A crane is not a video tool you drag with you everywhere, especially if you're a one man band. But the times when you DO bring out a crane, you'll always come back excited about reviewing the camera movements that are hard to replicate in any other way. I thought about DIY'ing my own crane, but after finding this one for just over $100 dollars, it made sense to start with that and modify it as I go. Unfortunately, they aren't available any longer.
When working with a Crane, make sure you have the correct amount of balance (right down to the ounce). Having perfect balance will allow the camera to move effortlessly. I also mounted this setup on a (discontinued) Manfrotto 503 fluid head with a beefy Manfrotto tripod. I used a Manfrotto tripod dolly to make repositioning easy just by rolling the crane around. This portion of the build is a bit more expensive, but there's other options for Crane stands.
Manfrotto 503 Fluid HeadWe had so much fun getting extremely low shots, to very smooth vertical camera movements, i'm looking to either build or buy a smaller 4ft. Crane. It might seem short, but it's also based on Tripod height. If the tripod is set higher, then the POV will be higher. There is one Bargain brand that seems to have a small faithful following with excellent feedback that I might consider - called ProAm. The ProAm crane can be used in either 8ft. or 12ft. lengths and broken down into (3) 4ft. sections for traveling. Lots of other Crane options, Crane accessories, Crane stands, and LCD monitoring are also available from Bargain Camera's lineup. All found below.
