NAB is fast approaching, and we wanted to alert everyone that we are not exhibiting there this year.
We keep our customers informed of changes and new products via our website and occasional email blasts. If you are attending NAB have fun but don't spend time looking for the Porta-Jib Booth.
If you are visiting the LA area, you may want to visit our workshop in Hollywood. Call Mark to set up an appointment.
Scott Losmandy is the creative mind behind both Porta-Jib and Losmandy Astronomical Products. He designed the Star-Lapse system to give accurate movement to compensate for the rotation of the earth, and produce sharp images during extremely long exposures.
Filmmakers have found that the StarLapse can add dynamics to time-lapse videography by permitting camera motion during the duration of the shot. The camera can be set up to pan or tilt at nine different speeds from 7.5° to 240° per hour to provide smooth camera motion at any frame rate. View this video using the StarLapse and an iPad. For more detailed information, visit the Losmandy products website.
NAB is fast approaching, and we wanted to alert everyone that we are not exhibiting there this year. Last year was the first time in 15 years that we missed the show. However, as we suspected, we saw no change in our overall sales. So we have decided to skip this year as well.
We will do our best to keep customers informed of changes and new products via our website and occasional email blasts. So for those of you going to the show, have fun, but please do not spend valuable time looking for the Porta-Jib Booth.
If you are visiting the LA area, you may want to visit our workshop in Hollywood. Call Mark to set up an appointment.
Porta-Jib loses weight
No we haven't joined Jenny Craig or Weight-Watchers, but we have decided to no longer include weights in the base price of our jibs. Since the cost of making our own custom weights has increased it makes sense to no longer include weights rather than raise the price of the jib package. In addition, many customers prefer to source weights locally from sporting goods stores in order to save on shipping. We will sell official Porta-Jib weights as accessories. They are powder-coated and bear the distinctive Porta-Jib name stamped into the metal. If you are a Porta-Jib dealer, please make note of this change.Our newest Tripod works with both the Porta-Jib Traveller and the Porta-Jib Explorer. Unlike most 100mm tripods on the market, the robust construction provides a sturdy base to support a jib arm, and can easily carry up to 300 lbs. (136kg.) This tripod can be used as any other tripod with just your fluid head and camera, so it can be the only tripod you need in your kit. The rubber feet protect delicate floors and interface with the Losmandy 3-Leg Spider Dolly or the Explorer 3-Leg Dolly. To find out more, click here.
Trey Solberg created a 5 minute video review of the Porta-Jib Explorer which you can view by clicking the image above or by visiting his testimonial page on the Porta-Jib website.
Trey calls himself a "Lighting Cameraman" however, like many freelance production professionals, Trey offers a range of services from Director of Photography to Audio Recording Engineer to Lighting Services to Post-Production. Though he owns a Aviator-Steadicam style support system, he was enthusiastic about adding a Porta-Jib Explorer to his kit. He used the Explorer exclusively when shooting a car review for Kelly Blue Book.Visit Trey's user page to see more photos of his innovative set-ups. The Porta-Jib Explorer was the right tool to give his footage a "wow" factor and allow him to be creative with a limited budget and timeframe. See how he used the Explorer during a commercial shoot for Nello Cucina for both jib and slider shots in the behind-the-scenes video.
Our user pages contain testimonials and photos from actual users. If you would like to be featured on your own user page on our website, please email your comments, photos and videos to mark@porta-jib.com.
The Standard Porta-Jib was the industry's original light-weight front operated jib arm when it debuted back in 1989. In those days, when there were no light weight cameras, it had to be strong enough to carry a 100 lb. payload, which by today's standards makes it a heavy-weight jib. Consequently, as cameras became smaller and lighter, we brought out lighter-weight jibs like our Traveller and Explorer models, each time thinking it may be the end of the road for the Standard Jib. However, to our great surprise (and satisfaction), each year the Standard Jib continues to out-sell our lighter weight models. Why is this? Well, it is due to many things that differentiate the Standard from other jibs, including our own lighter weight models.
1) Although customers may be using lighter weight cameras now, they like knowing they have a jib that can handle larger cameras in the future.
2) A jib with more mass creates smoother moves. The lighter the jib, the more springy the movement, especially as one approaches the weight limit of the jib. Most users never get close to the 100 lb. capacity of the Standard Jib.
3) Unlike other front operated jibs, which are usually limited to a 100mm front cup, the Standard Jib can have either a Mitchell, 150mm, or 100mm front receptacle. This is ideal for rental houses that need to have as many options as possible for their customers.
4) The Standard Jib has the perfect size and strength to accommodate the increasingly popular Cartoni underslung heads-the Smart Head and the Spin Head. Once a camera operator uses a good underslung head, he quickly realizes that this is the ideal way to work a front operated jib. Being able to stay beneath arm gives one a completely unobstructed range of motion from ground level to as high as one can reach. A perfectly balanced underslung head on a perfectly balanced Standard jib is an unbeatable combination.
5) Unlike many jibs, the Standard has a lock for the boom that can handle up to a 20 lb. imbalance. This makes working much easier because one can simply lock the arm to change lenses or batteries without needing a second person to hold onto the jib as the weight changes are happening in the front.
6) Since the Standard Jib is primarily front-operated, it means the camera generally is not going to go much higher than what the camera operator can control (about 8 feet). However, unlike our other jibs, the Standard JIb can become much larger by adding a 3 foot extension, which creates a far greater reach and lift. Add another manufacturer's remote head system or use the extended version without a remote head to obtain higher angles or greater reach when needed.
7) The Standard Jib needs little maintenance. There are rental houses in the Los Angeles area that have jibs still in active rental service that were manufactured over 20 years ago.
Click here to find out more.
Read what Jonathan has to say about his experience with Porta-Jib products by visiting his user page on our website by clicking here.
Our user pages contain testimonials and photos from actual users. If you would like to be featured on your own user page on our website, please email your comments, photos and videos to mark@porta-jib.com.
Our last newsletter discussed the benefits of the new improved FlexTrak. The Losmandy Spider Dolly is not new, however, we have new videos on our website for both the 3-Leg and the 4-Leg Spider Dollies that includes behind-the-scenes footage and helpful tips on how to create the camera movement you need to engage your viewers and enhance your overall production.
The modular design of the 3-Leg Spider Dolly allows a client to upgrade his purchase when he is ready for a rideable 4-Leg dolly system. Instead of having to purchase an entirely new dolly, a customer can simply buy the additional parts to convert his 3-Leg Dolly into the 4-Leg Spider dolly. And of course, any owner of the 4-Leg Dolly can configure the parts into a 3-Leg Dolly.
The pivoting seat is one of the innovative features of the 4-Leg Spider dolly because of the way it allows the cameraman to control the camera during complex dolly moves. This is discussed in detail with illustrations here.
Click here to find out more.
Michael Morlan is a director of photography and the owner of Austin Film Tools. He uses the Porta-Jib Traveller on all of his projects. "All in all, the Porta-jib Traveller is one of the most important tools in my personal kit."
To read more, please visit his testimonial page on the Porta-jib website by clicking here.
After 10 years of success with our revolutionary FlexTrak, we are happy to announce a new version that is now even better.
The original FlexTrak was revolutionary because:
1) Unlike traditional dolly track, whether professional steel track or PVC pipe, Flextrak can be used for any desired curve as well as straight runs.
2) Set up is easy and instant, no joints to wedge.
3) Flextrak can be rolled up into a compact bundle and fit into any vehicle. No need for a large truck or van to transport long sections of track.
4) A leveling kit enables FlexTrak to be used outdoors in unlevel environments. The channels of the leveling kit are lightweight and only 36" long, and therefore are extremely portable, fitting easily into a small vehicle.
Our new FlexTrak has all of the advantages of the original, but is now even better in three ways:
1) A 40' (12m) piece is 10 lbs. lighter, now weighing only 30 lbs. (13.6 kg). Even in a case it comes in under the 50 lb. weight restriction for airline travel.
2) Because it retains little or no memory of being stored in a coiled position, the new FlexTrak is easier to manipulate.
3) The new FlexTrak material is not as temperature sensitive as the original.
The reason the new FlexTrak has these improvements is because it is no longer a solid rubber extrusion. It begins as a steel reinforced tubing which has the integrity and strength to support a dolly, and then we process the tubing to give its exterior an ultra-smooth finish to ensure a smooth dolly move. The price remains the same: $450 per 40' (12m) piece. Two pieces lying parallel creates a 40' run. One piece looped back to create the second rail, creates a 17' (5.5m) run. Click here to visit our website and find out more.