Glide Gear JB4 Portable 4 Ft Jib Crane w/Carry Case 0-6 lbs Cameras

After reading some of the reviews for this product I almost didn't purchase it but the price was right and i figured if it was really bad I would just return it. I am glad I pulled the trigger and purchased it. First off, when I received it I was surprised at how small the box was. I immediately thought the unit was going to be in a million pieces and no assembly instructions as per the assertions of a couple of the reviews. I opened the box to find a real nice carry bag. I unzipped the bag and pulled out the unit. It comes fully assembled but in "Knock down transport mode" meaning all of the intelligent assembly work is done, all you need to do is slip the front section (where the camera mounts) to the rear section (where the jib mounts to the tripod) and slip the handle/counter balance arm into the back section. There is a full assembly manual and instruction book that comes with the unit and it is stored in one of the two pockets with in the carry bag. There is also a second camera/accessory mounting bracket included along with hardware and Allen wrenches to mount it. It is so obvious where it goes and how to mount it, you don't need the assembly instructions to figure it out. I went ahead and set it up on my tripod and then set about learning to balance it and personalize it so it worked for me. The first thing That I did was add a ball mount to the camera platform. You don't have to do this to use it but I had one on the shelf and it affords more camera set up options. The platform comes with a standard 1/4-20 mounting stud with a 3/8-16 adapter threaded over it. My ball mount was 3/8-16 so it screwed right on. If I was to mount the camera directly I would simply have to remove the 3/8-16 adapter (merely a 1/4-20 female to 3/8-16 male threaded insert). The next thing I did was go to the store and pickup a couple of 2.5 and 5 lb. weight plates and a spring collar (standard 1" hole). I deviated from the instruction manual and put my weights directly onto the counter balance arm. I first put one of the spring collars over the arm and then loaded the weight plates on. I secured the end with the supplied handle by screwing it in place. I have balanced loads before so I knew that the further the weight is from the fulcrum, the more leverage it will have. I played wit the order I loaded the plates and found that loading two 2.5 lb, plates inboard and one 5 lb. last, I achieved perfect balance with my Nikon D800 and the 24-70 zoom lens. I don't care what jib or crane you buy, with will have to learn to balance it with the weight of the gear you mount. If I add a monitor to the back of the arm, I will need to re-balance for that camera set up. One other area that I personalized things was in the mount to the tripod. The gib has three threaded mounting holes (2) 1/4-20 and (1) 3/8-16. I decided to use an extra quick release plate from my tripod and mount that to the jib. I went to the hardware store and bought a 3/8-16 x 3/4" Button head Allen and used that along with the 1/4-20 mounting hole to attach the quick plate. It is very robust and it allows me to pan the fluid head out at the end of the jib arm with our fear that I will loosen up the mount. The only other adjustment I made to the unit from how it came was to tighten up the cross screws that mount the tubular arms to camera and tripod mounting brackets. I noted a little bit of side to side rocking and figured that if I took out any unneeded motion the jib would be more stable. You will need to pop the plastic caps off of the nuts to do this (use the blade of a knife). Set up the jib on your tripod and with your camera mounted and balanced and using the supplied Allen wrench and a wrench or socket, tighten each screw (there are four) just a little bit and try the jig. I tighten the nuts up just to the point that all of the side to side rock was gone but the jib still functioned smoothly. The nuts are lock nuts so you shouldn't have to do this again. For the money I would say that this an awesome product and I gave it five stars because it is a very good value.

So I've had a chance to use this thing in a wedding. First off, it's pretty easy to set up although there are no instructions. It's not made of the type of fibers that I would consider strong. My opinion, I would not open the tubes all the way up. Leave room, don't pull them to it's max. If you pull the tubes out 4 inches before it's maxed out, you'll have more stability.Use a strong tripod because I tried using a screw on tripod instead of a tripod plate from a strong tripod, and it fell while we were in the reception. I picked it up. moved it out of the way, and attached the arm to my strongest tripod using the tripod plate and I was smooth rolling all night.So having said all that, know what you're getting. It's a small portable inexpensive jib crane. You're not going to get a heavy duty product, or an expensive set up, or a super high lift. Take care of it, don't sling it around, be cautious with the components and screws, just use common sense and treat it as if it were expensive, and it should last. Once you understand that, you will get amazing shots with this thing. The wedding I covered was an instant hit, and I partially contribute that to this little jib crane. Don't expect cheaper items to do the work for you, you actually have to use your own skill-set and learn how to work it, and if you do that, you can get amazing products for cheap. Well done Glide gear.(edit) let me add this :update:One of the amazing things about this crane is that it's so light to carry around. You can walk around with this thing all day and barely get tired. Set it up real quick, and get a professional jib shot. You can even physically pick the crane up fully assembled, and walk (short line) locations without tearing it down, depending on how much weights you have on it.Remember, a stable shot, gliding shots, makes your production look professional even if you're not using professional cameras. Someone taught me that a long while ago, and I'm sending it on to you guys.

My initial issue with it was that it was unwieldy. It kept coming apart on me as I was trying to set it up. Once I figured it out, I was terrified to put my camera on it (put a bunch of pillows and blankets underneath), but when I tested it, was pleasantly surprised. With a decent counter balance (i.e. a sandbag), I had really smooth control over it and what I shot was pretty cool. I found that when I extended it too far, the arm would bend under the weight of the camera (a 7D), and that made me uncomfortable, so I just pulled the arm a little closer in.Haven't had a chance to use it on set, but I find it strikes the balance between shooting on a budget and wanting a professional looking camera move. Looking forward to using it more.

Cheap equipment. Wouldn't recommend. Parts didn't work properly. Also all parts were covered with some sort of lubricant which made it hard to assemble and gross to work with.

This is a crude little arm. Of course I knew it. Just wanted something cheap. Still, the performance is subpar. Better to save your money and buy something much better or build something on your own.