Glideshot Portable 4′ Video Crane Jib
This little crane dropped into the Cheesycam studio and it was so easy to setup, we thought we’d take it out into the city for some fun. The weather was also great, so that was another excuse for us to go and and shoot. The crane itself is extremely lightweight, and the roller bearings in the pivot points make it smoother than other small cranes we’ve tested. Getting perfect balance is key to smooth shots. Tips on getting it balanced and information on the tripod and bag we used can be found here: http://cheesycam.com/4-ft-jib-back-in-stock/
Heavy Duty Video Camcorder Tripod Fluid WF717
4ft Long Padded Speaker Stand Bag
While most decent sliders will run you upwards of $400 dollars, this crane available for less than $130 can provide you with camera movements that is otherwise difficult to replicate. The size makes it perfect for interior shooting in small rooms, restaurants, or offices. Just having the crane available can turn just about any drab scenery into creative and dramatic footage.
Unfortunately, these Cranes have been out of stock. We will update this article if we see these are available again. Here are some other options for Camera Cranes via Amazon (below).
Portable 4′ Roller Bearing Video Crane / JibCamera Jibs Crane
If you can’t find one available, the next best option is the ProAm versions found below
ProAm Video Camera Cranes 4 ft., 8 ft.,12 ft.ProAm Camera Jib Cranes
Great review as always! What do think the total vertical movement is?
Whaaa? There was a crane in this video?
Hi Olivia,
Another great video! May I know exactly what model is the speaker bag you use in this video and if the crane sticks out?
Thanks a lot.
John
Hi John, the bag is from On Stage and it sticks out just about an inch. The bag still zips up right up to the end. To be very specific it’s this one here: http://shop.ebay.com/asavings/m.html?_nkw=on-stage+heavy+bag&_sacat=0&_odkw=on-stage+heavy
Thanks a lot, Olivia!
Nice reveiw. I need a fluid head for this to work right? Do you know what the weight limit of the head needs to be for this to work right. I’m not sure if my tripod could handle this but it’s not fluid anyway so i think I should just buy another head..Thanks. lol
Hi Slim, the tripod we used can be found here: http://cheesycam.com/4-ft-jib-back-in-stock/
yeah i have the same kind of problem but do you know if you NEED a heavy duty tripod and fluid head? I don’t have either. light-ish 12 pound cap with ball head.
great vid and great crane! thanks for the info
Hi Olivia! I’ve been following this great blog for some time now and it’s finally come to the point where I am going to buy something, this jib.
I live in Canada and unfortunately they don’t ship internationally. By any chance would it be possible that you can deliver the one you own to me? I am willing to pay crazy shipping rates as well because I need it by the 25th if at all possible. Please do consider this it would help me greatly!
Whether the answer is yes or no, please let me know as soon as possible.
Hi Aaleen, have you contacted them at info@glideshot.com?
Thanks, I’ll try with that. I hope it works.
Hey Olivia,
Great review. Thanks for all the good info. I will have to go pick mine up today.
But what lens were you using for your test shots? Thanks.
Hey Vic, for the demo video we shot with a 24-70mm on a 5d mk ii. =)
Someone know if Glideshot replies at emails?
I sent two email but they didn’t answered.
Cheers from Italy
p.s.
I apologise for my english LOL
Yes they do reply to emails, but i’m sure they are just very busy right now.
[...] crane is cheaper than most decent sliders, and still performs very smooth dynamic camera moves. Click here to read all about it in my earlier post with full specs, where to purchase and all the other [...]
Hi Olivia,
Thanks for the excellents reviews!!! I was wondering if you know about this other Camera Crane (http://cgi.ebay.com/ProAm-DVC50-4-Mini-Camera-Crane-Jib-Boom-/200624853102?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb62c506e#ht_4856wt_907
).
The other one that you comment in this review thoesn´t exist anymore in ebay…but this other one (ProAM) which also looks good, but I don´t have any comment of it.
Well thank you for blog, the information is very useful and clear!!!
Sorry for my english…
Best wishes from Chile!!
Felipe.
Hi Felipe, the ProAm has had great reviews and is a great budget crane. http://oliviatech.com/proam-8ft-camera-crane
Yikes, always remove the camera first, not the counterweight. If you remove the camera and the rig falls over, so what? If you remove the counter weight first and the rig falls over….!
Great point, Brad! Good piece of advice, I will follow. =) TY
Hi Olivia,
when I saw your first video, I almost felt in love (because of your professionel equipment of course …
)
By the way, I saw the footage with the “cheesycam 4 ft portable jib arm”.
But I was NOT able to find a dealer.
Is the link you posted correct?
Or does the company not exist any more?
PLEASE tell me the exact name and model and WHERE I can I buy it (and for how much bucks).
I already have a nice 20 ft camera crane with great remote head, but for quick and simple inside shots I need a small jib – also great as a permanent tripod/stand extension.
By the way, the other possible jib arm, the “ProAm DVC50 4 ft” is not bad,
BUT for my needs not usefull – because, the cameraplatform of the cheesycam in ON TOP – this is the only comfortable way to use it with my fluidhead and the camcorder.
If I would use the DVS50 I do not have enough space to operate the head with the camcorder !!
Thanks in advance,
best regards
Joerg (from Germany)
today I picked up my 4”-feet JibArm at a german custom office, payed 19% tax – done!
tomorrow I start to play with it …
BE CAREFUL TO BUY THIS! I BOUGHT IT 2 MONTHS AGO NOW AND I HAVEN’T RECIEVED IT YET AND I CAN’T CONTACT THE SELLER!
Nicholas, how did you purchase the jib? They stopped taking orders on eBay a while back and on their site it says allow 20 business days to receive order. We contacted the seller recently and they’ve been shipping out orders regularly.
Things are allright now, ebay just wouln’t let me contact them so I was a bit worried, just delete these 2 messages when you have read them
Hi Olivia !
Trust me, you need no diffusion at all.. ; )
Cheers from Spain !
hey, i have the t2i and the 50mm 1.8, would that need more than 4 pounds of counterweight?
I have the manfrotto 190xprob which can support 12ish pounds and the crane/jib is supposed to weigh like 7 pounds.
could i even use this crane/jib with my setup?
I also have the 28-135, 70-300mm is, 10-22, and an old 18-55 from film camera, but this is the lightest lens i have. Also, I have the 20d but that cant do video.
I just ordered this, but now I am paranoid that my tripod won’t support it.
PS I’m really happy that you made this video, and the DIY slider from igus!
Elliot, this jib is about a 3-to-1 weight ratio. Measure your camera weight and then multiply by 3. That’s about how much weight you need to counter.
Olivia what’s the model quick release you have on the jib/camera?
There is a link in the blog for the tripod and fluid head: By ePhoto, the WF717 Professional Heavy Duty Video Camcorder Tripod with Fluid Drag Head
I mean that thing is the cleanest and really affordable. Great presentation of it!
Can you please tell me what is the name of the soundtracks that were used in this video. Could you please tell me where I can buy them. Thank You.
P.S. Because of this review I ordered the Jib. It took 6 weeks to get but the wait was worth it.
Thank you.
I’m glad you like the jib!! Also, the track is called Keep On Shining (A soul instrumental) by aw Artistic Soul feat. John Gibbons. No one is sure at this point where it came from though! =)
Hello olivia. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE VIDEO.
I am so happy i bought this.
I have one problem though, and i figured that you would know.
Actually two problems.
1.) how do you attach your camera? I saw the holes and figured that you’d screw it in just like on a tripod, but maybe you use a clamp or something.
How did you do it?
2.) how much weight should I get? I have the t2i and my heaviest lens weighs like 2lbs.
3lbs total weight in front, so how much in back?
Thanks in advance for the answers!
P.S.
I am also ordering the igus slider you did a video for, and i’m wondering how you attached it to the tripod/camera. mine isnt predrilled.
Elliot, to answer your questions..
1) Attach your camera with a quick release plate. There is a 1/4 and a 3/8 thread on the jib to do this.
2) Because of the size of the jib, you need to counter balance with a 3 to 1 ratio of weights. Soo, if you have 3lbs on the front, you’re going to want about 9lbs in the back. We did a trick where we slid a super clamp around the arm to balance the jib you can see that HERE.
And last.. as for the Igus slider, if you ordered yours w/o the predrilled threading.. oh my.. good luck! This is what I know, you MUST predrill and thread everything yourself. If you have the machinery to do this, you’re in good shape. If not, you may experience some difficulty trying to get this all to work. Keep me posted on this. If you end up predrilling and threading it all yourself, please make a video and share. I will blog it! =D
Thanks, Olivia. I ended up doing the balancing it DIY style. I filled an old metal bucket with a 10lb dumbell weight. I used a C clamp instead of the superclamp, and it worked fine.
Then on the end of the jib, I attached my ball head with the 3/8 inch screw that came with the fancier 717 fluid head.
I was searching around for different ways that people have attached the camera to the igus slider, and I found one way that used a bracket on top of the 1/4 20 screws on the carriage thing. He got special brackets from home depot that had 3/8 holes, and got a 3/8-16 screw with bolt and screwed on a fluid head.
The brackets are like two L brackets, with a flat connecting them. Like an S and then a backwards S. Don’t know technical name.
Thanks so much for all of these posts! They helped me… a lot. xD.
P.S.
I got my tech ed teacher at school to drill the holes on the track, but I didn’t want the carriage to be drilled, because I couldn’t find any screws the right length. They were either only a half inch long, or 2+ inches long.
I would post a video if I had made one, but sadly I didn’t have my camera that day at school. It’d be cool to have it blogged though.
Please can you tell me where can i buy glideshot-portable-4-video-crane-jib..
Thanks,
There is a link at the bottom of the blog post =)
http://oliviatech.com/glideshot-portable-4-video-crane-jib
Sorry, if this is a redundant question–but how did you mount your camera? And can you use a fluid head?
On the Glideshot we mounted the camera on a Manfrotto QR plate. You could attached a fluid head if you wanted to.
@olivia Would the gh2 and 20mm pancake work with this crane or is that to light ? How much counter weight would I use about 5 pounds ?
@JC A GH2 with a pancake lens would work, yes. You will need to counter weight with a 3 to 1 ratio. Therefore, whatever weight your camera + lens is, you will need three times that weight in the back. We used a super clamp as a trick to get the balance just right.
Awesome review, Olivia! Thanks a lot for that!
I have just a question: The WF717 tripod seems to be really nice, but most of the versions I’ve found, are 1.3m only, so if you want to use it without the crane, it’s going be a bit low, depending on the use. And the 1.8m version is like 250 dollars. Isn’t it better deal to buy the “Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with 501HDV Head Kit” from B&H, for example? The link for that is:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/505876-REG/Manfrotto_055XPROB_Tripod_with_501HDV.html
Thank you again!
Hello, Igor, yes, the Manfrotto 055XPROB sticks with the 501HDV head kit is a nice deal, thanks for sharing. The only thing I would caution is the payload max. The Fancier 717 kit is only $150 and hold up to about 27 lbs. The Manfrotto kit you mention is about $340 and only holds 15 lbs. Just a thought. =)
I’m using a quite light equipment. A Canon t2i. And even with my largest lens, it’s maximum 1kg (2.2lbs). So, with the “3 to 1″ rule, I should use maximum 3kg (6.6lbs) of counter weight. Adding the 4′ jib, it gives me more 3.6kg (7.9lbs). The tripod fluid head is 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs). So, everything together is like 9.2kg (20.28lbs), and the load capacity of the manfrotto 055XPROB is 7kg (15.4 lbs). So you’re completely right! Looks like its to much.
Oh my God! I was about to buy the 6′ tall version of the WF717, and the description here says that the load capacity is 6kg?!? Would it be due to it’s height? Or are the ebay seller mistaken? Want to take a look?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-Heavy-Video-Camera-Tripod-WF-717-1-80m-6ft-version-/200607851666?pt=AU_TripodsMonopods&hash=item2eb528e492
Igor, here is a link for the Fancier.
HERE
Hi again, Olivia. Thank you for the special attention.
I think the link is missing.
Igor, sorry, try it now. =)
Really? I have the 190xprob, and it works FINE with my t2i + 10-24 and with this jib. I even hanged weights from it to stabilize it more. It’s only rated to hold like 12 lbs, but it works fine.
The QR plate with the fancier wf717′s screw got loosened after an hour or two, but I just tightened it.
I would get the fancier tripod. I regret buying the manfrotto 190xprob, it was 260 with the fluid head, when I could have gotten the fancier with head for 150 only!
lol I could have gotten 440 gumballs!
440 gum balls?! Tragedy has struck, Elliot. lol
Hey, just a quick question.
What bag are you using? I’m having trouble finding a bag long enough to fit the crane.
I did find bags used for speakers like this one HERE
=D
There is a link at the bottom of this post to the bag we used. It appears to be the same bag but my link doesn’t give dimensions. Is it a matter of the jib sticking out just a bit? No way of fitting?
Also, is the fluid head removable on the Fancier tripod?
Hi Olivia,
I like the jib. Looking for a tripod. I found this: CLICK HERE
It’s rated for 20lb load, but it does’t look that tough. Do you think I can mount the jib on this tripod? Thanks.
Yagion, the Fancier combo that I linked to is a separate fluid head and tripod kit. The 717 head isn’t fixed. Also, in regards to the Polaroid tripod that you linked me to, I wouldn’t buy it. Based on the customer reviews, it sounds very faulty and doesn’t seem to support the payload it states. Good products aren’t cheap and cheap products aren’t good! Usually, anyway. =)
Thanks Olivia for the tips. So, you mean the 717 head can be taken off and mount on a different tripod? I’m asking because I also want to use a fluid head on my slider and don’t want to buy to many heads.
Yes, It can be taken off and mounted on some other piece of equipment.
Thanks Olivia for all the help, and please excuse my noobness. The Fancier head seems to have a bowl at the bottom. How can it be mounted, say, on a Manfrotto 190CXPro?
The Fancier tripod link you posted is out of stock. This is one the same? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-HeavyDuty-Video-Tripod-Fluid-Drag-Head-Kits-FT9901-/110629562373?pt=US_Tripods&hash=item19c2092805#ht_3165wt_1177
The specs, though, says it supports up to 6kg camera.
Olivia:
I just wanted to let you and other potential customers know that I ordered the Ravelli AVT tripod (my post on Jan 16th in the Tripod / head combo on the cheap thread)and the glide shot 4 foot jib as per your review. The combo works perfectly together.Contrary to other posts, the glide shot was shipped very quickly and I think I waited only 7-10 days. It was about $200.00 for both items. The Ravelli comes with two quick release plates. I keep one mounted to the base of the jib. I slide the jib onto the tripod when I want to use the system together.
Trust this helps..Thanks again
Is it me, or are none of these links to cranes working?
Devin, the links should be working now. Thanks for the heads up. Sometimes sellers take items down and I don’t always know. Also, http://www.glideshot.com is where you can find the original jib in the video
Excellent review.
Could you comment on buying this jib over a DYI? Are the vibrations and movement really that good on this (as seen in the video)? Asking as the video was posted almost a year ago so maybe you have an update to share?
They have a 4ft 129$ version and a 199$ tilting 5 ft version. Really confused which one to pick. Weight is 3.5 v 4 kgs.
Hope glideshot reply to my email about shipping to India.
Also, 1 more thing about the tripod, I searched everywhere but the tripod kit was rated around 13 lbs on all places. Where is the 27lbs version?
For safety reasons, the payload rating is only a certain percentage of what the tripod (in this case) can actually support. This Professional Heavy Duty Video Camcorder Tripod Fluid Drag Head Kits WF717 supported 20lbs easily for us. As far as the 1995 tiliting 5′ jib from Glideshot, I have not experience with it so I’m not sure.
Olivia,
Great review on this product! I wanted to order the 6′ foot jib from Glideshot, but I’ve heard people complaining about their orders taking extreme long periods of time, or have trouble getting responses from the company. I’m sure some have received their orders in a timely fashion, but do you have any information in regards to this? Should I seek an alternative jib, and if so, do you have any recommendations?
Thanks for all of your information and by the way, I ordered the 47″ inch Konova slider, so I’ll let you know how it works in comparison to the shorter length versions I see people with. Hopefully it will all work out.
Sincerely,
Chris
Hi Chris, yes, let me know how the Konova slider works out for you! I enjoy their products. As for the Glideshot, I too have heard about the long wait time. I don’t know if that is still the case though. I’m not clear on how busy their production/shipping pipeline is a the moment. There are other alternatives out there. Have you checked out the ProAm? CLICK HERE
Ms. Olivia,
Just wanted to give you an update on the two products I considered purchasing on my May 31st post, the Konova 47 inch slider and the Glideshot jib. Both of the products are EXCELLENT!
My initial concerns with the slider were about the stability on a tripod with it being so long. All of the reports and videos I’ve seen were sliders that were between 27-32 inches in length, so I decided to be different and try the long one. To date, I haven’t received any problems and I was actually able to use it vertically regardless of the increased size and weight.
The Glideshot Jib arm is great as well! I know in the previous post we discussed reports of long shipping times, but the problems have been absolutely FIXED! I e-mailed them with a question on a Friday, and said what the heck and ordered it that same day before they responded. They answered my question and thanked me on Saturday and already shipped it out. By Wednesday, it was in my hands. I couldn’t have been happier with the product or service. Do you know if any fluid heads that adjust to stay level based on weight or something similar? I’m trying to solve the issue of the view being tilted when sweep the jib from one side, to the final stationary position. I’ve heard of some jibs that have a counter-balancing system for the camera end, but I wondered it there is a fluid head I can buy to do the same thing. Once again, I bought the larger product and purchased the six-foot jib which may make this small issue more noticable.
Thanks for your suggestions and help!
Sincerely,
Chris
hi
i am fouad raja . i am from egypt and i am coming to USA (Florida) in September and i want to buy the (Glideshot Portable 4′ Video Crane Jib) so i would like to know from where i can get it and what is the total price that i will pay.
Please i need the answer as
Hello, the link in this video is for jibs that are currently available.
Hey Olivia,
Question about filming around the San Francisco area.. do you obtain permits when shooting at different locations are you running and gunning?
Kastur, some buildings are considered private property and they will ask you to leave if you look too professional.
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Hi,
Please let me know what tripod would be best to use with the 4 inch ProAm Jib.
Thanks so much. I really need some help b/c I can’t figure out which tripod to buy to hold this jib.
@Noxi Here is what I used in the video: Professional Heavy Duty Video Camcorder Tripod Fluid Drag Head Kits WF717.
hey Olivia, I have a 717 tripod as well and I notice your fluid heads side to side motion is fairly quick. Mine seems to be quite stiff. Is that pretty normal you think? I want to get this crane but I’m worried about the side to side fluid movement with my tripod.
@Darren I haven’t noticed that issue with my 717. If you’re set on the jib and are planning on buying it regardless, you could always buy and test it out. If your 717 cannot support the weight, you’ll need to get a more sturdy set of sticks anyway. Most of my readers who are using this combo seem to have done just fine from the feedback I’ve received so far.
FWIW — As of this date (March 20, 2013, the Glideshot folks are stocked and shipping the 4′ jib. I understand- from an email reply I received this morning- that there, indeed, was a product stocking problem about 1 1/2 years ago, but, that has long-since been resolved. Great work that Oliviatech *and* Cheesycam do in producing credible, reliable product reviews on some really great gear!