael Best June 1st, 2005 05:49 AM

Just got the 12 ft. last night and I was definitely impressed but keep in mind I've never used one before. The shots these things can get blows me away.
Someone else mentioned the ability to lock the camera down from a tilt standpoint and I agree with that as it can be very difficult to hold the in a
continuous horizontal position while operatin the boom. I suppose you could
just tighten down the basket for a particular shot but haven't tried it yet.
I got no bending, wavering or anything. It's on a Bogen 3066 head, the larger
plate I'm sure helps.

Alan Galbraith June 1st, 2005 07:02 AM

still no pics.... been busy shooting.

havent used the crane yet, I need to make a dolly so I can move the crane around.

Thats one downside to the whole rig, its pretty set in place.

I'll make a pneumatic tire dolly so I can put the crane set up on it, and just pull it around.

Eric Holloway June 1st, 2005 10:39 AM

I purchased the 8' kessler crane and i'm pretty happy with it. It would be nice to be able to lock it in position so you don't have to hold it in any one position, so i think i might mod it a little bit. The handle for the manual tilt is just a metal bar and very uncomfortable. I might try to but some sort of soft rubber grip on it. I also bought a bescor motorized pan/tilt head and I was surprised on how nice it was for the price. I bought a lanc extension cable, video extension cable, and the bescor extension cable. I still need to get a monitor but for now i'll just use my laptop to see the video.

I doubt I'll be using it at weddings but maybe for the establishing shots.

Eric

Michael Best June 1st, 2005 11:30 AM

Eric - what camera are you using? Is your Bescor plastic or metal? I purchased a motorized pan/tilt from another company but it's not sturdy enough and I'm worried about a metal pan/tilt and the camera being too much weight. A while back to get by, I bought one of those 5" crt's from K-mart I think it was, black & white, can velcro it to anything, built a shroud out of galvanized to block the sun and it actually worked quite well for framing, critical focus no, but really not that bad, better than most lcd's and it cost $29. I need the long LANC cable, where did you get that or is it standard cabling? Thanks!


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:27 AM.

DV Info Net -- Real Names, Real People, Real Info!
1998-2024 The Digital Video Information Network