Many people tend to believe that the 3-axis brushless gimbal stabilisers have revolutionised filmmaking industry in a way so that they finally succeeded in making obsolete conventional professional systems for capturing smooth and fluent cinematic shots used for decades. Yet, there are certain situations when this isn’t necessarily the case. Sure, a 3-axis gimbal stabiliser or a Steadicam can be extremely flexible and efficient solution in many aspects. However, it’s hard to reproduce the same camera movement with these tools, especially when you need to do this multiple times while filming.
Furthermore, dolly systems are built so that they can carry a complex and heavy camera rigs, an operator and a camera assistant included, and even some additional bits and pieces of equipment such as compact jibs or cranes in some rare instances.
They are also way more stable compared to gimbals, which allows filmmakers to use long zoom lenses, pull focus more precisely and frame better their shots. The biggest drawback of dolly systems is that they are too big and heavy to be transported and too expensive for the majority of indie productions.
Recently, CAME-TV came up with a solution – a compact and affordable dolly system costing less than $1,000.
This is a fully sized dolly that can be easily unfolded and carried in three compact bags. At the same time you can achieve the same quality dolly shots from you favourite blockbusters without the need to hire an additional team to operate the platform. It comes with a detachable handle and four sets of wheels, and it’s also built of stainless steel.
This is why the CAME-TV Dolly can support the weight of a full-size film camera, an operator and assistant all in all weighing up to 300 kilos. You can even mount a camera jib onto its telescoping arm for even more versatile and creative shots.
The system also provides a set of straight and curved tracks that can be easily bound together for more complex camera movements and longer shots.
CAME-TV Dolly system specifications:
- Compatible with 62 cm dolly track systems
- Max Payload: 300 kilos
- Main Platform Dimensions :100 x 80 x 12 cm (39″ x 31.5″ x 4.7″)
- Detachable Handle
- Telescopic Arm
- Easy to transport
- Price: $836
In case you want to use some more traditional gear for your next project and you are looking for a very smooth and fluent camera movement, in particular, this compact dolly system may be a feasible option.
If not, you can always use your favourite 3-axis gimbal stabiliser like the DJI Ronin, it’s little brother the Ronin-M or any other piece of equipment that you trust and also fits the needs of your project. Whatever tool you are going to use make sure, it’s the right choice and will serve your story in the best possible way.
[via: Tom Antos Films, source: CAME-TV]
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Wow, a super price for such a product!