ProAm USA Orion Jr DVC50 Compact DSLR Video Camera Jib Crane Tilt, 4 ft

This 4' crane is a great inexpensive starting point that adds professionalism to your production and gives you a wider array of dynamic and smooth, sweeping shots. It's 4' from the pivot to the camera head and is great for indoor or outdoor shots. The Camera mounting bracket is perfect for wider DSLR's or cinema cameras, or even your small handheld P&S. I have a rail system mounted on mine with a matte box which adds to the look and functionality of the rig. The top arm is a little flimsy and has a bit of a wiggle problem from side-to-side, but doesn't seem to affect much of anything. It's not a wear-part so I'm not worried about it. The wing nuts makes for easy dis-assembly and maintenance. There's enough clearance for cabling on the arm, which is great for the optional video monitor I purchased for it. Lastly, I wish this had a horizontal control arm, that I was disappointed it did not come with. I'll fabricate something later if I need to, but it works just fine for now. 5/5, for the price and quality.

I do a lot of youtube videos in my small studio. Just look up Thomas Grillo and theremin to check out some of my musical works. I recently started working with jib cranes, and even built a diy jib which I even shot some test footage with. However, it was clear that I needed to upgrade to properly manufactured, and tested jib cranes, and have recently added not one, but two cranes to my studio. Both are a ProAm DVC250, and a DVC50. I hope to have a video featuring these in a couple of weeks as of this review. That said, I found this little DVC50 to be much more cool than I thought it would be. The DVC250 is 8 feet long without it's 4 foot extender, but still too big to safely use in my main studio, but the DVC50 fits perfectly in the studio, or small room, and lets me swing it all over the room without hitting anything. It's boom is only 4 feet from counterbalance, to camera end. I highly recommend that you use a good fluid tripod pan / tilt head on the camera end. I added a counterbalance under my old camera pan / tilt head to keep the camera from flopping over when I'm using the pan head in tilt mode. I use the little jib in total manual fashion, as it's so short that you really don't need to put motorized pan / tilt devices on it. I also highly recommend that you don't risk your gear with a conventional tripod as jib cranes can get heavier than most tripods' rated loading. I just simply ordered the jib crane stand which is rated for up to 100 pounds, and is much more affordable than a tripod rated at 30 pounds I saw. Both the crane and stand were ordered through BC Media, and since they knew I had ordered the stand at the same time as the jib, they went ahead and included the stand head mount, so there was no fuss in setting up the jib. I also recommend getting the jib monitor, because even though you're right there, near the camera end, you'll still have situations where the jib's structure will block your view of the camera's viewfinder. That's when it helps to have a monitor on the jib where you've always got a good view of what the camera seas. It also wouldn't hurt to have a lanc on the handl of your pan head, or on the jib. You might want to contact the manufacturer, and ask about having them put a tilt handle on your jib like what's on the bigger cranes. I've already contacted them, and they advised that it can be done, but that I'd have to send my crane to them to be modified. I'm sure It could be done by just ordering the tilt handle, and adding it your self some how. Having the tilt handle would allow you to do some cool dutch angle effects, as well as tilting. However, if you find the right pan and tilt head, you could do the dutch angle thing that way, but it would be a bit trickier. Oh, just one more thing. The jib comes with three sets of holes drilled into the boom and stabilizer bar between the stand and the camera end, which are there to allow the operator to adjust the position of the boom. This lets you adjust for balance, and or set the jib for customizable operations. UPDATE: After visiting ProAm's site, I noticed they've released the DVC60, which features a centered camera mount. I contacted them about buying just the camera mount which is made for the DVC60 so I could replace the side-slung mount. They not only offered to sell me the mount,but also told me about the extension plate that extends well out ahead of the mount. I ordered two sets for both my jibs. I just finished doing the retrofit, and the jibs now work a lot better. :)

The ProAm DVC50 Jib seemed perfect for myself, an amateur filmmaker. I have been making films for the past five years and have been resorting to a fig rig for all of my stable shots. However, I just wasn't getting the smooth, cinematic feel that I wanted. After searching the web for cheep jibs and not finding anything rated above three stars, I finally stumbled upon this Jib. I ordered the ProAm DVC50 two days ago, and with amazon prime shipping, I received it today. I immediately took it out of the bag and set it up with the stand which I had bought with it. The jib itself requires about 7.5 pounds of counterweight to balance out without a camera, however, when I added my camera, the counterbalance weight increased to ten pounds. The first thing I noticed when trying out the jib was it's amazingly smooth flow. With the proper balance, the jib performed without a hitch right out of the box. The rig was quiet, efficient, and relatively light yet sturdy. The only flaw that I could detect was that the bolt used for securing the counter weights (dumbbell weights) was a little small. However, the tightening bolt that came with the rig was able to tighten enough so as to secure the weights in place without rattling. After I set the rig up, I went outside and took some practice video and was delighted by the ease of use and performance of the jib. The footage, even for a first time jib user was phenomenal, I could not have asked for better. I WOULD RECOMMEND BUYING THIS JIB FROM AMAZON, IT IS CHEEPER AND THE SHIPPING IS ALOT FASTER!!!

I overall like the the jib. Just at 4 feet you don’t have a long range of movement.

I was please with the construction of the jib arm, it is very sturdy. The only thing about the design I didn't like was there is just a single long bolt to hold the counter weights which makes adding the weight a bit awkward. I cut some rubber laundry hose to put over the bolt which helped. Otherwise the jib grants smooth movement. I also bought the crane stand since I felt the weight of the jib along with the counter weights would be too much stress for my tripod. Bought the lcd monitor as well...fyi, if you get a monitor, ProAm included the mounting bracket with my monitor.

What an absolute piece of junk. I wouldn't give this thing one star if it was possible. I bought this based on so many good reviews. When you buy something you expect it to work, and not have to fix, modify, tighten, and bend it to the the way it's supposed to originally be. No matter what you do with this thing it wobbles back and forth, and the the motion up and down is jerky unless used to with extremely light touch. I balanced it with an equal amount of weight, and it still shakes in every direction. I cannot believe this product is released to the public. Don't tell me that you get what you pay for, either. I paid for a product that is supposed to work like it claims. I can't believe these good reviews; don't believe them. I've used high-end jibs and I would take a home-made one over this. I'm sending it back and saving and buying a real jib.

Just arrived yesterday. It is basically assembled right out of the box. It is SOLID metal construction... No plastic any where. Can't believe I only paid 175.00 for this great piece of equipment. I think ProAM should throw in a carry bag to keep it protected.... but other that that... I can't conceive of a complaint regarding this nifty piece of machinery. I know it will add TREMENDOUS production value to my wedding video documentaries I produce here in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. I'll test it out and post some videos for you to look at. Thanks Pro AM! Thanks, Amazon for providing this afffordable, beautiful piece of production equipment! WADE / Abracadabra Wedding Videos/Albuquerque, New Mexico

First off, the processing and shipping of my order was pretty quick. I got the set withing 3 days. So I was extremely excited when it arrived at my door. Secondly I bought all three of the recommended pieces together. The crane, tripod, and bag - in which I am glad that I did. The tripod seem to be specially fitted for the crane itself so definitely for the price, I feel it's a really must have, if you don't already own such a rig. Finally, putting the rig together took just a matter of minutes. I believe it was no more than 2 minutes for me. 5 minutes if you count me trying to adjust the the height that I want this thing to go at. They recommend that you use a counter weight of 3-4 times of your camera setup. I used both DSLR and a full size camera, and found that 22-30lbs seem to work ok. But that will vary for each user's setup. BTW I used dumb bell plates for the crane. However the bolt itself is very small, so you might want to use some sort of inner coupling to keep the dumb bell plates from rattling or shifting. It can cause a jumpy shot to happen. Now for a better improved shot, I also recommend getting a fluid head. It really make panning the camera so much more easier. But make sure the handle is on the right side not the left. As it will tend to hit the crane arm if you swing the camera on the head. Overall, I definitely have to say for the price, it's definitely worth the money, especially if you're just starting out and need to add a crane shot. On more thing, the weight together is pretty light. You can carry it with one hand in the case and still hold onto your camera at the same time. Just know that in some instance, it might not fit your trunk. (It didn't fit for me at all.)