40+ft. Jib/Crane for OSMO

Luke Neumann · Jan 27, 2016

I have been working with a company (who shall remain anonymous for now) on a product specifically for the OSMO. This is something I have been dreaming of for a while.

A crane that breaks down into pieces and is adaptable to most tripods. The weight of the OSMO/X5 allows the crane to be made of lightweight materials. Light enough to throw 40+ feet in a backpack and hike it around. Lighter materials means a less expensive final product.

It's still in the early stages but I just wanted to get a head count/rough idea of how many people would be interested in such a product. That way, if the company needs any re assurance I can point them to this thread.

frasmac · Jan 27, 2016

It sounds great.

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The Editor · Jan 27, 2016

Luke Neumann said:
I have been working with a company (who shall remain anonymous for now) on a product specifically for the OSMO. This is something I have been dreaming of for a while.

A crane that breaks down into pieces and is adaptable to most tripods. The weight of the OSMO/X5 allows the crane to be made of lightweight materials. Light enough to throw 40+ feet in a backpack and hike it around. Lighter materials means a less expensive final product.

It's still in the early stages but I just wanted to get a head count/rough idea of how many people would be interested in such a product. That way, if the company needs any re assurance I can point them to this thread.

40 feet plus!!!!??? That's going g to have a serious amount of flex on it.
What about counter weights? Osmo plus X3 or X5 may not sound much but the fulcrum forces of nearly a kilo on a pivot 40 feet away will add up!

gruvpix · Jan 27, 2016

My Inspire is my crane.

Luke Neumann · Jan 27, 2016

gruvpix said:
My Inspire is my crane.

Pretty limited crane if you ask me. Can't get close to actors, can't get close to objects, can't shoot in towns/cities, can't shoot in National Parks, can't shoot near airports, trouble using longer lenses, trouble doing slower camera moves.

My point is...if you have a crane AND an Inspire then you are really moving the camera however you like.

Personally, there are a lot of shots I would only feel comfortable capturing with a crane (and vice versa). A drone covers lower level aerials and bigger crane shots. A crane covers mid-to close up crane/dolly shots in one set up.

You simply just can't achieve a lot of traditional angles with a drone yet...

Luke Neumann · Jan 27, 2016

The Editor said:
40 feet plus!!!!??? That's going g to have a serious amount of flex on it.
What about counter weights? Osmo plus X3 or X5 may not sound much but the fulcrum forces of nearly a kilo on a pivot 40 feet away will add up!

It won't be too bad. We put a RED Dragon on a 33 ft. crane (the crane itself was made of heavy duty materials) and we needed about 200lbs of counter weights. The RED was probably about 13-15lbs.

So the Zenmuse X5 coupled with lighter materials won't require much. To keep things light and simple I'm going to suggest (to the company) sandbags that attach to the operator end that can be filled up on the spot. Throw 4x sandbags full of small rocks on the end and you would be surprised how easy it is to balance out in the field.

Casey Preston · Jan 28, 2016

I hope it works, but I have my doubts. Based on my somewhat limited experience with cranes, the primary issue with lightweight supports is vertical and horizontal swaying of the crane. None of these are axis for which the gimbal compensates. Using the Osmo as a lightweight motorized head could be useful, though.

Luke Neumann · Jan 28, 2016

Casey Preston said:
I hope it works, but I have my doubts. Based on my somewhat limited experience with cranes, the primary issue with lightweight supports is vertical and horizontal swaying of the crane. None of these are axis for which the gimbal compensates. Using the Osmo as a lightweight motorized head could be useful, though.

That part will be ironed out, for sure. The company building it know what they are doing when it comes to cranes so the basic components will be like any other crane. The only difference will be, instead of a pan/tilt head you will just have an adapter to slap the OSMO onto the end of it (pointing horizontally). That will allow for the most freedom of movement.

XcYZ · Feb 2, 2016

Luke, I would be absolutely interested in this. I've goofed off with a makeshift bracket on my small jib and I liked the response. While 40 ft sounds crazy long, I would love to learn more.

Cough, cough, Kessler. Haha.

Luke Neumann · Feb 2, 2016

XcYZ said:
Luke, I would be absolutely interested in this. I've goofed off with a makeshift bracket on my small jib and I liked the response. While 40 ft sounds crazy long, I would love to learn more.

Cough, cough, Kessler. Haha.

Good to know! The more people on board the more likely it will go into production. At the very least a prototype and then pre order just to gauge interest.

Not Kessler though...it will be more affordable than that

XcYZ · Feb 2, 2016

And I like the sound of more affordable than my Kessler gear.

Are you posting this on any other forums? This isn't the most active and I would be interested in following along.

On a different topic, was just watching your review of the Aputure Lightstorm LS1...

Luke Neumann · Feb 2, 2016

XcYZ said:
And I like the sound of more affordable than my Kessler gear.

Are you posting this on any other forums? This isn't the most active and I would be interested in following along.

On a different topic, was just watching your review of the Aputure Lightstorm LS1...

This is the only forum for right now. I don't know how much convincing they will need yet.

Cool! It's a really handy light.

XcYZ · Apr 4, 2016

Luke Neumann said:
This is the only forum for right now. I don't know how much convincing they will need yet.

Luke, any movement on a possible jib/crane? Will it mount on a 75mm bowl? I'm going to start fabricating something for myself using my small carbon fiber jib that I use with my GH4, but I'm definitely interested on what you may be working on. Thanks!

SanCap · Apr 4, 2016

My friend has successfully used one of these from MegaMast with his Osmo and X3 attached. Studio Assets MegaMast Carbon Fiber Camera Stand (27.5') SA1240

jon b · Apr 9, 2016

Simple lightweight connectable 6 ft carbon tubes do it for me. Cheap, replaceable, low tech but works great. Looks like I'm flying indoors without the hassle. 40 feet up... I'll fly that one

Kenneth Sands · Dec 13, 2016

I'd be very interested in a light CF Modular Jib system specifically tailored for the Osmo Pro and with a central pivot mount able to be tripod mounted.