Kessler Crane Pocket Jib Traveler
I’ve always liked crane shots and more than once have been tempted to buy a small crane or Jib for my work but it’s generally one of those those things that require a lot of time to set up and pack away. Most of my shooting requires me to work quickly and even grabbing my Kessler Stealth Slider for a few shots can prove tricky with tight schedules.
The only way a Jib would work for me is if I could use it in the same way as the slider by grabbing the bag, clipping the device to my existing tripod and then quickly grab the shots without too much setup time. There are a few mobile jib solutions available but every solution I’ve looked at has required multiple parts to be bolted together before use and I just don’t want to deal with building kit mid shoot.
With this in mind I’ve become very interested in the latest offering from Kessler Crane’s Pocket Jib range, The Pocket Jib Traveler. Unlike all the others I’ve looked at the Pocket Jib Traveler stays as a single unit by using telescopic sections that allow it to be only 27″ long in it’s collapsed state and then offer a 72″ travel distance when extended.
The Kessler Pocket Jib Traveler has been designed with window cuts throughout its construction to keep the weight of the jib itself at only 5.5 lbs whilst being able to handle a weight capacity of up to 10 lbs, which should be enough to support a C100 or even the C300.
One of the nice features is that the counter balance also extends meaning you can use light weights by extending out the arm further. Most jibs have a shorter counterbalance arm with heavier weights but having this extendable options means that instead of having to carry around bar weights specific to the job it should be possible to use something lighter such as bottles of water or other items that you might be carrying with you already.
The camera plate is also nice because it’s designed so that it’s centrally mounted which allows for better weight distribution when the camera is mounted.
The Pocket Jib Traveler doesn’t require an additional tripod head either, it’s completely self contained with an inbuilt head system that includes drag and lock controls, another thing that many similar products don’t include.
As evidenced with other products that I’ve purchased Kessler are renowned for making top notch quality products with extremely well engineered components. With that in mind you might be surprised to hear that the retail price of the Pocket Jib Traveler is only $599, that seems to be an amazing price point for what the product offers.
Find out more about the Pocket Jib Traveler at Kessler Crane.
Update 6-4-2013:
I’ve just received the Pocket Jib Traveler and posted my intial thoughts about it
