TJ Marbois

yes I agree - and thank you for your advice... I'm now adjusting my search based on it and i do appreciate it. ( I ask lots of questions sometimes and Im sure some are stupid...but thats just me - I have a hard head and learn the hard way sometimes ) cheers!

Robert I hear you... I understand what you are telling me. ;) Im not discounting what you tell me... however - I also want to let you know... experimenting and finding new things and new ways of doing something is part of who I am - I like to discover and I like to make mistakes because sometimes I find something that perhaps is useful or different than whats out there now. Giant grip trucks and gear invented for film based cameras that weighed a lot more than the gear I have and gear I plan on using - is not necessarily the only answer for professional looking results...I don't discount your advice - in fact I appreciate it. I just believe that the gear is changing so rapidly...that the support gear is not in sync with the needs of a guy like me... ( and I have a totally different set of needs than a guy who needs grip truck ) - the film I want to shoot involves more intimate needs, smaller gear, lighter weight... more portable and flexible with the use.... Im going into a location that cannot bring a grip truck or a large crew... however I want to achieve certain types of shots... that I know are done on big gear as you say.... Im not trying to break the laws of physics...I understand that math ( quite well actually as Im an engineer by training ) -- however I know there are ways to achieve fluidity in motion that may be different to the ways done now...and that involve lighter gear 'possibly'... I would hope you don't hold it against me too much to want to experiment and possibly discover something new.... just like a guy who jumped on a wheel chair and said - hey this will work.... or a guy who decided to tape the camera to his helmet before jumping off the bridge...:) Im just asking to see what people might say - and I actually appreciate their input. However - I also feel the gear is different that what we've dealt with in the past and there is currently an evolution going on.... lighter gear is part of that... I feel like there must be a solution that still achieves smooth movements but with less mass and weight... these new sliders are a testament to that concept already... I feel like theres a next gen of jibs / dollies and more coming down the line that will hopefully also get back to capturing that smoothness of motion -- without bringing on all that weight. Thats all Im thinking - and thats the reason why Im asking. Thanks for your expert insight.... I agree with you that what I asked was round about way to get a solution you already know is possible and done a certain way.... I just believe there are alternatives still yet worth exploring - which includes asking the experts like you what you already know and why. Hope thats ok? :)

Ah ok so the zero gravity will do vertical with no arc? that was my intent - also I wanted controlled up/down with very fluid motion... Ive seen that out of hydraulic lifts only.... most jib arm motion Ive seen can get wiggly if not done absolutely spot on.... so my thought process was a jib locked horizontally ( 90 to the ground ) would let me rig a slider mounted sideways for vertical motion with a servo would let me do nice up down while just using the jib for rotation around an axis in the center... and I was thinking the camera is mounted to the slider so it could easily go low... the slider would nearly be touching the ground - I can set it there and let the servo lift it while I turn the rotation point on the jib... this gives for 2 axis moves with one axis being fully controlled by the servo ( fluid movement up like a hydraulic lift ) - and one rotation axis that I can move manually but with less potential for jiggle... its locked to a single plane in the rotation..... but I'm sure this sounds like a round about way to get to my goal and it looks like the zero gravity handles that kind of stuff too.... ( keep in mind - Im looking for cheapest lightest and no truck needed to carry it there...I got a hatch back ) thanks again for the advice! its much appreciated...I will look into the zero gravity offering.

Hi I've been imagining a jib arm but with slider attached to the end -- almost like this one: http://www.straightshootr.com/ has anyone here set up a jib like this before? Imagine taking a nice quality slider ( motorized like DitoGear or Kessler slider ) -and attaching it for vertical moves ( up/down ) on the end of a jib arm thats locked just to rotate in one horizontal elevation. Sort of a like this jibarm-----| ( and the | is the slider set perpendicular to the jib arm ) anyone try something like this? Any ideas what kind of mounts I would need to get that proper? or problems you foresee before I go trying? cheers

I recently contacted them and they are posting a video next week showing it in action... I can't find any other sources on it online - no reviews of it and no one talking about it... The track system looks to be ok - and the boom I'm told can hold 30lbs for up down action....not sure that's enough to also hold a jib? Are there good jib arms less than 30lbs plus camera?

awesome... it looks really good - and it appears to do all the things Im looking for... can you say the cost? ( its ok if you are not wanting to - thanks for this info already. Its much appreciated ) cheers

btw - when you say motion control... you mean motion control for the movement of the actual dolly? or motion control for the components the dolly is carrying? If its for the stuff thats riding on the dolly - I could imagine DitoGear or Kessler stuff being used to great effect... Kessler even has new software coming that would absolve you of writing software. but for the dolly itself moving? thats a totally different issue... is that what you meant?

:) I probably won't be the last... so you should start ramping your production line! ;)

hey wow - thats pretty cool.... are you making that available for sale at some point in the future? Id love to see some footage shot from it! ;)

Has anyone had experience with this dolly? http://www.g-f-m.net/camera/dollies/gf-quad-dolly/filmdolly.html this looks very close to what Im looking for - with the jib arm attached and its lower weight - it appears to be very solid and capable... anyone use this one? but it doesn't look to be for sale... just rental?

Sanjay I was hoping to get light as possible without losing enough mass/weight to make for smooth rides... it would be nice if the additional mass needed was something that you could simply 'add' on when needed... instead of a 400lb cart that requires 4-5 guys with muscles to move around. I may be dreaming here - but it seems that a lighter contraption could be innovated with potentially as smooth results... sounds like doorway dolly with weights on is the lightest but potentially best scenario so far? and Im assuming that rope track is no where near as good as solid track? ( I may be asking for too much here...But I thought it would be ok to ask the pro's... perhaps theres a dream solution that fits all the bells... light / portable / flexible for most situations... but has the smooth glide of a pro system... ) cheers!

Thanks for the great infos! I hear you that there are no pro level solutions for these new generation of cameras. For vertical I was actually thinking of using a motorized slider like the ditogear with servo drive... At least then I can get virtually smooth up and downs...and I suppose if it is attached to a decent jib arm - I can get a few other types of smooth motion. I keep studying those chapmans and I really wish there was something lighter and easier to deal with...but I hear you that it's all about the mass that creates that smoothness. Cheers

still one of the best resources for anamorphic info... :) thanks Mr. Jacoby!

Hey thanks for the insight... I was actually looking at the PD150 and the Chameleon and a few others to boot. The Chapman is definitely the one that I really want to mimic... Ive seen Panthers too that appear to do what I want... but obviously expensive tools. Have you had any experience with the older Elemacks? Spyder? or Cricket? I think I can mimic the vertical movement possibly with a vertically mounted slider like a DitoGear or Kessler.... but that wouldn't be as ideal as the center mast rise that the pros use with hydraulic lifts...because then you can get a full jib arm on there that rises as well. Im surprised theres no hydraulic solution for lighter kits yet... seems like the components exist to make this happen... anyone know of hydraulic lifts for lighter load cameras? or center mast risers that are electronically controlled? cheers!

thanks for being open to my question! Ive been digging around for this info - but Im convinced that it only really comes with experience...and this is where I found the most experienced guys to ask! :) all the replies so far have taught me something about the subject already. Awesome forum. cheers!