Cinecity - Proaim follow focus, dolly tracks & jib arm at DVinfo.net

CK Chan · July 26th, 2010, 02:07 AM

Here is my experience with the Cinecity products which I purchase several months ago

The Proaim follow focus unit
The CineCity*::*Follow Focus*::*Follow Focus*::*PROAIM Follow focus V1 for xl1, xl2 gl1, gl2, xm1, xm2, sony fx1, z1u, panasonic hvx200, dvx100

The construction is ok for the price. It works alright but the knob is too loose. Because of this, it is possible for the focus to shift is you move the camera fast. it is very light weight but the biggest flaw is that it doesn't slide properly of most 15mm rigs. I have tried it with my cavision rods, a rented Chrosziel rig & my genus rig. The super tight fit makes it really hard to attach & slide. I used it for 1/2 year & replaced it with the Shoot35 focus unit which is excellent

Proaim Dolly tracks

i bought the dolly tracks & jib arm 4 months ago & i was really disappointed with their product. The tracks are held together with big bolts & nuts. Its definitely not mobile cuz it took me 15 mins to set up the tracks. Fortunately, i didn't bring it on set cuz i will be a laughing stock. i did keep the rubber stoppers & the bag but I throw away the tracks & replaced with tracks that I custom make from a machine shop

Proaim Jib Arm
i was impressed with the packaging when it first arrived, nicely bubble wrapped… but the good feeling stops cold thereafter.
The material looks like cast iron rods that you can buy from a plumbing shop, sprayed with poor quality black paint which peels off easily. The parts were rusty as you can see from this pics
rusty jib arm on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
I fitted it on my miller tripod legs & the pan head gets loose after a few tries. I tried to tighten the parts but they loosen up again. So i emailed the sales staff & they agreed to refund when I mail the item back to them. So I paid for the return shipping & its been more then 3 months & I've have not heard from them, even after several emails

My experience with Cinecity is really disappointing. Their sales staff are responsive with my sales enquiries but their after sales is really poor. i wonder how many people had the similar experiences.

Nigel Barker · July 26th, 2010, 09:28 AM

My experience has been similar. I got a really cheap small crane/jib arm that arrived within a couple of days via FedEx. However the construction was really poor & 'agricultural'. In particular because of poor machining one of the main rods wouldn't fit into the block on which it pivoted. After they requested that I send photographs to confirm the problem they apologise & send me replacement parts but I have never used it as it was so crude & heavy. It only cost $200 including shipping but still wasn't worth it. I just put it down to experience & swore that I would never buy from them again.

All the other postings I see confirm my opinion that all their products are crudely manufactured copies of other manufacturers decent equipment. It sometimes makes me wonder if there is anyone there at Cinecity who has actually tried to use their gear alongside that which they copy & how they have the chutzpah (or Indian equivalent) to keep selling their cheap rubbish.

Dean Sensui · July 28th, 2010, 12:04 AM

I had the opportunity to get a hands-on demo of the Advantajib.

Advanta-Jib

It was nicely made, was easy to learn how to operate (took me five minutes) and operated smoothly. If I had to buy one, that's what I'd get. Great value for the dollar.

July 26th, 2010, 02:07 AM	#1
CK Chan Tourist Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: singapore Posts: 2	Cinecity - Proaim follow focus, dolly tracks & jib arm Here is my experience with the Cinecity products which I purchase several months ago The Proaim follow focus unit The CineCity::Follow Focus::Follow Focus::PROAIM Follow focus V1 for xl1, xl2 gl1, gl2, xm1, xm2, sony fx1, z1u, panasonic hvx200, dvx100 The construction is ok for the price. It works alright but the knob is too loose. Because of this, it is possible for the focus to shift is you move the camera fast. it is very light weight but the biggest flaw is that it doesn't slide properly of most 15mm rigs. I have tried it with my cavision rods, a rented Chrosziel rig & my genus rig. The super tight fit makes it really hard to attach & slide. I used it for 1/2 year & replaced it with the Shoot35 focus unit which is excellent Proaim Dolly tracks i bought the dolly tracks & jib arm 4 months ago & i was really disappointed with their product. The tracks are held together with big bolts & nuts. Its definitely not mobile cuz it took me 15 mins to set up the tracks. Fortunately, i didn't bring it on set cuz i will be a laughing stock. i did keep the rubber stoppers & the bag but I throw away the tracks & replaced with tracks that I custom make from a machine shop Proaim Jib Arm i was impressed with the packaging when it first arrived, nicely bubble wrapped… but the good feeling stops cold thereafter. The material looks like cast iron rods that you can buy from a plumbing shop, sprayed with poor quality black paint which peels off easily. The parts were rusty as you can see from this pics rusty jib arm on Flickr - Photo Sharing! I fitted it on my miller tripod legs & the pan head gets loose after a few tries. I tried to tighten the parts but they loosen up again. So i emailed the sales staff & they agreed to refund when I mail the item back to them. So I paid for the return shipping & its been more then 3 months & I've have not heard from them, even after several emails My experience with Cinecity is really disappointing. Their sales staff are responsive with my sales enquiries but their after sales is really poor. i wonder how many people had the similar experiences.

July 28th, 2010, 12:04 AM	#3
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	I had the opportunity to get a hands-on demo of the Advantajib. Advanta-Jib It was nicely made, was easy to learn how to operate (took me five minutes) and operated smoothly. If I had to buy one, that's what I'd get. Great value for the dollar. __________________ Dean Sensui Exec Producer, Hawaii Goes Fishing

July 26th, 2010, 09:28 AM	#2
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	My experience has been similar. I got a really cheap small crane/jib arm that arrived within a couple of days via FedEx. However the construction was really poor & 'agricultural'. In particular because of poor machining one of the main rods wouldn't fit into the block on which it pivoted. After they requested that I send photographs to confirm the problem they apologise & send me replacement parts but I have never used it as it was so crude & heavy. It only cost $200 including shipping but still wasn't worth it. I just put it down to experience & swore that I would never buy from them again. All the other postings I see confirm my opinion that all their products are crudely manufactured copies of other manufacturers decent equipment. It sometimes makes me wonder if there is anyone there at Cinecity who has actually tried to use their gear alongside that which they copy & how they have the chutzpah (or Indian equivalent) to keep selling their cheap rubbish.