Dollys are a great tool on set for controlling camera movement, but they take a long time to set up and are a pain to lug around when you need to move them. Rhino has a new dolly that, while a slider at heart, addresses all those annoyances in a well-thought-out design that really wants to be the dolly it is.
Designed to fit into a single Pelican case, the Rhino Dolly comes with a set of four 7 foot Infinity rails, for a fourteen-foot expanse, the Rhino Dolly carriage with a built-in adjustable 100mm bowl, and a set of locking endplates. The bowl has a custom tilt feature included, which enables the camera operator to adjust the camera rig up to 10 degrees in order to keep it level with the horizon.
Image Credit – Rhino
Additionally, with the optional Rhino Arc II motion control system, the Rhino Dolly can be rigged to repeat the same camera move with an installation that takes just a few seconds. All one needs to do is add the Arc II, install the belt, and hit the power button.
With the Arc II, camera sliding can be repeated, along with the ability to simultaneously pan the camera from right to left, and back. Moreover, through the use of the optional Rhino Focus, changes in focus can be set with up to 5 keyframes triggering each move.
The Infinity rails are precision machined to screw together for a bumpless journey of the carriage across the dolly track, and additional Infinity rails can be added with no limit as long as a snap-on Rhino support is added with each additional 7-foot rail added on.
Image Credit – Rhino
The Rhino Dolly also has two sets of Carbon machined Quick Legs with height measurement indicators so that the camera crew can easily raise and lower both sides to the same height, and level. A nice touch should the camera position find itself on uneven ground.
When fully extended the half ball can reach a height of 54.5″, or as low as 24″ with the legs fully retracted. The Rhino Dolly’s support bowl can also be placed in the underslung configuration when seeking to capture from a higher perspective. Meanwhile, the endplates have a set of locking clamps for security and can fit the Rhino Infinity arms, as well as US or Euro Speed Rail, or 1 1/2” EMT.
Image Credit – Rhino
Furthermore, to show that Rhino has really thought about how flexible the Rhino can be, the end caps have a built-in bubble so each side can be adjusted to a level condition, and the Rhino Dolly carriage includes a quick-mount for LowBoy and C-Stand attachment (via an adapter), as well as ARRI mounts to add everything from a magic arm to a monitor-recorder.
In its native configuration, the Rhino Dolly can shoulder up to 100 pounds of gear and still travel buttery smooth. However, when that configuration adds on the Arc II motion control system and the Carbon Quick legs, the load-carrying capacity can plummet to 15 pounds very quickly. So it’s important to keep your setup light.
Image Credit – Rhino
Currently listed on Kickstarter, the Rhino Dolly can be had for an MSRP of $1800 for the Rental Kit, $2400 for the Basic Kit that includes the 7-foot Infinity rails, or $4,000 for the ultimate kit, which also adds the Arc II motion control system and Carbon Quick Legs. The expected delivery is December of 2022.
Keep in mind, however, that being a Kickstarter campaign, delivery can be delayed, or even canceled due to production issues. So it pays to revisit the page from time to time for updates on how the development is coming along.
[source: Kickstarter]
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