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Anyone tried the Wally Dolly?


Andy Stevenson

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Hi all,

 

Looking for a track dolly that's portable with a fast setup time for News Magazine/doco...trying to add some production value with not a great deal of setup time. Also need to fly with it...

 

A couple of guys have suggested the http://www.wallydolly.com which looks interesting, invented by an Aussie cameraman and they now have a US dealer. Also the Spider Dolly which can curve, but doesn't look great if the ground is not 100% flat.

 

Any ideas? Wondering what others are using.

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Hi Andy,

I meet the guy who invented it at a demonstration,

they seem to work great for flat smooth surface's, You can probably get away with things like grass but after that,

You could have some small bumps along the way, Still for a low budget a great buy.

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Hi Andy

 

I've not used the Wally Dolly, but on the cheap portable dolly front I've been really impressed by the Indie-Dolly

 

http://www.indiedolly.com/

 

I've used a few portable dolly systems and they have usually been a bit hit and miss, even if they track smoothly, you can get audio problems with creaks etc...

 

But the indie dolly is pretty decent in that regard - I perhaps wouldn't put a mega heavy rig on it. But for the AF-101 I use with it, its perfect. It is a bit of a pain to set up, with lots of fiddly bits to put together. But for the price I've been very impressed.

 

Phil

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Andy,

been lurking in the background for ages, thought its about time I tried to contribute something to this amazing resource.

Ive actually been using a Wally Dolly for about ten years. I had very similar requirements to you, my work was more long news and current affairs with some doco stuff thrown in.

I was lucky enough to be able to hire a few different systems and try them out in the field. In the end the WD was a no brainer for me. First off, the set up time is very fast. Literally a couple of minutes and that really is the difference between using one and not bothering. Secondly, unlike a number of the compact camera dollies around, this works on all sorts of terrain. Grass, sand, snow, rocks...., some of the others are great on flat floors, but thats where about all. Obviously it has limitations, but I amazed at some of the situations I have got away with. Ive used it with different jibs on it, I cant remember the weight limit but have never felt Im straining it. Now I usually use a Sony PMW-500 (full size shoulder mount camera), but also a canon 5d mkii (Im just about to get my hands on a C300 which means no doubt something newer will come out). Ten years ago it was a digi beta.

The dolly also has a hi-hat, so the low shots are quick and easy too.

The other interesting thing is that when I whip it out (the dolly that is), producers think theyve made it to Hollywood. Just having it in my arsenal has resulted in being personally requested.

Probably the best thing to do is rent a few and try them, but for speed and versatlilty, the WD is very solid.

 

Good luck let us know what you go with.

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  • 1 month later...

So I pulled the pin and purchased one, I got the 'Complete Kit' which is 12' of track and a high hat called the 'Low Boy'.

 

Very impressed so far. Sets up very quickly, literally in minutes and is smooth as silk. The track has large threaded 'plugs' which make a seamless join so you can throw down just two sections or all four sections (per side). It comes with robust looking padding which you use on hard surfaces. On carpet you can just put down the poles. The endstops are also great, stops you from running off the tracks.

 

The Low Boy is a great idea. It mounts across the T-piece so the tripod head is about 4-5" above the track. Makes a scenic dolly move a lot more dramatic with the camera only about 12" off the deck. I tried it in a cobbled city square in Denmark, the producer loved it.

 

Emailed back and forth with the guys that are the US distributors/web retailers. Great info and very friendly. Both these guys are Australians who are US Network cameramen....I guess that's why the knew about the Wally Dolly.

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  • 8 months later...

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